The streets of Petionville are busy and filled with life. There are many schools in the area, so you will see lots of school children with uniforms on. If you are not from the area, people will be able to tell. You will stick out like a sore thumb. Every corner is covered with people trying to sell items such as meat, diapers, clothing, fruits, cell phones, water, and anything else to make some money to provide for their family. Every corner has professional shoe cleaners that do an excellent job of shinning your shoes after a long day of walking.
I am amazed by the lack of accidents in the city. The roads are filled with trucks and motorbikes zooming by and not caring for the stop signs. The moment a car is stopped, the car behind them is beeping their horn urging them to move it along. To get to the other side of the road, you must use extreme caution. Look both ways before you walk. Don't walk behind a car when they are backing up. If you are walking behind or in front of a vehicle, be sure to hit the hood or the trunk of the vehicle to make sure they know you are there. The residents and visitors are used to the traffic, if you take a second to watch how everyone moves, you will notice a certain flow to it all.
Banks and western unions are guarded by men in uniform bearing shotguns. To get inside the banks or western unions, you have to be patted down. The hotels are guarded by security and police. United Nations trucks drive up and down the streets. The police are either carrying pistols or AK47's as they patrol the area. I noticed a few people including children being taken away in trucks for either stealing or causing a disturbance.
The streets of Petionville are organized chaos. Depending on where you go, you can see views of the homes on the mountains. Most of the homes are not painted. But the buildings on the streets are painted.
Internet Cafes and Recharge stations
Almost every corner of Petionville has an internet cafe and recharge stations for your electronics. These cafe's are used for playing video games and surfing the net.
Communication
Everyone calls each other
“chéri” everywhere you go you hear people calling each other “
chéri” this is a term of endearment and flirtation
Some of the guys refer to each other as “Boss” not in sense of calling each other boss in a working situation but as friends or to show a mutual respect
its hard to tell who is or who isn't Haitian or who is from the area unless they speak
Internet Cafes and Recharge stations
Almost every corner of Petionville has an internet cafe and recharge stations for your electronics. These cafe's are used for playing video games and surfing the net.
Communication
Everyone calls each other “chéri” everywhere you go you hear people calling each other “chéri” this is a term of endearment and flirtation
Some of the guys refer to each other as “Boss” not in sense of calling each other boss in a working situation but as friends or to show a mutual respect
its hard to tell who is or who isn't Haitian or who is from the area unless they speak
