Social Butterflies

I said "My, my" like the spider to a fly

"Jump right ahead in my web"

Well, we had a crazy busy weekend. Friday we spent the evening car shopping. Then we had friends over for drinks. Saturday we went out clubbing and up to the mountains to see the sights. Sunday we spent at Hotel Montana. The social scene is definitely picking back up like it was before the holidays. 

I am a member of an expat bloggers web forum and through that I routinely meet new people down here. Some are locals, some are foreigners and some are Americans. I've had pretty good luck so far and have met some really great people this way. 

So last week I responded to a posted message from a guy saying that he was new here and looking to meet people. I invited him over to meet us. He came by on Friday night and we shared a bottle of wine and our stories. He turned out to be a delightful guy so we made plans to show him the Hotel Montana on Sunday. He is down here for a one year stint. He works for a construction company as an accountant. Cute, funny, articulate. He speaks fluently in sarcasm so we all hit it off right away. Wednesday he's taking us out for sushi. I can't wait = :&

Saturday was a bit stressful. None of our staff showed up and the kids didn't get to have their usual arts and crafts, stories and PE day. It's hard to motivate the older kids to want to help out with the kids if there isn't anything in it for them. So, the little ones passed the morning just sitting around, playing ball, and watching movies. Typical weekend fare. Our teacher just can't seem to show up consistently enough to provide the stability I would like to have. Le sigh. 

Saturday night we headed out to the Cafe des'Arts. It was closed because of the political tensions down here. The prime minister resigned on Friday and there have been a rash of killings and beatings of protesters. So instead, we headed up a mountain road and went up top to take in the cityscape. It was enchanting. With a grove of evergreen trees surrounding us, the quiet, the light breeze, I could have been anywhere in California looking down on LA or San Francisco.

After that we headed to a jazz spot to listen to some music. We had an early night because our host, Joe, had an early morning appointment with his boyz to go race bikes. 

Sunday began earlier than usual. Our new friend Mike came with his truck and swooped us off to Hotel Montana. The more time I spend there, the more I realize that if I ever did come into vast amounts of money, I would definitely be able to slip into the luxurious lifestyle! I feel so decadent lounging by the pool, soaking up the rays, sipping on fruity coolers, reading a good book or napping in the breeze. The place transports me right out of Haiti!

After that I went to check out a few vehicles for sale and then headed over to Joe's doghouse to laze about all evening. Other than the fact that the mosquitoes feasted on me (Joe, you really need to get screens on your windows!) I had a very relaxing afternoon. 

Headed back to the mission to get all of the lesson plans and materials ready for the week. The printer is nearly out of ink and working very slow. I hope we are able to get a laser jet here soon!

the sun sets over Port Au Prince as seen from the Hotel Montana deck