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Friday July 14, 2018

We all made it!

Namaste! Namaste is the word to say hello in Hindi. Today, after eating plentiful amounts of peanut butter and plum jellied toast, we learned many helpful phrases in Hindi. Little did we know we would need these phrases down in the market a little more than a mile away.

At the market, the ladies were happy to stop by a clothing store to buy traditional indian clothing such as saris and suits in all different colors. Once they had one picked a fancy fabric, they walked across the street to get measurements taken of themselves.

When all that was over, everyone got to explore the market a little more before heading back to home base on a long, and once again steep hike. After about an hour of resting time and showering, everyone sat down for a dinner of pasta, garlic bread, and green beans. A group circle commenced for the official itinerary overview and the final health checks. Finally, everyone was off to their rooms for a peaceful night of rest. Shubh ratri!

-by Addie V by Fiona Jerman

Sunday July 15, 2018

Nameste Families:

After an incredible breakfast consiting of boiled eggs and toast, we trecked to the Dalai Lama’s temple where we not only learned about the history and struggles of Tibetan refugees but also about the origin of the Dalai Lama and his teachings. Then, we journeyed to a Buddhist temple to perform a kora, a walking circumbulation around a sacred site. On the way to the temple, we witnessed the beautiful scenery of Dharamasla and stopped by a memorial of those who have self-immulated in protest of Chinese oppression. After the kora, we all went on a shopping spree and almost got killed by a couple monkeys (pro tip: don’t smile at the monkeys…also, don’t try to get pictures #rabiesfree), then we returned to home base where we rested for a short period before eating a wonderful dinner, consisting of rice, roasted potatoes, chick pea curry, and chapati. Later, we had our first photojournalism session where we learned about the history of photography. Then we concluded with a team building exercise and an introduction to mentor group’s.

Tomorrow, we’ll the visit the areas we’ll be teaching children and beautifying daycare facilities.

– Eddie & Shanti

Monday July 16, 2018

Today was another fun and exciting day spent in Dharamsala, India. After starting the morning with a delicious breakfast consisting of French toast and eggs, we headed off to a tour of the placements. Although it was a four mile trek in total, and parts of it were quite grueling, we enjoyed visiting the placements so much that our imaginations began to spark about the projects we would be doing there. Adding to our excitement was being able to meet, play with and take pictures with the cute little kids that we were excited to get to know better.

Along the way back to homebase, we stopped to take pictures for our photography assignment which was one close-up and one landscape picture. By the time we made it back to Clouds End Villa, all of us were so famished that we were ecstatic to hear that there was an amazing lunch set out for us. Burrito-like rolls with a curry twist, french fries, and lassi turned out to be many people’s favorite meal up to that point . Afterwards we went to our second photojournalism session of the trip where Aavrit taught us everything we need to know about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Continuing on after a thirty minute break, we assembled with our mentor groups during which we shared a story of a hardship we’ve overcome. Let’s just say tears were shed. Lots of them.

After that amazing bonding experience, we met with our placement groups and started to chart our project plans and the materials needed for them. Then it was dinner time!

After enjoying rice, potatoes, and lentils, we followed with post-dinner activities that were both serious and enjoyable. Starting with a discussion given by Chris about the ethics of photography and volunteerism, we then had an insightful conversation reflecting on the intentions of certain photographs and the ways we should use them to tell a story.

Ending the night with an awesome and entertaining activity put on by group leaders, Naomi and Maddie, we played an interesting game in which the whole group was split into four teams and in each round the groups would be given a category and a letter (ex: food and E). They then were tasked with writing down as many things as they could think of that fit that category and also started with that letter. The group who had the most items written down won the round. After five intense rounds, group three won!

Day four was a success!

Naomi Deokule (author)
Maddie (Madeleine) Hay

Tuesday July 17, 2018

After Nelson burnt his tongue on steaming hot chai and Christian, along with the rest of the gang, started our day with a delicious breakfast prepared by Ponku and Amet, we headed out to our first day of placements. Anganwadis (government-funded daycares) are where we were to start work straight away as we began to sand down walls in order to prepare them to paint. When we needed a break, we played with the young children at those daycares. After a short break and some lunch, we went to the Norbulingka Institute. A place where the Tibetan culture is saved through arts. It was eye opening to see how hard they work and how intricate that work is. Something we never would have thought about if only seeing the final product. After touring around, grabbing a quick snack and taking some wild portraits of Lit (one of our local team leaders), we headed back to homebase for dinner, a photojournalism lesson and a game of chair basketball that would make Olympians sweat.

