Back in the 'burgh

Even though we had only been in Haiti for a week, coming back to the states was still somewhat of a culture shock. It was weird and then kind of a relief to hear everyone speak English again. As we were flying over Miami, I noticed all of the skyscrapers. There were absolutely none in Haiti, even in the capital. When driving back from the airport, I welcomed the paved roads. The streets in Haiti were rarely paved and when they were had huge holes and rocks on them. Another factor that was surprising was how orderly everything was. There was no one running through the streets, weaving in and out on motorcycles with chickens hanging off the back. I realized that I kind of missed that. The hustle and bustle of Haiti was so interesting. Everything happened so fast and so much at the same time. There was so much life around you that you couldn’t help but feel energetic. I have noticed that I miss that here. I could drive for ten minutes and maybe see one person. I miss being constantly surrounded by people and life. That really creates a connection with people that you would otherwise miss. Back in Haiti everyone knows each other; you can’t help it. You work together, celebrate together and practically live together. Here, everyone stays inside, caught up in their own lives. People don’t bother to connect as much. I don’t even know all of my neighbors. Although when you look at Haiti, you might automatically notice things that they are missing, it is important for us to look deeper and perhaps realize what we are missing.

Coming home

Hi Everyone!

Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading so far. Well, we're back home, and I just have a few more concluding points I want to add to the blog before we stop posting.

Even after only a week in Haiti, coming back involved a little bit of culture shock. I was so used to always being the center of attention, having people stare at me because of the color of my skin. It was a bit of a relief coming back. After having to have other people talk to people for me, it was a little shocking to realize that people spoke English. It's hard to break the habit of saying "Mesi" instead of "Thank You." But there were changes, not only on that level. You look around the airport, full of mainly white English-speaking American citizens, and you think "I bet almost all of these people have a house and food to eat every day." They all have plenty of food, and a choice of it, as well as clean water right in their homes. In Haiti, it was common to have to walk more than a mile to find fresh water. I would be willing to bet that the people in the airport simply have to turn a knob. I bought a piece of pizza for about as much money as people in Haiti might make in a few weeks if they have a good job. I watched them drive off in their cars and think "They probably don't have to walk miles to go to market to make a small living of whatever they have." All of the tall glass buildings in the city loomed over me, and I remembered that in Haiti, there weren't any skyscrapers. As we enjoy the luxuries in our life, people there die of malnutrition. My trip to Haiti had a large impact on my perspective on life. It gave me a real appreciation for all the little extra things in life, things you now notice much more. I learned a lot through my experiences in Haiti. Overall, the trip was an incredible experience and I'm very grateful to every who made it possible.

Orevwa!


-Lily

Friday...

Today, of course, was Friday. Today we again went with Starry to take measurements. This time we walked a little bit more and went to I think four different plots. The program has different communities each one with a leader. H-Trip teaches the community leaders how important trees are by using pictures. The teacher asks the group what trees are good for and if they get it right the teacher will put the picture of that object up on the board. First we visited the nursery for the trees. The H-Trip people had about 3,200 seedlings in small plastic tubes lined up. When the trees grow big enough the will plant them in plots. To get to the nursery we had to walk over this very mean pig. Oh well. After, Starry told us all the different names of all the trees. When we were finished there we heading up the hill to a mans plot. Starry then tested us on how well we were listening. We didn't do too bad. Then we headed up an even steeper hill to a plot at the top. When we reached it the Haitians following us sat down and played a game. The game was to take sticks and put berries/seeds on them. Then they cleared a place and spun the toys like dreidels! Erin and our friend Lizzie tried. When we finished measuring the degrees of the slop and such we went to yet another plot. Again we did measurements and by then we were all very hot. We had back down the steep hills hopped in the nice cool car and drove off. Over all the morning was very fun. Signing off- Emily :P

Haitian Horses

Today after we returned from the H-Trip and the school, I was offered the chance to ride Starry's horse. In Haiti, horses are a very common form of transportation. Such as at the market, where the parking lot was made up of a series of posts that people tied their horses and donkeys to. Also when we were hiking, where every so often, a Haitian would pass us leading a horse with saddlebags full of food and other necessities, nearly knocking us off the trail. When we went to Petite Riviere, many men would gallop along the beach on horseback. Driving through Deschapelles and Verettes, many people use it as a means of transportation. For Starry, horseback riding means access to plots of land that are difficult to reach by car is made more efficient. Haitian horses are very different from American horses. They are a lot smaller, about half the size of a normal horse. The Haitians don't have leather saddles like in America. They construct bulky wooden saddles out of whatever they have to use. Starry had a saddle pad for her horse instead of a big saddle. Riding horses is an efficient means of transportation in a country where there are few cars, and the next easiest solution is walking wherever you want to go.

