Today was a much more exciting day than normal. It started off two incredible discoveries. We had just rolled up to the shooting site (which we are done using as of today, tomorrow we have 2 clinic scenes to shoot and a promo for earth bag houses, neither of which can be done at Poteau) when I saw a goat with a lead tied around its' neck at the other end of which was connected a branch from a tree or a weed of some sort. I went on a fact finding mission and asked several of the Haitians what it meant. I dragged one guy across the road to find out and he eventually didn't have a chance to answer because a woman in the compound to which the soon to be Momma went answered. All the while, I have a very strange sensation in my pants, I thought my cell phone was going off. I then realized I didn't have my cell phone on me. Then my cell phone began ringing in my waist line and in my other pocket. I had something alive in my pants. I did indeed wait to find out why this goat was dragging a branch around, trying to remember the number for the Gonaives chapter of PETA. I walked back to the other compound, moved swiftly to the latrine which I left moments earlier and drew worried questions from the other blans present (Cholera scare) to which I explained there was something in my pants. I entered the latrine and quickly undid my pants and much to my relief and to the relief of the WASP!!!! in my pants. I undid my button, unzipped slightly and saw it fly up to the roof of the latrine and I very punctually left the latrine.
Second great story. Jake and I went off to film some cut aways (footage of a woman cooking, a kid my own age pretending to have diarrhea running to the bathroom, etc. to cover over dialogue) when we wondered into a field and talked with some men plowing with bulls. The diarrhea kid was our "in" to that interaction which we would have other wise missed. He is 23, in america we could have been friends. In Haiti, if I were Haitian, we could have been friends. As is, I am a strange alien plopped down to "help" a source of help and food and money. Life on the other side of the fence isn't always greener, but it always an accident of birth away. If my skin were black...
I want to fill up the rest of this post with some photos. We are blessed with lots of talent and the following photos are thanks to James Rucker:
On Site
This is what I do.
Village children and adults semi-interested in the proceedings.
Nandsie (pronounced Nanzy, long A) started something very bad. She counts to 10 now very well in english,.
Excitment? Joy? Pain? Incredulity? At least it's not a wasp in the pants.
Final result!
They did a good job. Especially working with the ever tricky white people hair.
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