That Time I Went to Haiti (2 weeks ago): What I Learned

The Beach

As I peered out my window from Miami to Port-au-Prince, I began to see the dusty brown mountains of the island of Hispaniola. We were nearing Haiti. As I stepped off the plane, I had flashbacks to Uganda. But, it wasn’t quite the same. We actually got into an airport and there was air conditioning there. Exhausted from waking up at 2:30 am, I stepped outside and was bombarded with the 95 degree heat, a stark contrast from 25 degrees it had been a mere 4 hours earlier in New Orleans.

We began the hour-long drive from Port-au-Prince to Gressier and suddenly saw the immense poverty. It was similar to Uganda, but more intense. And close. We didn’t take a 16-hour plane ride to a land far, far away. It struck me that this place, a whole different world, was only about an hour and 45-minute plane ride from Miami. Just slightly longer than my flights from Dallas to Baton Rouge. When we got to Respire Haiti: check out (respirehaiti.org and blessedwithaburden.blogspot.com) I instantly made some new friends, because of the lovely bouncy balls my brother donated. Once they figured out I spoke French, I became even more popular and every time they saw a car they yelled my name.

Over the next week, I took 30 second freezing cold showers every day, slept under a mosquito net, got hundreds of bites from anonymous bugs, and sweat a whole lot. But all of these things were a small sacrifice for everything I learned. Going to a third world country makes you thankful that you even have a shower at all and that you have a mosquito net so you don’t get malaria. The inspiration, amazing people I met, and awesome things happening simply can’t be replicated in the states.

My friends 

There was Sant-Sant, the cutest, sassiest 5 year old I’ve ever met. Since he was malnourished, the fact that he now got regular meals and had toys to play with meant that life was amazing for him. And Wadley, who educated me about Haitian government and his perception of the differences between Haiti and America. Next time I complain about going to class, I will instead try to think of all of the children who are so thrilled to get schooling in Haiti. Arnold, who was my dad’s friend and was saving up to build his dream house on top of a mountain overlooking the Caribbean. Megan, who started everything and has built a school for 500 kids, a café, medical clinic, and transformed a community all in 3 years. We got authentic lobster that was caught for us and went to a beautiful beach surrounded by mountains.

Sant-Sant

Me, Arnold, and my dad

When you go to a place like Haiti, you wonder why it is so poor, why it is so hot, why children are dying. How can a place so beautiful with mountains and beaches so close to America be so poor? You know it was the only successful slave revolt to form their own republic in the Western Hemisphere, that American companies raided their resources and destroyed the land, and that unlike sub-Saharan Africa- who’s GDP has doubled in the past 15 years, Haiti isn’t progressing rapidly. But on the flip side, you go to Haiti, hear stories and can’t deny that God is there. You hear story after story, like Megan Boudreaux moving to Haiti by herself and finding a pastor who said he’d been praying for years for someone like her. And you leave, still not knowing or understanding exactly why, but understanding that God is definitely at work and change is happening. 

13 things I learned in 2013

13 things I learned in 2013

Can’t believe it’s another year, yet so much has happened in this past year that it feels like forever since it started. I spent 4 months in Texas, 7 months in DC, and 1 month in Louisiana. 2014 is beginning with a trip to Haiti, 8 months in Texas, and the summer in TBD location (Sub-Saharan Africa, India, or DC and taking suggestions) I spent most of 2014 learning outside of the classroom, in my 3 internships and from countless people. So, let’s start at the beginning…

1.    Individual attention makes a huge difference in someone’s life. Looking back on my time in my first internship of 2013 at Cassata High School, I researched but shared my space with a retired librarian and a student who had previously dropped out of high school. During their tutoring sessions, you could tell how much she cared about him and I heard some many stories about how students felt like they mattered.

2.    Go into things having zero expectations. Many people ask me if and how my expectations were met when I started my first internship on the Hill. I can’t say I really had that many, but it was awesome.

3.    The small things make all of the difference. I learned this fact from running, but it is so applicable to professional life. Someone has to answer phones, deliver things, etc., which leads me to my next point.

4.    Find purpose in the small things. I had friends who hated their internships on the hill, because they thought they should be doing more. But, when you realize that you are learning so much about how things work by “just writing letters”, answering phones (aka diverting angry people), and delivering things, you must find the meaning in everything.

5.    Say Yes (most of the time), new opportunities don’t just happen. Step outside of your comfort zone and say yes to new experiences that are responsible and positive.

6.    Look at every new day as an adventure. On the hill, I never knew what each day would bring or who I would see or meet. But this can be applied to every day, no matter where you are.

7.    You never know who or where you’ll meet someone. I couldn’t even begin to list all of the cool people I’ve met this year and where I’ve met them. At speakers, down the hall, on tours, on an airplane, at work, you just never know.

8.    Capitalize on the people you meet. Show interest in their lives and careers.

9.    You can’t always choose who or what you care about. There are people I certainly wish I cared and worried about less, but you can only control your emotions to an extent.

10.  Things come full circle-if you make and/or let them although they aren’t always as you planned. I came full circle from lobbying Senator Landrieu to interning for her to advocating for Alopecia, one day with the other legislative liaisons from NAAF (alopecia). I was able to run again and maybe it wasn’t quite as I imagined two years ago, but it was more fun than I ever envisioned.

11.  Environments can influence your happiness. Some people say that happiness comes from within and that’s true, but there is no denying environment has a large role to play.

12.  You can’t do the same thing over and over again and expect different results. (Unless you get better at something) Still working on remembering this fact.

13.  Dream big, seek to learn new things every day, and take steps to accomplish your goals, but find peace in uncertainty. Although stress is much more common than peace in my vocabulary, I’ve found it’s important to accept what you can’t change.

And one of my mottos for 2014:

Happy New Year!