Today we worked with Ben and Cindi Reese, two clinical psychologists from Duke. They did a workshop on stress and relaxation techniques that can be helpful when in stressful situations. At first I was a little critical. I thought some of the people could find the breathing exercises a little juvenile, but by the end I could see that many women benefitted from the workshop and were thankful for the new knowledge. We handed out some snacks during the intermission of the workshop. Some of the women would get food, hide it, and then say that they did not receive anything. I was initially upset when this happened because everyone was lying. I hated that I had to be in a position where I was refusing people and had to say you’re lying I know I gave you food already. But I remembered that during the trip I took to Haiti in October, Missy (the onsite coordinator for FHM) told me that most people will try to take advantage of any situation and that you have to be stern and compassionate at the same time. So I sucked it up and told people that already had food and were lying that we were only giving to people who did not already have anything.

It reminded me of why we were there. While some people were able to come in Haiti and give houses and money, it’s also important to educate people. With knowledge one can consistently overcome obstacles, but with money or food, after it runs out, there’s nothing left. Material things are temporary but knowledge can last a life time.

I knew that a lot of Haiti’s crops came from the mountains, but seeing the farmers working amongst the mountains is another story. First, I couldn’t figure out how the farmers got to the mountains and were able to plant those crops. But after hiking, I surprised myself with the way that I could get through the mountains. It was great to see the beginning of where so much food begins. When you open a package of frozen carrots, you don’t think about the person who planted the seeds and grew the carrots in the mountains. Now however, I’m going to think about it.

After the first day of hiking we stayed at a farm house which was a lot of fun. There were roosters and hens everywhere, dogs and horses running around, and hills filled with piles of rocks. I still haven’t figured out the purpose of the rock piles, hopefully I’ll get that question answered soon. During the night we were there we spent some time star gazing. Every star was out that night and the sky was completely clear. We stared at the sky in silence for maybe fifteen minutes. It was beautiful, I love seeing the stars and remembering how small I am compared to everything in the universe.

We spent the last few days in the mountains and I can’t believe how beautiful everything was. It was great to get a break from working so that we could relax and enjoy nature. As we journeyed through the different parts of Haiti it seemed that I was in another country altogether. In the mountains I felt like I was in Europe, in Italy. I couldn’t believe how beautiful everything was. We sat to watch the sunset and we were so high up in the mountains that clouds would descend on us and we would literally be sitting in a cloud. The weather changed rapidly because the clouds moved around so quickly. But the fact that I was wearing a jacket during most of the day was definitely strange to me.

The mountain house we stayed in was owned by Jean-Marc and his wife Veraina. When I met them I was expecting…well Haitians. Instead I found two people of European ancestry who were born and raised in Haiti. Before that, their parents, and their grandparents, back 7 generations to be exact. I guess it never occurred to be that there could be white Haitians. In America I would never think twice about it, we’re such a melting pot that the idea isn’t absurd at all. But for a country where the majority of the population has African ancestry, the few white Haitians that have also been here from the beginning must stand out.

It made me redefine who I considered “Haitian” and made me realize how much reverse racism must occur in Haiti. These Haitians are seen as foreigners and outsiders when they’ve grown up and gone to school in Haiti their entire lives. Their families and heritage are just as “Haitian” as anyone else’s. I definitely won’t be making assumptions about anyone’s nationality based on their ethnicity again. I’ve learned my lesson.