In the true spirit of procrastination, I’m posting my pre-trip reflection the day we fly out to Haiti. I don’t think the fact that I’m going to Haiti has hit me yet. When I’ve traveled out of the country in the past, I usually don’t get the “wow, I’m going to be in another country” feeling until the plane is close to landing. I am confident, though, that I will experience that moment later today when we approach the landing strip in Haiti.
Nonetheless, I’m incredibly excited to actually get started on our service work. Our team was unsure of what exactly we were going to be doing up until about a month ago. I can’t wait to make our impact in Jacmel, Haiti by working on a home to house those still homeless from the January 2010 earthquake. While I’ve done my fair share of traveling, I have never been on a service trip before. I look forward to being able to make an impact in the Jacmel community and help Haitians. Other than leaving a physical mark, I’m excited to interact with people throughout the ten days, from just having a conversation with a local to visiting an orphanage. The fact that the country we’re doing service in is Haiti does not really phase me at all. When it comes to traveling, I have very few reservations, probably due to the fact that the first time I went to India was when I was three years old. To me, Haiti is just another country in need of help from compassionate people like each member of our group.
Well, I am all packed and ready to head to JFK tomorrow. Though I’ll miss being at home for the remainder of the break, I consider myself so lucky to have the opportunity to participate in this ASB trip to Jacmel and I cannot think of a better way to spend time off from school.