One month already?

Hard to believe that I have been here for one month already.  It truly doesn't seem that long.

During this time I have had a mix of feelings about my experiences.  Some days are awesome.  Some days seem hopeless.  The challenges are many and seem never ending.  I often find myself asking, What am I doing here?  What do I want to do?  The needs seem so overwhelming.

my coworkers

But every time I have a downer moment or day, it is balanced out by a great day.  High productivity.  Positive impact.  Thriving.  Feeling like I am contributing to addressing the larger needs.  Things seeming hopeful. 

One of the most difficult things about being down here is feeling isolated at times.  Not knowing the language well enough.  Being from out of town.  Having meals prepared for me.  Things I am getting more adjusted to as time goes by.

Even though there are many times when I feel I will never learn the language, I know I will.  I am studying hard each day to make sure I do.  I feel like I am getting closer and closer to that tipping point where I will comprehend it at local, conversational speed.

What I enjoy the most is meeting and getting to know people down here.  Both locals in town and volunteers coming down to do service.  I would have to say this is the best part of my job.  I get to work with some of the kindest, most caring people.  I really enjoy supporting and sharing their experience here in Haiti.

a great group of PTs from Texas

One thing that has helped me stay balanced mentally is surfing.  There is an organization here called SurfHaiti.  They partner with local kids in the area to teach surfing, while also trying to build a surf tourism destination.  On a few occasions I have been able to get out in the water with them.  It feels great to be out on the water with other surfers, including local Haitians.  It helps put me at ease.  When I am out there, I often forget where I am.  The beauty, as well as getting tossed around in the crashing waves are good at doing that!   When I look onto the shore, I am reminded how beautiful the harsh living conditions can can seem here.  Ocean.  Mountains.  Women carrying fruit baskets on their head.  Being out in the ocean, I feel disconnected from it, protected from the reality of the daily struggle.

way better then I am

thanks to SurfHaiti for these pictures

But even amid this daily struggle, the people here are full of spirit.  Full of compassion and joy.  They might not have many materialistic things, but one could make the argument that they are happier than most Americans.  Maybe not in how they live, but how they go about living.  In a weird way, most people here seem to be content with life as they know it.  They might want better living conditions, but they don't complain much about the conditions in which they currently live. Maybe its partly because they haven't experienced much of anything else, but they don't focus on what one has, they focus on relationships.  The stories to be shared, the laughs to be had.  Something I am making sure I do while I am here.

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p.s.  For anyone interested, aka Mom, I have played soccer again without any new injuries!  But no, I did not play in the tournament.

the street soccer tournament