My trip
to Haiti felt like an old dream realized and the
beginning
of a beautiful new journey...... It was
through art and music that I developed a curiosity and
connection to Haiti as a young girl and when I was 16 I begged
my father to let me go to there for a school service project.
I was the only girl of 5 kids, he shook his head
no and
said he just wasn’t ready to let me go so far away on my
own. I went off to college, life happened, my responsibilities
increased and Haiti became a distant dream.
This year I woke up and realized I was stuck, I was living
my life with my head and I was not going for what
was in
my heart. I made a list of my hearts desires and going to
Haiti was #2. I sat at the computer and googled “Occupational
Therapy in Haiti”. The first hit was Global Therapy
Group. I watched Donna’s video, emailed her the next day
and on July 14 I landed in Port au Prince.
I knew
very soon that I had landed right where I was meant to be.
From the amazing welcome by Caroline at the guest house to Andrew’s big smile
first thing Monday morning, I felt the fear of the unknown fade away, being
replaced by the warmth of the smiles coming from the people waiting patiently for
therapy in the morning sun. I sat on the patio that first Monday night and was
overwhelmed with gratitude that I was there and I was so excited to go back to
the clinic in the morning.
The
first thing that became obvious in the clinic was my dependence
on equipment and resources. I would look at the child I
was working with and my head would go,"I wish I
had a
...” Or, “I really need a ...." The limited amount of equipment
available in the clinic forced me to clear my head and
just think. I problem solved and talked to Andrew or
Pascal about what I wanted the child to do so they could translate
and direct them, and I soon realized the clinic didn’t
have what I was used to but it had enough. This process
was anxiety producing the first few days not because
I needed things I didn’t have, but because I was
used to
having so much 'stuff'. I had stopped using one of my
greatest tools as a therapist...my mind! This realization made me mad and I was
all of the sudden motivated by the challenges, humored by some of the less than
stellar ideas I had, and inspired by the gratification that comes with successful
problem solving. I am a
natural communicator. It has been a strength I have relied
on clinically and I was curious how the language barrier
would impact my connection to the patients. It took a little
getting used to, I struggled with knowing, who do I look
at. How much do i say at one time? And things of that nature, but I also
realized that the process creates this beautiful moment of complete silence. I
would sit and listen
as Andrew or Pascal relayed information to a patient and as
the patient was responding, I wasn’t already thinking about my own response or
asking a question that may change or interrupt their thoughts. Because I didn’t
understand the words they were saying, I was just sitting and listening, watching
the faces and body language of the patients
waiting for the translation. I learned again that my eyes
& ears are also very powerful pieces of equipment that I
may be under utilizing at home. I am not
suggesting that the equipment & resources we have in the
US are not beneficial and often needed for success,
and I
wish the clinic had more of them, but it was important
for me to be reminded that tools like watching, listening,
problem solving and creativity combined with motivation,
determination and laughter, can not only bring hope and
healing to patients, but can remind a therapist why they chose and love what
they do.
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