I forget somedays that I live in another country. Life here has just become so normal that I don't even think about it most of the time. I've become so accustom to only understanding bits of a conversation because it's in creole, or taking bucket showers, or walking down gravel roads that I don't even realize that my friends back in the States aren't experiencing the same kinds of things I am each day. I forget until someone visiting Haiti for the first time says something I don't even notice. I think sometimes God gave me this inability to see Haiti for what other people think it is or says it is. I see streets lined with trash and filled with people, motos, taptaps, dogs, and the occasional goat and see beauty. Don't get me wrong, there are days where I forget for a while the beauty, but then Taheesa walks down the street and smiles at me, or Andel, one of my students, introduces me to his mom for the first time, or Frantzi sits next to me and plays with my hair and I remember. I see the beauty of the country I get to live in. Haiti is beautiful. Her people are strong and resilient. I also realize that because I live here everyday I get to see a Haiti that people who are only here for a week don't really get to experience. I get to see widowed mothers loving their children well, teenagers with beautiful hopes and dreams for their country, adult friends sharing what little they have with so many others, and children who laugh easily and work hard at school. I have a lot to learn from Haiti yet. I know that I still have so much to learn about this country, her people, and her customs, but I'm thankful for this journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment