**Editor note: please forgive any spelling errors/grammar mistakes. I typed this on my phone on a bus ride between boston and new york**
So I really feel like I need to begin this by thanking Almighty God for blessing me and allowing me to have the opportunities I have had so far. I can only pray that I am continually blessed in every endeavor I undertake.
Haiti..
The trip to Haiti was special. Before we went, all 25 of us on the trip, I was a little apprehensive being that I would be my first time traveling to a developing country that wasn't mine since I moved to the states. When we landed in port-au-prince airport, I was pleasantly surprised by how modern the airport looked. I admit, I expected more deplored conditions. The airport was air-conditioned and actually really clean. The team waited in the airport for a couple of more members who were ariving from other states. When they arrived, we exited the airport to a throng of people standing outside the door. I didnt feel surprised by this. It was almost as if I was a haitian citizen, arriving home after holidays. The people who stood outside looked like, if given the opportunity, would be in that airport. We were advised against the many airport workers who wanted to help us with our luggage, in hopes of making spare change. Stepping outside of the airport, I could feel the warm hair and hot Haitian sun. It felt great, especially after coming from new york, where it was snowing when we left. We got on the bus, driven by the bus driver, Raynaul, our primary means of transportation throughout our stay. We embarked on a 2hr bus ride to Hospital Maricia, located in Carrefour. Along the way, we saw several slums and shanty towns which were clear signs of people who had been displaced because of the earthquake. These people lived in tent type houses which often times were not far from a garbage disposing area. Because there is no proper garbage disposal system, haitians burn their garbage in the open air, not a surprise as is the case in many developing countries. Hospital Maricia is a hospital undergoing construction by a wonderful man by the name of Jean. Jean was our host for the week. Hospital Maricia, despite being half built, had running water and electricity, another suprise to me. I expected to shower using a bucket and use a pit toilet to go to the bathroom. We spent the night and embarked on the work we came to do in Haiti.
I will now describe some of my favorite moments on the trip, in no particular order. We went to a small university in the center of Carrefour to do some didactics and medical education with the haitian student nurses and medical students. We presented different posters on topics like diabetes, nutrition, hypertension and dental care. It was a long day but it felt good to be able to know that we are making a small difference just by talking to the students. We worked alongside medical translators. Some of the translators names were Martine, Osnel, Marc, Junior, Serge and wilcky. I also met some medical students...Eddy stood out to me. The medical students and nurses are young...most of them in their early 20s. I got a chance to talk to the translators and students to learn more about their country and to get their outlook of the world. It was really cool to be able to communicate with them in French. Young people in Haiti are very patriotic. I learned from Martine what it really means when one says "home is where the heart is". She passionately talked about the love she has for Haiti and never wanting to leave for it is her home. I got the same sentiments from the other translators and students. It was inspiring to see the hope which resides in the souls of Haitians. No matter their circumstances, Haitian people do what they can to get through the day and leave the rest to God. Beautiful.
The trip to Haiti was special. Before we went, all 25 of us on the trip, I was a little apprehensive being that I would be my first time traveling to a developing country that wasn't mine since I moved to the states. When we landed in port-au-prince airport, I was pleasantly surprised by how modern the airport looked. I admit, I expected more deplored conditions. The airport was air-conditioned and actually really clean. The team waited in the airport for a couple of more members who were ariving from other states. When they arrived, we exited the airport to a throng of people standing outside the door. I didnt feel surprised by this. It was almost as if I was a haitian citizen, arriving home after holidays. The people who stood outside looked like, if given the opportunity, would be in that airport. We were advised against the many airport workers who wanted to help us with our luggage, in hopes of making spare change. Stepping outside of the airport, I could feel the warm hair and hot Haitian sun. It felt great, especially after coming from new york, where it was snowing when we left. We got on the bus, driven by the bus driver, Raynaul, our primary means of transportation throughout our stay. We embarked on a 2hr bus ride to Hospital Maricia, located in Carrefour. Along the way, we saw several slums and shanty towns which were clear signs of people who had been displaced because of the earthquake. These people lived in tent type houses which often times were not far from a garbage disposing area. Because there is no proper garbage disposal system, haitians burn their garbage in the open air, not a surprise as is the case in many developing countries. Hospital Maricia is a hospital undergoing construction by a wonderful man by the name of Jean. Jean was our host for the week. Hospital Maricia, despite being half built, had running water and electricity, another suprise to me. I expected to shower using a bucket and use a pit toilet to go to the bathroom. We spent the night and embarked on the work we came to do in Haiti.
