Country, Community, Home Stay, People and so on...
Country-
Well, first of all, when I was in Haiti, I began to realise that the two countries I chose to go to this summer are actually very similar. Both were colonised by the French at one point and their influence is still apparent today (in language, architecture, and more). In addition to that, both also had United States intervention at some point (Haiti: United States Occupation, 1915-1934, and Operation Uphold Democracy,1994-1995. Cambodia: Operation Menu/Secret Bombing, 1964-1973). But, more importantly, both countries have had a horrible past. (Do all countries in poverty have a bad history? I would assume that, to a certain extent, that may be true since there had to be something that left them in the positions they are in today). At their roots, the two countries are exactly the same, and it's apparent enough to notice, but everything else that makes them what they are, is absolutely different. It's as if Cambodia and Haiti are houses and, underneath it all, both have the same wooden structure. But on top of those structures, one house got a red brick wall and the other got plaster sheets that were painted purple; they seem so different on the surface, but they have more in common than you first would have thought.
Culture-
(I hate to make the generalisations I've made in the next few sections, but they're there for the sake of the reader's understanding on both countries and in order to help paint the big picture).
The biggest difference, to me, is the culture. Yes, I know that culture is made up of many other aspects, but bear with me. The first thing I noticed was the way people held themselves and interacted with each other. In Cambodia, everyone was relatively quiet and composed. It's a very hands free culture: people don't talk with their hands or touch each other while talking (not to mention that touching someone's head is considered as a huge sign of disrespect in Buddhism). They comport themselves in the way most of us would define as polite. Now, on the other side of the spectrum, I'm not saying Haitians are impolite, because they're not, but they're just a lot more... free. They're loud, they'll always have their hand on your shoulder or arm, they dance (whenever, wherever) and so on. Personally, I do prefer Haiti for this aspect of things, because I could be myself and I felt more welcomed. In Cambodia it was awkward at times and I had to think about every movement I made. I have a good example that contrasts the two populations: In Cambodia, when I was teaching an English class, I messed up a little and instinctively did a bit of a dance in a circle. When I turned back to face the class, they were all staring at me as if I had just insulted them. A couple people were giggling, but I immediately felt obligated to apologise. For dancing. On the other hand, in Haiti, whenever I started dancing everyone would join in and sing and what not: it was normal for them and music and dance is actually a huge part of their culture. Though this point could have been made in the next section, about the people, I thought that it represents the differences in cultures rather accurately.
The last point also reflects the differences I noticed in the way of dress. Cambodia was a lot like Abu Dhabi, conservative. Which reflects how they act. As much as we could, we had to cover our knees and shoulders. In Haiti, it really didn't matter: we could wear absolutely whatever we wanted. There were young people there dressed like teenagers anywhere else in the world: inappropriately. For me, it doesn't really matter: I'm used to the UAE, so Cambodia didn't bother me, but I didn't mind Haiti either.
The next main difference in culture is the food. The food is so remarkably different, yet both countries share a common factor: rice. In Cambodia, the food was better than good. Haiti was, well, far from good (at least what I got from my Haitian mum, some of the other food was much better). That may have been the toughest aspect for me to adapt to, or even, the only one I had difficulty with. So yes, I did much prefer Cambodia when it came to food.
Though I will be talking about language later on, the last part of culture that I will mention is religion. Regardless of which religions they practice, it is a huge part of life in both countries. Rituals, customs, the God they worship and so on may be different, but for both populations religion means the same thing and is of upmost importance.
People-
There are a couple of details about the people in both countries that are also rather similar. Both groups are very welcoming; but there was something about it that wasn't the same. I can't tell you what it was that made the difference, but for Cambodia it was more like hospitality, welcoming me to a visit. Like a good receptionist would welcome you to her hotel (that didn't have running water). In Haiti, it was more embracing me and taking me in. It was more like a welcoming into a family or a 'welcome home'. So yes, both groups of people we worked with included us in their lives, but in two different ways.
