The Name of the Game...

I would like to explain the rules of the games we play in Haiti. Here are the top two.

Where are they from?

Origin: We made it up

Played: Anywhere

Entertainment Level: Amusing, imaginitive, satisfying

Skills Needed: Deductive reasoning, knowledge of foreign countries and their stereotypes, eye for detail, ability to hear and identify foreign languages, a good imagination

Whenever we see a group of foreigners, we play this game. We ask three main questions...

1: Where are the foreigners from?

2: What are they doing in Haiti? 

3: What are they doing at their current location?

For example, Dokte took Rachael and I to a restaurant in Petionville. Once we got there, we noticed a large population of Blan (Creole for foreigner/white person) with a few Haitians, too. We couldn't hear them, but we could tell by the way they dressed that the blan were American. Question 1- Answered. We guessed they were relief workers, probably in the public health department and they had Haitians on staff. Question 2- Answered. We then decided that they were meeting at the restaurant to say goodbye to one of their long-time employees. Question 3- Answered.

Question 1: Correct

Question 2: Incorrect

They were from a Catholic group in Port-Au-Prince. We discovered this when we scouted out for their car in the parking lot. Creepers, it's what we are.

Question 3: We will never know if we were right or wrong.

This game is great because for 2 out of the 3 questions, we're always right. The game is pure imagination. We never ask the people where they're from, so they're from wherever we say they are. They are from wherever you think they are. Usually we can narrow it down based on the language they speak, but not always. They work wherever you think they work. They are who you want them to be.

For example, a French-speaking woman walks into Hot N Fresh. She's from France (not because we know she's French, but because she's speaking French and we say she's from France). She has boots on, so she works construction. Plus, the back of her shirt says something in French about construction. It was a dead give-away. She's eating lunch. We win!

Punch Blan

Origin: A derivative of punch buggy, modified and stolen from the Hawaiian man at the airport

Played:

For Chinwas, anywhere.

For Blan, anywhere except large grocery stores, the house church, and the airport

Entertainment Level: It's a riot, comical, amusing, stress relieving, and down right dirty

Skills Needed: Quick reflexes, long attention span, a strong arm, and the ability to see far

This game is great. It's our favorite. Whenever you see a Blan (foreigner/white person), you yell, "Punch Blan" and you get to punch the person next to you on the arm. It's punch bug with a twist.

Punches:

White person: 1 punch

White person with blonde hair: 1 punch and 1 slap

White person with red hair (aka- ginger): 1 punch, whisper "ginger", and dance

Chinwa (Creole for any person of Asian descent): 2 punches