Game on!
Nelson & Christian

*Photos for July 17 by Aavrit Bagga (Photographer – Local Program Staff)

Wednesday July 18, 2018

Of the two of us, Haley was among the lucky ones still waking up at 6:30 AM from the time change while Angelina (and most of the rest) collectively groaned at the 6:15 AM wakeup call (or knock) we were in charge of getting done. Well….maybe not quite so long of a groan for Alex and Haley as the two of us got an early morning giggle when one of the wakeup calls resulted in Shanti, one of the boys from our program, opening the door with a comically aggravated face.

Eating a basic breakfast while half asleep at 6:45 AM, we made our way in the early morning sunlight through the sometimes challenging incline and decline of streets and stairs to the Men Tsee Kang Monastery. Once there and, after having removed our shoes and filled into a room covered in foam mats, we expected to be led in a soothing morning meditation. What we got instead was a PowerPoint presentation and monk in front of a microphone. Our expected morning of tranquility in this beautiful little town built into a Himalayan mountainside turned into a long hour of trying to pay attention to a presentation on what we thought we’d be doing instead of actually doing it. But hey – at least we’re now trained to lead sessions with our family and friends when we get back home, right?

After our “meditation session”, we walked to our placements where we teach and play with local children while at the same time beautifying (painting, decorating, etc.) their schools. After that, we walked back to Clouds End Villa, our home here in India, for a lunch of delicious grilled cheese and fried rice followed by turning in our pulse checks about the GLA program before a little midday free fime.

Coming back to the main hall after hanging out all over the lush tropical grounds and giggling at Teddy, one of the Jack Russell Terriers that belongs to the king who has so generously allowed us to stay here, we listened to a lecture given by photographer Ashwini Bhatia who talked about and showed us his recent work and discussed the ethics of photojournalism.

Following a smaller dinner later that night, we had a photojournalism lesson by the photographer who is part of our leadership team, Avi, where we discussed editing our photographs and putting together our own portfolios. Finishing off the night with a successful and fun game joined in on by Prince Bambi (short for Ambi which is short for Ambikeshwar), the grandson of Raja Aditya, the fireflies told us that it was time for lights out at 10 PM.

Sweet dreams, from India,

-Haley & Angelina

*Photos for July 18 by Robin Satterwhite (GLA Mentor)

Thursday July 19, 2018

Today started just like any other day at GLA. We all woke up at 8:30 in the morning to get ready followed by eating breakfast while being told what we would be doing for the day. From there we went to our placements where we remodeled the preschool we were at while at the same time teaching and playing with the kids like we do almost every day. Making our way back to Clouds End for lunch, our next outing took us to Dolls For Tibet. None of us knew or were excited about what to expect when we got there though, upon arrival, most of us were pretty pleasantly surprised.

The dolls were adorable. Not only that but they were also all handmade. The woman who owned the business had started it for the Tibetan people, all refugees, including her artist husband. Over time Indians have also started working there more but she still has a heart for the Tibetan people so some of the dolls still go to Tibetan children. We all enjoyed the dolls and her story about how her business came to be.

We believed it to be very touching and we all bought something from her store, all of us satisfied with our purchase. So back to base we all went from there to have a little relax time before our dinner. Well, maybe not all as some of the girls and guys walked down to the Kotwili Bazaar to pick up the saris they had gotten tailored a couple days before. Then it was finally dinner time, so we ate our dinner while remenicing about the days events. After that it was lights out and another exquisite day at GLA was done.

Leaders of the Day:
Violet (author) & Lauren

*Photos by Robin Satterwhite (GLA Mentor)

Friday July 20, 2018

Hello, my name is Jeremy and my partner for Leader of the Day is Emma. Today is July 20th and it’s Friday. We woke up at our normal time today, 8:30 AM, and we had our typical breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, toast and a couple extras. When the coveted peanut butter went too-soon empty we were all sad but managed to keep on nevertheless. At 9:45 AM, we headed to our placements. I would tell you the name of mine but I can’t spell it and it would just be jumbled letters to you.

