When author Julia Alvarez's husband decides to buy a plot of land in her native Dominican Republic and start farming organic coffee, it leads to adventures that neither accepted. They befriend a young Haitian boy Piti (Kreyol for "little one"), whom they first meet when they drive by him as he makes a small kite. As they get to know each other better, Alvarez promises to attend Piti's wedding whenever he gets married, and voila, you have the story A Wedding in Haiti. I picked this up at the library, mostly because I have Alvarez's In the Time of Butterflies sitting on my floor waiting to be read.
On their way to the wedding, they stop in Bassin-Bleu, a small town in Haiti where they will meet Piti. While waiting for Piti, Alvarez notices girls on a porch step braiding each other's hair. A young man comes up and asks Alvarez if he can help them, but she turns them down. Shortly thereafter, one of the girls joins the young man and together they assess Alvarez, "see[ing] only what of value I am wearing." The girl points to various pieces of jewelry, indicating that she wants them. The boy says he's hungry and wants food. Eventually, Alvarez "turn[s] away, reduced to [her] possessions, feeling the insult of [her] presence in this place" (pg 44-45).
Why did this encounter stand out? While I was in Arusha, something similar happened to me (although admittedly a much shorter and less frustrating encounter). On our way home after picking up some oranges at the local market, a man looked at me and said, "Give me an orange." He laughed and turned back to his friend. The details have gotten hazier since then, but I'm pretty said I said "no", he said something in Swahili, and I kept walking.
With those four simple words, I was more disturbed than I like to admit. I should mention that this encounter was not an encounter with a street vendor. I had many of those and, while annoying, were expected (heck, we even have those in the U.S.). This was one random person walking by another random person who had a few oranges in her hands. Never in a million years would I ever turn to a total stranger and say, "Give me that." I'm as white as you get and the man was black - was it a racial thing? Arusha is a very touristy town - many safaris to Ngorogoro and the Serengeti start here - and I imagine that many of the white visitors in town are rich. Had he been previously successful with such requests, and thus expected to get the orange? Was he making fun of me, trying to make me stop and look confused so that he could laugh about it with friends later? I've tried many possible explanations, but I've never been able to find one that didn't paint the Tanzanian in a bad light. Unless (and this just occurred to me), his English is terrible and he didn't actually mean to say what he said. Unlikely, I think, but either way...back to Haiti.
After a few other adventures, all worth reading, they reach the wedding site and the wedding is lovely. Unfortunately, in order to make the return border crossing, Alvarez, her husband, Piti, his new wife Eseline, their baby Ludy, and the rest of the crew have to leave shortly after the ceremony. Despite the minor fact that Eseline and the baby lack any papers, they all make it back to the Dominican Republic. Life returns to normal for many months, until the 2010 Haitian earthquake. Three weeks later, Alvarez and her husband are back in the Dominican Republic, and eventually they decide to take another trip to Haiti. Although Piti and Eseline's families in Haiti are safe, Eseline is homesick and Piti wants to take her back to Haiti for some traditional family medicine.
With the pick-up loaded and a slightly different crew than last time, they head off. They meet an old woman selling scrawny fruit and purchase some pineapple, which turns out to be delicious. They stop again at the place where old ladies are selling mangoes and share the joy of watching Ludy gnaw on one, and they stop to see Eseline's godmother.
In the interest of not giving away the rest of the book, I'll stop here. I would recommend the book, although I don't think it's a must read. It's great for someone looking for a quick read in which they can disappear to a land they may never visit, meeting people who, despite having few material goods, take the author into her family. Alvarez quickly draws you into the lives of these people, and will have you laughing and crying (well, at least worrying) alongside her.
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