Overview of Each Day of the Trip
Day 1 [July 22]
After Tas, her mother and I met up, we flew from New York to Port-au-Prince. When we landed, we met with the founder of the organisation Global Potential and together we all drove to Terre Froide (which takes about three hours), the community in which we will be spending the majority of our trip. When we got there, all the other GP participants welcomed us with a big hug (they've already been here for 2 weeks because their trip is a total of 6.5 weeks] and we went into the staff house and played some games with the community youth. They welcomed us with a big song and dance (something I will go on to find out is a regular occurrence). We introduced ourselves and got introduced to our separate host families and went to our new homes to settle in (where we would be eating, sleeping, showering etc.). I went back out and hung around with everyone for a few hours before heading back to go to bed. Like in Cambodia, it's early nights and early mornings.
Day 2 [July 23]
Even though I woke up early, I didn't go to the optional 6:30 workout. Instead, I played soccer with my new brother and sister and attempted my first shower. I met up with everyone at the staff house at 8, where we got introduced to the the leader of a group called GARR [Groupe d'Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés: Group for the Support of Repatriate and Refugees]. Right after, we went out for our morning work, which today happened to be the choice between continuing canals they had started before Tas and I arrived or continuing the compost bed they began. I worked on the compost until 12 and then we had our lunch break, so I went back home. At 2 we started internships, for my first one, I was in charge of running a games session for 30 or so kids. When that was over I played volleyball [with a volleyball Tas brought and our net: a rope attached between two trees]. By the time we were all finished playing it was time for our evening break, followed by our daily group meeting, dinner and bed.
Day 3 [July 24]
I woke up early, but again decided to skip the workout so I could continue getting to know my family. We met up at 8 and, all together, hiked up the mountain for our morning work. Today we worked on building a Sei*. This involved finding rocks, piling them up and then getting in a line and passing them up the steep mountainside where they would be put into a wall structure. We headed back at noon for our lunch break before meeting back at the staff house for an hour preparation followed by a workshop on family trees. After the workshop, one of the other GP girls and I led an English class for the community youth. In the evening, for our free hour, I went up to the soccer field that the other participants made before we came, to play. We then had our meeting, I had dinner and went off to bed.
Day 4 [July 25]
I got up at 5:30 to shower before going to today's morning workout. We met everyone else at the staff house at 8 and went off to where we were yesterday to build more Seis. At 12:30 we finished and went for lunch. When it was time for internships at 2, I did my GP goal setting (since I didn't get to do it before the trip like everyone else) and then started an interview project on sports that I will continue tomorrow. For the remaining part of our internship time I organised a soccer tournament for everyone: including teams, the roster, the rules, the times and all that. At 3:45 we had a workshop on racism (which was very interesting) followed by the first three games of the tournament (my team had their first victory). I then continued my daily ritual of meeting, dinner and bed.
Day 5 [July 26]
I wasn't feeling well enough in the morning to go to the workout, but at 8 I was at the staff house ready to go. We spent the morning building 2 more Seis before going for our lunch break. When we met back together, we had a workshop on drugs and alcohol and then some blogging time. When I was done, I did the interviews for the sports project and then headed off to ref for the next two games of the soccer tournament. Yet again, we had our group meeting, then I went home for dinner and then bed.
Day 6 [July 27]
It's Saturday, which is activity day. Last Saturday they went to the beach, this week we are going hiking. So, when I woke up I didn't go to the workout because there wasn't one today. We met up at 7:30, left the staff house at 9 and well basically spent the next 10 hours of the day walking and for some (especially me) running up and down Haiti's mountains. When we got home at 7, we split to shower and eat before coming back at the staff house for a movie night at 9:30 (we play the movie on one of the staff's laptops). We watched Transformers 3 with the rest of the community and then went home late to go to sleep.
Day 7 [July 28]
The second day of the weekend is relaxation day. We only had to meet at the staff house at 11, so when my plan of sleeping in didn't work I decided to stay with my family and do some house chores. I woke up at 6 and had the option to go to church with my dad and brother, but instead stayed with my mum and sister and hand washed all my clothes, which took several hours. By about 9:30 I left the house to go visit some of the other youth. At 11 we did some games followed by a quick information session on the upcoming conferences we're going to. By 12:30 we were free to go to lunch and later came back and had a discussion session. After that was over we had about 30 minutes to take pictures for our individual projects and then we continued our soccer tournament (where my team lost their first game). In the evening, yet again we had our group meeting before splitting up.
