One morning the girls of the trip were woken at 5:40 am. I won't get into the specific alarm but let's just say it was positively annoying so early in the morning. Anna - our leader - threatened playing Taylor Swift if we wouldn't get out of bed and so we all grudgingly awoke. The goal, though we hadn't known it until that morning - was to wake up and follow the life of a woman who worked at the compound. The workers begin at six, and so did we. Dishes were the first step. Scrubbing, rinsing, drying. All in all not too bad of a job, even at six in the morning. Next we did laundry. This was a bit more of a challenge. The Haitian women have a very strategic system for cleaning their clothing.. one that involves a specific type of scrubbing and a great deal of soap. Needless to say by the time they finished showing me how to do it and correcting my mistake, my knuckles were raw from the scrubbing. We finished all of the laundry though and then cooked breakfast.
We also did chores like sweeping, mopping, and general tidying. We hung the clothes on lines to dry. We cleaned after lunch and stayed up late that night doing dishes. I began to wonder when - if ever - the Haitian people sleep. Following them around for a day was a rude awakening. They work hard... not so hard that they can't ever rest, but harder than we're used to in America. I get home from an eight hour shift at work and I'm pooped, even yet I've got a substantial amount of money in my pocket. In Haiti, the women work that hard just to keep their homes in order. Even yet they insist on joking and playing while they work. Their humor always made me smile.
So after that day I made it a habit to frequently approach them and ask "Ede ou?" ... Help you? They often laughed me off, knowing how little I would be capable of helping with, but just as often they would nod and give me something to do. It felt good to know that I was contributing. Since returning to America I've tried to keep that attitude. While people rarely slave all day just to tidy their homes, there are definitely ways that we can help those around us. Whether it be at work, school, home, or the grocery store, an attitude to help will always find opportunity. Try it out for a day. Look for places to help and things to do everywhere you go... with everyone you meet. If anything it will make you grateful for all the ways you don't need help. We have a lot in America; the great thing is that the more you have, the more you can give.
One morning the girls of the trip were woken at 5:40 am. I won't get into the specific alarm but let's just say it was positively annoying so early in the morning. Anna - our leader - threatened playing Taylor Swift if we wouldn't get out of bed and so we all grudgingly awoke. The goal, though we hadn't known it until that morning - was to wake up and follow the life of a woman who worked at the compound. The workers begin at six, and so did we. Dishes were the first step. Scrubbing, rinsing, drying. All in all not too bad of a job, even at six in the morning. Next we did laundry. This was a bit more of a challenge. The Haitian women have a very strategic system for cleaning their clothing.. one that involves a specific type of scrubbing and a great deal of soap. Needless to say by the time they finished showing me how to do it and correcting my mistake, my knuckles were raw from the scrubbing. We finished all of the laundry though and then cooked breakfast. 
We also did chores like sweeping, mopping, and general tidying. We hung the clothes on lines to dry. We cleaned after lunch and stayed up late that night doing dishes. I began to wonder when - if ever - the Haitian people sleep. Following them around for a day was a rude awakening. They work hard... not so hard that they can't ever rest, but harder than we're used to in America. I get home from an eight hour shift at work and I'm pooped, even yet I've got a substantial amount of money in my pocket. In Haiti, the women work that hard just to keep their homes in order. Even yet they insist on joking and playing while they work. Their humor always made me smile. 
So after that day I made it a habit to frequently approach them and ask "Ede ou?" ... Help you? They often laughed me off, knowing how little I would be capable of helping with, but just as often they would nod and give me something to do. It felt good to know that I was contributing. Since returning to America I've tried to keep that attitude. While people rarely slave all day just to tidy their homes, there are definitely ways that we can help those around us. Whether it be at work, school, home, or the grocery store, an attitude to help will always find opportunity. Try it out for a day. Look for places to help and things to do everywhere you go... with everyone you meet. If anything it will make you grateful for all the ways you don't need help. We have a lot in America; the great thing is that the more you have, the more you can give. 
No comments:
Post a Comment