looking west and flying south

...our wise friend Patti says what often happen when people leave is they jump into a similar situation OR the extreme opposite OR crash in their parent's basement.  We have considered both (yes we will come sooner or later this year dear parents but not with our exploding suitcases : )  meaning we've considered WWOOFing in Nicaragua and surfing in Melbourne (i am 34 after all and haven't surfed but Googe and I have both less time and less delusions about saving the world - most places I've been there are already people doing that) 

The real reason I'm leaving Port au Prince is not lack of amenities (which actually improved our relationships and handiness), or Haitian customer service, or the perfect weather...the real reason I'm leaving is because I want to live in a walkable community.  I could say lots about how I adore walking and how fabulous walking is for a society but Enrique Peñalosa (mayor of Bogota from 1998-2000) says it so beautifully that I about had an orgasm reading it:

"One of the most powerful instruments for creating an egalitarian society is by improving public space. A high-quality park never ceases to cause joy. People need to walk and be with people, and this is essential to their happiness. Parks, green spaces and libraries make enormous improvements for the lives of the poor and create a more just, egalitarian society."  And this from Mr. Penalosa who thinks cities in the developing world are at a critical moment when they can learn from the mistakes of industrialized nations and choose to develop in a more people-friendly way.

"In order for these cities [cities in the developing world] to prosper, they must provide happiness for their citizens", the former mayor said. "This happiness does not come from individual wealth, but quality of life. This is extremely crucial for the developing world because it is our competitive edge--we cannot give high income, but we can give quality of life"

isn't it so beautiful... and true!

So we're going to Bogota (tomorrow) even though the weather is so cloudy that we probably won't stay just because I want to walk where others walk and bike just because it is essential to happiness... we'll stay until my yoga teacher training in California (Feb 19-28).  

after that only God knows...

our list looked like this on Thursday:

1. Bogota

2. Montreal

3. some city in Holland- i think Niko would be real cute speaking Dutch

4. Winnipeg/Calgary/Halifax

5. Boston- 3rd after Miami and NYC for Haitian population

6. Tanzania

7.


here are the criteria: 

- walkable and walking activists

- we don't get called out to for being black or white

- two languages is really nice and fun

Making this choice gives me the same feeling I have when I'm in Canada under the hottest-shower-I-can-stand for just a few more minutes that turns into 20.  GUILT.   Why do I have this choice and 99.99% of the world doesn't?  If you don't already think I'm crazy, while I was in Haiti, I repeatedly daydreamed (especially while someone was asking me for a loan) about being a Haitian peasant growing vegetables and taking them down the mountains to sell.   I think I'd love that!  The grass is always greener... many a Haitian no doubt thinks my life is a bowl of peaches because my husband has a car, not to mention changes diapers.   I am herein and forever more committed to not promoting this myth: that my car and my car-dependent lifestyle is more wonderful than something else.  Especially to my children.

As for the guilt if there's anyone out there who knows where I got it, let me know : )   The first time I got on a bike in Dezam, my neighbour saw me and just about fell of his bike...instead he exclaimed "SHE HAS A CAR and SHE HAS A MOTOCYCLE and SHE'S BIKING!! Yep, she really is a martian!  The director of MCC Dezam (Haitian-born Jean Remy) tells a story about going to the market and buying a sack of rice and walking home with it on his shoulder.  People saw him and yelled out "don't you care about us? if you did you would give us that job?"  "Are you too good for us now? (because you have a job with the white people: MCC).   Haitians say to me, if you can then you choose what's best for your family.  I am happy to be leaving Haiti with some Haitian values that have rubbed off onto my heart from our 5 years here, i mean there : (    Values of faith, sticking together, holding relationships tight, not holding onto stuff, the closeness of candlelight (that is easier to remember if you don't have regualar or any electricity), honouring the time it takes to prepare a meal,  honouring gender roles, always having time for children and anything else that happens in a moment...there are many.   Thank you Haiti for showing me/us a high quality of life. 
May rub Haiti off of us and onto others everywhere we go.  
sources for the Bogota stuff:  http://www.thefreelibrary.com, www.walkable.ca, Wikipedia