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.