Well, I am back from Haiti and yes it was hot! I had such a wonderful experience I cannot wait to go back. It was no Caribbean vacation by any stretch of the imagination, but so much good work was done by everyone in my group.
I want to share my experience with anyone who is interested and will figure out a way to do so with some kind of public presentation. It is impossible to get the real feel for the condition of this poverty-stricken country without being there. However, between the 212 photos I took and the daily diary I kept, I think is possible to get an idea of how the people of Haiti live.
I am not going to share too much in this column about the trip because I want to give Stuart from The Town Common the opportunity to do his post-trip interview with me. However, I will share one aspect of the trip that touched me.
There are so many things that I learned about the Haitian culture and about how lucky I (we) are to live where we live. We all take many of the things we have for granted. Simple things most Haitians don’t have like running water, electricity, toilets, etc. The one basic thing we rarely think of on a daily basis is life itself. The Haitian people do not have to prioritize too many other things in their life other than basic survival.
There is no Best Buy or Home Depot where you can go to get that 50” flat screen or power tool you have been dreaming of. Although cigarettes are available, there aren’t teenagers smoking on the corner or behind the school. It’s too expensive and not needed for survival. Most of their monetary resources go to basic necessities such as clean water and basic food.
The Haitian people live for survival, their family and their health. As a society, they have a lot to learn in order to be able to make progress. However, it amazed me how many people came to my daily clinic and just wanted to have their or their child’s teeth cleaned. They know enough that their teeth are important to them. They know what it is like to live with pain and wanted those situations rectified but wanted to do whatever they could to keep the rest of their teeth.
Many, if not most, of the people of Haiti believe that they are being challenged for a reason. The earthquake last year took their situation from bad to worse but from what I gathered from my short stay, their faith in better things to come has allowed them to move forward.
Don’t get me wrong….I am not going to sell my house and live in a tent on the side of a barren mountain. However, I do think it was an experience that will make me think a little differently about certain things. I also think that although I am not going to be the one that changes the country around, I do have the ability to make the lives of some people a little easier. I am looking forward to returning and many of them are looking forward to my return too. It is tough to say you wouldn’t go back after having such a rewarding experience the first time.
If you have any desire to learn more about opportunities in Haiti or from home, send me an e-mail.