It’s funny to think about the questions that people don’t ask when they find out I’m going to Haiti. Nobody has asked what kind of money they use in Haiti. Nobody has asked if I’m going to be living in the inner city, along the beach, or up in the mountains. They don’t ask if I’ll get time to off to see the other Caribbean islands or the Dominican Republic. However, I have been asked if there are toilets in Haiti. I’ve been asked if there is running water. I’ve been asked if I am going to call my mom every night so someone knows where I am at all times (like my mom didn’t realize that was a lost cause since the 5th grade.) And mostly I’ve been asked why I would want to go for an entire year.

     If I were to go for a couple weeks or a couple months, I would never get to see the world through a Haitian’s eyes. I would be an observer, passively participating in a foreign place. In a few weeks I wouldn’t see from a new perspective. I couldn’t form a true friendship in a month. And mostly, I couldn’t make a meaningful difference in the lives of those I am going to help. In a few weeks you can give money or supplies, but what good does that do unless another person follows in your footsteps? Are you going to make sure someone comes behind you to continue lending a hand? A full year will allow me to truly experience the world from another point of view. I will get to make friends and learn about their struggles, their achievements and share my own. And hopefully, if I do my job well, I will get to make a difference in the lives of many sick Haitian people by getting them medications quickly and without hassle. I know that there are many Haitian people who could come in and set up a pharmacy, so I am going to try to use my differences to help out additionally. I am going to learn everything I can about pharmacy and medication before I go. I am going to work in another non-profit pharmacy to learn about how to manage shortages and influxes of medications. I hope that I can use my Rotary contacts to provide donated supplies. And maybe even convince friends and colleagues in medical professions to come down and volunteer.

     I’M GOING TO HAITI!!! I can’t believe it! I have wanted this for so long and now I actually get the chance to go! I got home from my night shift in the ER at 6:30am this morning, so nervous to talk to Wynn about the possibility of my volunteer trip. We hadn’t even finalized our plans to talk to this morning, but I got online in case he was on. I was so nervous because I thought that the news would be bad I had knots in my stomach and felt nauseated. Then, as the conversation started to turn positive, I started to get so excited and adrenaline was rushing through me. I was so shaky and tired and excited. He gave me an offer and then Vicky sent me an official offer a couple hours later. I can’t believe it! She gave me the names and email addresses of some other volunteers who have been to Haiti post-earthquake, so that I can talk to them about their experiences. I officially have one week to accept their offer, but as far as I’m concerned it’s a done deal! I get to go! I’m excited to hear from the previous volunteers though and listen to their experiences. They will know how I can best prepare myself and I’m definitely going to take their advice seriously.

     My position while I’m there is going to be setting up a pharmacy that supplies a cholera rehydration center, a small ER and ICU, and a malnutrition center. I also am going to be organizing the logistics of short-term volunteers who come to stay and learn about the home and hospital. I think that setting up the pharmacy will be a great thing for me to do. I will get to learn about all different kinds of medication which I currently know nothing about (time to get studying!) But it will play to what I love to do which is building something from the ground up. The pharmacy will be my project and I’ll get to see results as we build and organize this pharmacy. Obviously having a working pharmacy is incredibly important to any type of treatment facility and I think it will be great that I get to work with the three different centers. As for organizing the stays of short-term volunteers, I think that it will be so fun. I’ll constantly be getting to talk to people who are excited about coming to Haiti and learning about the NPFS home and hospital. Working on the Special Events committee for Friends of the Orphans, that is what I had been doing- getting other people excited about the homes and the work that this organization does. I’ll get to meet people from all over the world and play hostess during their stay. So awesome!