I left the hospital this morning, and I am on my way home. The past week feels like it has lasted a year. I suppose it's the combination of long hours and high amounts of sensory and emotional in-put. I have learned a lot, and I doubt I will be able to unpack it all for a while.
I have a lot of seemingly contradictory emotions. I feel joy for things like Haitians escaping from rubble, American doctors giving up time and resources to help people they have never met, and people working together for a common goal despite linguistic and cultural differences. I also feel discouragement about the sheer size of the crisis, and the number of obstacles that are preventing real solutions from emerging. Selfishness, incompetence, corruption, despair, and racism remain strong.
It is saddening to hear the pain in one individual person's story, and then to multiply that pain by the number that have been killed or displaced. It is a little overwhelming.
But as my new friends like to sing: Haiti is Alive! I hope I get a chance to continue being connected with relief efforts. I definitely want to keep doing this stuff in my career.
Thanks for following my story. I am going to bed now.
PepsiCo. and Nutrition in Ethiopia
12 years ago
1 comment:
Thank you for telling your story. I was looking for news related to relief efforts along the Dominican/ Hatian border after the quake and found your blog very interesting and informative. I have a special interest in the D.R. as I lived and worked there 27 years ago and had Peace Corp volunteer friends at the time. I felt an immediate connection to your story and comments.
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