Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Ramadan Traffic
This is just a quick note to say that I've not forgotten you all. We have had terrible power problems. Many evenings we are eating by candle light. Many days, I only work on the computer if I've turned on the Phare generator. (Boy, is that thing noisy!) And last night, Jane forgot to bring home the lap top since she hadn't used it since the power went off at school mid-morning.
I'm here at school this early today. Rodney asked that our normal Wednesday team meeting be held at their house. Everyone else lives on this side of town, so that is logical. More importantly, with the highway construction getting worse and the Mariste school back in session, morning traffic crossing Front de Terre has become impossible. Yesterday, Kathy had to give up and go home instead of coming to the Phare for a 9 AM meeting. Monday night, Jane and I and Hervé spent 2 hours in the car in a trip that should have taken 30 minutes.
In fact, Monday we were at the viewing for Antoinette's sister Denisia. It was, as often here, an unusual experience. I had brought several folks from the Phare with me, dropping them off close to the hospital, on my way to get Jane from
We watched a coffin arrive and be unloaded across the way. Soon it came back out, obviously heavier, and the men loaded it on top of a large van. Soon luggage and pots and pans and various things surrounded it. Eventually, people got in the van. Hervé was appalled at the Muslims' lack of respect for the body. We were confused. We thought we'd come for a viewing. Only when we were signaled to come over to that building did we realized that the coffin on the van was someone else's relative!
The viewing for Antoinette's sister was quite simple. She and her niece and other sister stood outside the door to the morgue. Another relative was inside waving a fan to keep the flies off the deceased. We greeted the relatives and went in and processed past the body lying on a simple hospital table. After that we waited some more outside, greeting various folks that we knew who were also waiting. Eventually we realized that nothing more would happen until later that night when those traveling with the body down to the village would leave. So we said our good-byes and left to go get Jonathan.
Hervé was with us and we expected to slip over to school and get home in the normal 30 minutes with traffic. That was not to be. An hour and a half later we finally got the mile to school. As we sat in traffic and were passed by little scooters, we even joked about ordering pizza and having it delivered. It was so slow I had the engine off half of that time and the door open to let in air! Meanwhile, Jonathan was with the Mulays, so we were worried about how that was going. We'd have called, but the credit had run out on our phone! When we finally did get to their house, the Mulays invited us in to eat. And we didn't refuse. By the time we got back on the road, everything was clear.
You see, it is Ramadan. And it is also the opening of classes for all the schools this week. During Ramadan, all the Mulsims fast during daylight hours. They also do not drink. So the breaking of the fast at a little after 7PM is physically very important. Everyone is in a big hurry to get home by then. Schools also get out at 5-5:30. About the time we left the hospital Monday, everyone and his brother was desperately trying to get home. Crazy. At 7:45, the streets were empty.
