My Life in Haiti

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Today I'm Tired

the last leg of this summer is coming to a close very rapidly. i've noticed that the closer it gets for me to board a plane in 5 days, the more excited i get to see my amazing and supportive family and friends! but it also has made me incredibly sad knowing that i'll be leaving this terrific country with no set dates on when i'll be returning ...

today i'm tired.
i'm not feeling so well.
i'm a little short tempered.
i'm also a little crazy.
i'm missing home.
i'm trying to absorb everything about this country that i love so much.
i miss my family.
i miss my friends.
i miss sweet tea.
i feel like crying.
and i'm really missing my "daddy".

sometimes life is hard. and sometimes i don't understand why i feel the way i do. like today, i don't get it. i woke up in a beautiful country with mountains surrounding me. i drove an hour away to do a mobile clinic on an amazing back road in haiti. when we got home i went across the street and got an ice cold coka.

but i still feel ...

tired.
lonely.
homesick.
sad.
frustrated.
confused.
angry.
excited.
joyous.
love.
peace.

SMG

Friday, July 27, 2012

Summer Favorites: Part 5 - Haitian Staff

If you've read my most popular blog "Communication," then you read about the frustrations and failures of this summer. I want my supporters and sponsors to know that this summer hasn't all been terrible. It was definitely worth my time, energy, and finances to spend 9 weeks in the country that has taken over part of my heart.

I will be writing a blog series about each of my favorite things about this summer ...

Haitian Staff

We spend our fair share of time out on the field doing mobile clinics, spending time in the orphanages, and going to varies communities; however, alot of our time is spent at the house and/or driving. Because of that I've got to form relationships with our translators, drivers, and the staff around the house.

When people think of helping internationally, I think they often think about the babies they will hold, the women they might help wash laundry, the houses they will build for communities, the patients they will see, and so on. So often the drivers that get you from point A to point B, the translators that allow you to speak and build the relationships with the locals, and the ones that cook your meals get forgotten.

Our divers/translators:

Ostanel - he's my fellow cray-cray member!! He was our driver when we came across the riot when we were trying to get home. After sleeping at a hotel, we woke up at 4am and he got us safely home before the riot started again.

Jamil - he was our translator/driver most days when we were working in Port-au-Prince. He has a heart like no other. The man can be sweet and sentimental one minute and be laughing and joking with me the next. He definitely is one of my 'favorites' from this summer!!

Peter - I spent most of my time with him in a car driving from Cabaret to Gonaives to do the mobile clinics. He listens to what I think is classical music while having the worst road rage I've seen!! He told me there are two rules to driving in Haiti "when and when not" ... know when to pass and when not to pass.

Staff at the House:

Manouchka - she was one of the cooks, and boy could she cook!! Our washer seemed to always break when it was my day to wash clothes (first world problem). That meant I had to wash my clothes by hand. It was definitely alot of work and tiring, but I didn't mind doing it. Buuut every time I was out back, squatting down washing my clothes, Manouchka would peak her head out of the kitchen and always laugh at the way this "crazy, white girl" did laundry! Which in return would always make me laugh and smile! I'm gonna miss that smile of hers!

Deni - she was our other cook! I would come in the kitchen every morning and always say "bonjou" and she would always have a huge smile on her face - then I would head to the coffee that she so graciously made each morning. It was my favorite way to start each morning ... Deni and Coffee!

Bonnell - he stayed at the intern house, so I got to spend alot of time with him, especially at night when we all hung out around the table playing cards. He's around all of our ages, so he got along with us well. He was our go-to guy when we needed the generator turned on or needed to go down to the corner market!

Tipap (Robenson) - he is the man of the house! Tipap knows everything! When Tipap says "wow" you know there's trouble! My favorite memory of him was when we were driving home from one of the orphanages and our front axial broke. He got out of the car, kicked the front tire, and said "wow!" We all laughed because we knew something was up. When we got out of the car we saw that the axial was no longer connected to the tire. Without hesitation, Tipap got in the back of the car, got a rope, and tied the axial back to the tire. And we drove home!

Piti (Andre Paul) - he knows very little English and I know very little creole, so our conversations were very limited, but there was never a moment when I saw Piti that I didn't have a smile on my face! He said "whooo" alot and drove his bike from the guesthouse to the intern house all the time.

