ABoverCs: You Only Go There Once

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

You Only Go There Once

Thursday, March 11, 2010- Ferrier, Haiti Day 6
"Today we went to the Citadel. That was an experience I do not want to go through that again. The boy who took me up the mountain was named Tony. He was 12 years old and his father was in his 40s. The trail is 7km up to the fort and another 7km down. We got to the fort and our tour guide Jean told us about the history. Jean is 28 and he has 3 boys, he's a really nice man. He is Ricky's friend. Ricky is one of our translators, he is in his 20s and he is going to school to be a doctor. Ricky is a very fun person and today while I was saying goodbye to Jean I realized I would have to say goodbye to everyone I meet here soon. The goodbyes will definitely be bittersweet. Ricky is real cool. I will miss our talks and him teaching me creole words...

I did not want to go to the Citadel today and my experience there was not the most enjoyable. I did make a new friend and take lots of pictures. The fort and the view from it is beautiful. It was nice to learn some of the history of Haiti. The trip made me exhausted. I rode the horse up but walked down with Adrianna. All of us have become such close friends. I will miss our family dinners and all the good times we have together. It will be weird waking up Monday morning and not eating breakfast with them and doing everything together...

I was uneasy about this trip because I thought it was a bad time to be going, I have been stressed about a lot of things. This trip has turned out to be great therapy for me. I NEEDED this trip. Now I am going back home with a different mindset and a stronger faith, I am stronger, more bold, and LESS PICKY!!! And more satisfied with what I plan to do with my life. I feel productive, I feel useful, I feel loved, and I feel blessed. I enjoy hearing these children yell my name (which they are doing right now) asking me to come play. I love being in the presence of the people here, and at peace with the sounds of this village, where children run around with no clothes on, people make their own things, children want to learn, you can wear the same thing for a week, you are not in a popularity contest with anybody and you can walk down the street with a machete! Here I don't feel judged or out of place, useless or lost. Although full of suffering and poverty, this little village of Ferrier has become a sort of oasis, a type of escape from the pressures and pointlessness of mainstream America. I do not mind the bugs, the food, the roosters, the generator, the walking, the heat, or the language barriers. In fact, I am going to miss ALL of that. I already know it will be weird going back to an unlimited amount of food, washers, dryers, and fridges, iced water, air conditioning, and malls. When I think about all of the things I am going back to I feel selfish and greedy for being able to have so much. I know that I will now look at things in a different perspective. This place has become home to me. It is now a part of me and I will take it everywhere. I will go back thankful for everything knowing that so many have nothing. I will go back open minded and thoughtful, always looking at the big picture. I will be more aware, more serious, and better equipped for satans tricks. I will be more joyous during hard times and more slow to act. his trip has truly been a gift from God."