Application Information

Due March 11: Make an impact in Haiti as part of the W&M Haiti Compact alternative break! The W&M Haiti Compact will be returning for its third year of service on an alternative break in January 2013, and we are looking for new members of our team. We partner with Sonje Ayiti, supporting their work in small business and education with a women's cooperative in Limonade, and also with Grace Children's Hospital, doing public health outreach in Port-au-Prince. If you're interested in building capacity in a sustainable way in Haiti, while learning about the country, its assets and challenges, apply to be part of our team! Apply with this application online, including the Haiti Compact supplement questions in a Word doc; then send it to branchoutinternational@gmail.com with the subject line reading: the name(s) of the trips you're applying to (first choice, second choice), Last Name, First Name. Deadline is March 11. Contact Katie Fottrell,kdfottrell@email.wm.edu with questions.

Returning from Ayiti

It’s been almost a month since our plane touched down onto the runway on a cold, rainy night at Dulles after eleven rich days in Ayiti. I have found myself returning to many of the moments we spent there – some funny, some tragic, some challenging, some centering – and have been grateful, above all, for the trip.

I usually compile a list of lessons learned after each alternative break I do, so I have something to say when people ask that inevitable question: “How was your trip!???” Here’s what I’ve found myself telling people this time around:

International aid is even more complex than I thought… and I thought it was pretty complex before. After reading The Crisis Caravan by Linda Polman this Fall, I was sort of braced to see the work of some international NGOs with a skeptical (and perhaps even judgmental) eye. Nothing about our trip changed that: we saw many instances of well-intentioned help fall flat, either because the aid was not community-based, or was not comprehensive enough to really meet need.

We sought to do our best by our friends in Limonade, Cima and Port-au-Prince, and we found that the only way we could do so was through building capacity, strengthening relationships, and sharing knowledge with each other. And that led to good things; but I realize too how much more there is to be done. The work we did with RAFAVAL, a vibrant group of women who are using everything they have to make their business and school succeed, was gratifying. Still, it struck me again and again that while the tasks we had were challenging, their independence, livelihoods and their children’s futures were all dependent on their tasks ahead, and what they were able to make happen.

Speaking of relationships: this was my fourth trip to Ayiti; my third in the past 19 months. And it felt, finally, like a visit to friends rather than an adventure in a new place. So many hugs! So many “how’ve you been!?”s. Visiting people whom I’d met before not only proved to both of us that this commitment is for real; it also allowed me to get to know them, their families, their community, better. And that is a gift and will only make our partnership stronger and more productive in the future.

Speaking of the future: others on this blog have mentioned our conversation with the ICC Director in Ayiti, Wesley Romulus. One of the things I’ve known since my first full-time volunteer gig in Philadelphia – and then learned hard-core while volunteering long-term in South Africa – is that you have to be steeped in the community before presuming to address any community needs. But this can be frustrating for us hurry-hurry-go-go North American types. I have often had to remind myself and students that community work is a process, with a heavy emphasis on developing relationships, but Mr. Romulus said it so beautifully. He said something like this: “Imagine you are preparing a beautiful banquet for your friends. Would you consider the time you spend at the grocery store a waste? Of course not! Well, the time you spend here, getting to know people and what we are like, is your time at the grocery store.” Well said.

And, speaking of getting to know people: the Ayitian worldview has been so important for me to learn about and soak in a bit. Coming back was like whiplash – not in the culture shock sense where taking in disparity is so hard to do – but in remembering how much of my life I spend interacting with people through this nutso medium of the interwebs. Screen time and the urgency of emails sometimes feels like the bane of my existence, and after 11 luscious days where internet access was infrequent and urgency was focused on things other than timeframe, I have struggled to adjust. I long for a shift in our culture where getting to know people, sharing time face to face and a trust in the process can come more to the forefront.

As a side note, our conversation with our friend and cultural interpreter, Djaloki, has continued to blow my mind. I’ve been digging into Celtic, Buddhist and other kinds of spirituality and worldviews lately, and it is so stunningly simple, how connected they all are to the Ayitian lens and Vodou ways of being in the world.

Next up for the W&M Haiti Compact is to continue our work, strengthening our partnerships and preparing for our next trip. For now, though, I am also content to continue letting Ayiti remain with me. As I drove into work this morning, the sun was just brimming over the horizon: this mammoth, glowing red sun, slowly becoming smaller and more yellow as it rose in the sky. It brought me right back to our last night in Port-au-Prince, when we watched the moon rise from the roof of our guest house: mammoth, deep orange, and slowly becoming smaller and more yellow as it rose. Even with the 1350 mile distance between us, a part of me is still there on that roof, in that room with the women of RAFAVAL, in the church in the tent camp. And just as truly, Ayiti walks with me here.

