Some Lessons Learned This Year

As the school year is coming to a close and I am exactly 7 days away from flying home and closing out my first year in this country I am beginning to think back over this year and all I have learned. Some lessons are silly, some may not make sense, some have changed me forever. 

So, in school teacher writing prompt fashion, here we go:

This year in Haiti I have learned...

...how to use a gas stove.

...how to properly wash and peel vegetables that may want to kill me.

…. that a drive shaft can fall out of a car.

…. that Haiti is the hottest place on the planet and it’s not even close.

…. how to drive in Haiti.

…. life isn’t fair and the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” is inexpressibly large and devastating.

…. some Creole.

….7^th and 8^th graders are the most awkward little people in the world.

… God has a plan for each of us and we should just say yes to it.

…. cats are actually kind of cool.

…. God didn’t make anything without a purpose, but he came close with mosquitoes.

….Air conditioning might be the coolest thing. ever. (lame pun)

…. beans and rice are awesome.

…. only one person can save the world and it isn’t you and it isn’t me.

….only one person can save Haiti; again, it’s not you and it’s not me.

….people matter more than tasks.

…. stuff is just stuff. Sometimes it causes more problems than it solves.

…. this world is jacked up. Not just Haiti, America too. It’s got big problems and Jesus needs to come back soon and wreck shop. 

….that we are made for community.

….that community is one other way that God shows his love for us.

….that Downton Abbey is an awesome show.

….that mangoes are another way God tells us he loves us.

….internet can be the most frustrating thing on the planet.

….walking is fun.

….how to play Pinchole and Ultimate Frisbee.

….when at all possible, don’t get stitches in a Haiti hospital

….my school is a cool place to work.

….I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

This is not an exhaustive list of what I’ve learned, but just a few that immediately come to mind. I’ve learned a lot and still have a lot to learn.