How I spent my Christmas Break!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Christmas Break!

This past Christmas break was very different from any other Christmas break I have experienced in the past. I not only met many new friends but I was able to open my eyes to all the different cultures in Haiti. Many of us know that the culture in Haiti is very different than ours in the U.S. but I don't think you truly understand what it is like until you experience it first hand, and I am sure many of my classmates would agree. While in Haiti we did various things ranging from visiting the UNAF and donating over a hundred textbooks to visiting an orphanage where we had suitcases full of donated items. Being able to interact with the students at the university was one of my favorite parts of the trip, they were so excited to show you around and tell you all about what they are doing at school. Just seeing their faces and how happy they were for us just being there made it worth it and I knew that with the books we donated them and the relationships that we started we will be able to continue helping them.
If asked to go back to Haiti I would say yes in a heart beat, I feel that it really did give me a new outlook on life. I am blessed for what we have in the here in the United States and I feel it is now our job to not only help others but provide them the knowledge to succeed in their careers and life.

-Shelby Englert

Experiences through the New Year

**Originally Written Tuesday January 1st.

Looking back, I cannot believe that tomorrow is our last full day in Haiti. At the beginning of the trip the days seemed to go by really slow. I think part of that has to do with the serene atmosphere at our hotel. You can always hear the waves crashing against the beach. When we are out working and interacting with our partners though the day goes by super fast. 

When we were at the university on Saturday, we talked with the students for a few hours and it seemed like no time at all. One of my favorite memories was talking eith Reggie and talking about different kinds of music and then being able to teach him the Cupid Shuffle.  After visiting the Antenor Firmin University, we went to visit the orphanage.  I was definitely hesitant about visiting the orphanage unsure of how in need the children are.  We were immediately greeted with smiles and the kids all latched on to someone.  Playing with the kids at the orphanage for the few hours we were there seemed like no more than a half hour had passed by.  Sarah who hung around with me the entire time loved my hair and gave me a new hairstyle.  I normally wouldn't wear my hair in the pigtail style she gave me but it made me happy to help her pass the time doing something she wouldn't normally do.  I couldn't communicate with her very easily as she knew little English, but I did find out that she was 18 years old.  She didn't want to play soccer with the other kids but spent the time watching everyone and telling me I was beautiful.  I left the orphanage feeling sad that we had to leave so soon but I was proud of all of the gifts we were able to provide.  Between last year's class fundraising money to provide food for the kids and all of my class' donations, we had more than enough gifts for two orphanages.  

On Sunday, we attended the Antenor Firmin University graduation ceremony.  Dr. Oliver participated by giving a speech with the help of Branley translating.  I definitely felt like an honored guest as we were given the same flower pins as the graduates.  Even though I could not understand what was being said throughout the two hour ceremony, it was interesting to see.  I appreciated having Purdue and all of us there being publicly recognized during the ceremony for the vast amount of textbooks we had donated.  In total, I think we gathered at least 105 books to give to the university.  Gideon Eugene was also excited about the chemistry labs that we could possibly bring in the future.  

Monday was a very busy day for the group.  We woke up bright and early to have breakfast and visit North Coast Farms.  While there, a group was able to make candles from beeswax.  The molds for the candles were beautiful and they had different candles ranging from two kinds of angels, flowers, and cool spheres.  Edson gave my group a tour of the rest of the farm and we learned a lot about the different plants being grown and what they were used for.  He also took us to see the goats which they have been breeding.  He said when they started, they had only ten goats and were up to 34 goats now.  He had questions for us about them such as how soon they should be bred and I could see the need of a different kind of mating system or crossbreeding to be done to help improve the milk production of the goats.  There will soon be a cheese factory built so the milk from the goats will be very important for its success.  After leaving the farm, we started the journey to the Citadelle.  It was an intense drive most of the way up until we reached a parking lot and had to walk the rest of the way.  We were told the walk would take about 45 minutes from that point, and it was definitely a workout.  The path was very steep at points and challenged most of us athletically I think.  When I reached the top where the Citadelle was, it was a beautiful view.  We were going to tour the inside of the Citadelle but we needed to wait for the rest of the group before we started the tour.  While waiting, some clouds blew in and we were inside the clouds.  The view disappeared to a fog and it became really cold.  Unfortunately we missed out on being to see the view from the top of the Citadelle because the clouds blocked the view.  Because we were so high up, our tour guide said that the clouds move in and that happens fairly frequently, so we just had a little bit of bad luck.  We then headed back to the hotel for a long night of dancing bringing in the new year.  

