Haiti Footwear Tribes (New Balance = Missionary)
9 Jun
As some of you may know, I am a bit of a shoe fiend. However, in packing up to come here, I decided I would only bring one pair of shoes (and a pair of flip-flops). After some deliberation, I decided on the pair of New Balances below that I’ve owned since 3rd year university based on the fact that they were comfortable, inconspicuous and I don’t mind destroying them.
They have turned out to be an excellent choice as even in the most rural parts of Haiti I’ve visited, my footwear is immediately scanned in an effort to size me up, particularly by the young men, who are quick to categorize foreigners based on their footwear (one guy indicated that he thought I was too young to be a missionary, but my shoes said otherwise). Other than the missionary comment, these shoes have not attracted any attention (the opposite of what I typically aim for with my footwear).
As a bonus, they look great when caked with red mud (not pictured).