Marlene - her room was across the hall from mine, so I saw her every morning before leaving and every evening before going to bed. She always had a smile on her face, which was very contagious! One one of our trips to Williamson, we stopped to look at the ocean and I stepped in some goat poop. She thought the 'dance' I was doing to get it off my shoe was hilarious. It later became known as the 'cray-cray dance.'

Honorary Haitian Member:
Brad - his role I think is "guesthouse manager" but the boy does anything and everything around the house!! He fixes things when it's broken, digs up dirt, fixes the vehicles, tries to fix the internet, chases rats, plays with his light saber, laughs at inappropriate times (like me), and he's a big kid at heart! Not sure how the guesthouse is going to run after he leaves. And I'm definitely not sure how I would have made it through this summer without his crazy self and having him to vent too! Special guy!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Summer Favorites: Part 4 - The Interns

The Interns

This summer I have worked with 7 other individuals. As a whole our group couldn't have had any more different personalities. This had both its ups and downs. It was good to have a wide range of people because we all brought different strengths and ideas to the table, but it was also a bad thing because of all the differences of opinions, values, thoughts and beliefs, which brought on quite a few arguments.

Even with the disagreements, I couldn't imagine this summer without the 7 other interns.

Shelby: We were probably the most different from each other. This brought along many arguments and hard feelings very early on. We eventually learned to see each others differences as more of a good thing and learned to work together more. Her love for the children shines through everyday whether she's singing a song, teaching a lesson, or just sitting on the floor talking with them.

Emily: She is definitely one of the biggest encouragers that I have every met. Even when there was tensions in the house, she was the first one to try and smooth things over (definitely annoying at times when you're as stubborn as I am and want to stay angry). She was our peacemaker of the house. We are in two totally different places in life, but I never once felt judged or condemned by her. She's a special soul.

Karissa: She's our "mom" and "mature" one of the group. When we'd all be heated about a subject, she was our voice of reason - granted I didn't always take that voice of reason to heart. She was also the calm one. Her love for the Haitian people and her desire to see the education system thrive in Haiti is very apparent when you first meet her.

Steph: I didn't get to spend alot of time with her because she was only here three weeks, but I couldn't imagine the summer or mobile clinics without her. She was definitely a key role in the start-up of our clinics. She's a very smart young woman and is going to be an amazing doctor in a few years!

MC: My Haitian Sister! We clicked from the very start. We're both loud, crazy, opinionated, and not afraid to fight for what we believe in. There's no way I would have had the experience here without her. In fact, I probably wouldn't have made it through the first couple of weeks without her. She helped me understand so much more about Haitian culture and gave me an inside scope.

Lara: I'll admit at first I didn't think we were going to get along. She arrived in Haiti when I was very angry and frustrated about many things and I wasn't really up for forming any new relationships. Everything quickly changed and she became one of the ones I was the closes too. There were times when she 'got' me and no one else did. There were also times when she knew exactly what I was thinking or feeling and helped me see why things were happening or shined a light when I didn't understand someones words or actions.

Charles: Many people talk about someone being their "other half," well he is my "same half!" Scary, I know!! We realized early on that we were going to get along very well. We're so alike on so many things that it's frequently scary. With so many frustrations this summer, he's the only one I could talk to that completely knew why I was feeling the way I was, mainly because he was feeling the same exact way. Luckily he was already here when I arrived and he's also leaving after me - I made it through this summer with the help of his crazy self. We were able to get through situations just because we laughed if off and didn't take alot of things seriously - many times we were the only ones laughing. We work well together and understand each other in a way that I don't know how to explain. I definitely became the closes to him this summer. He's like a brother - we make fun of each other, call each other out, laugh at ridiculous things, but at the end of the day we have each others back!

Summer Favorites: Part 3 - Car Problems

Car Problems

I am convinced that the mechanics in Haiti are far more advanced than any mechanic in the states.

The way that people drive in Haiti mixed with the rough roads with tons of potholes, it is just a combination for disaster You'd think there wouldn't be any working vehicles - that is where the superb mechanics come in!

