Saving the Best for Last!

Hello Blog readers!

As Timmy has already alluded to, I am the last to post my introductory blog post.  I believe there is some ancient (and quite profound) proverb that says (loosely) “he who is best always comes last”; which I am definitely going to prescribe to now!  I must admit it is a little difficult to keep up with teammates as motivated as mine!

A little about me…  I am currently a sophomore at the College, but spent my freshman year at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (about 20 minutes from where I live).  In addition to being involved in the William & Mary Haiti Compact, I am a member of Beta Theta Pi along with Nick and Billy, play on the College’s Croquet Team, and have just been selected to give tours with the Admissions office.  I am also a member of the William & Mary DC Summer Institute of Community Engagement, through which I will intern at a public policy in Washington D.C. this summer.

As Kylee mentioned in an earlier post, my interest in Haiti stems from my family.  I am one of five children, with three adopted siblings.  I have a brother and a sister who were adopted from South Korea, and a sister who we adopted from Haiti in 2001 as a nine year old.  In addition, my mom and her friend started a foundation that aimed to provided proper nutrients to children within orphanages by collecting baby formula (a much needed, but often hard to come by, resource in Haiti).  As a result, I have been aware of the challenges faced by Haiti for most of my life, yet have felt as though I did not have anything to contribute.  Upon meeting Nick, and later the rest of the team, I realized that in joining the Haiti Compact I would be able to institute real social change, and truly make a difference.

I look forward to keeping you updated on our progress!

-Taylor 

(I have also included a great picture of myself for Kylee…)

32 days.

Hello world! It's good to be back on the blog and looking forward to round two of the W&M Haiti Compact alternative break.

Our new partnership with Sonje Ayiti is exciting and not a little bit intimidating. When we got our work plan from their director, Gabrielle Vincent, we got the confirmation of what we learned when we met this May: this is one powerhouse woman running a real get-down-to-business organization. And so we're getting down to business ourselves. I've been getting resources together for business plan writing, and look forward to bringing at least three ideas to our meeting this week. I'm also excited to hear more about what the group working on education is simmering these days.

I've been thinking a lot about international service lately, thanks to a recent book club read of The Crisis Caravan: What's Wrong with Humanitarian Aid, by Linda Polman. Polman focuses on the harm done in the process of providing (mostly crisis-related) aid, and I must say that my stomach dropped several times as I made my way through the book. It is not pretty, how (mostly) well-intentioned NGOs have ended up supporting dictatorships, financing war and stepping on each other in a race to give (or fix?) without bothering to coordinate with local leaders or each other, or find out what's actually needed.

I must admit that the more I get into this stuff (that is, the meaningful and challenging world of working with alternative breaks like it's my job), the more complex I see it all is. We know that our trip to Haiti is not going to make a huge impact that changes the course of Haiti forever: we are a group of nine energetic, compassionate and well-educated people. But we are just nine people, and preparing to work in a cross-cultural situation, in a country where our own country has meddled off and on for a hundred years, for a very short term.

Unlike the organizations discussed in The Crisis Caravan, we aren't feeling the pressures of crisis responders, and as part of the national Haiti Compact, we've been intentional about our work in Haiti: long-term, in partnership with Haitian-led organizations, capacity-building and will not displace local labor.

And so, we will make an impact, thanks to our partnerships with those in Haiti who know their communities and let us participate with them in the good things they do. For the women who are part of RAFAVAL, our business and marketing ideas will help them make progress with their sales. For the children attending the one-tent school, our assistance will give tools to their teachers who can help them learn. And we know that we will be impacted for the better, too - as will those who hear what we experience and can join us as advocates for Haiti.

One huge lesson I've been reminded of by The Crisis Caravan: even with the best of intentions, failing to work with those who know what's best for the community, or to abide by values and practices that recognize power differentials, can result in disastrous consequences.

But I suspect that among the many things we learn (or are reminded of) on our trip, we will know that even though our kinship with those in Haiti is a complex relationship, we are indeed sisters and brothers. I'm excited to go back.

Haitian Journey 2.0

33 days – until we leave to Haiti (if I trust Katie’s countdown). 190 days – since we returned from Haiti (if I trust my arithmetic skills). So surreal.

Ever the procrastinator, I am one of the last to post my little soliloquy. The super awesome Taylor is the only one I beat, which is ironic considering he and I are Scapegoat #1 and Scapegoat #2 for this team. #hateprovingthemright

Anyway, my delinquency has allowed my dashing teammates to steal a lot of what I wanted to say. #bummer

Never fear, though, loyal blog readers. I do have something to say. #iknowyouarerelieved

As I reflected on my decision to return to Haiti, I realized there is a key word – return. The advantages of being able to travel to Haiti with this group for a second time are endless. However, since you don’t want to be reading this [awesome] blog post forever, I will provide you with a concise little list: #yourewelcome

· Teammates. Specifically, I get to work and be friends with eight of the most incredible people I know. By virtue of Haitian Journey 1.0, I was well aware of the awesomeness of Nick, Kylee, Katie, and Melody; however, I am blown away by wondrousness (#bigword) of our newbies – Billy, Brian [Parady], Hannah, and Taylor. Not going to lie, I was a bit of a brat during selections because I didn’t think anybody could fill the empty spot in my heart left by the departure of Brian [Focarino] and Wesley, but I’m super glad to be proved wrong.

· Community Partners. We are so lucky to work with two of the best community partners known to man – International Child Care and Sonje Ayiti. (You know you want to check out their Web sites. I even provided the links for you. #convenient) I’m so excited to see what has changed since we last worked with them, how their awesome work has evolved, etc. We even developed a great friendship (#Facebookofficial) with Robinson at ICC and Gabrielle at Sonje Ayiti, so seeing them again will be so wonderful.

Haiti Compact 1.0 with Robinson from ICC. Cool dude
or coolest dude? This formatting is weird because I don't really
understand technology. I would say "sorry" in Creole but I don't remember how.

· Diminished Culture Shock. Last year, I learned that going to Haiti is quite a leap when you’ve never been outside of the United States. Basically, I had no idea what was going on at any time. Ever. Things I forgot to pack: snacks, hat, bug spray, sunscreen, water bottle. (#essentials) Things that scared me: the swarm of people trying to “help carry my bag” in the Port-au-Prince airport, the lack of lanes on the streets, all sorts of things hanging from the side of moving vehicles (people, chickens, goats, etc.), potholes craters in the road, the thought of losing my passport, actually losing my wallet, Customs at the Miami airport. Things that I never got used to: having to brush my teeth with bottled water, cold showers, lack of running water in public bathrooms at airports, assumptions that I was rich based on my skin color, people bathing on the side of mountains. #yougetthepicture

I spent so much of the last trip needing to have things explained to me, being completely shocked or disturbed, or generally just being dragged around like a puppy because I had no idea where I was supposed to be going or what I was supposed to be doing. Though I don’t think you can ever be fully prepared for the devastation you see in Haiti (and if you become that jaded, then you have a problem, in my opinion), I’m hopeful that I’ll spend less time shellshocked and more time observing and thinking critically about what I’m experiencing. Haitian Journey 1.0 was an amazing introduction to the country and I’m really excited to see how Haitian Journey 2.0 will allow me to build on that. #thatwasdeep

Eight great people, ten incredible days, one lifetime changed. What more can you ask for? #notathing

Peace,
Timmy Siverd aka #themanwithahashtagproblem