Wow! Wow! Wow! 9 days after my return from Haiti and I am now posting my first blog. There is so much to say and explain about the relief trip. However, I haven’t wrote because everytime I tried, my emotions blocked the road. There is so much to say, I can’t even imagine how to sum the trip up. I can’t even explain about my experience without jumping from one subject to another. It has truly been a lifetime experience for me and I am looking forward for my next opportunity. People you can believe my stories and look at my pictures and try to understand. However, I will inform you ahead of time you can’t understand through them. You just can’t and if you say you do understand I am willing to debate the matter. I feel the only way you can truly understand what the Haitian people are going through is, if you have truly lived their life. You must visit to understand the sufferings, beauty, and greatness of the Haitian culture. Research is not the best way of finding out information about a different culture than yours. You must stop what you’re doing, get up, and go expperience it personally!

My first time out of the country was to visit Haiti. Of all the places in the world Haiti. I thought I would be touring and relaxing. That will always be my thought because that’s what I wanted. However, traveling to Haiti as a relief trip with my school Upper Iowa University has been great. I have to say I’m glad to have visited Haiti for my first time out of the country.I believe there is truly no other first time experience that can top Haiti.

My mind was completely filled with ideas of what I thought Haiti would be like. I have never been so wrong in my life so far. I thought people would be fighting each other to survive. I thought people would be stealing to get what they wanted. To be honest I thought we would be robbed coming from America to Haiti, since now they’re considered a 4th World Country after the earthquake. I was expecting to communicate with people who were down 24/7, not having faith and not believing they would make it out of hard times.I expected Haiti to be completely slums. Man how the mind and media works. They always mislead you to negative thoughts. People travel to Haiti ASAP. I took away personal lessons.

Haiti is not what you think. We as Americans must wake up, pay attention and grow up. Whether or not we consider Haiti the poorest of the poor, their is true beauty there. I have learned valuable lessons. We as Americans have things that the Haitian culture doesn’t have and may never get. But yet, we complain more than they do. We complain about not having jobs, benefits, healthcare, education, homes, assistance, and a bad government. We complain about more than those issues. Yes, I understand we are suffering but we must say compared to other countries we have the best life style anyone could ever ask for. The percentage in Haiti for unemployment is beyond the percentage in the US. We still continue to survive without jobs though. That’s because we have benefits, we have plenty of programs to assist us, unemployment checks for those who receive, public aid, social security, child support, alimony and more. We might not have the healthcare we want but try living in Haiti without having healthcare or an actual hospital building. Try having a hospital in a tent and not being able to enter in 95 degree weather everday unless its a critical emergency. We have a public education system as well as private. Haitian children struggle to attend school because it isn’t free and they can’t afford it. They can’t even afford food and a decent place to stay. Compared to Haiti Government, the  US Government is the best. Try not having a government visible. Not having a government official speaking on the issues the country faces. Not having someone to try and rebuild the country. That’s the time where you complain!

Haiti is just like some of the cities, towns, or neighborhoods we have here in the United States. I must say, it’s always a blessing to be able to help people less fortunate than we are; even though we come from humble backgrounds ourselves. I have never met a group of people or someone from a different culture so grateful than the Haitians. The were very pleased at the work PID (Partners In Development) were doing. They were grateful for the work our relief team and other relief teams were assisting with. They were proud to know we came to live there lives. They were very eager to know about our life back home. Many of the Haitians biggest dream is to visit and stay in the US.

There is so much to say, but even after a week I can’t put my  in  words. My head is bouncing all over the place with stories and memories from Haiti. How it’s too many to tell so I suggest you visit for yourself. I had three main highlights during my week travel to Haiti.

1.)  The majority of Haitians I communicated with asked was I Haitian. I said no and then they asked were my parents Haitian. However, that was a interesting connection I had with the Haitians. I felt like I was Haitian for a week. Especially, taking my bucket baths in the PID made shower house. Very interesting.

2.) During the process of taking down a home, I was singing gospel songs to worship the LORD. And when I would stop singing Maxim our translator would start singing the songs in creole. I was amazed. Then he taught me a song and I taught him a song. It was awesome and I can’t wait to go back and learn more.

3.) Jude helps out at the clinic. he explained to me he was upset that we don’t see the true beauty of Haiti becuase the buildings and statues are destroyed. I explained to him I didn’t visit Haiti for the buildings and statues. I visited Haiti for the experience, and especially for  the people. We talked and further during the conversation I expressed, Haiti is beautiful and not becuase of statues and building, but because of the people. The faith, courage, respect, honesty, and belief and many more characteristics of the people makes Haiti beautiful.

I love HAITI for more experiences add us on FACEBOOK: HAITI-UIU. or email me at gordons221@peacocks.uiu.edu