Back Home Again in Indiana )=

What an exciting winter break! Words cannot describe all the emotions I felt during our trip to Haiti. Before going on the trip I was nervous to be in a foreign country, I didn't know how well we were all going to get along, and I had no idea what to expect other than what we had been told. I expected to gain knowledge about Haiti and about our group's partner: Heifer International but I did not expect the lifelong friendships I made and the cultural experiences I received. It was a different experience not being about to use a lot of verbal communication to talk due to a language barrier but that made it easy to see the excitement and pride in the eyes of the Haitians. I was kind of shocked at how much more advanced our agriculture in the US was compared to Haiti. I expected them to be behind but not that far behind. We really learned a lot from the students and the people we met. I gained several new friends and have a new found appreciation for the little things such as hot water and water pressure. It also showed me the value of family. I have a close knit family but after seeing the family structure in Haiti it made me appreciate my family even more. It seemed like even in the poorest of conditions they still had something to smile about. I definitely cannot wait to go back and to help continue to improve the lives of those hard working people.