Tout Moun Se Moun

The other day an American asked me if I felt safe living here in Haiti. Even though this person was visiting on a short 1 week, large blan team trip - they wanted to know how it's been different living here alone; living completely surrounded by Haitians and embedded in Haitian culture. I remembered a saying Dr. Chris once told me: "Tout Moun Se Moun" - We are all human beings or literally "Everyone is someone." So sorry Dr. Chris to steal your thunder and wisdom surrounding the Haitian proverb, but your thoughts on the subject were so good, I had to make them the title of this blog post.

Today as I slowly started my journey back to the developed world, there was a cute situation that made this Haitian Creole phrase ring very true for me. I took Transport Chic (a high end tap tap/ transport bus) from Cayes to Port au Prince. Note to self - if I ever need to travel from PAP to Cayes again I never will need a driver! For only $10 US I made the four hour+ trip and all of my suitcases were safely guarded on the roof. When our bus load got dropped off at the station in downtown Port au Prince, I realized it was going to be awhile for the guest-house driver to pick me up. Traffic in the capital, per usual, was awful. A little old woman and I befriended one another. She put her suitcases by mine and we shared a few words in Creole. We agreed to help one another keep watch over our belongings - while she went to rest on a bench in the shade and while I went to get an iced 7-Up. At one point during my turn watching our belongings in the sun, she told me "Cherie (Dear), I can watch our bags for awhile if you want to go sit in the shade." I explained to her how I live up north and was soaking in every last ounce of sun I could. She laughed and we joked about how she wanted to keep from getting darker and stay out of the sun, while I, as a blan, was the opposite.

Eventually, we maneuvered all of our things into the shade and sat together. She told me how her daughters lived in Port au Prince and they were going to pick her up, but were also running late. We chatted a bit more about our families and then her daughters arrived. She introduced me to them both, as if we were long-time friends. She asked where the grand-children were, and the cute excited exclamation she made when she found out she would get to see them once they got home made me smile. We said our good-byes and wished one another well on our respective journeys.

So while I sat there and waited a bit longer for my driver, I realized that it really is true: "Tout Moun Se Moun." No matter where you live in the world people are the same - they're people. They help one another out at bus stops. They share stories about family. They watch over one another's suitcases so one can cool off with an icy 7-Up. So to answer the question - "Do I feel safe here?" "Do you feel safe at home in the US?" Because if the answer to that question is yes, then you've already answered your own question. Because once one realizes they are the same question, I think that's when one really begins to understand the meaning of "Tout Moun Se Moun."


PS I really wish I had taken a photo of me surrounded by Haitian suitcases in the sun. Once some people saw me sitting on my suitcases at the bus stop, they started saying "Put your suitcase by the blan, it will be safe there." I thought it was funny - if I am safe enough to be considered a free security guard because nobody would dare hurt a blan, I think that really goes to show how safe I am here.