Tap Tap

Day # 5 – Another busy day for Team Reiser.  We traveled to the Home for Sick and Dying Adults and volunteered our services by applying lotion to the residents as well as polishing the ladies’ nails. Then it was onto Leogane where we visited the Guardian Angels School.  We were given a tour of the school and spent time playing with the students.  Finally, we arrived at The Village of Jesus, a home for elderly women.  We polished nails, washed feet, applied lotion, and gave a concert for the women.

While we spend most of our day serving, we also spend much of our time traveling to the locations in our Tap-Tap.  What is a Tap-Tap you ask?  Tap-Taps are gaily-painted, converted trucks that serve as share taxis in Haiti.  Passengers ride in the bed of a truck, often in a “cage,” similar to circus animals.  Who needs amusement park rides when you can ride in a Tap-Tap?  The constant jerking and bouncing of the body would truly rival Valley Fair’s Wild Thing any day.  Pavement in Haiti is almost non-existent as most roads consist of rocks, cement chunks, and pot holes the size of a small Volkswagen. While bumping along the streets of Haiti, we are bombarded with the local sights, sounds, and smells:

 

Sights:  Street vendors selling their wares; Haitian people in their colorful attire; motorcycles darting in and out of traffic; buildings in various stages of construction as well as demise; wandering goats, dogs, chickens, and the occasional pig; the ever-present piles of garbage lining the streets, contrasted by the beauty of the flowering bougainvillea’s.

Smells:  Diesel exhaust billowing from the thousands of vehicles on the road; the unpleasant odor of decay; the pungent smell of burning garbage mixed with the aromatic smell of food vendors cooking.

Sounds:  The roaring engines of large trucks; Haitians greeting one another in their native Creole; radio music blaring from Tap-Taps, and non-stop horn honking.

Commuting in Haiti is a rush of trucks, cars, motorcycles, and Tap-Taps using any space on the road available (even the sidewalk if necessary), without adherence to your typical lane direction. Passing, turning, approaching, ‘hellos’ and other needs are communicated to other drivers by a series of specific horn honks. Driving in New York might seem like a boring walk in the park to a driver in Haiti. Yet, despite the absence of stop lights or road signs, the Haitian people seem to have a system. They understand the unwritten rules and remain calm in any situation.  It’s organized chaos.

 

Over the past week, we’ve gotten used to traveling the streets of Haiti and life in the Tap-Tap.  Fortunately, we’ve been blessed with an extremely competent driver, Maxime. While he safely navigates through the streets of Haiti, our team is able to enjoy each other’s company, making our time in the Tap-Tap a memorable part of our mission trip.

Marie Brau & Colleen Trebelhorn