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.