(photos of the moon never do it full justice. trust me: it was awesome.)

Haiti: My "One" and Only

(Disclaimer: I'm going to put some pictures in this post because I feel like it. They aren't related to my writing, but hey, they're cool, so why not?)

So I have been thinking about Haiti a lot over these past couple of weeks since we've been back, but to be honest, with schoolwork and workwork picking up, I have been so busy that sometimes the memories blindside me at random points in the day.

Tonight for example, I was driving home and my ipod (on shuffle) started to play a song that distinctly reminded me of our trip and really brought me back to specific moments. Now, don't judge, but the song was "You da One" by Rihanna. I know if my life were a movie or a novel, it would be something really poignant like something by Enya or Stevie Wonder or something super classic, but "You da One" happened to be a song that I enjoyed listening to on those long (*bumpy*) Haitian car rides, and by the end of our ten days, Kylee and I were playing it in the mornings and inadvertently singing to it in daydreams. Where am I going with this you may ask? To be honest, who really knows? I've just always had a fascination with how our brains can attach emotions and extremely vivid memories to senses and how, when these specific conditions of the senses are replicated, it's as if you're right in that moment again. And that's how it was. In my '94 Honda Civic, driving home from work, listening to Rihanna. I felt like I was in Haiti again, and I felt alive and happy.

I so value all the time we spent and all the work we completed in Haiti, because I got a kind of satisfaction from our projects that I've never really felt before. I felt like what I did mattered.And I got results every day, whether they were tangible numbers written on a ledger or smiling faces shaking my hand and asking me to come back soon. I find it hard sometimes to connect the studies I do and the work I do here in the states to something bigger, to my life's purpose so to speak, because they don't really seem to be fulfilling anything but emptying and refilling my bank account as I plod along trying to find my place. Don't get me wrong-I love everything about W&M and my job at the Rec, but now that I'm back, I really feel like Haiti and Sonje Ayiti and ICC gave me that extra something that makes me want to go back.

Who knows? Maybe, save all of the extra lyrics that have no relation to anything about this post or my purpose in Haiti, Haiti is "da One" for me. Maybe it's the place I'm meant to be.

In the meantime I plan on continuing my exploration, something I believe I will forever be indebted to Haiti and it's beautiful people for opening me up to. This experience has shown me all the beauty that can come out of so many different situations, and I thank it [and Rihanna] for reminding me.

Until next time..

HaitiLove,

Katie

Acclimating

As I step out of my hot shower, with acceptable water pressure, pass my window unit AC to go brush my teeth in the sink, where I can run the tap water right over my toothbrush, and rinse with water from the faucet, then climb into my comfortable bed without securing a bug net, check my iphone for any last emails and/or text messages and finally drift off to sleep in the safety and comfort of my college dorm on this safe college campus, it is hard to remember that these things that are so second nature to us, so many people go without. I think something that I have struggled with since being back, is the feeling of guilt. But oddly, probably not in the sense that you think I mean. There is a sense of guilt I have, for not feeling guiltier about the things I have, if that makes any sense. I still enjoy keeping in constant contact with my friends and family through the use of my phone and laptop, I still love the option of having a full closet of clothes I get to pick through each day when I decide what I want to wear; I don’t feel “disgusted” that I own a lot of things or have so much excess. Though I feel like I should feel that way after coming back from an eye opening experience in an impoverished country.

On the last night we were in Cap Haitian, during reflection, we were each told to think of one thing we took away from the trip that we could tell people when they asked. For me, it was that one of the greatest forms of aid anybody can give is through the transfer of knowledge. We know things that they don’t know, that would benefit them in the long run. If a plumber comes to install plumbing in a house as his service work- that is great, but what happens when it needs a repair? Instead of putting in manual effort, we shared our knowledge about business plans, lesson plans, and sexual education. These are things that we don’t need to physically be there for, for them to continue to use what we taught them. They can still use that knowledge when we are gone.

I look forward to our team’s “reorientation” process, to hear the thoughts and feelings of my teammates to see how they are dealing with the experience of coming back, hoping they can help provide some help and insight.