The biggest disparity with the people we encountered in both countries were their ages. They say 50% of Cambodia's population is under the age of 15. And yes, it's noticeable. In Cambodia, we were either with little kids (during the home stay) or with adults (when we were with the NGOs), nothing in between. In Haiti, we were either with our Haitian families or with teenagers about our age: between 12 and 22. There were some people outside that range, but that was the majority and thus made a difference. In Cambodia, we would play with the kids: it was just games and having fun. In Haiti, we were developing actual relationships with them. They didn't like us based on whether or not we would picked them up and spun them around, they liked us based on what we said, how we acted, our views and so on. I think with my family situation in Haiti, I had the best balance. Most of the families the other participants stayed with had sons and daughters our age. Meaning that whether they were at home or at our daily activities, they were always with the same age group. For me, I had two little brothers, ages 4 and 6, and a little sister who was 8, which allowed me to interact with both age groups.
Another characteristic I noticed about the people in Haiti as well as in Cambodia was hope. In Haiti, I hate to say it because it's a horrible thing to say, but it's as if there is one good thing that came out of a country having as horrible a history as they do, and that's youth motivation to better their country. I don't know, maybe they would still take these initiatives even if their country was better off. Either way, it's great that even though they live in poverty, even if they may or may not have all gotten an education and even though their normal lives are hard enough, they still want to change their country- one community at a time. The youth understands their problems and the solutions and they take matters into their own hands. They understand that if they don't do these things themselves, no one will. Basically, they are independent and action-oriented. In Cambodia though, the motivation is different. They were more just hopeful. They wanted their country to advance and pull itself out of the mess it's in now, but the mindset was more 'I-want-my-country-to-be-better', not ‘if-my-country-is-going-to-be-better, then-I-am-the-one-that-is-going-to-have-to-do-something'. There were still some amazing projects and NGOs on the first trip, but, the people who weren't a part of those weren't looking for what they could do as individuals. Basically, Cambodia was more like reliance on the good of certain people and Haiti was more hands on/ 'I'll do it myself'.
There was something I saw in the Haitian youth we were with that I didn't notice in Cambodia and that was how studious they are. (That may have only been something I saw on one of the two trips due to the fact that the people we were with in Cambodia were much younger). In Haiti, similar to the last point, they're taking every opportunity they have to better themselves. They are always asking questions about the world, about geography, about language and more. During the duration of my trip I drew a map of the world in at least three of the local youth's notebook, as well as teaching English, French, Arabic and Chinese, as much as I could. All because they asked me to. I find that really amazing. It may be the same thing in Cambodia, but I only witnessed it in Haiti.
For my last point in this section- something that will stick with me for a long time- is how happy they are. And how much happier they are than us. I can't explain it, I've tried in a few of my blogs, but it's true that the people we were with on both trips were never anything but content.
Community-
[Some of the points in this section are similar to the ones in 'people', above]
First off, I think the community where we stayed in Cambodia was bigger. When we were there, I was told that there were just under 300 families. We never went to walk around though, so I never actually saw how large it was, or wasn't. I know the Fond Verrette region (in Haiti) covers a lot more land than the village on the first trip, but, I don't think Terre Froide is even close to comparable, size-wise. Unlike Cambodia, in Haiti we walked from the first house on the Terre Froide mountain side down to the last one on a daily basis. (Before and after those houses, there were just trees on either side of the road, so I would assume that that's all there is to it). So yes, the community on the latter trip is remarkably smaller.
There are several similarities in the two villages though. First of all, the roads in both are practically the same: a rocky, dirt path that runs down the middle of the district, with houses on either side. There were some overlaps in agriculture as well, including the lots between the houses where they grow corn and other vegetables. (Corn, being one of the crops that I encountered in both countries).
The biggest difference between the two environments was the weather. Cambodia is hot and humid; I've never sweat more in my life. It's like the UAE except all the time (we could never escape into the AC, because there was none). In Haiti, since we were up in the mountains, I was more than cold.
There was another, a lot more minor, difference in the communities'… let's say… space. In Haiti, the houses are off the road. We would walk down the path and see an opening on either side, that leads to a dirt garden of some sorts. There's the cooking shed, the bathroom and some open space, but it's that house's space. In Cambodia the houses are all right next to each other; we could touch the neighbouring house from the one we were staying in. Their 'space' is under the house, not in front of it.
