About every day we have workshops that are run by us on whatever topic we choose from a given list. Today's session was about racism and it was really interesting. We talked about a mix of things I already knew and a few I had never thought about, but either way, it still left me thinking about a couple of ideas. 
      Racism along with ageism, sexism, religionism, and so on are forms of discrimination. Racism is based on racial stereotypes. So we established that racism is the discrimination directed towards someone of a different race originating from the stereotypes that race is said to hold. 
      We talked about personal experiences, whether your race brings you positive or negative treatment and more. Something that I've never really heard being mentioned when talking about this issue-until today- is the fact that everyone is always in competition with each other. Basically, what we talked about for this point was that everyone is trying to succeed, so, they will find aspects of their competitors they can criticise. Something the people around have that is different than you and can become a point of attack to put yourself in the lead. We also went on to talk about the misinterpretation in the media that leads to stereotypical associations and much more. We established that those who are racist lack the ability to empathise. Not that any one race deserves empathy, but that if they are treating another this way, they have the inability to understand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of this bigotry. If they did, they would stop being racist. We explained that what people see in the news might be the only thing they hear about a certain race, so it causes them to jump to the assumption that all people of that race are like that. The classic example, if the only thing someone hears about terrorists are that some were Arab or Muslim or, the other way around, that some Arab or Muslim was a terrorist then they will misunderstand. They will begin to assume, subconsciously or not, that all terrorists are Muslim and that all Muslims are terrorists. And, in the long run, that might cause them to act negatively on that conjecture, which is racism. 
      At one point during the workshop, the presenters asked if anyone wanted to share a personal story about racism. Several Global Potential participants raised their hands, but none of the locals did. That's when it occurred to me that they have no one here for them to be racist towards or to receive racism from. They are all the same race. As a result, most of them didn't even know what racism was. I had never really thought about it like that, which is what led me to my next point. 
       I came to wonder: does racism really occur because of someone's skin colour or is it just because they are outnumbered by other races? I explained that the people who receive racism are generally the minority in society (number wise, not race wise- there is no race that is superior or inferior to others... or at least there shouldn't be). The dominant race will be more used to seeing only their race, that if another one were to come along, it would seem foreign. They will think they have power over these others and thus act on it. They will believe they are invincible because it wouldn't really matter to them if the suppressed race were to fight back: there are too little of them to make an impact. So basically, if you have 10 white people and 2 black people then the latter are the minority. As a result, they will generally receive discrimination because they are different than the others. If it were 10 black people and 2 white people, then, again, the latter are the minority and the same thing would happen. 
      Who do you blame if somebody is racist? If you grew up in a one-race society, and then, when it came time for you to move to an integrated society, how do you react to these people that are unlike anything you've ever seen before? Do you feel threatened by them? Will that cause you to act on it? If you grew up in a family that always referred to one race as inferior as if it were common sense, will that closed-mindedness rub off on you? Do we blame childhood? Your family? Media? History? Society? It could be a number of different things; there is no one cause for acts of racism. But again, it all originates with those racial stereotypes, whether you understand that that's what they are or not.   
      We ended the session with the following question: if we lived in a world that had no colour- everyone was the same race-would racism still occur? How about discrimination? The answer we came up with tied in with a previous point we made. If everyone were the same colour, then how could there be racism? No, we said there wouldn't be racism anymore, but everyone would still be in competition with each other, so they would find some other aspect to attack each other with. We would still need to find a way to put ourselves ahead. It could be noseism, heightism, hairism or whatever else. But getting rid of race isn't going to bring an end to discrimination. It's in human nature to want to be better than the people around you and that's not just going to disappear. We will always find something we can criticise about others. Always. 

LM

I know it's stupid. But hear me out. 

       For our first day of sei building (what's a sei?-bottom of the page) today, when we were passing rocks, I actually learned something. No, not how heavy rocks are. No, not team work either. To build a sei, we have to find rocks, pile them up and then get in a line and pass them up the steep mountainside. At the end of the line, the rocks would be put into a wall structure and that's your sei. 
      If there was ever a time where there was a hold up somewhere down the line, we couldn't keep giving them rocks. We had to figure out and solve the problem before we could continue passing them. Since we did this for a couple of hours, I got a chance to think. It's kind of like a project, or when you have a goal, or anything you work on. If you encounter a problem don't skip it and try to move forward without solving it. You'll end up with more rocks that aren't being passed and essentially, just a bigger problem. Don't skip over anything, work everything out, even if you don't want to, before moving to the next step. You're saving yourself from more future work. 
      
