Sunday, January 13, 2013

Reflecting on my experiences

by Liz Lecher

Trying to get back in the swing of classes and work schedules, I am constantly reminded of the amazing time I had in Haiti. This trip was truly a life changing experience. It seems that everyone else had done a fantastic job describing what we did each day so I will mainly focus on how this trip made an imact on my life. While crossing the border from the Dominican Republic into Haiti, I was overwhelmed with emotions. I never imagined there would be that many people even after finding out that it was open market day. It amazes me how the two countries can be connected on the same island and have so many differences.

The connections we all have made with the students we worked with in Haiti are a constant reminder of the impact we had on their lives. I have been contacted every day by students wanting to practice English and needing help on various plans they have made to take back to their family farms. I feel like we were able to not only change our lives, but change the lives of the students we worked with.

I think we were able to make a lot of progress while working with our partners. We now have an idea of what we need to do in the future to help them and what they need. The main point was to find out the main goals of each program and their plans for the future. From there we can determine how Purdue fits into those plans. I think some of the partnerships are very beneficial, while in others I am not sure our class will be able to help progress the program of the organization.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate in this class and trip to Haiti. I made a lot of new friends and have memories that will last a lifetime!

Elizabeth Lecher

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