Monday, November 28, 2005

11/25 Another day in the city

Some of us again spent the day in the part of town where the FEMA workers got robbed. In the middle of ___ City there's a street that divides the area in half. On one side reside the Haitians, who speak Creole, and on the other side live the African Americans. And believe me, never the twain shall meet.

Of course we serve both populations.

Today we had lunch at the Creole Chef, on the recommendation of a police officer. It's not a place we'd ever choose on our own, but boy was it delicious. There was a big array of Caribbean foods, but almost all had meat or seafood. I had beans and rice and friend green plantains. Wow, it was a great meal.

They had no working bathroom but said we could go across the street to a Haitian barber shop and use their facilities. A nurse with another team really had to go and took off on her own. I chased after her and I yelled at her. We're never supposed to go off alone when in the field, but especially in this area. Although I never once felt threatened or anxious, I know that the police escorted the workers last week. We didn't have them with us, so we needed to be extra careful.

Bill M and I rode with Luis, from the Dominican Republic--Boca Chica near Santo Domingo. This was a very interesting day, with lots of running around and lots of poverty. But we had many laughs too. Bill and Luis kept me amused.

Went out to the pool bar in the evening, although I didn't have anything but a coke. It's like our outdoor living room where we gather after work.

The work days aren't as long as we expected, but I'm still very tired at the end of the day. Guess it's a combination of getting up at 5 AM and the roller coaster of emotions I experience in the work.

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