Skipping Professor Google's Haiti lecture

Being a college student in the 21^st century means you are taught through two main ways – first, the regular class lecture, and then through Professor Google. However, when you are interested in learning about who Haitians are and what life in Haiti really like is, the class lecture and Professor Google..., well, they fail, and instead entrench their students in a single incomplete story of Haiti –  Haiti before the earthquake, Haiti after the earthquake, dangerous Haiti, poor Haiti. But can we divide Haiti’s history into pre and post-earthquake? What information do we lose when we do so? Is Haiti truly as dangerous as the media depicts? Is there really no wealth in Haiti? 

Before coming to Haiti, we did our research. We read about the country and what was going on. We had a representative from the U.S. based National Organization for the Advancement of Haitians speak to us about the political scene and ongoing development initiatives in Haiti. However, through our discussions on the way to Haiti, we discovered that we had all decided not to develop expectations of how Haiti would be.  We were coming, as much as one could possibly do so, as a blank slate, hoping to have Haiti’s history and culture inscribed on us by Haitians. 

We have begun this journey with a wonderful community partner – the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). MCC is a worldwide ministry of Anabaptist churches that shares God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice. I think it is important to note that proselytizing is not tied to the development work that MCC does, rather MCC uses their faith to guide their mission. The organization has been in Haiti for approximately 50 years and does most of its work through local community partners. Our group works specifically with Linda and Jim, who coordinate MCC’s Connecting People program. The purpose of Connecting People is about breaking down barriers between Haiti and nationals of other countries as a means of dispelling common myths about Haiti. We began our time with them with a delicious lunch of mixed vegetables, bean soup and pitimi. Sa-a te gou anpil (it was very tasty)! Later on, we engaged in meaningful dialogue with them around our objectives for the trip and what would we need to see them through.

On that note, I’ll leave you with our list of objectives, a description of what we’re hoping to accomplish in Haiti

1. Learn how relationships are built with key stakeholders in development, especially in light of language barriers
2. Learn about successful models of development 
3. Dispell myths and misconceptions about Haiti
4. Gain a different perspective of lifestyle and culture in Haiti as well as the U.S
5. Understand how change happens
6. Gain a greater sense of hope
7. Rejuvenation
8. Learn how to do “generosity” responsibly
9. Challenge our way of thinking about different issues