At my placement, we are busy giving our daycare center a new coat of paint. While painting, I also had about five children hanging off me, who all wanted piggyback rides. With an aching back and a little elbow grease, we managed to finish the first coat of paint.

When time to leave, we were tired and it was raining so we opted to take taxis home instead of walking. When we returned, we went on the most beautiful and extravagant sun-not-even-close-to-setting sunset photoshoot ever. Upon our return from there, we ate our typical banquet-style meal and watched a short show about a photographer followed by an attempt to watch the documentary movie: when Hari Got Married about a cab driver’s arranged marriage, though we were all very tired so most of us (including me) left to go to sleep before the end. With another great day at our backs, we rested well for the day next.

Sunday July 22, 2018

A late wake-up at 8:45 started off our 10th day of adventure. We continued the morning with our breakfast staples of toast, eggs, bananas, and chai tea. Next on the schedule was a visit to a local family farm. We got to see, taste, and smell produce growing on this farm. Lunch was served there after some rejuvenating hibiscus lemon tea followed by a warm custard with ice cream!

A fun and rainy ride back to homebase provided a stop for the few who wanted to stop for snacks. (Tim has good taste in music!) After some downtime, dinner was next and always one of the best parts of the day. Later we had the option to go see Skyscraper at the movies. Surely something not to miss and turned out to be more of a cultural expecience than expected in ways such as the #rodwytibetans cheering from the row behind us.

Our typical 10pm cerfew for lights out ran just a little late thanks to our time of return and we were all ready to crawl into our beds as soon as we got “home”, time to get rested and ready for our next day of adventure.

-Blog by Kirsten and Violet

-Photos by Robin Satterwhite

Monday July 23, 2018

Today we enjoyed our usual breakfast of toast, eggs and delicious chai (with some extras) followed by taking our long daily walk to placements. Once there, we played with children while getting our arms pulled, cheeks pinched and hair braided. Too lazy to walk back, we treated ourselves to a nice taxi ride to home base where lunch was waiting for us. After some free time, we pooled into taxis and drove past Mcleod Gange Market to see the beautiful Bagsu Falls waterfall.

Some of us opted to journey up the waterfall, a hike not everyone felt inclined to take but rather enjoy some internet time while snacking on lemon cake, noodles and strawberry smoothies that tasted like Danimals yogurt at a local cafe. Many of us bargained our way through the market from there, filling our bags with colorful pants and other souvaneers while a few stayed in the German Bakery Restaurant Coffee Bar until it was time to pile back into taxis. Once again back to home base and after some free time, we ate the baseline rice and lentils (plus a few extras) for dinner.

Mentor groups came next. Robin’s mentor group discussed various circumstances of the trip, giving each person a chance to speak, while Tim’s mentor group read a story about a man who planted one hundred trees a day for thirty-seven years after losing his family. A story to teach and inspire about being model citizens. To end the night, we played a Leader of the Day throwback game lead by us of heads-up-seven-up. A game most frequently played in elementary school.

Before bed we had some free time to sit in our rooms, hang in the garden, socialize and listen to music on the patio. Lights went out at 10 PM to regain our energy for more wonderful days in India.

The journey continues…

Written by Leaders of the Day:
Addison & Natalie

Photos by Robin Satterwhite 🐦

Also, here are some more photos from earlier in the trip that we were unable to send due to internet connectivity issues:

-Photos by Robin Satterwhite

Tuesday June 19, 2018

India. It’s not uncommon to hear travelers say it’s the most impactful place they’ve ever been. Full of diversity, color and different climates, all of our students minus one, Noa (who is still bravely making her way in with our trusty director, Chris) have finally made it through the multiple plane rides, taxis and days of travel to this scarce small town on a Himalayan mountain in the clouds. Surrounded by Tibetan monks and animals such as sacred cows, dogs and even a monkey or two swinging above our rooms, there’s a sense of peace and beauty that is already making its way through even the worst jet lag.

It’s finally here. We have found our way to the first day of namaste.