-Hannah

realizations.

i'm sitting here in my house in williamsburg, still in my robe (even though it's 2:45 p.m.), nursing a cup of coffee, and listening to bon iver, and feeling strangely nostalgic for last semester and our time in ayiti. we talk in branch out a lot about the concept of reorientation - and dealing with those emotions of missing our team's togetherness, missing our community partners, and not knowing how to process them in our daily lives here at william & mary. and as team leader, i'm educated on how best to evaluate those feelings and turn feelings into action. our process of reorientation was so different in may - mainly because it was hard to properly reorient with all of us all over the place. but now, we're here in williamsburg, back at school, and yet i'm still struggling just a little bit in getting acclimated. i think a lot of that comes from the fact that i graduated in december and am caught in this awkward place in my life right now between undergrad and grad school. but nonetheless, i decided to turn to my journal from ayiti and reflect on things that were said by different people we interacted with during our time in ayiti.

one of the moments that i enjoyed the most while we were with international child care was the opportunity we were granted to meet with wesley romulus, the director of ICC ayiti. during our meeting with him, he addressed an issue that many of us had been dealing with - how are we supposed to empower ayitians and help when we aren't doctors or nurses? his response was powerful - he said, "you don't have to be a doctor or a nurse or this or that - you just have to have your heart." those words struck me - as long as we are aware and have our hearts with the people of ayiti, that matters much more than the physical skills that we can bring. in fact, the most powerful forms of empowerment come from people who are emotionally invested. that is something that i have to continually remind myself of - to be emotionally invested. granted, i'm known as the token crier so being emotional isn't a problem for me, but the genuine quality of investment is something that cannot be faked, and i respect that. i think that that is the quality that many other groups that travel to "SAVE" or "REDEEM" or "RENEW" ayiti lacks - the genuine emotional investment. they lack the proper cultural education that leads the way to understanding and emotional investment.

as we start recruiting our team for january 2013, i know that that will be a quality i search for - the ability to be emotionally invested in a project like ours - because that's something special and worthwhile.

xx -

kylee

Day 10

Our final day in Haiti began with a leisurely morning. For many of us, the additional hour or two to sleep was much needed. The physical and mental strain of travel, especially in a developing country, can suck the energy right out of you. Breakfast was served, consisting of mango, papaya and fried eggs (all fresh and local). A few of us took some time to admire and purchase handmade items from Merchants set up within the guesthouse. Billy, fascinated by the work of the Haitian artisans, browsed the selection of hand-carved pieces and purchased a few to take home with him. I found the paintings particularly intriguing; artists paint what they see on what material they have at their disposal. As I flipped through the colorful pieces, I noticed that many of them used recycled fabric for canvas. One piece, in particular, was painted on a discarded piece of digital camouflage left by a U.S. soldier.
After we paid for and put away our newfound treasures, the van arrived and we started the day’s work. Timmy, having responsibilities back on campus, had to leave us a day early and so we quickly said our goodbyes before sending him off to the airport. The rest of our morning was spent in a small tent camp known as Patronsville in the heart of Port Au Prince. Contrary to what you’ve seen in the news and in magazines, this tent camp was organized and relatively clean. A few newly built structures (made of 2x4’s and sheet metal) housed many of the community’s social events. The Compact was given the building designated for Sunday service to conduct our work for the day: sex education, STI awareness, and sexual assault prevention. Yesterday, we were given the opportunity to hear what community leaders think about “family life” and it’s presence in Haiti; today, we were given the podium to say how we see it. The objective: pulling two cultures together through a universally human topic. We sat down with these new community leaders to debunk myths about infections and protection while raising awareness about abuse and prevention. Katie stepped up first to explain the ways in which U.S. kids are introduced to sexual education. She put special emphasis on the parallel between sexual maturity and knowledge, explaining that sex ed. is normally taught gradually over time as kids start to develop and ask questions. Brian spoke to the congregation about the fundamentals of sexual intercourse and sexually transmitted infections along with the myths associated. I finished with a brief presentation on rape and sexual assault and ways in which to address both. Before adjourning, the community leaders asked questions and voiced concerns. Time spent in the tent camp was productive and positive.
After a quick (and bumpy) car ride back to Grace Children’s Hospital, the team sat down to eat. Epi D’Or, a Haitian Panera Bread Co., was served along with sodas bought from the corner street vender. We sat in the boardroom (the only air conditioned space in the building) and enjoyed our baguette sandwiches.
To end our day and conclude our trip, the interim hospital director, Wesley Romulus, met with us to discuss our time with ICC. He was a fascinating person to listen to; he had some great analogies. Many of us were surprised to find that he knew exactly what we had hoped to accomplish while in Haiti. Understanding that we came to actively learn and help Haiti heal on its own, Wesley spoke as if he had read our minds. He addressed our concerns about our experiences earlier in the week including the Visa Lodge and the “poverty tour”. Most importantly, he challenged us to push ourselves even further, encouraging deeper relationships with the department chairs of the hospital in our future Haiti endeavors. At the end of our discussion, the team and I were relieved to know that we were understood—something that troubled us all week.
We finished the day early and spent time at Wall’s packing our things and enjoying our last few moments in the Caribbean sun. Dinner was served: a meal of white rice and a meat (beef?) stew accompanied by the usual Haitian slaw and salad. Dessert: banana bread. We spent the evening watching the moonrise and reminiscing about our time in Port Au Prince and Limonade.

