Disclaimer: I believe I am still drunk from last night. So, please accept this apology beforehand, in the event you notice an unusually large amount of type-o’s, grammatical errors, or ramblings-on about totally unrelated subject matter. It is the Rhum talking that I swore not to drink last night but ended up doubling my usual intake. Thank you.
So, needless to say, my second Bingo Night experience was another success. I could get used to this…seriously. Every country, state, city and town should have a Bingo Night like this. (Kako, slap a patent on it and retire in a year!) And every girl should have a “Gilles” to take them out and show them a good time. The perfect pal! (Maybe I’m on to something: I’ll create a “Gilou Doll” so every girl can have their own. I’ll keep the original.)
Anyway, on Friday, I went with Gilles to a place called Gourmet where he was one of the DJ’s for the night. The place is like a giant U-shaped open balcony with large trees growing up through the floor. There are booths lining the walls but we had an area set up in front of the DJ where we could lounge and rest our dancing feet. I danced until my thighs went up in flames… soooooo much fun. But I must admit, I had a hard time getting used to the differences in party-time between L.A. (*sigh*) and Haiti. And by party time, I literally mean TIME. Back in L.A., the party gets started around 10:00 but only goes until 2:00 (totally lame, I know). But here in Haiti, everyone is just starting to arrive at 11:30 and goes until dawn! I was a complete wreck the next day…but it was well worth it! Lucky for me, since Bingo Night is during the week, the hours are much more manageable for me…I’m getting old, I can see that! But, we had another successful night under our belts and I eagerly awaited the next event: BINGO NIGHT!
Gilles picked me up earlier this time so we could make sure we got better seats (I really didn’t think last week’s seats sucked at all, considering I ended up dancing on the chair anyways, but whatever). We arrived at the perfect time as there were still plenty of seats available…enough time to get cozy with a glass of, well, you, know. I was already beaming with pride because Kako and Thierry had been standing out in front of The Garage and showered me with praise for last week’s Bingo Blog as Gilles and I stopped to say Hello. I’m pretty sure I had a ridiculous grin on my face as I took my seat. I was ready to get this party started!
Soon, the place was packed to the gills. I have this cartoon image in my head of what the place might look like from the outside: hundreds of arms and legs sticking out of every opening. I’m going to have to sketch that out. I couldn’t imagine the place getting any more crowded than last week, yet it was. I almost dreaded my trips to the ladies room because I thought I would never make it back to my dance floor…I mean, my table. Then, Kako comes out on stage (no Sweet Mickey this week) takes the mic and… “Houston, we have a problem”. The mic isn’t working…at all. Kako was talking into the microphone and only about every third syllable was coming through. I honestly thought he was joking at first…doing it on purpose. However, when I saw him unplugging and replugging the mic in his attempts to get it working again, I realized he was serious and wasn’t messing around. My heart sank into my stomach as I wondered, what the hell are we gonna do if Bingo Night can’t get up and running??? I almost panicked. But I should have known better because, you see, it’s Kako we’re talking about here. I’m not sure I remember the last time I recall anyone keeping their cool as well as Kako kept his. It was seamless... flawless. Despite not having a working microphone, he managed to entertain the crowd and keep them rolling. He even produced a megaphone and never skipped a beat. I don’t know, maybe it’s my lack of Kreyol speaking skills that makes me think he’s being funnier than he actually is (it’s all an illusion?); maybe I can "blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-al-cohol". But I don’t think so...the guy is freakin' funny!
Finally, someone comes in with a new microphone and cord (I always keep a spare mic in my car! ... just kidding of course…maybe) and after a quick switch, Kako and Bingo Night were back in business! The numbers were flying, the beer was being chugged; people were dancing and singing; and the hedonism continues! Kako even took a moment to call me out and made me stand up to thank me again…in front of everyone. I was so freaked out. I don’t like being in the spotlight. I can’t help it, I’m shy! …OK, who am I tryin’ to kid? I can’t even type that a straight face.
It was an amazing experience. A little dinky blog, that was meant to be so my family and friends back home could keep tabs of what I was up to and to aim a little sunshine on Haiti, is now being acknowledged in front of hundreds of people in the most vibrant, fun, party-animal setting. I am enjoying my 15 minutes of mini-fame and will never forget it. As I stood up on my chair, I blew a kiss to Kako. I will store that in my “Most memorable moments” memory bank forever. OK, enough of that mushy crap. Back to Bingo!
The night continued without any further glitches. I had even forgotten there had been one at all. The energy that packs this place every Tuesday takes away any weight that’s resting on our shoulders. People of all ages are at the Garage to enjoy Bingo Night. There was a, let’s call her “more mature”, woman who got up on stage, looking all snazzy in her Bingo Night gear, singing to a popular song; lots of 20-somethings and 30-somethings are here (I fall into that range… somewhere); and I think the kids really pack a whole lot of punch to the show too. They are up on stage singing and dancing their hearts out along with everyone else. I must admit, some parts are a little fuzzy (I think I ended up dancing ON the table this time and might have fallen off a chair trying to climb over people at one point) but it was all so much fun. And then at midnight, it was all over. (Que super sad face)
Gilles and I somehow managed to have a small entourage with us on the way home with a couple of his friends tagging along (DAMN! I should have thrown an impromptu pool party…maybe next time) and we said our good-byes before I went inside and fixed myself a “sandwich” of Pimente Mamba and Goyave Jelly…a delicious way to end the perfect evening…stuffing my face.
