Me and Not My Dog

Olie and I took an adventure this weekend. I needed to go to Desarmes on Sunday to meet with the families in whose homes my advocacy delegation will be doing homestays. Since Ben was working on a freelance story and had an assignment on Monday, Olie and I decided to go just the two of us. It's a 3-hour drive to Desarmes, was Olie's longest roadtrip ever and my first time staying in Desarmes alone. We both did quite well, considering. (I was also quickly reminded that in the countryside, you're never alone for long).

When I decided to take Olie with me, I imagined that he would sit quietly on the passenger seat, perhaps with his head out hanging out the window, ears flapping in the wind. Olie turned out to be more of an air conditioning than windows-down kind of pup. He also preferred to sit curled up on my lap, wedged between me and the steering wheel or on my lap, pressed up against my chest. Neither of these positions facilitates driving a Landcruiser on steep, windy Haitian roads, but we managed to get to Desarmes without hitting any pedestrians, bicycles or livestock.

I think we also filled a lot of bystanders' entertainment quota for the day. Staring at white people is always entertaining in the countryside, and really, what could be more amusing than a white woman driving through Haiti with a labrador retriever sitting on her lap? Or better yet, a white woman that pulls over, gets out with said dog on a leash so that he can poop and then gives him water in a collapsible doggy dish?! Day made.

It turns out Olie and I have more in common than I realized. We both love to rock out to the Dixie Chicks, Old Crow Medicine Show and Hank Williams on the road. We both hate stop and go traffic, obnoxious truck horns, oncoming traffic in OUR lane, Haitian speed bumps ("bump" does not begin to describe their size) and potholes.

Olie thoroughly enjoyed Desarmes. On our way in, we stopped at the river to play and he got us both soaking wet.

 

He loved the smells and noises and commotion at the market, loved taking multiple walks to visit people, loved chasing chickens and adored the constant attention he received. He made friends everywhere we went and suddenly everyone wants to know when I'll be back in town. I kept having to tell people that he is NOT my dog. Also, "No, I'm sorry, I can't give him to you."