Cultural Exchange

Greetings from Haiti!

Since my arrival I have been asked several times if this is what I expected. Well I think it is unfortunately as I expected. It is very hot! There's no beating that. There are mosquitoes everywhere and despite the bug spray I still manage to get bit. Also, I did not think I could understand the languages used, but I have actually been able to communicate with patients pretty well. But all that aside the way of life here is not the picture I had before I set foot on solid ground at the airport. I fully expected to see sadness where there is a bright spirit and laughter. The people here are so alive and yearn to enjoy life just as we do. I tell myself in the morning and on the walk back home that I am lucky in life and that I should be truely grateful for what I have.

Now- as for my cultural experience I have found that there are many differences as far as priority is concerned. I help fit reading glasses at the clinic and see only a fraction of the patients seen each day. On the first day many came in only for glasses that were comfortable and improved their ability to see. However, a young man came in dressed in his Sunday-best looking for glasses that made him look smarter. He definitely needed them, but he wanted to make an impression with his accessory. This small encounter made me think about my priorities. Is my image to the world that important? And how do people perceive me?

Yesterday my interpreter and I had a few minutes between patients and he asked what I do for a living. I told him about being a student and working at a pet store. His head tilted to the side as I explained that in the United States many people have animals such as dogs, cats and hamsters in their homes. He didn't really understand why some one would keep a "tail-less rat" in box at home, let alone buy one.

Front the second story of the clinic (which is actually just an open floor with a roof and no walls) you can see for miles it seems. In the distance there are blue and gray mountains and just at the edge of the gate there is a dirt road where on occasion a motorcycle or taptap will rumble by.

Waiting in line with the heat and heat was difficult for the patients seen throughout the clinic. Here a line of men and women wait to see Nicole- our general physician.

A man waiting outside the clinic with an elderly woman. He say I had a camera and waved.

Working with an interpreter to focus each participant's concerns and find the right physician.
Bon soir! Julia Greer