Written by staff mentor: Robin Satterwhite

Wednesday June 20, 2018

It would be ridiculous to expect to see the Dalai Lama on the first full day in India, right? Well it did for a few of us. He even looked one of our little ladies, Savannah, right in the eye as he and his caravan drove past, bowing his head with hands clasped, bestowing blessings upon the crowd. Just….whoa.

It was an incredibly full day that started, surprisingly, with most of our new little family waking up early without too much jet lag, though the (otherwise) cute Jack Russell terriers on property barking before 5AM was destined to still cause a grumble or two.

Feeling refreshed so quickly turned into an extra good thing as, after a breakfast that included chai tea and a delicious rice pudding, our walk around town to see the different schools (many of which were eye-openingly small and run down to the Western eye) and their tiny littles, who were super inspiring, cute and excited to see us, ended up coming with another little bit of a reality check when it proved to be about the equivalent of half an hour on the stairmaster and another half on a treadmill with an impressive incline. While getting used to its own fair share of hardships, Dharamsala really is a spiritually beautiful city overflowing with wonderful people, cool animals and vast expanse views of snow-capped Himalayan mountains, even when looking on from of a place of medium-bake from the hot sun.

Watching the people of this small city and the tight bond of community that only comes from growing up together in a way that allows everyone to not only know each other but to pretty much become one big family, our smiles broadened and eyes opened a little more. Especially when, after our first Hindi lesson with the local GLA staff, locals proved to be not only so open but also get enjoyment out of our awkward attempts to ask questions on a cultural scavenger hunt that forced us out of our comfort zones and into finding our way to such places as a Tibetan places of worship, local family homes and to a restaurant that offered food such as delectable vegetarian dumplings called Momos.

A delicious treat to hold us over for dinner and keep us pleasantly distracted as health checks were dialed in. Even with getting used to the crazy traffic, time difference and well-earned exhaustion of those past few days, we were well on our way toward a new kind of bliss.

Sending love and mosquito bites,

The STL (Service Through the Lens) squad.

 

Saturday June 23, 2018

Today we started our first official day working at the Day Care. We headed to our placements with arms full of posters, paints, markers and toys. The kids, still not quite adapt to our presence stared in wonder as we coated their daycare walls in fresh bright colors. Soon realizing that we came armed with more than just paint but also new toys and markers they began the colorful task or writing letters, shapes, and numbers on the fresh posters and journals. We quickly realized just how inept our Hindi was when the kids took on the humorous and difficult task of teaching us what the names of colors and animals where in Hindi. It was a learning experience for all of us! After many hugs, high fives and “namstes’ we headed back to our home base, some of us a little late for lunch; goodbyes always take longer than planned.

After eating a beautiful meal of homemade chapati and seasoned veggies we got into taxies and headed to a Tibetan Buddhist nunnery. The chaos and endless shouts and car horns we had come to recognize as the constant ambience of the vibrant and restless city was juxtaposed with the sharp contrast of complete calm. Serenity filled the air as we walked through the gates of the nunnery, the whirl wind of emotions we felt from the past few days melted into ease. The peace that surround the nunnery was incredible, the snow capped Himalayan mountains surrounding us absolutely breath taking. Nuns peaked around corners of vibrantly hand painted walls to wave at us, a warm welcome.

After we left the nunnery we headed to a Tibetan culture center. From the moment we drove over the mountain the vibrant red, golds and blues of an architectural masterpiece stood out and made what had seem like rainbow of houses before pale and dull in comparison to the Art center. After a brief history lesson on the importance of preserving Tibetan culture and the erasure of Tibetan society that has occurred, we explored the endless towers filled with endless rooms of beautiful art from every material imaginable.

Our day ended with our second mentor group— a meeting where we discuss what we experience and our goals for our time here and after. We watched a movie called the Bang Bang Club, which shows the true, raw power a single photograph can have. Afterward we headed to bed, grateful to finally rest at the end of another amazing day.

Blog post by Katy McDaniel

Sunday June 24, 2018

Culture is meant to be embraced. Yesterday that meant embracing the peaceful nature of the Tibetan nunnery and the beautiful foothills of the Himalayas. Today it meant embracing the chaotic nature of the Macleod market and winding crowded streets keenly navigated by our local staff members. Although immersed in the chaos we each found clarity through thinking of our families while shopping and capturing small moments of this clarity with the authentic gifts coming home with us.

