HAITI, a mindset change
Earlier this year I made the best decision of my life by making a trip to Haiti with the aim of doing volunteering.
Last year, a friend of mine talked about her experience of giving something without expecting anything back. I was intrigued by that and she told me that sometimes what we need is spread kindness to the world by helping others. I once thought about doing volunteering and that was the moment when I felt dedicated to do this type of work.
So, I finally decided to make a long trip to Haiti. I was a little afraid of the conditions and diseases but after all, I was worried for nothing.
When I finally got there, I was stunned by the beauty of it, so, besides of being a volunteer I also did tourism. But because of the hurricane Matthew pass, Haiti was completely destroyed so it was necessary to intervene and help the people who suffered through this disaster.
Me and a group of friends stayed in Jeremie, one of the villages most affected by the hurricane. The house we were was really small and water was scarce. The people who welcomed us were really helpful and friendly.
As I said, not only a did volunteer work but also did tourism. As a volunteer my group helped to build a school for children who don't have a opportunity to go to school next to the Cathedral of Saint Louis Roi of France. A lot of children became so interested in what we were doing that they offered themselves to help! You needed to see the kids' faces when we officially opened the school! They were so happy and thankful for finally have the opportunity to have some education, a basic thing for us that they
After we finished this project I finally have time to investigate the city and know more about the culture of the place. The first place I went was the Cathedral of Sant Louis Roi of France, that stands out for being red! Although there's not much touristic spots to visit I had the opportunity to see the most beautiful beaches I ever seen! A negative thing in Haiti in general, is the amount of garbage accumulated in the streets, it makes a bad reputation for tourists honestly. A curiosity I found was that Haitians usually don't wave when they're saying goodbye to someone. That's because a dynasty of dictators had the habit of pointing fingers at they're opponents and waving their hands at the height of their necks to indicate that they would be executed. Strange uh?
While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet a really nice couple who helped my group throughout this journey. None of my friends were fluent in French (the official language) so that couple taught us a little of creole, another common language they talk. It was so funny because we couldn't understand anything! They gave us the chance to eat griot, a typical food in Haiti which is basically fried pork and it's really delicious!
I really enjoyed this experience and I would 100% repeat it! It changed my life completely and I'm definitely a different person now. I hope you feel inspired to do the same adventure I did.
Last year, a friend of mine talked about her experience of giving something without expecting anything back. I was intrigued by that and she told me that sometimes what we need is spread kindness to the world by helping others. I once thought about doing volunteering and that was the moment when I felt dedicated to do this type of work.
So, I finally decided to make a long trip to Haiti. I was a little afraid of the conditions and diseases but after all, I was worried for nothing.
When I finally got there, I was stunned by the beauty of it, so, besides of being a volunteer I also did tourism. But because of the hurricane Matthew pass, Haiti was completely destroyed so it was necessary to intervene and help the people who suffered through this disaster.
Me and a group of friends stayed in Jeremie, one of the villages most affected by the hurricane. The house we were was really small and water was scarce. The people who welcomed us were really helpful and friendly.
As I said, not only a did volunteer work but also did tourism. As a volunteer my group helped to build a school for children who don't have a opportunity to go to school next to the Cathedral of Saint Louis Roi of France. A lot of children became so interested in what we were doing that they offered themselves to help! You needed to see the kids' faces when we officially opened the school! They were so happy and thankful for finally have the opportunity to have some education, a basic thing for us that they
After we finished this project I finally have time to investigate the city and know more about the culture of the place. The first place I went was the Cathedral of Sant Louis Roi of France, that stands out for being red! Although there's not much touristic spots to visit I had the opportunity to see the most beautiful beaches I ever seen! A negative thing in Haiti in general, is the amount of garbage accumulated in the streets, it makes a bad reputation for tourists honestly. A curiosity I found was that Haitians usually don't wave when they're saying goodbye to someone. That's because a dynasty of dictators had the habit of pointing fingers at they're opponents and waving their hands at the height of their necks to indicate that they would be executed. Strange uh?
While I was there, I had the opportunity to meet a really nice couple who helped my group throughout this journey. None of my friends were fluent in French (the official language) so that couple taught us a little of creole, another common language they talk. It was so funny because we couldn't understand anything! They gave us the chance to eat griot, a typical food in Haiti which is basically fried pork and it's really delicious!
I really enjoyed this experience and I would 100% repeat it! It changed my life completely and I'm definitely a different person now. I hope you feel inspired to do the same adventure I did.
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