We had a flat tire my very first day in Haiti, a tire completely fall apart last week, and a broken front axial a couple weeks into the summer. The tires were both no problem. The flat tire we got fixed and put back on the car and the tire that fell apart we replaced with a spare.

Fixing the axial was a different story. Now, I'm no car expert by any means, but from the knowledge I do have, if the front axial is no longer connected to the front tire, then that's just asking for trouble, right?

We were driving home with Tipap when he stopped the car, got out, kicked the front tire, and said, "wow!" When Tipap says "wow" you know something is wrong! Without hesitation, he got a rope from the back of the car and tied the axial back together and we drove home.

Superb mechanics I tell ya!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Summer Favorites: Part 2 - Angelica

Angelica

In the beginning of the summer we weren't doing anything medical, so Charles and I started our own little med project ... doing well check-ups on the kids in the two orphanages we were working with, Tree of Life and FPCH. Before even starting the check-ups we knew that many of the kids were malnourished and very little for their age. After completing the first round of check-ups all of our suspensions were accurate. We saw several kids that were suffering from protein deficiency, several skin rashes, some croup, but what startled us the most was finding a child with what we assume was pneumonia. Her name was Angelica and she was a very sick little 3 year old who didn't say a single word, she just clung to me because she felt some kind of comfort in my arms. She would lay on a bench off to the side and just sleep because she didn't have enough energy to do anything else. Charles and I were both extremely upset that this was going unnoticed and untreated, but we were bound and determined to get her well! Luckily, we had a medical team staying with us that offered to go check her out. Our suspensions were right on target and we started a round of antibiotics right away. That was on a Friday. On the following Tuesday when we went to visit the orphanage I was so relieved to see that the little 3 year old that wouldn't talk, smile, laugh, or play was now doing all the above. I was able to actually play with her instead of just hold her in my arms. I have a video of her on the swing set laughing and talking like any healthy 3 year old should be doing ... SUCCESS STORY!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Summer Favorites: Part 1 - Tree of Life and FPCH

Tree of Life and Foundation for the Promising Children of Haiti (FPCH)

When I came to Haiti this summer I thought I was going to be doing primarily medical work, with a few other things on the side. What I didn't know was that I would be spending the first several weeks only doing those few other things on the side. That included visiting two orphanages on a pretty regular basis, Tree of Life and FPCH. I've always been the type of person that is drawn to kids, and them to me, so naturally I got attached pretty early on. His name was Roosevelt (pronounced oos-velt) from Tree of Life. He was 3 years old and as soon as we got there everyday he was raising his arms up for me to hold him and I'd hold him most of the day. Like clockwork, every afternoon, he would start throwing fits. And every afternoon I would hold him in my arms, sing him some songs, and put him down for a nap. He stole my heart.

A couple weeks into the summer we drove up to Tree of Life on a Monday, just like we had been doing every Monday. Something was different about this Monday though. There weren't as many kids running up to greet us. My initial thoughts were that they were busy playing inside. What I quickly realized was that they were gone. 7 of them had left, including Roosevelt. The reasons are too complicated to voice in this blog, but I hope and pray that they are safe with who they're with.

While working with Tree of Life and FPCH many of the other kids have left long lasting impacts on my life as well ... Anne Marie, Elemnia, Lovensky, Dudline, Dudvaline, Judline, Blondina to name a few. I also developed the nickname "cray-cray" pretty early on from all of the kids. I really think many of them thought that was actually my name, lol.

SMG

Saturday, July 21, 2012

12 Days

12 Days ...

I leave Haiti to head back to the states in 12 days. It seems a bit unreal. While, there have been tons of frustrations this summer, I still have many memories I won't forget. I've experienced things that you just can't experience in a first world and I've met people that I wouldn't meet in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I love Haiti. I love the calm and stillness of the small villages, but I also love the crazy-ness of Port-au-Prince. I love the huge mountains that I have got to see everyday and the crystal blue Carribean I've got to spend some time in a couple times.

I remember when my countdown to come to Haiti was at 12 days. I was getting so super pumped and ready to spend my summer in my second home country. I'm leaving super pumped and excited that I got to spend as much time here, even with all the frustrations. And even with those frustrations, I can safely say that this is still the place that I want to live after I get my RN!

SMG