Walking home from work today, a little frazzled, I let the cool breeze and the 15-minute downhill walk calm me down. I started to turn an observant eye to my surroundings.

It was then that I had the realization that there is no "normal" day for us in Haiti. Even a day that feels just that – perhaps  sitting at our desks for the majority of the day, eating with co-workers at lunch, and returning to our home at the predictable time – is actually chock full of completely new, abnormal experiences.

These experiences, whether or not we take note, seep into our pores and make up the very fabric of our lives, our existences here in Haiti.

On a simple walk to work, for example, almost everything we encounter is not ''normal'' for us: the clothes hanging from the cement walls, on display for shoppers; the little kids in their adorable checkered uniforms, walking to school while holding a parent’s hand, girls with their hair full of ribbons; the sellers who carry three large baskets stacked upon their heads, calling out their wares; the clouds of exhaust that periodically spew from vehicles and the obnoxious honking; the precarious sidewalk arrangements, loose wires hanging down from the power lines and cars, wheelbarrows, large tree roots obstructing pedestrians’ paths; the shoe shiners; the radio programs broadcasting "La Dessalienne," the national anthem, once the clock strikes 8am.

The days are fun when I take time to appreciate all these things that are new and foreign. Yet, when some time passes and I haven't been taking note, I'll start to feel the effects of my foreign environment all the same: 

Perhaps I will start to feel more pressed at work without obvious reason, couped up, anxious, lacking direction, or Ted and I won't be communicating at all ''fluidly'' and I won't understand why... 

It's because nothing here is ''normal''! Our environment speaks to us even when we don't hear it. We are ''fish out of water'' in a sense, and it only helps to recognize this. It allows me personally to reorient myself, to accept that everyday things can be a little disorienting, and to try to walk forward with more appreciation for all that is truly ''new.''

On Manners

Haitians are so formal, ya'll. I love it! This morning, we sat anba tonel - underneath the shaded meeting space -  in our office's backyard. We were meeting with two young pastor/attorneys, who have been working with Ted on the beginnings of a Christian legal association or network in Haiti.

These guys - both named Simeon - are enthusiastic about connecting legal professionals around the pillars of faith and justice. This morning, they held an informational meeting with another attorney, who is Haitian-American and the wife of a pastor here in town. She holds a lot of program planning, evaluating experience as well as a clear passion for Christianity and justice issues.

The meeting starts off so formally, like they often do. Each Simeon presented their name, background, and stated the purpose of the day's meeting.

There is a formality and high value placed on speech and presentation here in Haiti. When people enter a room, they make sure to give a general greeting to all who are present. If it's an individual greeting, they ask after you, and your family. Did you sleep well, did you have a good weekend. Visitors, at a church service or a prayer meeting, are often asked if they'd like to share a word with everyone present. One often prefaces their remarks with a ''Bondye ave nou" (God be with you) and the requisite response is promptly given, "Amen," before the speaker continues.

Haitians love to give speeches, and they are darn good at it.

In addition, people here are sharp dressers. The photo above serves as Exhibit A. You can bet Ted and I never look as snazzy as those with whom we are meeting. Shoe shiners dot the sidewalk between the office and our house. Kindergartners, college students, businessmen - they are all stopping to get their regular shoe shine for less than 50 cents a pop. 

Why do I appreciate this attention to appearance and to manner that I see exhibited in the Haitians I meet? I feel that it has something to do with the honor and respect that these mannerisms demonstrate - a respect for the given day, for the business, meeting, or task at hand; it connects somehow with the reverence Haitians have for the present moment.