So, needless to say, my second Bingo Night experience was another success. I could get used to this…seriously. Every country, state, city and town should have a Bingo Night like this. (Kako, slap a patent on it and retire in a year!) And every girl should have a “Gilles” to take them out and show them a good time. The perfect pal! (Maybe I’m on to something: I’ll create a “Gilou Doll” so every girl can have their own. I’ll keep the original.)
Anyway, on Friday, I went with Gilles to a place called Gourmet where he was one of the DJ’s for the night. The place is like a giant U-shaped open balcony with large trees growing up through the floor. There are booths lining the walls but we had an area set up in front of the DJ where we could lounge and rest our dancing feet. I danced until my thighs went up in flames… soooooo much fun. But I must admit, I had a hard time getting used to the differences in party-time between L.A. (*sigh*) and Haiti. And by party time, I literally mean TIME. Back in L.A., the party gets started around 10:00 but only goes until 2:00 (totally lame, I know). But here in Haiti, everyone is just starting to arrive at 11:30 and goes until dawn! I was a complete wreck the next day…but it was well worth it! Lucky for me, since Bingo Night is during the week, the hours are much more manageable for me…I’m getting old, I can see that! But, we had another successful night under our belts and I eagerly awaited the next event: BINGO NIGHT!
Gilles picked me up earlier this time so we could make sure we got better seats (I really didn’t think last week’s seats sucked at all, considering I ended up dancing on the chair anyways, but whatever). We arrived at the perfect time as there were still plenty of seats available…enough time to get cozy with a glass of, well, you, know. I was already beaming with pride because Kako and Thierry had been standing out in front of The Garage and showered me with praise for last week’s Bingo Blog as Gilles and I stopped to say Hello. I’m pretty sure I had a ridiculous grin on my face as I took my seat. I was ready to get this party started!
Soon, the place was packed to the gills. I have this cartoon image in my head of what the place might look like from the outside: hundreds of arms and legs sticking out of every opening. I’m going to have to sketch that out. I couldn’t imagine the place getting any more crowded than last week, yet it was. I almost dreaded my trips to the ladies room because I thought I would never make it back to my dance floor…I mean, my table. Then, Kako comes out on stage (no Sweet Mickey this week) takes the mic and… “Houston, we have a problem”. The mic isn’t working…at all. Kako was talking into the microphone and only about every third syllable was coming through. I honestly thought he was joking at first…doing it on purpose. However, when I saw him unplugging and replugging the mic in his attempts to get it working again, I realized he was serious and wasn’t messing around. My heart sank into my stomach as I wondered, what the hell are we gonna do if Bingo Night can’t get up and running??? I almost panicked. But I should have known better because, you see, it’s Kako we’re talking about here. I’m not sure I remember the last time I recall anyone keeping their cool as well as Kako kept his. It was seamless... flawless. Despite not having a working microphone, he managed to entertain the crowd and keep them rolling. He even produced a megaphone and never skipped a beat. I don’t know, maybe it’s my lack of Kreyol speaking skills that makes me think he’s being funnier than he actually is (it’s all an illusion?); maybe I can "blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-al-cohol". But I don’t think so...the guy is freakin' funny!
Finally, someone comes in with a new microphone and cord (I always keep a spare mic in my car! ... just kidding of course…maybe) and after a quick switch, Kako and Bingo Night were back in business! The numbers were flying, the beer was being chugged; people were dancing and singing; and the hedonism continues! Kako even took a moment to call me out and made me stand up to thank me again…in front of everyone. I was so freaked out. I don’t like being in the spotlight. I can’t help it, I’m shy! …OK, who am I tryin’ to kid? I can’t even type that a straight face.
It was an amazing experience. A little dinky blog, that was meant to be so my family and friends back home could keep tabs of what I was up to and to aim a little sunshine on Haiti, is now being acknowledged in front of hundreds of people in the most vibrant, fun, party-animal setting. I am enjoying my 15 minutes of mini-fame and will never forget it. As I stood up on my chair, I blew a kiss to Kako. I will store that in my “Most memorable moments” memory bank forever. OK, enough of that mushy crap. Back to Bingo!
The night continued without any further glitches. I had even forgotten there had been one at all. The energy that packs this place every Tuesday takes away any weight that’s resting on our shoulders. People of all ages are at the Garage to enjoy Bingo Night. There was a, let’s call her “more mature”, woman who got up on stage, looking all snazzy in her Bingo Night gear, singing to a popular song; lots of 20-somethings and 30-somethings are here (I fall into that range… somewhere); and I think the kids really pack a whole lot of punch to the show too. They are up on stage singing and dancing their hearts out along with everyone else. I must admit, some parts are a little fuzzy (I think I ended up dancing ON the table this time and might have fallen off a chair trying to climb over people at one point) but it was all so much fun. And then at midnight, it was all over. (Que super sad face)
Gilles and I somehow managed to have a small entourage with us on the way home with a couple of his friends tagging along (DAMN! I should have thrown an impromptu pool party…maybe next time) and we said our good-byes before I went inside and fixed myself a “sandwich” of Pimente Mamba and Goyave Jelly…a delicious way to end the perfect evening…stuffing my face.
Where's Waldo? Can you find me in the pic again?
You did it again...you made us feel like we were there. It sounds like so much fun and the people of Haiti really knows how to relax and have a great time. Can't wait to hear about next weeks BINGO night adventures.
ReplyDeleteFound Waldo.....standing up in the blue dress and in the middle of the picture...of course!