The next day we just stayed at the hotel resting and recuperating from all of the New Years celebrations.  A good number of people were able to stay up until the sunrise.  I could not stay up past 4, but I did wake up again at 6 to be able to see the sunrise.  I had planned like most to lay out on the beach for most of the day and tan, but unfortunately, this was the only rainy and cloudy day we had on the trip.  We did find time to make the Boilermaker Special in the sand which was finished to actually look like a train by Sarah and me. 

 Tomorrow I am looking forward to visiting CTEAD, as my group is looking to collect as much information as we can to help this partner in the future.  The week has passed by so quickly but I feel like we are learning a lot and are definitely becoming a close knit group.

Boiler Up, 

Kim Karlin

Crossing into Haiti

Dec. 28th

Crossing into Haiti

Today we traveled from the Dominican Republic to Cap-Haiten. The day was packed with new and eye opening experiences. The morning began with a great breakfast at the hotel and then we loaded our luggage to the top of the bus for our trip to the border and then to our hotel in Haiti.

Loading the luggage was quite the process however two very talented Dominican men with the aid of Branly, Allen, Logan and Matt made the task look easy.

Our first stop was a grocery store in Santiago. The produce section was outstanding. I have never seen carrots, cucumbers or peppers as big and fresh as I did today! As we waited to check out we didn't go unnoticed by the friendly workers...It is very interesting how outgoing, friendly and nice their culture is.

Lunch was stop number two about an hour later. We ate a very nice little road side place. I had fried goat and rice along with some great fresh peppers! The class decided to split all of the food we ordered and quickly learned our eyes may have been bigger than our stomachs! We couldn't come close to finishing it all.

On our drive toward the border we saw a great deal of rice fields. I spotted about five John Deere 1165 Combines used for harvest- one of which had tracks! Other agriculture that we saw were a lot of  plantain fields and some patches of corn. The livestock included goats, cattle, chickens that all seemed to be roaming without fences.

About forty-five minutes passed and we came to the border town. It was a free market day which made for a very busy time. Free market days happen on both Monday's and Friday's in border towns. It is when the Haitians and Dominicans can cross the border without a Visa or any charge. Many Haitians take advantage of this however the same cannot be said for Dominicans' crossing into Haiti. The Haitian's use the day to buy supplies for families such as food, clothing, etc.
The border process was one I won't forget. I am glad that we have folks on the trip  that are well connected with officials to help us safely and efficiently cross the border, most important safely.

Our first stop in Haiti was at a Heifer International Milk Processing Plant called "Lèt Agogo." The plant brings in 150 gallons of milk a day. The cows in Haiti produce approximately one gallon of milk per day (compared to about 10 gal. per cow per day in the U.S.) The milk they produce is used in a program for students in local schools. The students receive the milk for nutritional needs. However the milk is not processed like we have in the U.S. Dr. Oliver took the educational moment once we were back on the bus to explain to us how the processes differed and what the possible short and long term side effects of unsafe pasteurization practices. I did try the milk though Dr. Oliver did not recommend my doing. I enjoyed the taste though I would have preferred it was cold. It had a very sweet taste to it in my opinion. I am not sick...yet... :/

The next stop- Cap Haitian! Our hotel is located in Cap Haitian. It was an experience driving through the city for the first time and seeing the business of the streets compared to the country side we had been in for the majority of our drive. Branly explained to us many of the things we saw in the city and how things had changed over time.

I am thankful for how well everything went today and looking forward to continuing to learn from those around me.

Hail Purdue,

Laura Donaldson

Dec. 28th

Crossing into Haiti

Today we traveled from the Dominican Republic to Cap-Haiten. The day was packed with new and eye opening experiences. The morning began with a great breakfast at the hotel and then we loaded our luggage to the top of the bus for our trip to the border and then to our hotel in Haiti.

