ENG 303- Narrative Piece

Imagine a place where clean water is unattainable. Imagine a place where any water is a two-mile walk there and back. Imagine a place with life on a dollar a day. Imagine a place where a mother goes to bed hungry because she puts her children’s hunger before her own. Imagine a place where a father begs for work just to bring home less than a dollar a day. Imagine a place where a child gets sick and all the parents can do is pray because there is no affordable doctor or even a doctor at all. I’ve been to that place.

Five years ago I took my first mission trip ever to Haiti. I was an 18-year-old high school graduate who knew no world outside of the US and could not even imagine the things I would see on my first trip to Haiti. I remember not wanting to go, and then once I was there I fell in love and left a piece of my heart in Haiti.

When I first arrived in Haiti, we traveled three hours in an air-conditioned bus. In that bus, I saw things I never even knew existed. I saw children begging, children un-clothed, and devastation everywhere. My heart was heavy, and I never felt guiltier for my own un-contentment in my life. That night we stayed in a hotel, before we left the next morning for a four hour drive in a “tap-tap” up the mountain to end at the mission in Seguin.

A “tap-tap” is the way of transportation in Haiti. It is a truck with benches on the back for seating. It is called a “tap-tap” because when passengers have reached their destination, they tap on the side of the truck so the driver knows they are ready to get off. We rode a tap-tap up a huge mountain, where several times I thought my life was over, because it was going to tip over. Haitians give a whole knew meaning to bad and dangerous driving.

As we went up the mountain heading farther and farther away from Port Au Prince, I saw poverty that was even worse than what I first saw. I initially thought when we landed in Port Au Prince that poverty could not get worse. But as we moved into rural areas, it did. We finally made it to the mission, where all the children in the village were so excited because they love when people come with RainCatchers.*

During my first trip in Haiti with RainCatchers, we made several raincatchers. Raincatchers are devices that take rain water, purify it, and then tunnel it in to a house into a 20 gallon barrel. Providing the people of Seguin with raincatchers has relieved the Haitians of some of the troubles of their lives. They no longer have to walk two to three miles just to get water that may or may not be clean.

I fell in love with the people of Haiti. I could not understand how they had so much joy, yet had nothing. It truly has made me think that less is more.  Upon my return to the US, I knew I would be back to Haiti. I did not know how and I did not know when, but I knew Haiti would forever be apart of my life and I would never forget how the people of Haiti changed me.

Since my very first trip to Haiti, I have been back about seven times. I have been back with RainCatchers. I also lived at a different mission, North West Haiti Christian Mission, for a month in 2009. After the earthquake of 2010, I was determined to do something to help. I went with Defy Thirst in March of 2010, following the earthquake of January. Then my dad and I decided we wanted to do something big to help the people of Haiti after the earthquake. With the help of my dad, my mom, RainCatchers, and SAPA we were able to raise of $60,000 towards earthquake relief. SAPA is the company my dad works for, and after we presented them with an idea for Haiti earthquake relief, they proposed that they would match dollar for dollar every donation they got from employees. With the money, we were able to build several houses for those in need. It was a great success.

Haiti is a beautiful country, with beautiful people. The people of Haiti will forever change me.  I may have served them a little, but they did more for me then I could ever do for them. I cannot wait for my next trip to Haiti, whenever that may be.