Something else that I noticed in the two villages is their communal relationships and how "one-with-nature" they are. For the former, more so in Haiti than the first trip, I was pleasantly surprised by how the word "community" is really represented. They don't have all the distractions we use to avoid personal contact with the people around us. Each person there knows, respects and loves each other as if they are family. For nature, I'm not sure if I used the right words (since I witnessed a lot of littering and trash issues in Haiti that damage the environment) but let me explain myself. Both communities understand their surroundings and use it to help themselves. They know the mountains around them, they know which crops will and won't grow on their land and so on. More than that, I just felt a lot more aware of the world around me when I was on both trips. I wasn't staring at my Macbook/iPad/iPhone/iPod or whatever other i-product you want. I know it's an odd thing to say, but for them, the world they live in is a part of their daily life. That may seem like an obvious statement, but unfortunately it's not; it's a lot more than I can say for most of us.
Home Stay-
The first similarity I noticed between both home stays is how the sun dictates the day. As soon as the sun sets, that's it. It's dark. People start drifting home. More so in Cambodia, but I'm not sure if that's just because the people we were with were younger. In Haiti they tended to stick around a bit longer, but both ways the sun remains both communities' major source of light.
There were also several overlaps in the bathroom system. Both had bucket showers, except the one in Cambodia was better. In Haiti, the "shower" was outdoors, the "walls" (plastic sheets) barely covered us, the floor was rocks and we had to fill a bucket with water each time. Whereas in Cambodia, they were indoors, with a ceiling, a door, and a tiled floor, as well as the fact that the water was already there, in a big basin. On both trips, the water was rather cold, but, in Haiti, when I showered at the crack of dawn and a breeze came in, it definitely felt cooler.
Along with a better shower, our home stay in Cambodia also had a better toilet. It was indoors and the kind of squat toilet you would find in some gas stations. In Haiti, on the other hand, we only had pit latrines and for those who don't know what that is, well, I think the best way to explain it is as simply a hole. My Haitian family's lattrine was practically outdoors though: just three brick walls and the open side facing the house (where everyone was). But, it didn't have a ceiling either, so I encountered several problems when it was raining.
So yes, Cambodia's entire bathroom system was better, but Haiti had better sleeping conditions. I was given a bed in the corner of the dining room and regardless of the fact that it was way too short and I had no privacy whatsoever, it was a bed. That made a difference. In Cambodia, we just put mattresses on the floor and that was that. But, that brings up another dissimilarity: the floors in the Haitian homes we were staying in are concrete, so whether the families have visitors or not, they don't sleep on the floor. On the other hand, the houses in our first home stay didn't have beds and the people slept on the ground: fairly comfortable wooden planks. So, it wasn't a matter of how we were accommodated, it was a matter of how they usually sleep.
On both trips, the houses we stayed in had little to no electricity. In Cambodia, the girls' house had just had solar panels installed and thus, had one or two light bulbs that worked from time to time. That was the only spot with electricity in the entire village. However, my Haitian home didn't have any whatsoever (which didn't bother me) but there was one place in Terre Froide (that I know of) that did. At the staff house there were two lightbulbs and a spot for everyone to charge their Nokias, but, the generator was usually off. So even if there was technically power, it was more off than on and it wasn't at the place where I was sleeping.
The detail that really made a difference between the home stays is the length. Since, in Cambodia, our time in the village only lasted five days and our trip had other locations included, I had more the mindset of 'who cares, I'm gone in a few days, I'll just enjoy what I can and get the rest over with'. Whereas in Haiti, I knew that's where I was staying, I wasn't thinking about the end of the trip and, as a result, I was thinking more about what I could learn from them, how I could adapt and so on. Basically, Cambodia felt like a temporary visit, while Haiti felt like I was learning how to live in my new home.
The most defining characteristic of either home stay was how close to the population we were (or weren't). On the first trip, we weren't living with them. We just barged in there, put down our mattresses, and lived among each other. After Cambodia, when I was preparing myself for the next adventure, I was reading the Global Potential information and it kept saying things like 'immersive experience', explaining how each participant would stay with their own host family. To be honest, I really didn't believe that it could have made that much of a difference... I've never been so wrong. Now, I don't see how I could ever go on a service trip where I don't live with a separate host family (well, that is if I actually hope to learn anything). My Haitian family took me in, and yes, even though I was a bit uncomfortable at first, the experience allowed me to face the challenges presented rather than running off to be with the people I know. They allowed me to learn how to overcome the language barrier and taught me immensely about Haitian culture. The number of things I got out of the second trip is incredible and I would never have gotten even a fraction of it if I hadn't been in a separate home stay. Honestly, as a result, I sort of feel partially Haitian, now.
