Week 1: Welcome to Haiti

There is a scene in the movie “Interstellar” that really struck me the first time I saw it. Cooper and his father in law Donald are talking on the porch before he leaves on a mission to space, and he is unsure if/when he will return. After a moment of silence staring out into space, the two of them turn to each other and say:

Donald: This world was never enough for you, was it Coop?

Cooper: What, because heading out there is what I was born to do? And it excites me? No, that does not make it wrong.

Donald: It might, don’t trust the right thing done for the wrong reason. The why of the thing, that’s the foundation

Cooper: The foundation’s solid.

Sunday night as I called friends to say my goodbyes and drove to the airport with my family, I began to realize how much I was going to miss everyone, but I was completely confident that my foundation was solid. I feel called to discover what I was born to do, especially if that means venturing outside the realms of the world I was born into. Although it may seem crazy to some, the journey excites me and I know I am on the right path to find my purpose. Monday morning that path led me to Port au Prince, Haiti, and over the next 9 weeks I will be here interning with a social enterprise named Rebuild Globally. The road here has been a long one, but I am quickly getting settled into my temporary new life here and taking time to reflect on my journey thus far.

Flying into Port-au-Prince (June 1 2015)

Just over a year ago on May 21st 2014, I landed in Chennai, India as part of the Opus Prize vetting team visiting Gollapalli Israel, a social entrepreneur working to empower Dalit untouchables in the slums of India’s fourth largest city. The experience drove home the reality of chronic poverty and suffering that exists in the world, and it was a truly enlightening experience because it called me into a life of action.

Having attended Jesuit institutions of higher learning for the previous five years (Jesuit High School and Gonzaga University), I had a large vocabulary in the subject of social justice and activism, and I had done several service learning projects over that time, but seeing the human spirit of hope, creativity and individuality burning in the eyes of every individual I met in the slums of Chennai caused me to understand the implications of such an experience on my life. The only way I could fully repay these people who had so generously given me a window into their lives was to work to give them, and others similarly affected around the world, access to opportunities to achieve their innate human potential.

After returning to the US and working with World Vision US the remainder of the summer, I went back to school with an intense sense of purpose: to use my education to ameliorate the lives of those less fortunate than me. At first I felt like I was wasting my time in classes that had nothing to do with my purpose (Macroeconomics and Managerial Accounting were a struggle), but over time I realized the tools that I received through these classes were essential to maximize my impact once out of school (sustainable access to opportunity means breaking the cycle of poverty and creating jobs, requiring at least a basic understanding of accounting and economic ideas, if only to try and reform them later).

Source: http://www.arborbrothers.org/draft/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/cycle_graphic.jpg

Then, one chilly November night in Spokane I came across an internship posting as I prepared for my final Opus Night presentation on social impact careers (a talk you can view here). “Operations Intern”… “Port-au-Prince, Haiti”… “Knowledge of French Required”… “Interest in Social Entrepreneurship, Sociology and Business Preferred”. I wrote my cover letter as soon as I got back from the presentation that night, and the rest is history.

“The only way I could fully repay these people … was to work to give them, and others similarly affected around the world, access to opportunities to achieve their innate human potential.”

From left to right: Annette, Betty, Andremene, Daphne, Kettly, Jesslie, Minouche, Myself, and Jolina. Read their stories at http://deuxmains.com/pages/artisans

My first week here in Port-au-Prince has been a whirlwind, but after feeling completely overwhelmed Monday, today (Friday) I feel like I’m really catching my stride. Haiti is a complicated country on so many levels, with its colonial history, its independence in 1804 (making it the second oldest republic in the western hemisphere), and the past several decades of political turmoil and disasters (both natural and unnatural). Working with Rebuild this summer is an unbelievable privilege, and I’ve loved getting to know the artisans this first week and contributing towards the future success of the social business by beginning to develop quality control measures, purchasing schedules and optimizing workflow and production. My journey is only just beginning here in Haiti, but with a solid foundation and a great support network helping me get adjusted, I’m optimistic about getting the most out of the experience!

The view from my room… if only there were A/C!

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