Day 5

Day 5 (January 6th)

I apologize in advance for this late blog post! Things have been a little hectic with everybody finally getting a chance to post their blogs, I just happen to be getting to it a little later than everybody else.

Today was the last day our team spent at Limonade. We woke up to a wonderful (and special) breakfast of pumpkin soup. It is a tradition in Haiti to have pumpkin soup on January first every year. It used to be that only the elite would be able to afford to have pumpkin soup, but after the revolution, al Haitians were able to afford it, and it is something special they share every year. It was delicious and reminded me a little bit of beef stew, and I was honored to be a part of this cultural tradition (though a little late)

We went back to Rafaval today for the final time. The business team needed to print out some of their charts and spreadsheets to give to the women, but for some reason the printer was having some difficulty connecting to the computer, so much of the morning was spent waiting around until somebody was able to figure out how to fix it. I think some of us were a little frustrated that on our final day, we spent hours doing literally nothing. Lunch was some spicy pasta and questionable meat (later identified as sausage) that had an interesting red hue. The daring boys experimented with the hot sauce, and I think Billy lost some taste buds during that lunch. After lunch, all of the Rafaval workers and our team gathered in the common area while the business team (with the help of Gabbie) explained how to use the different spreadsheets they had just made for the factory. They also explained the logo we proposed (Bon KoKo). The education team made the teacher we worked with a certificate, which put the biggest smile on her face. Before we left the factory, the women of Rafaval sang and danced with us. They even got us all dancing (including me and my red face) and laughing and I can’t imagine a better send off. After dancing, all the women lined up to hug us all, which is a special moment I will always keep in my heart. I think we can all agree we felt at home at Rafaval and were sad to leave.

When we got back to Gabbie’s house, we all went straight to the roof, the perfect place to watch the sun set, which was absolutely beautiful. I think it was the perfect way to reflect on our last day at Rafaval and our time at Limonade.

Dinner was complete with a beautiful cake (very sweet! Side note- I’ve noticed how Haitians love sweet and spicy things) and guanabana juice, which was creamy, thick, and sort of like a smoothie. After dinner, Gabbie joined us for reflection, where we were able to ask her all the questions we hadn’t gotten a chance to in the past week, and were able to debrief about our time spent together.

Though part of me doesn’t want to leave the north and Gabbie, we are very excited to tackle our next mission in Port-au-Prince, and can’t wait to update ya’ll about our time spent there.

-Hannah (and team)

Jan 10 – Day 9

It’s a starry night in Port-au-Prince, and the moon seems full for at least the sixth night in a row. (Can anyone out there who paid more attention in astronomy class explain that to me?) And what a beautiful day it’s been.

To start, we had French toast for breakfast. Yep, nothing like some Frenchy toast with spicy peanut butter and, somehow, IGA brand ‘lite’ syrup with a side of mango. Due to a recent printer explosion at ICC, we had a little extra time for breakfast so a few of us got in some good conversations with our driver friend, Jason.

When we arrived at Grace Children’s Hospital, after a friendly greeting by Robenson, we jumped right into our survey project. Because the original hospital was the Mexican ambassador’s house before it became a hospital in the 60’s, and then was largely ruined in the earthquake, ICC has the opportunity to totally re-make the hospital into a state-of-the-art facility for pediatrics and all kinds of services. They’re being really intentional about the process (including involving a pro-bono team of hospital planners from Chicago who are giving huge bank in free assistance in the design phase). In the meantime, they’ve been functioning out of transitional facilities – ranging from repurposed shipping containers that remind me of elementary school portables to small buildings to things that look like an expanded version of those sheds that hang out in the Home Depot parking lot. Some of them, though, are durable enough to last for up to 50 more years, so Grace is trying to get input from their patients on how they should use the facilities after moving to the new hospital some day.

