A week or so after our trip, my mind still drifts to Haiti periodically during the day. Actions will trigger memories, such as filling my water bottle from a 5 gallon container, and some certain American phrases I'll remember in Creole, like mwen gen dormi and mwen grangou. When someone asks me to tell them about my trip, I always pull a blank for a minute or so- where do i start? There were life changing experiences on this trip, yet I still have a hard time choosing a story to tell someone. Sometimes this trip feels like a dream to me, impossible to pin down the right words to describe the feelings of elation, sadness, surprise and happiness.
Although Haiti can be considered simple in some respects, the way they live their life is not. I find myself meeting people who have ten fold what families in Haiti have, yet they have more complaints. Everyone in Haiti fills their days to the fullest with small acts of kindness in every moment of their day. I miss the straightforwardness of life in Haiti, how everything just happened when it happened and there was no stress.
If I had to chose one moment in Haiti where my perspective on life changed completely, it would have to be the day that we ran out of water at the camp. I've spent most of my life in America, and I'm used to always having whatever I need. And if I don't have it, I can drive ten minutes to the store and buy it. It's just how I've been brought up. In Haiti it's completely different. When we ran out of water, there was no more water until the trucks drove and filled them up for us- this took about half the day. No one wasted the water in Haiti. You drank when you needed to and filled up from the communal 5 gallon container in the middle of the campus. Showering was kept to the brief limit, as well as washing, teeth brushing, and toilet flushing.
In America it's just so different. While we wait for our showers to warm up, the water runs freely, wasting into the plumbing. We flush the toilets every time we use them. We let the water run while we soap the dishes. The tap flows while we brush our teeth for no apparent reason. Water runs freely in our house, as I'm sure it does in many other American households. Before this trip, I'd never known what it was like to be without one of the main human needs. I'd never thought that water could simply run out before. There's always the talk, but the reality is simply not there. It's almost impossible to imagine life without a need that I've always had access to plenty of before.
I've gained awareness about other worlds from this trip, and there's no way I could have learned without actually travelling and experiencing everything firsthand. If I could change anything in the world, I would try to give people the awareness I have gained from this trip. Although it's just not the same to be told about differences in other countries, I think this would be a good place to start.
Teiga, I wish I had read this BEFORE our gathering last evening...I love your descriptions and reflections. I remember how, when the water supply dried up, people offered to share what little water they still had in a bottle with others. Did you experience that, too?
ReplyDeleteI also suggest that when someone asks you about your adventure that you choose just one thing, like a particular meal, or your first Mass, or Remy Jean, or playing the French horn with the orchestra. Otherwise, you're right, it's just too overwhelming to begin to describe.
I sure hope that some of our Haitian friends have an opportunity to read our blog. They'd love to read the entries by the "Haiti Four."
Thank you so much, Teiga...this is a wonderful insight into how the experience affected you and will last a lifetime...in the years ahead, you will have many choices and opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others. I am proud of you and what you have accomplished...Hugh
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