I know it's silly and probably not worth posting, but I promised to share all the lessons I learned, even the most minor ones. 

LM

I would like to think that when I get home I will eat whatever I'm given. It can't be as bad as this. 

      Since they don't have the money or the means to pay for it, what the people here (and probably in many other countries) eat is very limited. They lack the elements you really need in a diet, and as a result, they fill up on the foods that they do have, which isn't of any real substance. 
      Of the seven basic nutrients [proteins, carbohydrates, fats, minerals, water, vitamins and antioxidants] their diets include mostly just carbohydrates and antioxidants. And even the latter is limited because even having an abundance of vegetables is a privilege to those who can afford it. Aside from that, they also get some meat and fish from time to time, so they do get a bit of protein on top of what they get from their beans. The rest is just lacking. Even water. I was surprised by how little of it my Haitian family drinks even though they have a clean, safe, drinking water system. They laughed at me for drinking so much and told me that ginger juice is better for you. I think I want to stick with water. 
      What they do have is carbs: rice and bread. Lots of it. They fill up on it to, in some sort of logic (or lack of so), make up for the other things they are missing. As a result, they give you a bucket, no exaggeration, a bucket of what they have. So, a bucket of rice and beans and, even if it was good, I don't think I could eat that much. But it's not. Far from it. Maybe it's just my mum's cooking, because other people have had some pretty good looking stuff, but either way I can't finish. 
      One (more) problem though, Haitians are kind of like your stereotypical Arab grandma: they get offended if you don't eat their food. All of it. My Haitian mum watches me eat, bite by bite to make sure I don't miss anything. I had to get someone to come tell them to make me less food, because they wouldn't listen when I told them myself. And even then, (I had a conversation with some of the local people about this and they were right) if they give you a bucket of food and you ask for less, they won't even take away half the bucket. They take away one fourth of it, not even.
      They fill up on what they have because they can't afford what they actually need. And it's tough to eat like them because I've had better, so to me this tastes bad. To them it's normal, they're used to it. I doubt they've had anything most of us eat on a regular basis, so as far as they're concerned, this is good. But I just can't. It's tough- I don't mean to complain and I'm not going to not eat but, I was right, this definitely is my biggest challenge.  

I think I'm starting to get the ability to turn off my taste buds. Hopefully. 