We split up into three teams, and each with a translator, approached patients in waiting areas to survey them about their feelings about the current and future status of transitional facilities. Katie, Brian and I formed a team with our translator Jimmy/Jay-Z, and had a blast connecting with the people we surveyed. Because we each have a background in French, we could pick up much of what they said. And then came a couple of guys who, when we asked them their names and ages in Kreyol, responded to us in English. How fun is that? We got to take the conversations a little further with them, because it was fun for them to practice English, too.

One asked if we enjoyed Haiti and its culture. Upon hearing an enthusiastic yes, he asked if we loved Haiti. And upon that enthusiastic yes, he asked if we then loved him. Because we’d learned about the ways Haitians perceive themselves differently than our culture does – less individualistically (e.g. more likely to refer to themselves as “we,” even), we got that of course us loving Haiti means that we love him. And so as he was thanking us for our time here, he said (among many other kind things), “I love you” right on back to us. Sorta unexpected for a hospital survey conversation, but it certainly felt right in line with the kind of deep human/spirit connection that many people here in Ayiti have offered us freely.

We headed to our first Youth Exchange, which brought us together with 15 community leaders in ICC’s catchment area, most of whom live in tent camps, to discuss sex and understandings around sex from each culture’s perspective. Most of them gave a broad overview of their views on various topics related to sexual ethics, ranging from prostitution to sex education (which happens mostly in schools, but most kids in tent camps are not in school, so…). After we shared back what we heard from them (thanks, Nick) it was time for the discussion to begin. We had a very interesting cultural exchange, talking about our various perceptions of prostitution, how parents and children interact with each other (do parents teach kids about sex?), and our how to best promote healthy sexual cultures.

Then Nick whipped out some 1 in 4 magic (the name comes from the stat that 25% of US college women have been sexually assaulted or experienced attempted sexual assault, and is a men’s education group at W&M) and gave them a sense of how we understand sexual assault and work to prevent it. Rape is a huge issue in tent camps, with low police presence, unsecured homes (no doors, no locks), and low light, so we thought it was important to discuss this topic. Nick gave a definition of rape, and explained how at W&M guys train other guys to recognize it, know the importance of mutual consent and hold each other accountable in promoting the equality of the sexes. Our friends found the ideas interesting and had some good follow-ups. Robenson took notes throughout and will share them with stakeholders in the community and at ICC so they can delve further into the themes raised and improve education and a culture of health in the tent camps.

We bid a fond farewell to our translator Jean Felix and headed out to Epi d’Or, a Haitian fast food restaurant that felt a little bit like a mix of a Panera and a Po’Folks (do those still exist?), thanks to the thatched roof over the Haitian food counter. Ordering 12 sandwiches in this restaurant takes a little bit of micromanaging to make sure the orders are right, and because of the vigilance of driver friend Jason, we successfully avoided ketchup getting on turkey sandwiches, and any condiments at all on Timmy’s sandwich.

From there, we climbed up (that is, in our van Esther) to Petionville, where we saw the surroundings there – resonant to me of Johannesburg sometimes, and with a super crooked street, San Francisco. We rocked out on the way to a customized adapatation of “Baby Please Don’t Go,” in Timmy’s honor (who leaves tomorrow). Some of us souvenir shopped at a roadside mall of souvenir stands. Ask Brian about his new acquisition: an oil drum sun with a beard (which begs the question why all depictions of the sun I’ve ever seen are clean-shaven?).

After some chillaxin back at Walls, and lots of good conversations among the group, we embarked on a massive reflection/group builder sandwich. 3.5 hours to be exact. Lots of affirmations, lots of critical questioning and discussion about the power of culture and how movements change it, and then lots of kind, sincere and appreciative things about what we’ve learned about each other on the trip.

Which brings me back to now. As I write this, I hear the occasional and unmistakable chatter of the lizard I woke up this morning to see on the ceiling above my bed. Sort of makes this native Florida girl feel at home.

‘til next time - Melody

Three Days Left! (Jan. 9)

Monday, January 09, 2012

Greetings from Ayiti!

