Some other housekeeping to go over before I continue, I promise to try to do my best with spelling and grammar, and keep the rambling to a minimum. However, due to the limited internet availability, the unreliable connection, and other factors, I have to move quickly and cannot take the time I normally would to double check entries before I post them. I also have to write these blogs late at night or very early in the morning before or after working a full day. These reasons are also affecting how often I post and sometimes how long my posts are. Already while I was writing this I finished this entry only to have it wiped clean when our generator (we don't have electricity ean failed and wiped my entry clean :( Thus, I have been here already for six days but I will post multiple days at a time.
My decision to come to Haiti was not made lightly. However it is one I have had to justify to others (and myself in recent days). Whenever I have a moment where I have to ask myself, "Why did I ever do this?" I remind myself of the feeling I had when I first saw the images from the reports of the quake coming in. I knew in my heart that I wanted to help and with the support of family and friends, I was able to make it happen. Although Haiti was in poor shape before the earth quake, it is safe to say that even without seeing how it was before it is far worse now. My hope is that if one good thing can come out of the horrible quake that hit Haiti in January, 2010 it will be that it receives aid and can rebuild even better than it was before. I also hope to take away a valuable life experience from this trip and apply what I learn to my future endeavors. I know that the things I have seen are not easy, I didn't come here for easy. I came here because I don't want to deprive myself of any part of life and sometimes that means experiencing things that are not always pleasant, but life isn't always pleasant and if I don't see the "unpleasant" (gross understatement but it's 1 A.M. and I'm exhausted) then I will never be able to grasp the full picture. Already in my 6 days here I have learned to take things one day at a time and to separate the events from day to day so that I won't go crazy. You will see that reflected in my blogging, one day I'm down the next day I'm happy or just fine and that's how it is here, I'm still learning to adjust. It has been a huge culture shock for me on top of everything else.
Speaking of culture shock, please don't judge the people based on what I say. I know it's hard, but what is "normal" in one culture is "not normal" in another so please remember that when you read my blog and trust me with some of the stuff I see it isn't always easy. Also, I will be writing about topics that can be disturbing, if you don't want to read them then please feel free not to.
My decision to come to Haiti was not made lightly. However it is one I have had to justify to others (and myself in recent days). Whenever I have a moment where I have to ask myself, "Why did I ever do this?" I remind myself of the feeling I had when I first saw the images from the reports of the quake coming in. I knew in my heart that I wanted to help and with the support of family and friends, I was able to make it happen. Although Haiti was in poor shape before the earth quake, it is safe to say that even without seeing how it was before it is far worse now. My hope is that if one good thing can come out of the horrible quake that hit Haiti in January, 2010 it will be that it receives aid and can rebuild even better than it was before. I also hope to take away a valuable life experience from this trip and apply what I learn to my future endeavors. I know that the things I have seen are not easy, I didn't come here for easy. I came here because I don't want to deprive myself of any part of life and sometimes that means experiencing things that are not always pleasant, but life isn't always pleasant and if I don't see the "unpleasant" (gross understatement but it's 1 A.M. and I'm exhausted) then I will never be able to grasp the full picture. Already in my 6 days here I have learned to take things one day at a time and to separate the events from day to day so that I won't go crazy. You will see that reflected in my blogging, one day I'm down the next day I'm happy or just fine and that's how it is here, I'm still learning to adjust. It has been a huge culture shock for me on top of everything else.
Speaking of culture shock, please don't judge the people based on what I say. I know it's hard, but what is "normal" in one culture is "not normal" in another so please remember that when you read my blog and trust me with some of the stuff I see it isn't always easy. Also, I will be writing about topics that can be disturbing, if you don't want to read them then please feel free not to.
Adding to my culture shock, I am staying in a house that could serve as a mini UN. As of today, there are 56 people in the house (and 3 bathrooms....)! To add to the chaos and confusion, not everyone speaks the same language. The most prevalent areas represented in the house (but by no means the only ones) are Russia (and most of the Russians don't speak English), Ukraine, America, Australia, Canada, Haiti, Hungary, Portugal, Mexico, and France. as In addition to learning Kreyol and French as quickly I can (I hate being in another country and not speaking their language) I have also learned a bit of Russian and used my Spanish more than I have in years. Luckily, many Haitians also speak Spanish due to their geographic relativity to the Dominican Republic. With so many people in the house, we manage to get by rather well as long as a few people who are bilingual in the house are able to help! I have also found that hand gestures get you very far and drawings can be useful. Universal in the house is the willingness to work and be a part of the relief effort so that helps keep us all going and the people in the house are easy to get along with once you understand what they are saying haha. I hope that you will enjoy reading my blog and feel free to share your comments (please be respectful) your thoughts are important to me!
1 comment:
Love your blog, read all of it! It's so interesting what is going on there and I find it so cool to understand a different culture and to see the big picture of the world!
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