Day 8 [July 29]
When we met at the staff house this morning, some people went off to continue building Sei's as well as going bean collecting. Meanwhile, one of the other participants and I went to collect trash from the sides of the road and then we went back to the staff house and did some conference preparations while the others were still working. We went for lunch and when we came back, we had a worksop on Regional and National History. This took up a few hours, but it was extremely interesting. Afterwards, we went back to continue the soccer tournament (and my team got eliminated, because we lost our second game). After our defeat, we went back to the staff house for our meeting and then I went home.
Day 9 [July 30]
It has been building up for the last few days, but I got really sick this morning. I stayed at home until around 10 when two of the community boys came to my house and dragged me out of bed. Of what I understand, the rest of the group finished the compost bed while I was away. After showering I went to the staff house and during the lunch break (since I can't eat anyways), I stayed in the staff house and blogged. In the afternoon we did some more conference preparation. Some people made posters while I stayed and translated a French document into Creole with the help of one of the local boys. When I was finished, I went around and helped one of the other participants with his picture project while some of the others went to play soccer. When the games were done, we met back at the staff house for our meeting, then had another movie night, this time with just us, where we watched Tower Heist. When the movie was over we all went home.
Day 10 [July 31]
We got up and met at the staff house, where we had a meeting with the community youth about the conference and its purpose, rules etc. When that was over we had some time to pack and finish some of the posters and more before we left at 12:30 to Forêt des Pins, where the conference is taking place. It was about an hour drive and when we got there we registered everyone. We started with some games, followed by a welcome speech. We had an early dinner, then started settling into our rooms. That night, we started a new nightly ritual: a Haitian party of some sorts.
Day 11 [August 1]
Today was the first full day of the conference (more about it in the blogs), so we got up and had breakfast all together at 7:30. I started the day finishing posters, while others did a couple initial games. Then, all together, we started going through the rules of the conference followed by registration (which was my role for that day). As soon as all the preparatory details were done with, we started our first topic session. The one I went to was on leadership. For the second session, which was right after, I couldn't attend because I had to work instead on completing everyone's registration sheet. By the time this session was over it was time for lunch. After our break, we had a discussion on the workshops we went to in the morning, a sort of big group reflection, before going to our third session. For this one, which I think might be the best one I went to, I attended the group on culture. When we finished with that we had some down time and dinner followed by another one of our Haitian dancing parties.
Day 12 [August 2]
Once again we went through the beginning activities: breakfast, registration and choosing today's topics. Instead of just debating topics today, our sessions were about coming up with projects for them. For our first set of topics I went to something called the Goat Project, followed by the presentation of all six projects people brainstormed during this time. For the next round I went to education followed by the presentation of the six new solutions. After lunch, we got together again and had a sort of open mic where everyone got the chance to present any of the projects they do unrelated to the conference. About ten people went up and then we voted on the best ones. This was followed by filling out GP evaluations and handing out conference certificates. Then, we had some free time, dinner, and our last night of the conference dancing tradition.
Day 13 [August 3]
The conference technically finished last night but we got up, had breakfast, did a bit of a closing with some games and then we headed off. (After Tas and I leave, there's another conference in a different community, that some of the Forêt des Pins participants are going to go to. So, they all came back to Terre Froide with us before they all head off to the next conference together). First- with a bigger group than before- we headed off to a nearby market where we took a truck to go back to Terre Froide. When we got there, we set up the new people's sleeping quarters and went for our lunch break. At 3:30 we all met back at the staff house and had a reflection about the conference with just GP people and then had the rest of the afternoon off. Some people played soccer, others just hung around and so on. After the games, everyone got back together (Terre Froide youth, us, our guests and all staff) for a big conference reflection and a couple debates. When that was over, we ended with a bit of dancing followed by some goodbyes before going off to bed.
Day 14 [August 4]
Being my last day in Haiti, I got up early to be able to spend my last few hours with the community. So, I showered, packed, dropped off my bag at the staff house and started my two hour goodbyes: stopping by each person's house. When it was time to leave, we drove to Port-au-Prince, got to the airport and spent the rest of the day traveling. Goodbye Haiti, hopefully see you soon.
