- L
- J
Hi all!
It's that time again! I am being called back to volunteer in Haiti this summer. This time, it's because I have discovered a true calling.
In the past, I have always felt a sense of urgency to get back up into the beautiful mountains of Lafond, Haiti. Maybe it was for the people, the atmosphere, the church, the work, the food, or everything else the community has to offer. I never really found a precise answer until I found myself teaching there.
The company I now travel with, Reach Out, has always followed the motto to "connect first, and work later." I always agreed, but I never truly understood until I met Tiwill.
Tiwill is a boy that approached me during a workday, asking if I knew French and if I could translate some English for him. I sat down with him and a few other boys in the grass, and translated one word after another in my journal for them to see and say out loud. Tiwill was a fast learner, and extremely eager to communicate. I had a weird sense of motivation as I saw how dedicated he was, so I asked the Pastor of the area to tell Tiwill that if he wanted to come back and learn from me that night after dinner, I would be willing to teach him more. He showed up that night dressed in his best clothes, having walked through the darkness and up the hill just to learn. I sat through the night with him and taught him vocabulary, moving onto grammar, and so on. He would go home and practice, and I would test him throughout the next day. This continued on for the rest of my time in Lafond, except that every night, more and more kids came walking up the hill with Tiwill eager for a lesson. I fell in love with it; so when Jayme (the owner of Reach Out) organized a trip that was specifically for us to hold English classes in their school, I immediately bought my tickets.
That was my last trip to Lafond, and it was the best one yet. I taught my own English class, and found my true calling. Everyday that we woke up, I was so motivated to teach. Every night after class, I was so excited to see Tiwill and other students coming up the hill to clarify concepts or learn even more. I am in the process of changing my major so that I can experience that feeling in the classroom all over the world for the rest of my career days. It brings me life to watch an individual go from not grasping a concept, to smiling and saying they understand it after I teach them from a different angle. Above all, I live to watch them appreciate education in a way I have never seen.
The people of Lafond walked hours away from their homes just to sit down and learn. They are the most motivated and most deserving people, and I hope to get back to teaching them.
That is why I am reaching out to all of you, to help me get back into the classroom of Lafond with these amazing people. I paid for my last trip in February, but cannot finance this trip by myself.
The trip in July is a combined Medical and Teaching focus. We will be working with volunteer medical professionals and teaching different levels of English in their schools in tandem. Your donations will allow me to purchase my tickets to get there and back, as well as pay for food and housing.
This trip is extremely important to me. It gives me the opportunity to see the people I consider family, especially the two children that I sponsor. I would be beyond appreciative if you could help reunite me with the community and the classroom!
It's that time again! I am being called back to volunteer in Haiti this summer. This time, it's because I have discovered a true calling.
In the past, I have always felt a sense of urgency to get back up into the beautiful mountains of Lafond, Haiti. Maybe it was for the people, the atmosphere, the church, the work, the food, or everything else the community has to offer. I never really found a precise answer until I found myself teaching there.
The company I now travel with, Reach Out, has always followed the motto to "connect first, and work later." I always agreed, but I never truly understood until I met Tiwill.
Tiwill is a boy that approached me during a workday, asking if I knew French and if I could translate some English for him. I sat down with him and a few other boys in the grass, and translated one word after another in my journal for them to see and say out loud. Tiwill was a fast learner, and extremely eager to communicate. I had a weird sense of motivation as I saw how dedicated he was, so I asked the Pastor of the area to tell Tiwill that if he wanted to come back and learn from me that night after dinner, I would be willing to teach him more. He showed up that night dressed in his best clothes, having walked through the darkness and up the hill just to learn. I sat through the night with him and taught him vocabulary, moving onto grammar, and so on. He would go home and practice, and I would test him throughout the next day. This continued on for the rest of my time in Lafond, except that every night, more and more kids came walking up the hill with Tiwill eager for a lesson. I fell in love with it; so when Jayme (the owner of Reach Out) organized a trip that was specifically for us to hold English classes in their school, I immediately bought my tickets.
That was my last trip to Lafond, and it was the best one yet. I taught my own English class, and found my true calling. Everyday that we woke up, I was so motivated to teach. Every night after class, I was so excited to see Tiwill and other students coming up the hill to clarify concepts or learn even more. I am in the process of changing my major so that I can experience that feeling in the classroom all over the world for the rest of my career days. It brings me life to watch an individual go from not grasping a concept, to smiling and saying they understand it after I teach them from a different angle. Above all, I live to watch them appreciate education in a way I have never seen.
The people of Lafond walked hours away from their homes just to sit down and learn. They are the most motivated and most deserving people, and I hope to get back to teaching them.
That is why I am reaching out to all of you, to help me get back into the classroom of Lafond with these amazing people. I paid for my last trip in February, but cannot finance this trip by myself.
The trip in July is a combined Medical and Teaching focus. We will be working with volunteer medical professionals and teaching different levels of English in their schools in tandem. Your donations will allow me to purchase my tickets to get there and back, as well as pay for food and housing.
This trip is extremely important to me. It gives me the opportunity to see the people I consider family, especially the two children that I sponsor. I would be beyond appreciative if you could help reunite me with the community and the classroom!