Dinner at the guest house last night, we had Fried sweet potatoes. Fried plantains. Fried chicken. Small bits of fried something which tasted like fried bread. Rice. For the brave souls among us we could top it all with Confit. Ernso, our guest house owner, told us Confit is “real Haitian food”. The jar of red liquid looked like tomato juice with peppers and onions and garlic floating in it. (At least we think those were peppers.)
I had a teaspoon and Sonya went back for seconds. The flavor was delicious but the heat was intense. Sonya wrote in her blog that Confit “will kill you”. It grabs your tongue and lets you know you’re not in Kansas anymore
Half of our team went back to Memphis yesterday and another two return home today. There are five of us left who will attend a big party on Monday at the school. The “official Inauguration ceremony” has been postponed until December 3, which is International Day for the Handicapped and always marked by a grand celebration at St Vincents.
However those of us already here agreed with Père FanFan that we didn’t want to disappoint the children and staff who have been looking forward to a fun time. They have prepared songs and dances for us and a stage has been built. A band has been hired and I’m told we’re having BBQ. For a girl from Memphis I can’t wait to see what that might be!
Maybe they’ll have Confit to add to the experience. I’m not worried it will kill any of us as Sonya predicted. Anyone strong enough to spend a week in the Haiti heat with no air conditioning can stand up to some flavor in their food. What might kill me is having my heart broken by 167 children dancing and singing songs of praise and joy and thankfulness. For their new school, for the people who love and care for them, for the BonDye (Good God) who blesses us all.
Susan Nelson