Overall Trip-
Well, I think all the information in the other sections of this post compare the two overall trips, but the details below are more general, without picking apart each little aspect.
I did go with two different organisations, so, I will start by comparing those. Rustic Pathways is a travelling company with some service aspects included. Global Potential is a service association with some travelling aspects included. Yes, there is a difference. For example, even though we did a home stay in Cambodia and met with about a dozen NGOs, we were still tourists. I felt more like I was learning about the country rather than doing service. But, that's not a bad thing at all; it was still an extremely interesting experience that I hope to never forget. In Haiti, it felt more like I was subconsciously learning how to be Haitian while doing work with the community. Surprisingly though, the service work we did in Cambodia was more intense than Haiti. Then again, we had 5 days and 7 people to do it all, whereas in Haiti we had at least 20 people working on the projects at once and by the end of the 6.5 weeks (the full length of the trip) they would have accomplished a lot more.
Overall, Cambodia was a lot of fun, but that fun was limited to just the people in our Rustic Pathways group. We did enjoy playing with the kids and what not, but the jokes and teasing never left our little circle. Haiti, as well, was highly entertaining, but it was fun with the other Global Potential members as well as with the community. The first trip was like being in Cambodia with a Rustic Pathways group and the second trip was like being in Haiti with Haitians, and on top of that, a Global Potential group.... if the difference makes sense.
The reason for the last point may be due to our ability to overcome the language barrier. I spent more or less the same time in both countries, yet I definitely speak a lot more Creole than Khmer (and the fact that I speak French may be what made the difference). As a result, on the second trip, I was able to carry out full conversations with people. I couldn't do that in Cambodia. The challenge of "overcoming the language barrier" meant two different things: on the first visit, it meant using hand gestures and if that wasn't enough, getting someone who could translate. In Haiti, it just meant adapting my French so that they could understand. Of course, I was a lot more successful with Creole than with Khmer.
Speaking of adapting, I was surprised by my ability to do so on either program. I had figured Cambodia would be a lot easier to get used to: I'm familiar with Southeast Asia, I've been to Thailand, I've been to China, I've had the food, the dress is conservative like the country I've been living in for the last 11 years, the weather is like ours as well... I figured, no problem. When I was there, I felt like I adapted pretty fast. What did I say? 4 days? I thought that was good and it couldn't be much faster anyways. Yet again, I proved myself wrong. For everything except the food, I would like to think, if it's possible, that I adapted to Haiti in just about a day. The food took me just over 2 days; I still didn't like it, but I was used to not liking it. If you had told me all of this at the beginning of the summer, I never would have believed you. I've never been to the Carribean or to South America. I do, on the other hand, interact daily with Asians and more specifically Southeast Asians, but I've only ever met one person who was pure Carribean. I never would have thought that adapting to Haiti faster was possible. But again, it's that idea of 'welcome home' that I was talking about earlier; I fit in easily in Haiti (skin tone aside) and truly felt at home. It's just a shame I didn't fully realise it when I was still there (you never truly appreciate what you have until it's gone, right?).
The last difference, of both trips, is the lessons I learned. There were some basic overlaps but, I do feel that I got a lot more out of my trip to Haiti. That came from being immersed in Haitian culture and being pushed to develop opinions on topics I hadn't really thought about before. On the second trip, I relearned everything I got from Cambodia (more or less) and on top of that piled on a library of other lessons.
I know that that's a lot more information than most of you would have liked to read (except for my parents) but it's been a pretty intense few months. I hate to throw so much out there but that's still how my head feels: still continuing to slowly sort through all the information I got and all the things I experienced. This summer has taught and showed me more than I ever thought possible and that's amazing. (Regardless of the fact that I really don't feel like it's summer), these last few months has helped me decide what's really important.
After these trips, I don't know how I can ever go back to being the same person I was before. But, that's okay, because I don't want to be her anymore. That's actually my biggest fear right now, that I'll forget about everything I've experienced and go back to living my life the way I was.