LM 

 *[All picture numbers referring to slideshow at bottom of blog]*

      First off, when they say that about 50% of the Cambodian population is under the age of 15, well it's noticeable when you get to Haiti. There are not nearly as many little kids here. The people we work with here are all older, more around our age, and that's the first thing I noticed. 
      Every Global Potential youth stays with their own host family from the community. So, everyone is in different houses, has a different family, eats different food, and essentially, has a different experience. Regardless, each experience is immersed into Haitian culture and life. I think this is a pretty fair statement: the house here is better than the one in Cambodia, but the bathroom in the home stay there beats the bathroom system here by a landslide. 
      Okay so, first off, the houses aren't all right next to each other, they're spread out. There's one main dirt road to go up the mountain and, in this village, the road splits off onto everyone's land on either side. My Haitian family's house is near the staff house (obviously that's where some of the staff stays, but it's also the house/space where we do a lot of our activities). If you move off the main road and go down a little rocky path, you get to our house [picture 1]. 
      First thing you'll see is a little shack, the size of (probably) most of your half bathrooms, if not smaller. Made of loose metal sheets, this is where they cook [picture 3]. You sit on the rocky, ashy floor in front of a small handmade fire and start. Right outside this shack is a big cement square, about as tall as me. This is their cistern; their water system [picture 2]. This is the water used for showering, cooking and cleaning. Not drinking. There is a pipe that runs from the top of this house to this structure, so all the rain will go into it. So yes, their source of water is mainly rain. [Some of the pipe is visible in picture 1].
      To the right of this is the house, the pink house. It has furniture and beds; you don't sleep on the floor, because it is cemented. Go up two steps and your at a small porch... the size of your fancy walk-in closet [picture 4]. On the left is another door (wooden) that leads into the small dining room. It has a little table in the middle that seats 4 but, to be honest, I haven't seen any of them eat here since my arrival; we all eat outside on a little bench. The dining room [picture 5] is also my bedroom. In the corner there's a small bed of which my feet hang off of greatly, with an overhead orange mosquito net and a pillowcase stuffed with what feels like rocks. This is my corner [picture 6]. 
      On the wall adjacent to the door to walk into the dining room is another entryway. This leads to the room that, if I understand correctly, has one big bed where the rest of the family sleeps. I think that, when I'm not here, the bed I sleep on goes in there and the three kids sleep on it, while the other bed I've seen in there is normally only for the parents. I've never been inside, so that's about as much detail as I can give. 
      The house is pitch black with no windows or electricity, so I try to avoid it as much as possible. Even finding my shirt for the next day is a challenge. 
      Outside, down the side of the house, there's a little alley of rocks and trees. Walk straight and you get to the high class shower [picture 7]: three poles holding up two plastic sheets that barely even cover you past your belly button. Fill a bucket with water from the cistern, carry it here, put it down. Crouch on the painful sharp rocks and start to take water from the bucket bit by bit and put it over you. Unlike Cambodia, your water is very limited and crouching on these rocks is a lot more painful than standing on the tiled floors we had there. 
      Walk off into the trees for a minute [picture 8] and get to bricks and concrete. A little three wall room with a hole in the ground. Go ahead, this is your toilet [picture 9]. No, it doesn't have a ceiling, which makes using the bathroom very enjoyable when it's raining (smell included). I can't say that I've ever seen any of my Haitian family use this toilet. Only me. It's kind of suspicious, but, you know what, I'm fine not looking into it too much. And to brush your teeth, walk into the middle of the trees and well, go ahead. 
      Looking at Haiti next to Cambodia, the bed is an upgrade to the mattress, but the rest, I would say, is a downgrade. I really don't mind though. 

LM

      The first thing I thought when I arrived was 'no wonder so many people get kidnapped leaving the airport.' It is literally a jungle; a sea of people ready to just pounce on you. 
      Next, when we were driving through Port-au-Prince, I was really interested by the buildings and the trucks. Everything is painted in a lively manner with a lot of colour. I really like it. 
      As we continued driving, I couldn't help but stare- yet again- at the blue skies and the big white clouds. It's the same as in Cambodia (and the majority of the rest of the World), but I still couldn't help myself. And of course, since there's practically no light pollution, the stars at night were absolutely breathtaking. Haiti is also a lot more mountainous than I was expecting.      
      The weather here is nice; a lot better than I thought it would be. But, that's because the community we are staying in is up in the mountains; it's a lot hotter down around the capital. Thinking this wouldn't be the case, and would actually be the exact opposite, the things I packed won't suffice, but, I'll survive. 
      The people also left a good first impression on me. When we got off the plane, before getting to baggage claim, there was a group of Haitians in a circle singing and playing the drums. Similarly, when we got to the village, the community welcomed us with a song and dance. As a whole, I think my first thoughts of the locals were (and I mean this in the best way possible, because I felt right at home) "they are such an un-conservative, touchy, loud group of people. The absolute opposite of Cambodia". In addition to just the locals, all the other Global Potential participants and staff also met us with a hug, and that was nice. 
      I quickly realised it won't be as easy for me to communicate as I had assumed. I thought the language barrier challenge would be practically nothing compared to Cambodia, and it is a lot less, but it's still there. But then again, I've only been here a few hours, it will probably be easier in a few days. I was additionally expecting the Haitian accent to be heavy, and it sort of is (I'll get used to it though), but on top of that it's harder to understand than I thought it would be. Not speaking at least Spanish as well might be a problem: French alone only gets me by with some people. Yet, I assume that these aspects can only get easier to deal with as the trip goes on. 
      As for the food… let's just say when I took a bite of my first meal here I was praying that that was the worst meal I would have. It wasn't. By far. The food in Cambodia was not only much better, but it was actually good. Here, I resist the urge of gagging with every bite I take. But, I can't not eat. It's looking like that might be one of my biggest challenges to overcome. 
      Like in Cambodia, I also noticed that the people here are really happy. And it makes me think again, how are they happier than us? Gratitude. Unlike the shy, quiet, kids there though, people here are always singing and dancing. Always. Everyone is constantly laughing and joking around, too. And that's nice… it's welcoming.  