Before the market our group received amazing guidance from Jessica Rose, one of our international staff members. and practiced our photography with this new found knowledge. The Macleod market was the perfect setting to practice these skills with the knowledge given to us. The people and buildings and food created the perfected environment for experimentation with lighting and composition. Even if an opportunity was missed, maybe the lighting was wrong or you lost focus with your camera, every turn presented new engaging moments to capture.

Multiple groups began painting at their day-care center and continued playing with and educating the children put in their care. What’s astonishing to us all is the progress we’ve all already made and the help we’ve received from the amazing and dedicated teachers.

Friday June 29, 2018

Today students enjoyed a relatively relaxed day. The day began with students attending
their placements, and working with their chosen daycare. Students are working to help

older kids practicer their english as well as deepen their understanding of school sub-
jects such as math or literature. After, the students spent the rest of the day at home

base, in which they enjoyed some free time, and attended a photo journalism session
lead by Jessica rose. Afterwords, students watched a movie about the history of the
Dalai Lama.

-by Georgia and Aiden

Sunday July 8, 2018

At 6:30 sharp we were in our taxis, bellies full from our last breakfast in Dharamsala, our hearts full of grief and nostalgia as we said goodbye to the local staff.

Five hours and 3 pee stops later our parade of clown cars loaded with us and our suitcases arrived in Amritsar. Per usual, the plot thickens.

We arrive at the Golden Temple and are immediately met with the swirling sights and sounds of an India we have yet to see. The sweat fills ours eyes and reality blurs into a smear of colors punctuated by the mechanical din of the Langar. This is the free meal that Seikhs provide to anybody who comes to visit. The generosity is beautiful and overwhelming. After about two hours we pack back up and head to our wonderful hotel where we take refuge in the chilly arms of our AC.

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Thursday July 26, 2018

All students who were supposed to arrive today have arrived! We are still waiting on 5 more students, 4 who arrive tomorrow and 1 who arrives on Saturday. We’ll try to post another group photo once our group is complete!

Saturday July 28, 2018

Today we went to Blue Hills community at 9. After a short 10 minute car ride we were all ready to work. I began by sorting out the good and the bad bottles and proceeded to cut some wires. After cutting the wires I painted one of the rooms yellow. Right before having lunch we played soccer with the locals and after a while I was sad to stop playing because it was so much fun. Everyone was very nice and we had a lot of fun together. For dinner we had noodles and then continued working soon after. I started putting bottles into the walls and talking with the locals. When we got back to the lodge we had a creole lesson which was very easy to understand as it is basically an informal version of French. For dinner we had chicken rice and beanssss!!!!

-Bautista C.

The day began at 7:30 a.m. with myriad of excitement and energetic kids. We spent the day working in a community called Blue Hills on a vocational school made made from recycled plastic bottles. Many, like me, couldn’t wait to play with the joyful kids. When we got there, a bond was created between us and the Haitian people. Both parties worked hand in hand to accomplish the same goal. Knowing our goal was to finish walls by 3:30 caused us to put our differences aside and cooperate. All in all, everyone had a great time and enjoyed the amazing life changing experience.

-Jake S.

Tuesday July 31, 2018

Today, we visited the Citadel, a famous fortress created by General Christof after the successful Haitian slave revolts of 1805. It is often referred to as one of the world’s untold wonders. After a precarious and bumpy drive up to the market place, we began our hike up to the fortress. The trek was completed quickly and efficiently, though it was quite tiring. On top of the Citadel, we enjoyed the breathtaking views and a delicious lunch of potato salad.

From this experience, we learned about how poverty and joblessness drive Haitians to resort to an extreme dependence on American tourism for income. Returning home, we enjoyed a soccer game between a local men’s team and our GLA boys. Concluding the night, we watched an informative documentary called Poverty, Inc. that goes into depth about the disparities between NGO aid and their devastating impacts on local communities.

