The many faces of Guinee

It’s Saturday morning and I’m off with Bivan for a special treat….my treat to myself: a massage! It’s not just any massage though, it is a massage with Julia. I discovered Julia last May after asking around for a good massage therapist. She lives downtown in a run down apartment building on the 2^nd floor. Julia is Chinese and is learning English and French on the internet, by herself. She mixes both languages and at times must put in some Chinese because I haven’t got the foggiest idea what she is speaking. I love Julia. She is a healer of the body and the heart. Her aura is so positive and caring. One can’t help but feel good when around her. So I make it a point to see Julia as often as I can.

On my way to Julia’s, I watch life unfold Guinee-style. Since the car’s air conditioner broke down last fall, rolling down the windows is the only option left for air circulation. Having the window down makes me closer to people walking by and also to sellers who extend their arms begging me to buy their wares….anything from phone cards, to toilet paper to lemons. The bright yellow lemons bouncing in a small orange bag looked tempting but I declined. Traffic was inching along as we approached the bridge under construction. An old man cried out ”madame, madame.” I pretended not to hear but he persisted. I wish I could not understand French sometimes. He walked slowly towards our car, weary looking in a long black robe. He looked regal to me with his little round hat placed just so on his head. He folded his hands in prayer and said again ”madame, madame”. He was praying for, begging for money. I just shook my head no and turned the other way.

I wish I did not have to deal with this every day…the constant begging from children, adults and handicapped people. I don’t want to be hassled by people selling stuff or people begging for money. I’ve had enough of this. It just breaks my heart to have to say no or just look the other way. When I see the handicapped people rolling in old dilapidated wheel chairs or some walking with crutches and still others sliding on their bottoms legless, walking with their hands, my stomach churns. I can’t possibly GIVE to everyone that begs so I don’t. I still feel like a knife goes through my heart though. Why do I feel so guilty? To help numb my guilt, I raise the car window. It also does help dissipate the red dust from rolling in and does keep the sellers from sticking their hands and arms in the car. But mostly rolling up the car window helps me stay at an emotional distance from all the needy people on the street.

Traffic started moving again. Whew…I begin to feel the first waves of relief. I can breathe a little easier now and my guilt slowly dissipates. Moving along with the traffic means that beggars and sellers will not be able to “bug me” as we are actually driving now and not stopped dead in traffic. Good , this is better I think to myself. As we get closer to down town, the rackety Saturday hussle and bussle reaches me. I try to look with new eyes as I watch scenes of what has become so familiar to me. I choose to look with fresh eyes watching the brightly coloured dressed women sell dried fish. The large aluminum platters overflow with dried fish, their tails sticking in the air as if they have been caught doing a somersault. Funny I thought!

As we drove on, hundreds of women were sitting on small stools surrounded by baskets of fruits and vegetables. They lined the road as we were passing by. I love fresh vegetables and fruits but even more so when it is sold on the street or in markets. Something about being outdoors makes me feel like I am closer to the source where this juicy, fresh produce was born and harvested. Produce season is at its peak right now with sunny coloured mangos, papayas, pineapples, grapefruits and oranges. The bananas are available year round so I neglect to talk about these sweet, tasty nuggets. They are sitting in baskets sold in bunches of 15 -18, still attached to the huge stem, waiting to be bought by a hungry customer. A small girl is huddled in fetal position on the side of the road, fast asleep. I gasp! Just like that I think, just like that huddled in a ball where anyone could walk on her. She looks to be 6-7 years old and amidst the noise, dirt and commotion, she sleeps. I am in awe, amazed at the capacity of human beings to live in difficult situations. This is another face of Guinee.

After Julia’s massage, we drive back home and I decide to take Ismael’s picture in the carport of our apartment building. He is also one of the many faces of Guinee as he is a guard and helper of our building. When he smiles, his entire face lights up. When my girlfriends visited, back in August, they thought Ismael should be on the cover of Men’s Health; he is a real hunk and also very charming. So here’s to you girls and to all my blog followers…one of the many faces of Guinee…enjoy! ….by the way, he looks much better in person!