LM
Well, first of all, when I was in Haiti, I began to realise that the two countries I chose to go to this summer are actually very similar. Both were colonised by the French at one point and their influence is still apparent today (in language, architecture, and more). In addition to that, both also had United States intervention at some point (Haiti: United States Occupation, 1915-1934, and Operation Uphold Democracy,1994-1995. Cambodia: Operation Menu/Secret Bombing, 1964-1973). But, more importantly, both countries have had a horrible past. (Do all countries in poverty have a bad history? I would assume that, to a certain extent, that may be true since there had to be something that left them in the positions they are in today). At their roots, the two countries are exactly the same, and it's apparent enough to notice, but everything else that makes them what they are, is absolutely different. It's as if Cambodia and Haiti are houses and, underneath it all, both have the same wooden structure. But on top of those structures, one house got a red brick wall and the other got plaster sheets that were painted purple; they seem so different on the surface, but they have more in common than you first would have thought.
Culture-
(I hate to make the generalisations I've made in the next few sections, but they're there for the sake of the reader's understanding on both countries and in order to help paint the big picture).
The biggest difference, to me, is the culture. Yes, I know that culture is made up of many other aspects, but bear with me. The first thing I noticed was the way people held themselves and interacted with each other. In Cambodia, everyone was relatively quiet and composed. It's a very hands free culture: people don't talk with their hands or touch each other while talking (not to mention that touching someone's head is considered as a huge sign of disrespect in Buddhism). They comport themselves in the way most of us would define as polite. Now, on the other side of the spectrum, I'm not saying Haitians are impolite, because they're not, but they're just a lot more... free. They're loud, they'll always have their hand on your shoulder or arm, they dance (whenever, wherever) and so on. Personally, I do prefer Haiti for this aspect of things, because I could be myself and I felt more welcomed. In Cambodia it was awkward at times and I had to think about every movement I made. I have a good example that contrasts the two populations: In Cambodia, when I was teaching an English class, I messed up a little and instinctively did a bit of a dance in a circle. When I turned back to face the class, they were all staring at me as if I had just insulted them. A couple people were giggling, but I immediately felt obligated to apologise. For dancing. On the other hand, in Haiti, whenever I started dancing everyone would join in and sing and what not: it was normal for them and music and dance is actually a huge part of their culture. Though this point could have been made in the next section, about the people, I thought that it represents the differences in cultures rather accurately.
The last point also reflects the differences I noticed in the way of dress. Cambodia was a lot like Abu Dhabi, conservative. Which reflects how they act. As much as we could, we had to cover our knees and shoulders. In Haiti, it really didn't matter: we could wear absolutely whatever we wanted. There were young people there dressed like teenagers anywhere else in the world: inappropriately. For me, it doesn't really matter: I'm used to the UAE, so Cambodia didn't bother me, but I didn't mind Haiti either.
The next main difference in culture is the food. The food is so remarkably different, yet both countries share a common factor: rice. In Cambodia, the food was better than good. Haiti was, well, far from good (at least what I got from my Haitian mum, some of the other food was much better). That may have been the toughest aspect for me to adapt to, or even, the only one I had difficulty with. So yes, I did much prefer Cambodia when it came to food.
Though I will be talking about language later on, the last part of culture that I will mention is religion. Regardless of which religions they practice, it is a huge part of life in both countries. Rituals, customs, the God they worship and so on may be different, but for both populations religion means the same thing and is of upmost importance.
People-
There are a couple of details about the people in both countries that are also rather similar. Both groups are very welcoming; but there was something about it that wasn't the same. I can't tell you what it was that made the difference, but for Cambodia it was more like hospitality, welcoming me to a visit. Like a good receptionist would welcome you to her hotel (that didn't have running water). In Haiti, it was more embracing me and taking me in. It was more like a welcoming into a family or a 'welcome home'. So yes, both groups of people we worked with included us in their lives, but in two different ways.
