Wednesday, August 15, 2012

A Few Quick Tidbits...

1. The Haitian currency is a gourde. 42 gourdes = $1 USD. There also exists a third "mental" currency called the Haitian dollar. Back in the day, the gourde was much stronger and $1 USD = 5 gourdes. This simple rate of exchange stuck and thus emerged the Haitian dollar, which is still used today despite the decrease of the value of the gourde.

2. Haiti is technically in the same time zone as Toronto. However, according to most digital devices it should be an hour behind. The President of the Republic of Haiti, Joseph Michel Martelly, decided to advance the national time by 60 minutes on the second Sunday of March from 2:00 AM. This schedule change was made ​​in order to optimize energy consumption in the country during the summer. By the same decree dated March 7, 2012, the President of the Republic also decided to decrease the time by 60 minutes on the first Sunday of November 2012. 

3. In Haiti, people take great pride in their appearance. Everyone is impeccably groomed and well dressed, not a wrinkle in sight! Grooming activities are considered social events because they can be found everywhere and are inexpensive. 


4. Haitian people expect to be greeted often throughout the day, and saying "Bonjour" or "Bon soir" is considered a must in order to maintain a good relationship. Like in France, Haitians will exchange kisses on the cheek as a greeting. Often they will just kiss one cheek but occasionally they'll go for the other as well. It is good practice to get to an event early so that, as people arrive, they come to you to greet you. Upon arrival, you must kiss everyone who is already in attendance, otherwise you risk offending someone! 


That being said, I have to get to bed. There will be lots of kissing tomorrow, as it is the first day of all-faculty training. All teachers, new and returning, will be prepping their classrooms, updating their moodles, fine-tuning course outlines, and attending meetings. I hope my classroom has finished under-going it's facelift...nothing like a fresh coat of paint and a white board to spruce up the place!

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