Did we ever tell you that our entire staff is creative? From the obviously creative Studio to the business-as-usual Purchasing department? Ha! Well, you’re in for a treat. One of our purchasing agents is also a disk jockey... spinning @ the most exclusive local spots. Bet you didn’t see that one coming ;) WORK HARD. PLAY HARDER.
This entry is dedicated to our conservative purchasing agent by day and bomb dot com DJ by night… Samar Handal. Starting tomorrow, every Tuesday at 5PM, Samar will be playing at Point Bar, Ibo Lele for a Blissful night of awesome music, good drinks and hot people. Does this sound like a plug? Oops.
And BOOM! We’re back again! It’s like a movie with lots of political action, drama and killer cholera on the loose in a 7.o-you-know-what ravaged country. But, chill, there’s life in Haiti! By that we mean, hakuna matata marinating in love, life and peace.
It’s time we introduce you to Living Haiti—the scene that news cams never see. There’s life here! So let’s be done with the foreplay, we’re about to give you a taste of Haiti we all enjoy.
1. Restaurants are top of our list. Oriental, European, local, it’s here. Each dish is a celebration, a marriage of international recipes with locally grown organic ingredients tuned by a fine Caribbean palette.
There are a couple of places where you could go depending on your taste. Heck, we could even write an entire entry on local wining and dining and restaurants! Because when it comes to food nothing beats the flavours found here.
Emina's Garden.
2. Drinking. What’s the point of living when we can’t be “foolish” from time to time? And what better way to do it than with a drink or two among good friends? Haiti is home to two wonderful drinks: Prestige, a lager beer produced by Brana S.A. and Rhum Barbancourt, a rhum distilled from sugar canes. Both drinks are awarded for their wapah factor that leaves you wanting.
Let us initiate you. Barbancourt simply put is the rhum of all rhums—the choice of connoisseurs the world over. Prestige is a brown bottle lager with original flavours that makes a warm day in the tropics so nice! Try this, grab an ice cold 6-pack and head to the beach and tell us that’s not true.
Magdoos Café Resto.
3. Dancing. Okay. Now that we’re all foolish after, uh, a few, uh, drinks, we can all dance to the tune of kompa. Can’t dance? Drink some more. Trust us when we say what you’re drinking has a secret ingredient that can grow dancing bones or turn you into happy feet in two seconds!
Nightlife is alive and well especially in Pétion-Ville. One of our favourite is Press Café, an authentic Haitian bar that allows you to get close and personal to your, ahem, friend. How could anyone resist that cosy sensual atmosphere brought by real Haitian twoubadou?
Pétion-Ville at night
4. Relaxing after pulling off an all-night party is surprisingly easy. Let’s save the beach for later. There are pools open to public, like the ones at Hotel Karibe and Hotel Ibolele where you could spend the whole day under the sun without going too far. There is also Botanik Spa, where you could unwind and untie those knots on your shoulders. There is also cascade bleu up in the mountain. It’s cool, it’s fresh and you could be close to nature without going too far.
Zen in Haiti.
5. Beaches! Aha, the best part of living in Haiti is having access to fine tropical beaches where the sun is smiling. Top of mind is Île-à-Vache, a secluded little island in the southern part of the country. It boasts of beautiful shorelines, verdant hills and sumptuous meals fresh from the sea. Unfortunately, our words fail to capture what Île-à-Vache is all about. It’s something that you should see for yourself. Take pictures though, and share it with us! We’ll be happy to give you a spot.
Ile-à-Vache, Haiti.
6. Fitness ranks high in our priority. Being in shape let’s you enjoy the things we’ve mentioned. There are couple of things you could do. There is the great outdoors for your mountain bike. There are also gyms, like Ultimate Fitness where you could burn calories, pump your muscles and keep your body active.
It's a stock image, but it's close to the real thing.
7. Work. Like anywhere else in the world, everyone has to work. The country is challenging and where there are challenges, there are success stories. No matter how little or how unsung they are. The country also provides a virgin environment for business to thrive... given the proper motivation and management skills. Recently, due to Haiti’s, uhh, unique situation, it has also provided jobs for the international community by allowing NGO careers to thrive.
We got lazy, another stock image. ;-)
We live in one of those very few places on earth where complexity and simplicity could exist in the same space. You might argue that what we’re talking about could be found anywhere else in the world! That's true. It is possible to live “normally” here but Haiti possesses something else—a magic that can’t be extracted or quantified. The Magic that makes time move on its own schedule, that makes life in Haiti special.
