Ordinary

Today, in one of the hottest days I have been here, I visited two typical orphanages in Haiti.  We played with the children, which involved basketball, Legos, decorating cookies and slippers, and jumping rope.  We were awarded with many smiles, songs, and hugs.  Throughout the trip, I have noticed Haitian children are very loving and grateful for the smallest things, which can be seeing with children from orphanages or even children on the side of road.  They seem to have a better understanding of the value of the small things in life compared to many people in the states.  We brought a bag of Legos that a team member no longer uses and the children were definitely appreciative of every last block.

When I first arrived in Haiti, everything was so new to me.  Seeing tin shacks, goats, open air markets, and unattended children on the side of the severely beat down roads was an incredible sight and almost hard to believe.  As I was riding through the country side today, I came into the realization that witnessing this way of life now seems ordinary to me.  I am no longer surprised at seeing any of these sights. When I first arrived, I could not understand how somebody could possibly be happy in such conditions.  How do the children, men, and women have smiles on their faces as they're sitting in a tin shack with no food and a bucket of water to last the whole week?  How can people, especially the people with no homes and the elderly, be so friendly and outgoing when life is literally a struggle to even survive every day?  How can they thank God for the little they have?  I think in the daily struggle to survive, it's easy to be thankful for the blessings one receives.  The Haitians value the things in life that really matter.

Next time you're taking a hot shower, eating a warm meal, sitting in an air conditioned room, watching T.V., enjoying a comfortable bed, or driving your car to work, realize what a blessings these things really are and what an excellent life you lead.

Alex Kopen