Grrrr

This morning was a relatively nice morning. I went to the market with relatively little food to buy, instead focusing on picking up some souvenirs for home and for a couple of friends who I'll be seeing for the first time in a while right after I get home. I sat around for a while with Violette and her family (who have all adopted me and brag about my Creole skills and even refer to me as their Haitian friend), essentially for the last time as I'm not sure I'll make it back to the market in time to see them on Tuesday. I bought a couple of paintings from them, including an original piece that the artist signed and dedicated to me on the back. What I didn't realize about the piece is that it was just slightly too big for a shopping bag to carry home (and also for my suitcase, as I would later discover).

With a beautiful, clear sky above, you might imagine my consternation when it started raining as I was coming home with it. The painting is acrylic, so I wasn't too concerned about the painting itslef getting ruined, but rather the chances of the dedication smudging (or mildew growing). I put the bike on a conveniently placed bike rack and started to walk home.
As I was rearranging the bags to protect the painting, I slammed my knee into a less conveniently placed stone bench. I no longer wanted to walk home, so I decided to hitchhike. After 5 frustrating minutes, some soldiers pulled over and picked me up. They had no idea where I lived when I told them, which suggests that they are either new or they have very little exposure to the area, spending all their time in and around the military bases here (which is a common complaint I've heard about them).
But they got me home fast and relatively dry, so I was happy.

I ate lunch, picked up a couple things for dinner/recording tonight and went back to town. I decided to hitchhike again to speed things up, and the very first car I tried picked me up. It was a Haitian family. As they drove me back to my bike, they talked to me in Creole for a bit, testing whether I actually spoke it. We had a nice little conversation, and when I get out to unlock my bike, I discovered that some jackass had tried to steal it. Luckily they failed, but the chain has some severe damage. I'll have to replace it, but since it still works, I'm tempted to take it home with me to replace the broken one I have at home. In any event, I'm glad that things have by and large worked out for the best.