After Tas, her mother and I met up, we flew from New York to Port-au-Prince. When we landed, we met with the founder of the organisation Global Potential and together we all drove to Terre Froide (which takes about three hours), the community in which we will be spending the majority of our trip. When we got there, all the other GP participants welcomed us with a big hug (they've already been here for 2 weeks because their trip is a total of 6.5 weeks] and we went into the staff house and played some games with the community youth. They welcomed us with a big song and dance (something I will go on to find out is a regular occurrence). We introduced ourselves and got introduced to our separate host families and went to our new homes to settle in (where we would be eating, sleeping, showering etc.). I went back out and hung around with everyone for a few hours before heading back to go to bed. Like in Cambodia, it's early nights and early mornings.
Day 2 [July 23]
Even though I woke up early, I didn't go to the optional 6:30 workout. Instead, I played soccer with my new brother and sister and attempted my first shower. I met up with everyone at the staff house at 8, where we got introduced to the the leader of a group called GARR [Groupe d'Appui aux Rapatriés et Réfugiés: Group for the Support of Repatriate and Refugees]. Right after, we went out for our morning work, which today happened to be the choice between continuing canals they had started before Tas and I arrived or continuing the compost bed they began. I worked on the compost until 12 and then we had our lunch break, so I went back home. At 2 we started internships, for my first one, I was in charge of running a games session for 30 or so kids. When that was over I played volleyball [with a volleyball Tas brought and our net: a rope attached between two trees]. By the time we were all finished playing it was time for our evening break, followed by our daily group meeting, dinner and bed.
Day 3 [July 24]
I woke up early, but again decided to skip the workout so I could continue getting to know my family. We met up at 8 and, all together, hiked up the mountain for our morning work. Today we worked on building a Sei*. This involved finding rocks, piling them up and then getting in a line and passing them up the steep mountainside where they would be put into a wall structure. We headed back at noon for our lunch break before meeting back at the staff house for an hour preparation followed by a workshop on family trees. After the workshop, one of the other GP girls and I led an English class for the community youth. In the evening, for our free hour, I went up to the soccer field that the other participants made before we came, to play. We then had our meeting, I had dinner and went off to bed.
Day 4 [July 25]
I got up at 5:30 to shower before going to today's morning workout. We met everyone else at the staff house at 8 and went off to where we were yesterday to build more Seis. At 12:30 we finished and went for lunch. When it was time for internships at 2, I did my GP goal setting (since I didn't get to do it before the trip like everyone else) and then started an interview project on sports that I will continue tomorrow. For the remaining part of our internship time I organised a soccer tournament for everyone: including teams, the roster, the rules, the times and all that. At 3:45 we had a workshop on racism (which was very interesting) followed by the first three games of the tournament (my team had their first victory). I then continued my daily ritual of meeting, dinner and bed.
Day 5 [July 26]
I wasn't feeling well enough in the morning to go to the workout, but at 8 I was at the staff house ready to go. We spent the morning building 2 more Seis before going for our lunch break. When we met back together, we had a workshop on drugs and alcohol and then some blogging time. When I was done, I did the interviews for the sports project and then headed off to ref for the next two games of the soccer tournament. Yet again, we had our group meeting, then I went home for dinner and then bed.
Day 6 [July 27]
It's Saturday, which is activity day. Last Saturday they went to the beach, this week we are going hiking. So, when I woke up I didn't go to the workout because there wasn't one today. We met up at 7:30, left the staff house at 9 and well basically spent the next 10 hours of the day walking and for some (especially me) running up and down Haiti's mountains. When we got home at 7, we split to shower and eat before coming back at the staff house for a movie night at 9:30 (we play the movie on one of the staff's laptops). We watched Transformers 3 with the rest of the community and then went home late to go to sleep.
Day 7 [July 28]
The second day of the weekend is relaxation day. We only had to meet at the staff house at 11, so when my plan of sleeping in didn't work I decided to stay with my family and do some house chores. I woke up at 6 and had the option to go to church with my dad and brother, but instead stayed with my mum and sister and hand washed all my clothes, which took several hours. By about 9:30 I left the house to go visit some of the other youth. At 11 we did some games followed by a quick information session on the upcoming conferences we're going to. By 12:30 we were free to go to lunch and later came back and had a discussion session. After that was over we had about 30 minutes to take pictures for our individual projects and then we continued our soccer tournament (where my team lost their first game). In the evening, yet again we had our group meeting before splitting up.
