Michelle May

I live in San Francisco- for those of you are not familiar, there is a dire shortage of men here who are, shall i say, real men… ones who treat ladies well, are hard working, responsible, mature, & well mannered…. enter: the Portuguese Bombeiros.

One night at the tent hospital in Port au Prince, I was fast asleep after an exhausting but rewarding day (would have it no other way).  Had my earplugs in as i always do when i sleep in the same tent with over 200 people.  Felt a tug on my leg- it was friend, Holly: “want to go to the Portuguese tent?”  I had been interviewed by a Portuguese journalist earlier that day- he mentioned that i should come to their camp for a shower, good food and a beer.  I jumped out of my cot at Holly’s invitation, slipped on my shoes, took out my earplugs, and grabbed a cute purse of mine which had only laid in the hay underneath my cot up until that point- we were offf…

One might say, what the hell were you doing thinking about frivolous things such as a handsome men’s dimples, or self-clean toilets when most Haitians live a life of misery.  You are right- if it had not been me indulging i could see myself judging my actions- clearly jealous of such a person.  Thing is- to distract oneself by beauty- it is natural- in a disaster we all have to let off steam.  It had been 4 intense days up until that point- never having left the hospital even.  When i arrived to their camp the Bombeiros offered me the moon: fruit salad with rum drizzled ontop, heineken beer (cold!!), croissants & cheese, my very own flame repellant white suit, commemorative pins, T-shirts, a non-stinky toilet, scalp massage & …..(gasp!!) they washed my hair!!! I had not been able to up until that point- with 200+ employees of the camp plus who knows how many patients & their families we often ran out of water.  One of the lead Bombeiros got out a solar heated water & washed away…..

Let’s face it:  i love the Bombeiros- they are handsome, sweet, attentive, and do good for the world- they set up a tent camp in PAP’s biggest stadium.  They have responded to many a natural disaster including Iran’s earthquake in Bam in 2003.  THey are the cream of the crop- an elite bunch- called the yellow canaries.  Cute- their name matches their trousers.  They even chivalrously came to wish me off at the PAP airport- one came back personally with yet another gift- a t-shirt that was size small- “your size” (clearly knows the way to my heart)  

Thank you, reader- and thank you Bombeiros- for letting me indulge in some stress relief.  Please don’t judge me. 

I promise to go to Lisboa soon! 

Tags: Earthquake, firemen, Haiti, pampering, portugal, portuguese bombeiros, princess, relief work, romance