While in Haiti time went by so slow during the day; each morning I would check my watch thinking it had to be at least 1pm but it would only be 10:30. I think the mornings ticked by slowly because by 9am it would be at least 40 degrees outside and my shirt would already be soaked. Although I had intended to blog daily while away, I found it impossible. Besides the fact that I met some amazing people and would rather spend the time getting to know them than sit in front of a computer I also found my senses were so aroused that I couldn’t exactly digest everything daily so I procrastinated with my blogs.
Now that I have had some time to think about this amazing journey here is my story.
At 3:30am last Monday morning my Blackberry rang, the voice on the other end was calling to confirm my 4am pick-up. Thank heavens he called because I was dead to the world. I quickly jumped into the shower not realizing it would be the last hot shower I would take for the next week.
En route to the airport I had a million thoughts streaming through my head. What will the airport be like in Haiti? Will there be security everywhere? Would children swarm towards me upon arrival begging for money? Would the air smell like rotting corpses like I had read a few weeks prior? Would there be skeletons on the street? I clearly had no idea what I signed myself up for.
I had a massive to-do list to tackle on Sunday and one of thing that was checked off was sending a copy of my will to my parents – Just in case something were to happen to me. This was the start of my realization that I am entering into a country that could be potentially dangerous.
The travel to Haiti was relatively easy except a minor problem with the airplane resulting in a 6 hour travel from Miami to Port Au Prince opposed to the usual 2.5 hours. Once we finally landed I was impressed that the airport was relatively modern. The flight was full and in traditional airport manner we were shuffled through hallways until we eventually reached a bus which would transport us to customs. Customs and the baggage pick up area reminded me of a massive barn. It was sweltering hot outside and even more uncomfortable instead the stuffy barn-like building.
Thanks to the brains behind the Colline Foundation all the volunteers were sent bright yellow logoed shirts. The four of us on the same plane clearly thought we were too cool for school to wear our shirts en route to Haiti because there wasn’t a single sign of any other fellow volunteers aside from the one I already knew, however by the time I passed through customs there was 4 us proudly sporting our yellow Colline Foundation t-shirts.
Once we stepped outside Chris (an employee with the foundation) was waiting for us. He spent the entire day picking up volunteers and transporting them to the compound. He made a beer suggestion and before I knew it I was drinking a Prestige and taking in the streets of Haiti. It was at this moment that I realized I was going to spend a week with some pretty amazing people.
Once we arrived at the compound it was exciting to meet everyone, we had a brief meeting and to bed I went. It makes me laugh when thinking back to that first night. The group was pretty quiet, however by the last day you had to fight for air time; a true sign of an amazing group dynamic.
The next day and the days to follow we had a 6am wake- up call, ate breakfast and were on our way to the Colline Academie. The drive was similar to a bad ride at the fair. There were a lot of brake slamming, pot holes galore, a few near death experiences and a load of horns blowing.
The Foundation did everything possible to keep us safe. Everywhere we travelled on the bus we had a guard named Bruni, he apparently carried 2 guns. He was a man of many talents. One morning we were face to face with a massive dump truck and Bruni worked his magic. Directing traffic and calming down the other drivers who were extremely angry with the poor driving decisions made by our driver. At the beginning he kept a stone cold face, but by the end he was singing and even gave us a little dance on the final bus ride home.
It was really exciting to get out of the bus and see the children on the first day. There was a lot to digest. We came with a ton of art supplies which we unloaded in a UNICEF tent, saw the area where the wall was going to be built and put our brains together to answer the question what are we supposed to do with these kids.
The first day was spent comforting a few of the smaller kids who had non-stop alligator tears because they missed their mom, allowing the kids to get comfortable with us and meeting the teachers. By the second day we brought some structure which seemed to work a lot better; it felt a bit more like organized chaos instead of just chaos.
When I was teaching kids in Taiwan having their art on the classroom walls was so important because the kids could see their work and be proud of it which in turn would build confidence. The importance to showcase children’s work has never left me and from this I wanted the kids to make the decorations for the community event. On Thursday all of the summer camp workers worked with the kids to help decorate the grounds.
Preparing for the community event was such an amazing experience. The entire day proved the strength that a smile and kindness can have on a community. My goal with this event was to put a smile on the kid’s faces and paint the world in color. On this day we added so much color to not only the kid’s lives, but to all the adults involved as well. We transformed a make shift school which consisted of some wood and tarps into this amazing area that was full of the children’s art, millions of smiles and overall emotion of sincere gratitude.
Thank you to all of you who believed in my vision and supported me both emotionally and financially. As I write this I realize that I haven’t actually digested everything. I am smiling ear to ear thinking of my experience in Haiti. At orientation on the first evening Chris said that he hoped we would walk away and see the beauty in the country and the culture, I definitely have.
I didn’t want to come home and be hateful of the way we live here because I had just spent 6 days in a country where most people have nothing. I have come home with so much more confidence in my abilities to be a successful entrepreneur and most importantly a social entrepreneur. I have seen how an idea can turn into a reality and with the help of amazing people you can do anything. It’s not about changing the world; it’s about changing someone’s world and I can confidently say that last week I changed someone’s world. I know this because my world has changed too.
I don’t think I could ever truly give my story justice with words. What I experience last week was something phenomenal. I saw firsthand what an orphanage is, fell in love with children who have probably seen more heart break, fear and suffering than I ever have, brought joy to a community that has suffered so much in the past 8 months, fed over 300 people thanks to all of the kind donations and added 2 more people to my list of heroes – Miriam Frederick who is the founder of New Life Children’s Home. She has built a sanctuary and safe haven for children who suffer from diseases, disabilities and the loss of their parents. My other new hero is the founder of the Colline Foundation Jimmy Toussaint. His vision is so big and he is so full of passion which radiates every time he speaks. He introduced me to a country and culture that has had such a strong impact on me and shared his dreams and visions of where he wants to take his country.
I believe we cross paths with people for a reason; I have met several people I will never forget. I look forward to reuniting with my fellow volunteers and visiting Haiti again. The Colline Foundation has a very big future. I will continue to keep you posted.
I hope my stories and my experiences have somehow changed your world. Thank you once again for following me and for all your support. This has been a journey of a life time from blogging to rolling up my sleeves. I cannot say it enough power comes in numbers and kindness is contagious. With your support and help we were able to feed a community, bring joy to children and spread the good word about a country that is in desperate need of some positive light.
Check out my photo journal to have a taste of what I experienced.
Loads of love,
Xoxo
Ali m.
Tags: Ali McEwen, Colline Foundation, Haiti, Jimmy Toussaint, Leogane, New Life Children's Home, Random Acts of Kindness, RAOK. Random Acts of Kindness