Thursday August 2, 2018

Today was our last day- and we traveled to a Dr. Daytons Medical Clinic in downtown Cap Haitien. In order to accommodate all patients in the smaller space, the group was divided into two separate shifts at the clinic. While one group staffed the clinic, the other group went to a local market to purchase snacks and cold drinks. At the clinic we were able to see around 60 patients and provide routine checkups and consultation with Dr. Dayton. During the clinic the group staffed: Registration, Medical History, Vitals, Doctor Consult, and Pharmacy. The stations allowed us to interact with the locals in a positive way, as well as strengthen our own knowledge of how clinics are typically run. Following the clinic, we headed to the outskirts of Cap Haitien to observe a typical Haitian Voudou ritual- a ceremony that included singing and dancing. The ritual was the complete opposite of the Hollywood view of “voodoo” which has been portrayed as a pagan or occult practice, where in reality Voudou is a beautiful culturally rich practice that is focused on community and the preservation of Haitian heritage. After viewing part of the ceremony, we then returned to the lodge for dinner, our last night enjoying rice & beans. Following dinner we attended a presentation that primarily focused on the damage of Voulentourism.

Voulentourism is a multi-billion dollar industry that is unfortunately heavily influenced by the “white savior” complex- where westerners come to 3rd world countries with the mindset that they can save the native people with their superior intellect and material wealth. When attempting to provide aid in impoverished countries it is important to realize that the people are more similar to us than different, and to treat them as equals- without pity. In fact, strict material donation (ie. Clothing, food, toiletries etc) can unfortunately be more damaging to the people than helpful. Continuous material donation cripples the local economy, pushing many farmers & industry workers out of their need-sustained jobs. It is necessary to understand that the people in Haiti cannot be defined by their poverty, but by their incredible culture and sense of community. We look forward to sharing our newly learned knowledge with those at home, after our much anticipated beach day!

-Zach

More photos from throughout the session!

 

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Sunday June 24, 2018

The big day has finally arrived! We got up super early to catch our flights. We were all tired but once we arrived in Haiti, we all were so excited that we forgot we were ever tired! The people of Haiti were so welcoming, and we got a great taste of their culture — literally!

The food here is so fresh and delicious. Our dinner was the best! While we understand that this trip is a huge undertaking, we humble accept the challenge. We’re beyond excited to work with our fellow world-changers, ending the day with the “Chain of Empathy” exercise, we were able to feel and express each other’s stories in our own words, which led to a deeper understanding of our housemates. The first day of our 10-Day GLA trip was out of this world!

-Ryan + Taylor

Tuesday June 26, 2018

Today, we went to a community called Blue Hills to build a vocational school out of bottles. Children swarmed the car the minute we pulled up, full of interest and excitement, and, full of energy and excitements, they wanted to hold our hands, know our names, and touch our hair. We said hello, but we had to get to work. We split into three groups: bottling (puting bottles in the walls), cementing (mixing cement to put on the walls and floor), and rocks (shoveling rocks to even the floor).

We had plentiful of our own water bottles and water jugs. We worked diligently until the walls were filled with bottles and floors with cement. As this was our first day of working on the school, we will have more to report in the coming days, updating our progress on the school.

-Oona, Reese, and Chewy

Wednesday June 27, 2018

Today, we woke up and ate some breakfast before heading over to the Plumpy Nut factory. We learned all about the manufacturing of Plumpy Nut, a peanut-based product developed to help combat malnutrition. We took a tour of the entire facility, and even got to taste some! After that, we visited and toured a local hospital, where we talked to the local physician partner, Dr. Dayton. After eating lunch, we played some soccer against the locals. After dinner, we stopped by a gas station to pick up snacks before ending the day with a documentary.

-Written by Mackenzie, Dmitri, and Emma

Thursday June 28, 2018

Everyday that we’ve spent in Haiti has been a new adventure. After breakfast we drove through the city to an area in the mountains of Cap-Haitien, as far as our bus would allow us to go. From there we embarked on a half hour, steep climb up the mountain, beneath the heat of the blazing Haitian sun. Although the climb was difficult, the view of Cap-Haitien and the ocean made it worth every drop of sweat. Once we reached the top we set up our first clinic in the school. We were each assigned a station: medical history, vitals, consultation, pharmacy, and of course served as trusty runners.

With the help of Dr.Dayton, Nurse Guerline, Jacques—our host, school personnel, and our amazing mentors, we were able to provide medical assistance to over 60 patients. Working with the community of Satama, people of all ages who suffered from different diseases, taught us the ins and outs of working in a clinic. After the medical brigade we ate dinner with our guests, the leaders of Blue Hills, and asked them questions about their community. They showed their appreciation for our contributions and were very open to any questions we had for them. And we were able to have a thought provoking and intimate conversation about our two cultures.

Milena, Lily, and Huy

Photos coming soon!

Friday June 29, 2018

Today we woke up to the honorable roosters and blazing heat. We piled on to the bus and headed back to the Blue Hill community to continue working on the bottle school. On our lunch break we played a pick-up soccer match with many of the Blue Hill community members. Departing with the community members was brutal. We hugged for awhile and made our way back to the bus holding hands. Dinner was exceptional per usual and following dinner was a lecture on social justice that was unlike anything we’d seen. After the lecture we got into mentor groups and went to bed.

Hailey, Rosie and Elliot

 

Tuesday June 12, 2018

All students arrived safely. The group is getting to know each other and all are super excited for the next 10 days in Haiti!

Wednesday June 13, 2018

Hey everyone,

Our first day in Haiti was eye opening to say the least. We got to see typical Haitian life driving through the city on our way to the citadel. Seeing Haitians on the sides of the roads and observing some of their living conditions was alarming. It’s difficult to deal with empathy we feel for them because there isn’t much you can do, and simply providing money is not a good (nor sustainable) solution.

On the way to the citadel, some of the local Haitian community members joined us for the hike. Many of them asked if they could be our tour guides; however we already received an official guide (named Sebastian) through the tourist office. Despite telling them this, maybe of them walked along side us and acted as impromptu tour guides, and after reaching the end of the hike, they all asked for money or a tip. They’re struggled and we want to help, but you cannot just hand out money. Though it’s difficult to say no, it will lead to more effective development.

Besides that, the citadel was beautiful and the views were out of this world. Sarah, Mark, and Sebastian all did an amazing job decaying us about its history and how it impacted/impacts Haiti and it’s culture.

Thursday June 14, 2018

Here is a photo from yesterday!

Friday June 15, 2018

*Blog post is about yesterday’s activities (Thursday June 14)

Today was the first day we traveled to Blue Hills. We worked at insulating the walls of a prospective vocational school with plastic bottles and received help from dozens of members of the community. Throughout the day we interacted with the youth of all ages; we even organized a soccer game with them after lunch. Children who were barely old enough to know their ABCs helped us sort plastic bottles and construct walls. After the bottle school, we had a lesson in Creole with a local teacher to help us learn the language and interact with the Haitian community. Today was super fun and we can’t wait to go back to Blue Hills to finish our section of the Bottle School!

By Lilly and Destiny

Friday June 15, 2018

We began our Friday morning with a tour of the PlumpyNut factory. PlumpyNut is a simple paste that tastes similar to peanut butter and is used to treat malnourished adults and children who don’t have access to an abundant nor nutritious supply of food. On the tour we learned about the history of the PlumpyNut products, saw the process of the peanuts being de-shelled by machines, and we even got to taste some of the PlumpyNut final product!

After our tour, we headed over to a local public primary hospital called Hospital Fort Saint Michel Health Center. Here, we were introduced to Dr. Dayton, and he showed us around the entire facility. We were shown all over the place, from the archives room with thousands of paper and files to the blood testing lab. Throughout our tour of the hospital, it was evident that the building was not very clean. We found it interesting to think that we were actually in one of the cleanest building in Cap Haitian, yet it was no where close to what a standard American would view as sanitary. Despite the lack of resources/material that this hospital had in comparison to those in the U.S., the stigma around HIV/AIDS was one in the same. Even with three rooms dedicated to HIV/AIDS, a high percentage of people continued not seeking medical help and continued to not report back to obtain more medication because they find it embarrassing or degrading to their reputation to come fourth and accept that they have this more than common disease.

A last of many observations we had was the “welcoming” community. Even with being beyond respectful, we were grateful to have had the experience to tour this hospital, and in touring the place, that also meant witnessing current patients being helped right in front of our eyes. It was interesting to think that these doctors were welcoming a group of strangers from another country into their hospital and allowing them to view their building and patients. We had a nice bus ride back to home-base to reflect on what we had just witnessed.