So, today we start the third week of 2011. To think that just three weeks ago, (don’t pretend like you didn't do this too) I was listing the countless things I wanted to accomplish, or do better, next year. The to-do-list, and in my case, the not-to-do-list. Don't worry, I am not going to share my resolutions with you here, but rather attempt in this post to explain the whole...hmm hmm...Resolution Conundrum.
We all know Good Resolutions help carve a direction putting the rudder in the right place. Technically it is believed that a Good Resolution first fires up in the thought, and if you are serious and tenacious about it, that thought takes form with action. Then, when that action is repeated insistently enough, it becomes a habit (a good one hopefully.)
Every day comes with new changes, and if there’s a label out there that creative people are nuts... well, you can blame it on the fact that for us creatives, change is the only constant. Our minds are formatted to accommodate, even embrace, and welcome change. We are right-brained people, and it is in there, in the right brain that the creative magic happens. Where fantasy has no limits and only where new ideas and innovations can take life. So to all of you creative souls out there, to all of our counterparts across the globe, the year is still young! Take a pen and a notepad and write them down! Remember though only a Good Resolution APPLIED can bring about change, and it is the sum of our habits that ultimately shape our character.
The one year anniversary of the 7.0-you-know-what is only two days away. Rather than having an entry on that painful event, Bloggers' Block sent a memo out to the entire agency asking our team to send in a short quote or a thought of what they want for the new year.
And so, below are a few inspiring quotes from some of PG’s team members... Our thoughts and desires...
Nathalie, Financial Controller: “May everyone find the perfect diet for their soul. May each day in 2011 be filled with Light, Love, Laughter, Kindness and Wisdom for those will certainly lead to Happiness, and Peace. Merry 2011!”
Annie, Account Executive: “Que la nouvelle année déborde de bonheur et de prospérité et que tous les voeux formulés deviennent réalité!”
Jacquemine, Account Manager: “ ‘There are no problems, only solutions.’ I try everyday to go by that quote, in a country where we so often have to find solutions, it has helped me go ahead and stay positive. May you all keep it in mind for the challenging year of 2011.”
Monique, Traffic Manager: “Quand l’humain aura compris et admis avec Victor Hugo que ‘Tous les hommes sont l’Homme” l’humanité entière vivra d’Amour de Paix et de Solidarité.”
Pong, Head Graphic Designer: "When opportunity strikes, strike back harder!"
Kanga, Copywriter: "Ce sont mes amis qui m'ont fait aimer la vie. Ils me rendent meilleur à mesure que je les trouve meilleurs eux-mêmes. (Jacques Chardonne)"
Veronique, Social Media Strategist: “In the words of Emerson, ‘Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.’ Let’s go forth at full speed ahead with a smile on our faces, and let’s be ready to attack every single obstacle head first because in the words of Churchill, ‘We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.’”
Fabrice, Graphic Designer: "N'attends pas que les événements arrivent comme tu le souhaites. Décide de vouloir ce qui arrive... et tu seras heureux. Jah bless !!!"
Samar, Purchasing Agent: “If u want the rainbow, u gotta put up with the rain.”
Eliane, CEO: “Mes voeux pour 2011 s’inspirent du proverbe chinois selon lequel ‘s'il n'y avait pas de montagnes, les plaines n'apparaîtraient pas’ et à cet autre proverbe, chinois également, qui affirme que ‘si le meilleur moment pour planter un arbre était il y a 20 ans…le prochain meilleur moment est maintenant’ Ne nous faisons pas d’illusions : Il est évident que nombreux seront les défis que nous devrons relever au cours de cette nouvelle année. Décidons donc de nous y attaquer maintenant ... et soyons determinés à faire preuve à la fois d'audace et de ténacité. Serrons-nous les coudes pour rester toujours à la hauteur des exigences de nos clients… et aller avec eux à la rencontre du succès !”
Olivier, Marketing Director: "Yon jou, Ayiti gen pou dòmi pòv epi li leve rich. Men elas ! Avan sa fèt, se pou chak grenn Ayisyen konprann ke jan ou ranje kabann ou, se konsa ou dòmi."
Marjorie, Media Planner: "Le 12 Janvier 2011, 1 an après cette catastrophe nous pensons tous à nos tendres et chers disparus, oui, mais en tout premier lieu il faut aussi penser à remercier Dieu pour nous qui sommes vivants par sa Grâce et avoir la Foi et l’Esperance pour s’entraider mutuellement..."
PubliGestion Bloggers’ Block is a team of talented creatives, marketing personnel and UFOs blogging about their views, what’s new and some juicy bits about living in Haiti and in Outer Space!