After a hectic Sunday, I think we were all looking forward to spending the entirety of the day at Grace Children’s Hospital; specifically in attempting to figure out a little more about ICC’s mission in Haiti and how it relates to ours within the country.  We started off the day with a tour of the facility, which included viewing both the temporary shelters that currently house operations and the structure across the street that was destroyed by the earthquake.  The temporary shelters included many varieties of trailers and storage containers that had been transformed into rooms capable of treating the 200-300 individuals who utilize the hospital’s services daily.  These services include pre-natal care, HIV and TB testing, and a children’s in-patient wing; among others.  Another important aspect of the services ICC provides comes in its outreach to tent cities.  There ICC distributes rapid relief dehydration packs, performs on-sight testing for TB and other rapid-transmission diseases, and serves as a lifeline for many who have been homeless for the past two years.

Following our tour we met with Melanie and Victoria who are responsible for community outreach and planning.  We had a great discussion about not only the hospital’s mission, but what being a “blanc” in Haiti means (Melanie is a white-Canadian who lived in Haiti from the ages of eight to 18).  For Melanie, it was important to realize that she would never be able to overcome the name (as all those who came before her had created a precedence upon which she was judged), but to form relationships and change the opinions of those she could reach.  They also presented the plans ICC has developed to replace the destroyed former hospital with an impressive $20 million dollar facility.  It will place an emphasis on training Haiti’s future doctors and nurses, utilizing the latest simulation technology.  In order to build the facility, ICC has received donations from various sources in the US and Canada, but will also be applying to receive a portion of the over $500 million currently held in Haitian bank accounts that had been donated as aid following the earthquake.

After lunch, we returned to Grace Children’s Hospital to prepare for the Cultural Exchange we would experience the next day.  We met with a woman who is largely responsible for organizing outreach to tent camps, and specifically specializes in sexually transmitted diseases (the topic of the cultural exchange).  We were able to form a greater understanding of sex within Haiti’s culture, including its view of homosexuality as taboo and the belief that it is inappropriate for parents to discuss sex with their children.  I think we are all looking forward to our conversation tomorrow; specifically being able to hear from a first-person perspective all the problems the tent camps face regarding sexual assualt, and the solutions that are currently being considered. 

While mostly a day of observation, I think we all gained a much greater perspective regarding the work of ICC in Haiti.  Personally, while I think the work that ICC is incredible, I question where we (a group of college students with no medical training or interest) can provide them with any useful service.  I also question how our volunteer efforts aid in their mission.  Hopefully these questions will be cleared up throughout the week, and we will be able to effectively assist in their efforts.

For now,

Taylor (and all)

Day 2 (Jan. 3rd)

Hey guys!

First of all, I just want to say sorry again that our internet was so messed up because now you all must be thoroughly confused about our itinerary with the bizarre order of our posts.

So on our first real day at Sonje Ayiti with Gabie, we took a tap tap to the Cima school (Cima tent, really) so the education team could get an idea of what they were working with. It was really disappointing to see the moldy, shabby tent that was the only response Unicef made to Gabie's proposal for aid to build a school. One thing that persists throughout Haiti (and I can definitely attest to this from last year) is the enduring positivity of the people who encounter these difficult obstacles. The teachers were incredibly welcoming and were truly happy to have us visiting and working with them. They work every day to give the children of their community an opportunity for a better life outside of their small, hot little tent that can't even keep out the rain. Another inspiring part of the school were the tiny little wooden chairs that were scattered around the room, which Gabie told us the parent's of the community had made with their own resources on their own time.

After the tour of the school, we headed to RAFAVAL's cocoa factory (f.y.i. RAFAVAL is a women's co-op aimed at empowering women by giving them jobs that bring a sense of dignity and sisterhood). To welcome us, the women sang songs that they had written which described their struggle and their perseverance through this struggle. It was really fun to see their passion and their vibrancy, and it was even funnier when Timmy, Nick and Taylor danced one-on-one with one of the women (expect videos to come).

Our team split into our two teams (education and business, me being with the business so I'm going to apologize now for the one-sided perspective of the day) and set off to work on the agendas we had established with Gabie a few months ago. To me, the business meeting, though overwhelmingly abundant with information, went well. We discovered that they not only sell cocoa for hot chocolate but also a ready-made cold chocolate drink that was delicious (the great thing about working with a food business is you get to taste all the merchandise haha). We definitely had a lot of work to do after the meeting, but I felt like there was a lot of promise in the women and their motivation to make their business more successful.

Side note: One of my favorite parts of this trip is the fact that Gabie gives us a truly authentic Haitian experience, from the food to the tap tap and even the fact that we're allowed to just walk around the small village near the factory. It's good to be a part of environment we're working with instead of just observing it and just saying "peace out" at the end of it.

Well, I apologize once more for the lateness of this post. We miss all of you and are having a great time here!

Peace out (see what I did there?),

Katie