The biggest disparity with the people we encountered in both countries were their ages. They say 50% of Cambodia's population is under the age of 15. And yes, it's noticeable. In Cambodia, we were either with little kids (during the home stay) or with adults (when we were with the NGOs), nothing in between. In Haiti, we were either with our Haitian families or with teenagers about our age: between 12 and 22. There were some people outside that range, but that was the majority and thus made a difference. In Cambodia, we would play with the kids: it was just games and having fun. In Haiti, we were developing actual relationships with them. They didn't like us based on whether or not we would picked them up and spun them around, they liked us based on what we said, how we acted, our views and so on. I think with my family situation in Haiti, I had the best balance. Most of the families the other participants stayed with had sons and daughters our age. Meaning that whether they were at home or at our daily activities, they were always with the same age group. For me, I had two little brothers, ages 4 and 6, and a little sister who was 8, which allowed me to interact with both age groups.
Another characteristic I noticed about the people in Haiti as well as in Cambodia was hope. In Haiti, I hate to say it because it's a horrible thing to say, but it's as if there is one good thing that came out of a country having as horrible a history as they do, and that's youth motivation to better their country. I don't know, maybe they would still take these initiatives even if their country was better off. Either way, it's great that even though they live in poverty, even if they may or may not have all gotten an education and even though their normal lives are hard enough, they still want to change their country- one community at a time. The youth understands their problems and the solutions and they take matters into their own hands. They understand that if they don't do these things themselves, no one will. Basically, they are independent and action-oriented. In Cambodia though, the motivation is different. They were more just hopeful. They wanted their country to advance and pull itself out of the mess it's in now, but the mindset was more 'I-want-my-country-to-be-better', not ‘if-my-country-is-going-to-be-better, then-I-am-the-one-that-is-going-to-have-to-do-something'. There were still some amazing projects and NGOs on the first trip, but, the people who weren't a part of those weren't looking for what they could do as individuals. Basically, Cambodia was more like reliance on the good of certain people and Haiti was more hands on/ 'I'll do it myself'.
There was something I saw in the Haitian youth we were with that I didn't notice in Cambodia and that was how studious they are. (That may have only been something I saw on one of the two trips due to the fact that the people we were with in Cambodia were much younger). In Haiti, similar to the last point, they're taking every opportunity they have to better themselves. They are always asking questions about the world, about geography, about language and more. During the duration of my trip I drew a map of the world in at least three of the local youth's notebook, as well as teaching English, French, Arabic and Chinese, as much as I could. All because they asked me to. I find that really amazing. It may be the same thing in Cambodia, but I only witnessed it in Haiti.
For my last point in this section- something that will stick with me for a long time- is how happy they are. And how much happier they are than us. I can't explain it, I've tried in a few of my blogs, but it's true that the people we were with on both trips were never anything but content.
Community-
[Some of the points in this section are similar to the ones in 'people', above]
First off, I think the community where we stayed in Cambodia was bigger. When we were there, I was told that there were just under 300 families. We never went to walk around though, so I never actually saw how large it was, or wasn't. I know the Fond Verrette region (in Haiti) covers a lot more land than the village on the first trip, but, I don't think Terre Froide is even close to comparable, size-wise. Unlike Cambodia, in Haiti we walked from the first house on the Terre Froide mountain side down to the last one on a daily basis. (Before and after those houses, there were just trees on either side of the road, so I would assume that that's all there is to it). So yes, the community on the latter trip is remarkably smaller.
There are several similarities in the two villages though. First of all, the roads in both are practically the same: a rocky, dirt path that runs down the middle of the district, with houses on either side. There were some overlaps in agriculture as well, including the lots between the houses where they grow corn and other vegetables. (Corn, being one of the crops that I encountered in both countries).
The biggest difference between the two environments was the weather. Cambodia is hot and humid; I've never sweat more in my life. It's like the UAE except all the time (we could never escape into the AC, because there was none). In Haiti, since we were up in the mountains, I was more than cold.
There was another, a lot more minor, difference in the communities'… let's say… space. In Haiti, the houses are off the road. We would walk down the path and see an opening on either side, that leads to a dirt garden of some sorts. There's the cooking shed, the bathroom and some open space, but it's that house's space. In Cambodia the houses are all right next to each other; we could touch the neighbouring house from the one we were staying in. Their 'space' is under the house, not in front of it.
