Sunday, November 4th, was the day we had all been anxiously waiting for. It was the day we would deSunday, November 4th, was the day we had all been anxiously waiting for. It was the day we would depart from the Fargo airport for Haiti. In order to get to Haiti, we had to have a few connecting flights. Our first stop was in Dallas. We then flew to Miami where we stayed for the night. Monday morning we were up bright and early to get to the airport to fly to Haiti. We were very anxious to finally put our ideas and thoughts of what Haiti would be like into perspective. When we landed in Cap Haitian, Haiti, the Hands up for Haiti crew was anxiously awaiting our arrival. They were very friendly and welcoming, and helped us load all our belongings into three vans and drove us to where we would be staying, Open Door Mission. During the drive to Open Door, we were able to experience a bit of the Haitian culture and lifestyle just by observing from inside the vehicle. The most surprising thing was that there are no rules or regulations on the roads. There are no street signs, stop signs, or anything of that nature. Cars, small pickups, and motorcycles were going in every direction and fearlessly swerving in and out between vehicles (we were not as fearless about the situation). We saw multiple motorcycles with four or five people riding on it. Also, although we knew Haiti has a very undeveloped sanitation system, more-so they don’t have one, I think we were shocked to see how poor it was in person. Garbage could be seen piled along sides of the roads, ditches, anywhere you looked. Buildings were very run down and incomplete. There were chickens, dogs, and pigs aimlessly wandering around. We also saw goats, cows, horses and donkeys tied up in the more grassy parts of town. It was definitely a drastic change from our cities back home. As mentioned previously, we are staying at Open Door. Open Door is a community mission that has a hospital, school, and church. They also have a guest house, which is where we are staying. When we arrived, there were many kids playing in the community courtyard. In Haiti, we clearly are the minority. We are referred to as “blanc,” which means white. Unlike the United States, being a minority here is looked at in a more positive light. The children and adults look up to us. They were very receptive to our presence and very much wanted to interact and play with us. We spent most of the afternoon engaging with the children. We took many pictures of them as they would repeat “photo, photo,” and then proceed to elaborately pose. We also played soccer, which they are very skilled at. A lot of fun was had by all. Another pleasant surprise was the food. Prior to coming here, we weren’t exactly sure what the meals we would be eating would be like. For dinner, we had a spaghetti dish. For a snack, our hosts picked mangos from the trees for us to eat. For supper, we had chicken and rice with a yummy gravy, carrots, beets, and lettuce. We also had fried plantains which taste very similar to potato chips. There is also pop available with every meal. We were shocked at how similar these meals were to back home. After a long two days of traveling, we are thrilled to be in Haiti. We look forward to all the experiences we will encounter in the next two weeks and sharing them with you. — Rachel & Haley part from the Fargo airport for Haiti. In order to get to Haiti, we had to have a few connecting flights. Our first stop was in Dallas. We then flew to Miami where we stayed for the night. Monday morning we were up bright and early to get to the airport to fly to Haiti. We were very anxious to finally put our ideas and thoughts of what Haiti would be like into perspective. When we landed in Cap Haitian, Haiti, the Hands up for Haiti crew was anxiously awaiting our arrival. They were very friendly and welcoming, and helped us load all our belongings into three vans and drove us to where we would be staying, Open Door Mission. During the drive to Open Door, we were able to experience a bit of the Haitian culture and lifestyle just by observing from inside the vehicle. The most surprising thing was that there are no rules or regulations on the roads. There are no street signs, stop signs, or anything of that nature. Cars, small pickups, and motorcycles were going in every direction and fearlessly swerving in and out between vehicles (we were not as fearless about the situation). We saw multiple motorcycles with four or five people riding on it. Also, although we knew Haiti has a very undeveloped sanitation system, more-so they don’t have one, I think we were shocked to see how poor it was in person. Garbage could be seen piled along sides of the roads, ditches, anywhere you looked. Buildings were very run down and incomplete. There were chickens, dogs, and pigs aimlessly wandering around. We also saw goats, cows, horses and donkeys tied up in the more grassy parts of town. It was definitely a drastic change from our cities back home. As mentioned previously, we are staying at Open Door. Open Door is a community mission that has a hospital, school, and church. They also have a guest house, which is where we are staying. When we arrived, there were many kids playing in the community courtyard. In Haiti, we clearly are the minority. We are referred to as “blanc,” which means white. Unlike the United States, being a minority here is looked at in a more positive light. The children and adults look up to us. They were very receptive to our presence and very much wanted to interact and play with us. We spent most of the afternoon engaging with the children. We took many pictures of them as they would repeat “photo, photo,” and then proceed to elaborately pose. We also played soccer, which they are very skilled at. A lot of fun was had by all. Another pleasant surprise was the food. Prior to coming here, we weren’t exactly sure what the meals we would be eating would be like. For dinner, we had a spaghetti dish. For a snack, our hosts picked mangos from the trees for us to eat. For supper, we had chicken and rice with a yummy gravy, carrots, beets, and lettuce. We also had fried plantains which taste very similar to potato chips. There is also pop available with every meal. We were shocked at how similar these meals were to back home. After a long two days of traveling, we are thrilled to be in Haiti. We look forward to all the experiences we will encounter in the next two weeks and sharing them with you. — Rachel & Haley
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AuthorWe are 12 North Dakota State University senior registered nursing students on a mission to expand our knowledge, culture and diversity. Our professors, Abigail Vetter and Molly Secor-Turner, will guide us on our final experience of nursing school (short of graduation and boards!) to complete our practicum in Northern Haiti. This is our experience. Archives
November 2018
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