Day 8 [July 29]
When we met at the staff house this morning, some people went off to continue building Sei's as well as going bean collecting. Meanwhile, one of the other participants and I went to collect trash from the sides of the road and then we went back to the staff house and did some conference preparations while the others were still working. We went for lunch and when we came back, we had a worksop on Regional and National History. This took up a few hours, but it was extremely interesting. Afterwards, we went back to continue the soccer tournament (and my team got eliminated, because we lost our second game). After our defeat, we went back to the staff house for our meeting and then I went home.
Day 9 [July 30]
It has been building up for the last few days, but I got really sick this morning. I stayed at home until around 10 when two of the community boys came to my house and dragged me out of bed. Of what I understand, the rest of the group finished the compost bed while I was away. After showering I went to the staff house and during the lunch break (since I can't eat anyways), I stayed in the staff house and blogged. In the afternoon we did some more conference preparation. Some people made posters while I stayed and translated a French document into Creole with the help of one of the local boys. When I was finished, I went around and helped one of the other participants with his picture project while some of the others went to play soccer. When the games were done, we met back at the staff house for our meeting, then had another movie night, this time with just us, where we watched Tower Heist. When the movie was over we all went home.
Day 10 [July 31]
We got up and met at the staff house, where we had a meeting with the community youth about the conference and its purpose, rules etc. When that was over we had some time to pack and finish some of the posters and more before we left at 12:30 to Forêt des Pins, where the conference is taking place. It was about an hour drive and when we got there we registered everyone. We started with some games, followed by a welcome speech. We had an early dinner, then started settling into our rooms. That night, we started a new nightly ritual: a Haitian party of some sorts.
Day 11 [August 1]
Today was the first full day of the conference (more about it in the blogs), so we got up and had breakfast all together at 7:30. I started the day finishing posters, while others did a couple initial games. Then, all together, we started going through the rules of the conference followed by registration (which was my role for that day). As soon as all the preparatory details were done with, we started our first topic session. The one I went to was on leadership. For the second session, which was right after, I couldn't attend because I had to work instead on completing everyone's registration sheet. By the time this session was over it was time for lunch. After our break, we had a discussion on the workshops we went to in the morning, a sort of big group reflection, before going to our third session. For this one, which I think might be the best one I went to, I attended the group on culture. When we finished with that we had some down time and dinner followed by another one of our Haitian dancing parties.
Day 12 [August 2]
Once again we went through the beginning activities: breakfast, registration and choosing today's topics. Instead of just debating topics today, our sessions were about coming up with projects for them. For our first set of topics I went to something called the Goat Project, followed by the presentation of all six projects people brainstormed during this time. For the next round I went to education followed by the presentation of the six new solutions. After lunch, we got together again and had a sort of open mic where everyone got the chance to present any of the projects they do unrelated to the conference. About ten people went up and then we voted on the best ones. This was followed by filling out GP evaluations and handing out conference certificates. Then, we had some free time, dinner, and our last night of the conference dancing tradition.
Day 13 [August 3]
The conference technically finished last night but we got up, had breakfast, did a bit of a closing with some games and then we headed off. (After Tas and I leave, there's another conference in a different community, that some of the Forêt des Pins participants are going to go to. So, they all came back to Terre Froide with us before they all head off to the next conference together). First- with a bigger group than before- we headed off to a nearby market where we took a truck to go back to Terre Froide. When we got there, we set up the new people's sleeping quarters and went for our lunch break. At 3:30 we all met back at the staff house and had a reflection about the conference with just GP people and then had the rest of the afternoon off. Some people played soccer, others just hung around and so on. After the games, everyone got back together (Terre Froide youth, us, our guests and all staff) for a big conference reflection and a couple debates. When that was over, we ended with a bit of dancing followed by some goodbyes before going off to bed.
Day 14 [August 4]
Being my last day in Haiti, I got up early to be able to spend my last few hours with the community. So, I showered, packed, dropped off my bag at the staff house and started my two hour goodbyes: stopping by each person's house. When it was time to leave, we drove to Port-au-Prince, got to the airport and spent the rest of the day traveling. Goodbye Haiti, hopefully see you soon.
*Sei:
Basically, a sei is a wall of rocks on the sides of steep mountains whose purpose is to slow water erosion. When it rains, the water will pour down off the main road and instead of just gushing down the side of the mountain and potentially collapsing the entire road, it will hit these structures. The water will go through the little holes left between the rocks and come out the other side much slower. As a result, erosion is less and the road (which is the only road that runs down the side of the mountain, and is essentially just a rocky dirt path) is more sustainable.