Something else that I noticed in the two villages is their communal relationships and how "one-with-nature" they are. For the former, more so in Haiti than the first trip, I was pleasantly surprised by how the word "community" is really represented. They don't have all the distractions we use to avoid personal contact with the people around us. Each person there knows, respects and loves each other as if they are family. For nature, I'm not sure if I used the right words (since I witnessed a lot of littering and trash issues in Haiti that damage the environment) but let me explain myself. Both communities understand their surroundings and use it to help themselves. They know the mountains around them, they know which crops will and won't grow on their land and so on. More than that, I just felt a lot more aware of the world around me when I was on both trips. I wasn't staring at my Macbook/iPad/iPhone/iPod or whatever other i-product you want. I know it's an odd thing to say, but for them, the world they live in is a part of their daily life. That may seem like an obvious statement, but unfortunately it's not; it's a lot more than I can say for most of us.
Home Stay-
The first similarity I noticed between both home stays is how the sun dictates the day. As soon as the sun sets, that's it. It's dark. People start drifting home. More so in Cambodia, but I'm not sure if that's just because the people we were with were younger. In Haiti they tended to stick around a bit longer, but both ways the sun remains both communities' major source of light.
There were also several overlaps in the bathroom system. Both had bucket showers, except the one in Cambodia was better. In Haiti, the "shower" was outdoors, the "walls" (plastic sheets) barely covered us, the floor was rocks and we had to fill a bucket with water each time. Whereas in Cambodia, they were indoors, with a ceiling, a door, and a tiled floor, as well as the fact that the water was already there, in a big basin. On both trips, the water was rather cold, but, in Haiti, when I showered at the crack of dawn and a breeze came in, it definitely felt cooler.
Along with a better shower, our home stay in Cambodia also had a better toilet. It was indoors and the kind of squat toilet you would find in some gas stations. In Haiti, on the other hand, we only had pit latrines and for those who don't know what that is, well, I think the best way to explain it is as simply a hole. My Haitian family's lattrine was practically outdoors though: just three brick walls and the open side facing the house (where everyone was). But, it didn't have a ceiling either, so I encountered several problems when it was raining.
So yes, Cambodia's entire bathroom system was better, but Haiti had better sleeping conditions. I was given a bed in the corner of the dining room and regardless of the fact that it was way too short and I had no privacy whatsoever, it was a bed. That made a difference. In Cambodia, we just put mattresses on the floor and that was that. But, that brings up another dissimilarity: the floors in the Haitian homes we were staying in are concrete, so whether the families have visitors or not, they don't sleep on the floor. On the other hand, the houses in our first home stay didn't have beds and the people slept on the ground: fairly comfortable wooden planks. So, it wasn't a matter of how we were accommodated, it was a matter of how they usually sleep.
On both trips, the houses we stayed in had little to no electricity. In Cambodia, the girls' house had just had solar panels installed and thus, had one or two light bulbs that worked from time to time. That was the only spot with electricity in the entire village. However, my Haitian home didn't have any whatsoever (which didn't bother me) but there was one place in Terre Froide (that I know of) that did. At the staff house there were two lightbulbs and a spot for everyone to charge their Nokias, but, the generator was usually off. So even if there was technically power, it was more off than on and it wasn't at the place where I was sleeping.
The detail that really made a difference between the home stays is the length. Since, in Cambodia, our time in the village only lasted five days and our trip had other locations included, I had more the mindset of 'who cares, I'm gone in a few days, I'll just enjoy what I can and get the rest over with'. Whereas in Haiti, I knew that's where I was staying, I wasn't thinking about the end of the trip and, as a result, I was thinking more about what I could learn from them, how I could adapt and so on. Basically, Cambodia felt like a temporary visit, while Haiti felt like I was learning how to live in my new home.
The most defining characteristic of either home stay was how close to the population we were (or weren't). On the first trip, we weren't living with them. We just barged in there, put down our mattresses, and lived among each other. After Cambodia, when I was preparing myself for the next adventure, I was reading the Global Potential information and it kept saying things like 'immersive experience', explaining how each participant would stay with their own host family. To be honest, I really didn't believe that it could have made that much of a difference... I've never been so wrong. Now, I don't see how I could ever go on a service trip where I don't live with a separate host family (well, that is if I actually hope to learn anything). My Haitian family took me in, and yes, even though I was a bit uncomfortable at first, the experience allowed me to face the challenges presented rather than running off to be with the people I know. They allowed me to learn how to overcome the language barrier and taught me immensely about Haitian culture. The number of things I got out of the second trip is incredible and I would never have gotten even a fraction of it if I hadn't been in a separate home stay. Honestly, as a result, I sort of feel partially Haitian, now.
