Megan and I always have the best of intentions to exercise, but that sort of falls by the wayside a lot. Today (Thursday), we finally get our act together, lace up our tennis shoes, and head out for a run. We really aren’t certain that we’ll be able to make it to the end of the road as neither one of us have run in ages, but we decide to head for the top of the mountain where the land for the new school is.
I talked to one of my Haitian friends last week about running, asking if they like to run and whatnot. Basically, they do not. The idea of running for fun/exercise is foreign here and they’re all really fit anyway so it just doesn’t happen. The two white chicks look extra ridiculous to the neighborhood today as we run by in work out gear, sweating buckets, and turning red. (Sometimes I like to break out in a chant of WHITE CHICKS! WHITE CHICKS! Because I think that’s really funny.)
We somehow manage to actually make it up the mountain without stopping. Well, ok, we stopped once when we passed this big group of people because we were a little embarrassed. But anyway, from the top of the mountain you get a beautiful view of the Caribbean and it just looks extra beautiful today. I spot this road down on the other side of the mountain that looks like it leads right up to the shore and I ask Megan how she feels about a little exploratory adventure run. She, of course, thinks that’s a great idea so we take off down the far side of the mountain.
At some point, while picking our way through people’s backyards and stuff, a little boy with beautiful features and the most precious smile starts running behind us. It isn’t long before we’ve made it across the highway and are basically crawling up the last steep hill that separates us from the water, all the while greeting the fine Haitian folks who think we look ridiculous (which we do). We make it down the other side and find this path that looks promising to take us to the water. The kid is still with us although he’s gone the entire distance in a pair of rubber Walmart sandal things. So we decide he’s cool enough to hang out with us and ask his name. It’s Bebeson. Cute, right? So Bebeson, Megan, and I run the last bit down this trail and find a BEAUTIFUL beach. The gravelly shore extends out from the marsh into the Caribbean and we walk around picking up shells and little crabs. It rained earlier in the afternoon so its clear enough now to see the big island off in the distance very well and everything is bathed in various shades of a peaceful blue. It is magical.
After we finish gawking at all the beauty of this lovely beach we turn around to head home. On the way back we look around at different houses. Megan has been looking for a new place to rent here in Gressier for several reasons, but hasn’t found anything yet. We make it back to our side of the highway and when we get halfway up, we run into this group of guys who are taking down a big house that was severely damaged during the earthquake. One man dressed in blue jeans and a polo seems to be in charge and I'm like, "That guy looks like he would know where we could find a rental." Someone calls him away at that moment and we turn to leave, but I tell her that I have this feeling she should really talk to him. We wait for a minute and then walk over to strike up a conversation.
I say the 3 or so Creole phrases that I know and then get quiet and let them talk. Turns out he has 2 properties to rent and he asked us if we’d like to go see them. Of course we do! The first one is very nice but is on the highway, so its rejected. The second house we go to is AWESOME. Its this big white house that these German doctors have been staying in and, without boring you with details, lets just say its perfect!! Megan has seen this place many times before and said she always thought it was nice and wanted to see it. That was such a cool encounter randomly asking this man on the side of the mountain if he knew of any places to rent! (cough, Holy Spirit)
The German doctor isn’t leaving until September, but he said he is willing to let us sublet the bottom part of the house. The only problem is that its massively expensive. We’re praying that somehow we’ll get a more reasonable price or find a way to pay for it. Preferably by the end of the month…. Or like now.
Anyway, in summary: great run, magic beach, cool random encounter, awesome day.
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