Over the next few days I will be working in Haiti with Housing Works, Inc.  We came to Haiti to open up clinics and a store in order to provide aid after the earthquake that struck the island mid-January

We landed in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic around 12pm Eastern time. As my two co-workers and I waited for our ride, my mind began to wander back to the previous hours of the day. I couldn’t help but think about the awkward feelings I was experiencing before departing for my trip to Haiti.

For as long as I can remember, I have been a second generation Haitian-American and have been proud – no doubt about it! However, I can recall hearing stories from my parents and my own childhood memories about the negative connotations attached to the Haitian culture.  People mocked our religious choices, economic status and even made awful remarks that AIDS derived from the island

People have said many negative things about our culture, but arguably, over the past 300 years, Haitians have been some one of the strongest people in the world. From winning their freedom from France, years of enduring a corrupt government, to the devastating earthquake , the people of Haiti have remained steadfast in their faith.

It’s just a shame that my first trip to the island is under these circumstances. Now it’s my turn to demonstrate the strength I have inherited from those before me.

Jobanny, our driver to Haiti has arrived and we have to load the 9 bags of medical supplies and 5 tents into our truck for our journey to Haiti. We won’t arrive to the Haiti border until Thursday morning. We will spend the night in the city of Barahona in DR and drive another 4 to 5 hrs to Port -au-Prince.