Overall Trip-
Well, I think all the information in the other sections of this post compare the two overall trips, but the details below are more general, without picking apart each little aspect.
I did go with two different organisations, so, I will start by comparing those. Rustic Pathways is a travelling company with some service aspects included. Global Potential is a service association with some travelling aspects included. Yes, there is a difference. For example, even though we did a home stay in Cambodia and met with about a dozen NGOs, we were still tourists. I felt more like I was learning about the country rather than doing service. But, that's not a bad thing at all; it was still an extremely interesting experience that I hope to never forget. In Haiti, it felt more like I was subconsciously learning how to be Haitian while doing work with the community. Surprisingly though, the service work we did in Cambodia was more intense than Haiti. Then again, we had 5 days and 7 people to do it all, whereas in Haiti we had at least 20 people working on the projects at once and by the end of the 6.5 weeks (the full length of the trip) they would have accomplished a lot more.
Overall, Cambodia was a lot of fun, but that fun was limited to just the people in our Rustic Pathways group. We did enjoy playing with the kids and what not, but the jokes and teasing never left our little circle. Haiti, as well, was highly entertaining, but it was fun with the other Global Potential members as well as with the community. The first trip was like being in Cambodia with a Rustic Pathways group and the second trip was like being in Haiti with Haitians, and on top of that, a Global Potential group.... if the difference makes sense.
The reason for the last point may be due to our ability to overcome the language barrier. I spent more or less the same time in both countries, yet I definitely speak a lot more Creole than Khmer (and the fact that I speak French may be what made the difference). As a result, on the second trip, I was able to carry out full conversations with people. I couldn't do that in Cambodia. The challenge of "overcoming the language barrier" meant two different things: on the first visit, it meant using hand gestures and if that wasn't enough, getting someone who could translate. In Haiti, it just meant adapting my French so that they could understand. Of course, I was a lot more successful with Creole than with Khmer.
Speaking of adapting, I was surprised by my ability to do so on either program. I had figured Cambodia would be a lot easier to get used to: I'm familiar with Southeast Asia, I've been to Thailand, I've been to China, I've had the food, the dress is conservative like the country I've been living in for the last 11 years, the weather is like ours as well... I figured, no problem. When I was there, I felt like I adapted pretty fast. What did I say? 4 days? I thought that was good and it couldn't be much faster anyways. Yet again, I proved myself wrong. For everything except the food, I would like to think, if it's possible, that I adapted to Haiti in just about a day. The food took me just over 2 days; I still didn't like it, but I was used to not liking it. If you had told me all of this at the beginning of the summer, I never would have believed you. I've never been to the Carribean or to South America. I do, on the other hand, interact daily with Asians and more specifically Southeast Asians, but I've only ever met one person who was pure Carribean. I never would have thought that adapting to Haiti faster was possible. But again, it's that idea of 'welcome home' that I was talking about earlier; I fit in easily in Haiti (skin tone aside) and truly felt at home. It's just a shame I didn't fully realise it when I was still there (you never truly appreciate what you have until it's gone, right?).
The last difference, of both trips, is the lessons I learned. There were some basic overlaps but, I do feel that I got a lot more out of my trip to Haiti. That came from being immersed in Haitian culture and being pushed to develop opinions on topics I hadn't really thought about before. On the second trip, I relearned everything I got from Cambodia (more or less) and on top of that piled on a library of other lessons.
I know that that's a lot more information than most of you would have liked to read (except for my parents) but it's been a pretty intense few months. I hate to throw so much out there but that's still how my head feels: still continuing to slowly sort through all the information I got and all the things I experienced. This summer has taught and showed me more than I ever thought possible and that's amazing. (Regardless of the fact that I really don't feel like it's summer), these last few months has helped me decide what's really important.
After these trips, I don't know how I can ever go back to being the same person I was before. But, that's okay, because I don't want to be her anymore. That's actually my biggest fear right now, that I'll forget about everything I've experienced and go back to living my life the way I was.
LM