After our delicious lunch, we saw Dr. Dayton again for our medical brigade training. We learned how to check vitals and prepare (fake) pharmaceutical bags, and once we were finished with that, we had to prepare ourselves for the biggest soccer game of our lives, well sorta. What we though was going to be a pick-up game of street soccer with a local girls team turned into more like a world cup game! With the whole neighborhood watching, our stomachs became queasier and our heart rates sped up as game time approached us. As for the score, we fought hard, lets just say that. Even though we lost 3-1, we won in our hearts! It was such an amazing experience to play against the so-talented locals, and even being able to watch our new friends while making conversation with the children on the sidelines brought laughter amongst us all. As soon as the game-ending whistle was blown, it was time to hit the showers and clean up all of our cuts and bruises (** International director edit: only minor cuts and all of which were sanitized (: ).

After we cleaned up a bit, we headed over to a nearby gas station for some snacks to go with our movie night. The movie we saw was called An Island Divided and we found it fascinating once again that even with so many differences, Haiti and the U.S. share so many similarities such as racial issues, which was a focus in the documentary. We had a valuable discussion about the video and then it was time for bed so we can be well rested for our busy brigade day tomorrow.

Saturday June 16, 2018

Today, our group travelled to Blue Hills, a community outside Cap Haitien, to conduct a medical brigade in a local school. Through our experiences in Blue Hills, we realized how close and connected the community is compared to our neighborhoods back home. The community had to come together to elect fifty of its members to receive care. This surprised us because, in the US, getting the help you need is as easy as getting a car and driving to a doctor’s office. That these communities have to wait weeks for a doctor to be available to them, and that often the doctor has to prioritize severe cases over less threatening ones, represents the difficulty of proper health care in the developing world. The majority of the patients we saw were older, and many of them had been suffering for a long period of time. Talking with community members, it was interesting to hear that many patient’s medical issues, while considered in the US to be extreme, were seen by locals as every day problems. The protocol we follow for each patient included talking to them about their medical history, taking their vitals, providing consultation and treatment plans by a local doctor, and finally prescribing medication. Though supported by local translators and medical care professionals, each section was mainly led by us! We noticed while completing prescriptions that the directions for certain medications were often written in English, making it next to impossible for the majority of the community to follow their medication’s regimen without translation. Our experience in Blue Hills really opened our eyes to the differences in health care between the US and Haiti.

In the evening, Sarah gave an interesting presentation about social justice world wide. Her presentation included some discussion of social justice movements, the power of identity in determining one’s opportunities, and she even shared some personal experiences in the D.R. with racial discrimination. She told a heartfelt account of how racism can devastatingly impact the way people are treated in moments of crisis. Her work involved both success and heartbreak, and it was through the intersection of loss and hope that she became an even stronger advocate for underserved people. She left her presentation with a quote:

“There are two ways for your heart to break. The first is for it to break into shards of glass – dangerous to yourself and others. The second is for it to break open wider to hold a greater compassion for the world around you.”

By Jane and Chloe

​Sunday June 17, 2018

Today we want back to the Blue Hills community to continue working on our bottle school. Our mission of the day was to finish the insulation of one classroom and begin working on neighboring rooms. It was really amazing to see all of our collaboration and hard work at the end of the day and, even with so much work to do, we had time to play with local kids as well. After the bottle school we had an art class with a local painter and purchased some of his works to support his business. Finally, we divided into groups after dinner to discuss and brainstorm our capstone projects. It was a fun and engaging day, and we can’t wait to return to the bottle school!

More photos to come!

Ariel + Abby

Tuesday June 19, 2018

We started the day off with a medical brigade in a village called Limonade. We saw 30 patients with a wide variety of ages and medical issues. We even had a patient with a dog bite. After the brigade, we attended a voodoo ceremony. This ceremony included someone putting a torch on their head and multiple people being possessed by spirits. Once we got home, we had time to chill before dinner and our lecture on health issues in Haiti. We had an activity based on the lecture where we were split into groups and each researched a disease and how to combat it. We all ended up winning ice cream. We then ended the night with a fun game of charades. We are all looking forward to the beach day tomorrow!