Shane

My family recently came to visit me in Haiti. This was something I was both looking forward to and anxious for.  Those of you who know me well probably aren't surprised by this, as this is how I can be with most things. I was nervous to have my littlest brother and my dad experience Haiti. I thought that in many ways that they might not understand, as many people don’t. I thought the language barrier might make for awkward, uncomfortable situations. I was concerned that they might not fall in love with the very people that have my heart. 

Most people who live in a different culture have issues with people understanding them- both from their own culture and the one they are immersed in. Those of us who have spent enough time in a different culture begin to see the world through a different lens, through a lens that is not better or worse than people who don't have it; just different. It is hard to connect with people who haven't seen what I have seen here in Haiti. I was really praying that by bringing my family here that it would help bridge the gap of misunderstanding and bring them into that middle-man land that I live in of understanding two cultures. It is a land that opens up questions, concerns, and love that is unfathomable without this lens. 

As they saw my country, met my children, saw my home my heart was warmed. They saw the beauty, the depth, the pain, the determination, the love that is Haiti. My little brother had to write twenty things that he noticed while he was here as an extra credit assignment from one of his teachers. When my mom shared the list with me, I saw that my prayers were answered. Maybe his life wasn’t radically changed, maybe he wasn’t drastically moved but he got a taste and most importantly he understood others. He was able to see differences and see the love and life in other people. 

Here is Haiti through the eyes of a 12-year-old: 

1. Not all kids are able to go to school. 
2. The schools don't have real walls, there are roofs made of tin 
3. People are a lot nicer and look out and care for each other
4. There is a feeling of community here 
5. Roads are not paved, they are very bumpy!
6. The land is different, lots of mountains. 
7. They don't speak English, they speak Creole and French
8. Some kids don't have clothes
9. They play outside. They love soccer. 
10. They don't play video games or really watch TV
11. There is no system for the garbage, it is everywhere and they burn it. 
12. They seem to really have fun. 
13. They are formal, even the kids shake hands 
14. Adults joke around a lot 
15. Tap-Taps and motorcycles are used to get around 
16. The roads are really bumpy and winding 
17. There is no speed limits, you can even drive on the sidewalk if you want 
18. The gas stations can sell out of gas. 
19. The grocery stores are on the side of the roads or outside
20. Goats, Cows, Pigs and dogs wander around

It may not be a list of extreme depth or knowledge but he came, he learned and he loved. He saw people in a situation that is very much unlike the one that he lives in. He saw kids who have an extreme amount of fun and joy. He saw kids who didn't need TV or video games to have fun. He saw kids who communicated through tag, soccer, joking around rather than texting and apps. He saw people working hard to make their lives. We should all be like Shane, and openly enter into new cultures and let them change our lenses. It is a privilege to let new cultures openly effect our lives, let the love that other people have make an impact on our lives. It is a beautiful thing to be changed by a new understanding of others.