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June 14, 2012
It has been officially one week since I have arrived in Haiti and I think I am finally able to properly follow the foreign schedule I have been assigned. From the obscene traffic jams and random power outages, to the extreme temperatures and roosters constant crowing well before sunrise; there has been a lot to grow accustomed too. And I feel beyond blessed to be a part of it.
I began my work with Haiti Communitere this past Monday. I was immediately immersed in to the tight knit community on base as everyone noticed the new smiling face bobbing around. Once everyone learned that I spoke the native language of Haitian Creole fluently, my status was quickly upgraded from new comer to a rare hot commodity! To my surprise, I found that translators did not come around very often. Many volunteers had taken it upon themselves to work through the language and study it. But not many were able to stick around long enough to learn the language completely.
That very afternoon, I was whisked off to a local orphanage with a medical team to provide check ups for the children. I was needed to translate between those at the orphanage and the medical team. Serving as a liaison between the two parties served as the best introduction to the local culture, vernacular and mannerism. I was able to meet and greet all of the administrative members of the orphanage and understand the management processes. With this information, I was also able to create a plan and fulfill my main purpose as a member of the Omprakash network and Haiti Communitere volunteer, consulting. I was able to sit down with the director to begin to form a plan to assist her in reaching personal initiatives to benefit herself and the children of the orphanage.
At the end of the day, I was completely exhausted! But my excitement surpassed any feeling that fatigue could bring about. A bright future is a head and I intend to continue to walk towards the light.
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Omprakash volunteers have been posting stories, photos and even videos from their time abroad since 2007. We now have an extensive collection of personal stories from volunteers who've worked with our partners abroad. You can browse through the most recent stories below or use the category selection tool to narrow your search. Alternatively click on the Stories tab for each organization we work with to see specific accounts from a particular organization. Be careful - you might lose a couple hours of your day in here! Happy reading.
comment by: Lacey Worel | June 15, 2012
Sahadia,Thanks for updating us on your first week! It sounds like you have already had a positive impact at HC. Your language skills are so valuable! You mention creating a plan to fulfill your main purpose as a member of Omprakash- I would love to hear more about it. I'm looking forward to reading your posts as your role becomes more defined.
Best,
Lacey Worel
Regional Coordinator
lacey@omprakash.org