Loading the luggage was quite the process however two very talented Dominican men with the aid of Branly, Allen, Logan and Matt made the task look easy.

Our first stop was a grocery store in Santiago. The produce section was outstanding. I have never seen carrots, cucumbers or peppers as big and fresh as I did today! As we waited to check out we didn't go unnoticed by the friendly workers...It is very interesting how outgoing, friendly and nice their culture is.

Lunch was stop number two about an hour later. We ate a very nice little road side place. I had fried goat and rice along with some great fresh peppers! The class decided to split all of the food we ordered and quickly learned our eyes may have been bigger than our stomachs! We couldn't come close to finishing it all.

On our drive toward the border we saw a great deal of rice fields. I spotted about five John Deere 1165 Combines used for harvest- one of which had tracks! Other agriculture that we saw were a lot of  plantain fields and some patches of corn. The livestock included goats, cattle, chickens that all seemed to be roaming without fences.

About forty-five minutes passed and we came to the border town. It was a free market day which made for a very busy time. Free market days happen on both Monday's and Friday's in border towns. It is when the Haitians and Dominicans can cross the border without a Visa or any charge. Many Haitians take advantage of this however the same cannot be said for Dominicans' crossing into Haiti. The Haitian's use the day to buy supplies for families such as food, clothing, etc.
The border process was one I won't forget. I am glad that we have folks on the trip  that are well connected with officials to help us safely and efficiently cross the border, most important safely.

Our first stop in Haiti was at a Heifer International Milk Processing Plant called "Lèt Agogo." The plant brings in 150 gallons of milk a day. The cows in Haiti produce approximately one gallon of milk per day (compared to about 10 gal. per cow per day in the U.S.) The milk they produce is used in a program for students in local schools. The students receive the milk for nutritional needs. However the milk is not processed like we have in the U.S. Dr. Oliver took the educational moment once we were back on the bus to explain to us how the processes differed and what the possible short and long term side effects of unsafe pasteurization practices. I did try the milk though Dr. Oliver did not recommend my doing. I enjoyed the taste though I would have preferred it was cold. It had a very sweet taste to it in my opinion. I am not sick...yet... :/

The next stop- Cap Haitian! Our hotel is located in Cap Haitian. It was an experience driving through the city for the first time and seeing the business of the streets compared to the country side we had been in for the majority of our drive. Branly explained to us many of the things we saw in the city and how things had changed over time.

I am thankful for how well everything went today and looking forward to continuing to learn from those around me.

Hail Purdue,

Laura Donaldson

Travel Day!

Hello All, 

Morgan and I started our travels with a 3am shuttle (on the 27th) to the Indianapolis Airport. After we arrived we set up camp by the American Airlines Ticketing Counter and began the task of securing room for the text books the class gathered in everyone's checked or carry-on luggae. The travel process went really well althrought the day. We had a five hour layover in Miami that gave us time to meet in our Teams and discuss the goals we have for our projects while we are in Haiti. 

I am on the CTEAD team that will be working with the technical trade school  during our time in Haiti. Our group wants to focus on building a stronger relationship with them as a partner so that we will be able to help them more in the future when supplying resources for class curriculum . We will also be working to have a better understanding of their current resources at the school and the student's educational backgrounds. Finally we will be facilitating a rain fall accumulation data keeping and record tracking that the EPICS Team at Purdue put together. After facilitating the lab we will work to understand what we can do to improve the lab material for future use. 

After meeting with our teams we took a quick dinner break and boarded the plane to Santiago, Dominican Republic. The flight went well we passed thru customs quickly and loaded onto our bus. When we got to the hotel we were welcomed with a tasty cold beverage and encouraged to relax. Our long day of travel ended with a wonderful dinner or Arroz con Pollo (Rice and Chicken) after we checked into our rooms.

 I am thankful The Lord was watching over our travels today and got (most) of the group to the Dominican safely. Our prayers are with Blue and Anthony as they finish there travels that were delayed due to weather and 

meet up with us tomorrow. 