LM

When I told people I wanted to go to Haiti, these were generally the three responses I got: 
     
      1) "Why? What would you do there?" 
      2) "Is it safe? No no no, you can't go, why am I even asking? I know it's not safe." 
      3) "What is even left after the earthquake? It's not worth it, there's nothing there." 

      That was it. Barely anyone said, "Great, you want to go help people, good for you". I mean, I can't say that I don't understand the concerns: I had to sit and read through all the horrible rape, kidnapping and whatever other stories about Haiti before I was allowed to go. But, all of that makes me aware of all the threats, and I think that's the most important thing, safety-wise, going into a trip like this. 
      I'm flattered that everyone cares enough to be concerned, but come on. I understand it may be dangerous in some areas, or that people are worried, but don't be closed-minded towards the country just because you heard one or two stories. Terrible things happen all over the World, I'm as safe here as anywhere else. 
      Us, Arabs, aren't we the ones who get frustrated with ignorant people who think we're all horrible terrorists? All because they heard about a few extremist attacks in which the person was, indeed, of Arab origin. They made a negative assumption on our people and our corner of the World based on a few incomplete news reports they heard. Don't be hypocritical. That's exactly what some of you are doing. You heard Haiti is the poorest, the most dangerous or whatever other global statistic and you're ready to freak out when you hear I'm going. You made an assumption about the country and the people without actually going to see what it's really like. 
      In some senses, I'm kind of glad everyone is against me going: it taught me the first lesson of this trip, to go into it with an open mind. It's okay to be concerned, but don't try and stop me from going based on these concerns. The number of people against this trip is incredible, but come on, I'm a teenager, if you tell me not to do something, that'll just make me want to do it more. It's important for me to go out on my own and experience things like this. I learn from these things and that's part of growing up. I don't want to be a closed-minded ignorant teenager who doesn't know about the World she lives in. I don't want to stay isolated from the problems we face as a global community. How can I ever make a difference without truly understanding the problems first?

      More people are opposed to this trip than supporting it, but, you know what, that's okay. I'm glad that my parents, despite all their worries, trusted me to go. And, hopefully, all goes well and I'll come back safely and prove to everyone that they were wrong. To show them that they shouldn't be so quick to say no. 

      So, here is what I have to say about the three responses I got: 
      1) Anyone could use the help, especially if you've gone through what Haiti has. 
      2) It is safe. I'm not going to be in Port-au-Prince and the other more dangerous areas. And still, it's not like I'm wandering the streets on my own. I'm cautious and aware and I'm with an organisation. I'll be fine. 
     3) Don't be so stupid. I have nothing else to say to that one. 

LM

      I'm not sure, but I think that if I hadn't gone to Cambodia, going to Haiti now would be much harder. In many senses, the first trip prepared me for this one. Cambodia wasn't as intense as what I presume Haiti will be like. Plus, we got to drive out of the village from time to time, so we weren't living exactly how the people of the community do. Also, even though the whole trip to Cambodia was about two weeks, the home stay was only five days. When we get to Haiti, of what I understand, we will be in a home stay for the entire trip. 
      It's sort of like what I was saying in one of my Cambodia blogs; Cambodia was where we dipped our feet into the pool and Haiti is going to be where we go, well, swimming. We got a taste or a trial of what living this way will be like and now we're going to actually do it. 
      Since Haiti is among poorest countries in the World, statistically- not that the country should be categorised by that fact- I suspect that the conditions may be worse there than in Cambodia. And even if I'm wrong and they're not, I suspect that poverty may be more widespread and that we will witness harsher cases of destitution. 
      To be honest, I'm not really sure what to expect, but, of what I read in the pre-trip packet, it doesn't seem it will be as tough as I thought. Regardless, I'm going to keep the same mindset I had before: better to have low expectations and be pleasantly surprised, than have high ones and be disappointed. We will just have to wait and see. 
      Either way, I am still glad we went to Cambodia (not only because it was amazing), but also because I feel like it makes this easier: I'm not as worried or unsure going into this trip. 
      The way I see it now, for my summer, I could have either gone to Cambodia and Haiti or just to Cambodia. I don't know how prepared I would be for Haiti without the first trip. But again, this is all based off of my assumptions of what this trip will be like: I could be very wrong. 

LM