I will now describe some of my favorite moments on the trip, in no particular order. We went to a small university in the center of Carrefour to do some didactics and medical education with the haitian student nurses and medical students. We presented different posters on topics like diabetes, nutrition, hypertension and dental care. It was a long day but it felt good to be able to know that we are making a small difference just by talking to the students. We worked alongside medical translators. Some of the translators names were Martine, Osnel, Marc, Junior, Serge and wilcky. I also met some medical students...Eddy stood out to me. The medical students and nurses are young...most of them in their early 20s. I got a chance to talk to the translators and students to learn more about their country and to get their outlook of the world. It was really cool to be able to communicate with them in French. Young people in Haiti are very patriotic. I learned from Martine what it really means when one says "home is where the heart is". She passionately talked about the love she has for Haiti and never wanting to leave for it is her home. I got the same sentiments from the other translators and students. It was inspiring to see the hope which resides in the souls of Haitians. No matter their circumstances, Haitian people do what they can to get through the day and leave the rest to God. Beautiful.
We went to a rural part of haiti known as Fond Parisyen, in which, was a village made of grass huts. Fond parisyen is located next to some kind of lake and surrounded by mountains. It was picturesque, to say the least. I had seen pictures of grass huts and I knew people lived in them all over the worlds but I didn't realize, until I got to Fond Parisyen, that I had never seen one of these things in real life. I was suddenly made very aware of my privilege. The people of Fond Parisyen did not speak french, and had some different ways of speaking Creole. This was new to me because I thought everyone who spoke creole at least understood French but this was not the case. Eddy told me, speaking french is a sign of education because Haitian schools are taught in French and that is how people learn to speak french. We set up mobile clinics; dental, medical, physical therapy and optometry clinics. I worked in the optometry clinic. Jack, the optometrist taught me how to take eye pressure, which I thought was so cool. We set up our optometey clinic in the bus due to lack of space. Other clinics were in huts. We worked under the hot sun and at one point, Karen, one of our trip organizers, came down with a small heat stroke. Thankfully, she was hydrated and made to feel better. Karen is such a remarkably beautiful person. I always felt a sense of calm and warmth around her. You can just tell that her heart is made of pure gold. She was such a joy to have around and to work with. The saddest part about Fond Parisyen was to see some ruins and old churches which had been buried under water after a flood. After Fond Parisyen, we embarked on our journey home. It took about an hour and a half to get to Fond Parisyen. Our return trip was a total of 5 agonizing hours. Everyone who was on the bus was slumped over--the heat, dust, stickiness and lack of drinking water did nothing to help the situation. I didn't mind the bus ride as much because I kept myself entertained by speaking with the translators. They were all very curious of how haitians are percieved in the US. Osnel, a translator and young english teacher talked to me about class differences inHaiti. The rich want little to do with the poor. The girl he is inlove with has been forbidden from seeing him because he comes from a poor family. Osnel shared with me his faith and reccommended some gospel songs for me to check out. I was so so appreciative and thankful for this. Osnel was a perfect example of how God's grace is so present in a place like Haiti.
Dickens, an 18 yr old translator impressed me the most of all the translators. He taught himself English, french and spanish, all which he speaks fluently. Eddy, the medical student dispelled some stereotypes like the whole dominican republic conflict which he said was nonexistent. Osnel also agreed that the relationship between haiti and DR is not the same as it was 20yrs ago. Many Haitians go to the DR for jobs. Marc, another one of the translators was invaluable. He helped greatly in translating, especially in critical times when clinic got too crazy. One of our clinic days was in a small clinic set up by Dr. Maribishu (not sure if thats spelt correctly). Here, I was trained by Sarah, a nurse practitioner on how to triage patients, so this was my primary role. I learned how to take blood pressure from Tim, an aspiring medical student. I triaged a 16yr old girl who presented with a large tumor on the right side of her neck. The tumor was the size of a large grapefruit and was growing into her clavicle. it had started obstructing her breathing and swallowing. The sad part about this patient was that there was nothing that could be done for her at the clinic at that time. She would have to go to the hospital and get a biopsy to confirm cancer. The surgery would cost about $25. I felt so helpless and wished I couldve taken her to the hospital myself. I can only imagine the amount of stigma associated with such a visible tumor. I felt really bad.
The rest of our days there full of work. We did go to a small beach near where we stayed..it was pretty cool. I met Jean, the owner of the hospital. Jean went to American university and studied computer science and got his masters in international development. Of all the people I met in Haiti, I think Jean made the most lasting impression. Jean started building the hospital seven years ago. God called him back to Haiti, he said. He has been building this hospital with some American investors. He taught me a lot about haitian history, the corrupt government and the bad influence of the american government. I was floored by a lot of the things he said and was deeply....not saddened but a little angry at the way things were and disappointed at the fact that I was a citizen of this country. I shared with him my aspirations of doing what he is doing but in Cameroon. He gave me advice I will truly never forget. I took his contact information and will definitely keep in touch with him. I left Haitifeeling very nostalgic and wanting to stay longer. I cant wait to return next year
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