Orevwa!

-Lily

School

Hi everyone!
First of all, thank you for reading our blog. It has been a really great way for us to think about what we saw each day and express our thoughts. This afternoon we had a really cool experience. In Anger, we visited a school. This was an open-air one room building. It was basically just poles holding up a tin roof. The look itself was strikingly different from our multiple buildings and air conditions rooms that we get to enjoy at Ellis. There were kids who were 6 to 18. One of the most surprising things about the kids were their size. I stood up and said I was 13, and then the other kids who were 13 also stood up. I was shocked. When I looked at them, I estimated that they would be about 10, they were so much smaller. The girls who were 16 and 17 looked more my size. The reason for this is because of the way they live. They explained to us that they don't have lunch at all, and when they go back home after school, there is often just no food at home. I really couldn't imagine what that was like. I don't think I have ever come home to no food. It is a constant question in their minds; how am I going to eat today? Something interesting that we noticed was that the average family size was eight people. Of the 6 children, maybe one or two could go to school. They were very shy at first, and also really polite. When we walked by, they stood up for us. They were so happy with the pencils and notebooks we handed out, it was so worth the trip to see their faces. This meeting was so rewarding that we are hoping to visit again!
Until then,
Erin

H-TRIP

Today was Thursday. Erin, Lily, and I piled into the back of the car and set out for the day. Today we went with a women named Starry to measure trees. Trees in Haiti are very important. Long ago the French came and cut down many trees like mahogany to make furniture. Before the trees were cut down more than 80% of Haiti was forest. Now if you go into the mountains all you see is farmland or scrubs. Starry and the H-Trip staff are trying to plant more trees for shade and using. Like I said, we went up to some of the plots where there are trees and measured their heights. These trees had been growing for 2 or 3 years and they are pretty tall for that amount of time. We also measured how far the trees were from the canals. Canals are small dips in the ground to help with erosion. First they pile rocks up and then put millet on top. After they cover it with dirt. These canals also stop the water from washing away seedlings. The whole experiment was to find out why some trees grow taller closer to the canal. We also had a chart to record the data, of course. Some plots were on hills so we had to measure the degrees of the slope. We also checked the direction of the plot (South, West, etc.). After we finished we prepared to go on an extremely bumpy ride. I really enjoyed spending time contributing to the community. We are looking forward to helping out again tomorrow! Signing off- Emily:):)

Visiting Maude's House

This afternoon, my mother, Emily, and I visited an old friend. To get to her house, you first had to enter a little compound. The fence of the compound is made of cactus. This is common throughout Haiti and really genius. The cactus is fast growing, strong, and actually semi-poisonous too. No one would want to cross one of those fences! There were about five houses there, all pretty close together. The house we went to was really nice. It was one story and painted blue and pink. I absolutely love the houses in Haiti. I think because many people don't have the money to build really nice homes, they work extra hard in decorating them. There are often really intricate stone designs and beautiful colors. After greeting our friend she of course led us around to meet all her family. This is something I have noticed about people in Haiti: family is very important. Everyone we meet asks about your family, introduces you and brings people to meet you from their family. Not just sons and sisters, but mother-in-laws and such. Maude introduced us to her adorable grandchild. Lucina was very friendly and showed us all her baby doll. She really wanted me to take pictures of her and would pose for me. She lived in the same house as her mother and grandmother. In Haiti many families live together and share the same house. In America, its more difficult to have this same closeness with your family. We all have relatives in different cities, states, etc. I really enjoy seeing these families and how they obviously care so much about each other. It makes me envious to see a cousin and aunt have a closeness that I do not have. While being in Haiti I have noticed a lot about what people don't have because of the obvious. Lack of running water, not much money etc. I have also noticed things that I don't have such as the closeness of family, how everyone on the street greets you even if they don't know you, the sense of community and good humor in everyone that I seem to lack more at home. While visiting this family I was reminded of the unimportance of material things. I could see that what really made these people happy was being with ones they loved. And I guess, maybe that's all I really need too.