P.S. I am posting this after a great breakfast at our first hotel. We have a three hour trip to the border and then will begin our joureny in Haiti! 

Hail Purdue, 

Laura

Creol Phrase of the Day: Alo, kòman ou ye? Hello how are you? 

The Night Before Christmas... I mean... Our TRIP!

Hello Friends and Family!

I am writing you from the Hampton Inn by the Indianapolis Airport less than four hours from when Morgan and I will travel to the airport and meet the rest of the class and begin our study abroad experience!

It is hard to forget the reasons I am going with the Purdue Animal Science Department on this trip to Haiti. I remember very clearly the "glow" my friends returned with after Christmas Break last year. These friends were apart of the first trip to Haiti and began a wonderful partnership with the same groups we are working with this year. After hearing about their experiences I found myself jealous that I wasn't apart of the trip and told myself then if the opportunity came up I would take full advantage of it! The opportunity came to me after giving a last minute tour of the College of Ag to an admitted student. As I ended the tour I was talking about study aboard opportunities in our college and Dr. Russell overheard me and asked me to fill a seat on the trip for this year. I gave it little thought, called my parents, and signed up! I felt like God had his hand in me being in the right place at the right time and I couldn't let the moment pass.

I am looking forward to learning about the current state of Haiti first hand. From that I hope to learn ways that we as a department and class can continue to help our partners even after our time in Haiti. I know that I have been brought up in a life that many are not fortunate enough to have. I have two loving (still happily married) parents that have provided and continue to provide opportunities for my sister and me. I have never experienced hunger, the anxiety of not having a home, or the tragedy of a natural disaster. God has truly blessed my life and I am hopefully that I will be able to return his favors to me by paying it forward to others.

I would be put on Santa's Naughty List for next year if I told you I didn't have any fears after signing up...or even tonight- because I would be lying. For starters I am worried that this winter weather will present challenges in our travel plans. I am most worried that time will run out before we are able to build a strong understanding of the partner's needs. I do believe though that this will fuel each of us to focus and work diligently to make a great impact with the resources we have.

I am ready to begin building relationships with the students and faculty members both from Purdue and from our partnering institutions! 

Until next time...
Orevwa (Goodbye)
--Laura Donaldson

Creole Phrase of the Day: Mwen pa konprann (I don't understand)

Hello from the Hampton Inn - Indianapolis!

One of the reasons I wanted to participate in this study abroad program to Haiti is because it is going to make me uncomfortable. Yes, a #SaysNoOneEver could go with this statement, but it really is true for me. I believe that staying inside of one's comfort zone will never allow for growth or maturing. My biggest comfort zone, or comfort bubble as I like to call it, is living in the United States. Here, I am blessed with so much that I don't even see those things as blessings; instead, I often just expect them. Here in America, I am spoiled, sheltered and most of all, comfortable. This is about to change...and I'm so excited about it!

My comfortableness has already been tested with this 'blizzard-like' weather. Myself and another participant are staying in a hotel near the airport to make transit to IND easier at around 4:00 AM tomorrow. I'm praying that our 6:30 AM flight to Miami will not be canceled. I'll take a major delay any day...just not a cancellation. Even before the weather, I was a tad bit uncomfortable when packing. See, I switched things up a bit. My 50 lb. checked bag contains nothing but things to give away at an orphanage we will be visiting in Haiti - t-shirts, hygiene products, toys and food. My 25 lb. carry-on bag has my own clothes and personal items for the trip...and it's not even all the way full. This is so not me! I am an extreme over packer, so I'm definitely worried about if I'll have enough of my "stuff." Again, another one of my spoiled thoughts.

Speaking of visiting the orphanage, I believe that this could very well be the 'agenda item' of the trip that I am most excited (and nervous) about. Though I'm not personally a big fan of kids, I feel that this could change after visiting the orphanage. That visit in itself could really be a life-changing experience. I'm one who begins with the end in mind, therefore, I can hardly wait to see how our minds, perspectives and hearts have been changed upon arriving back to IND on Friday, January 4th.

Until the time that we do safely return to the good ol' U.S. of A., please stay tuned to this blog to be up-to-date on our travels, safety and reflections.

Best,
Morgan D.