Haiti: my first impressions

Okay even though it's been a few months since I went to Haiti, I'm finally ready to share about my experiences now. (I'm kind of a bad blogger...ha)

Haiti---- 
A republic in the West Indies on the western part of the island of Hispaniola; achieved independence from France in 1804; the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.


--- Because I had traveled to a few other countries in my life I had created a picture in my mind of what I thought Haiti would be like based on those countries and based on what I had heard previously about Haiti.  There were definitely some similarities, however I was mostly shocked on how my imagination had failed me. It's hard to explain sometimes, I knew that it was a poor nation and had just been devastated by an earthquake so I was expecting some tough stuff, I thought I'd be prepared...but I honestly think that the nation we live in and the crazy spoiled life I have kind of blurs things.
      In every country I have visited, I had the chance to see an area that was struggling...with houses made out of palm leaves and card board, families making less than $2 a day and so many necessities (ie. health care, education, water) out of reach. I visit these areas of extreme poverty for a few days and return to the areas that have developed a little more...many of these developed areas are still struggling and by many American standards lack so much but they visibly have more than the extreme places I mentioned. Okay, so that's what I guess I was expecting in Haiti. That yes, there were going to be some of those places but you could eventually drive out of it and see something different. Now I'm not saying Haiti doesn't have this...every country has some rich people, poor and those in between but by what I first saw I was shocked by the magnitude of people living in that extreme poverty which I had only seen in a few places in the other countries.

A river/stream where people washed clothes, bathed, got drinking water from.

You see those two boards over the hole? That's a toilet!

the soccer field.

Now another thing that I hadn't totally expected was the positive attitude so many of the people here had. I guess I've met these kind of people before...in the other countries... but it never ceases to amaze me. It always is an eye opener in the way I view things in my every day life.  ..it makes me smile and feel like crying all at the same time. How beautiful to see people shine despite their circumstances?  Kids not complaining when they have to play soccer with a basketball in a field full of trash. Churches jubilant in their praise towards God while jam-packed in a hot, un-air-conditioned room. Families offering what they have to you when they might not have it. People who work allllll day just to come out with maybe $2. Or kids that mention that they've only had one meal the entire day and usually go to bed hungry but never stop smiling or playing with you.
All these situations and struggles really are incredibly sad and no human should have to go through them, it's not fair that many of us are able to eat until we feel sick, throw money away on frivolous things, and not think twice about clean water, getting health care or even on who will pick up our trash. There is SO much that we need to be doing...but I guess I'll write about that in a different blog.
Back to the Haitians....after the earthquake I remember watching a show late at night, there was this guy talking about all the bad things that had happened in the last day to him. I remember this because he had a strength in the way he talked...he said something like...there are times I feel like giving up, us Haitians have been through so much, but then I realize that we are fighters and can make it through anything. I remember being awed by his attitude and realizing how much we...I could benefit from having that same kind of view. I tried to imagine myself in a similar situation and couldn't. It's really amazing to think of the power God has given people to make it through things you'd never thought possible.
Haiti had lots of people like that guy on the show. They were making it despite all of the obvious drawbacks, they were not giving up and they were full of hope. Haiti is a beautiful country with some beautiful people and I'm so blessed that I even got the chance to go. I can't wait to go back...and I can't wait to share more stories of my time there! :) For now I hope to have a Haitian kind of attitude in my everyday life!!

a birthday wish

A recent headline directed me to this little girl and her 9th birthday wish. She learned about charity water through her church and decided that instead of birthday presents she wanted people to donate money. She was touched by what Charity Water was doing for people around the world and decided she wanted to help. Her goal by her 9th birthday was to get people to donate $300. I know about this little girl's goal because of the news article and she was featured in the news article because of her death. The little girl, Rachel, was in a car accident before she had the chance to reach her 9th birthday. As of today, Rachel has 50 more days until her 9th birthday and her goal of $300 has already been reached...and surpassed...it is currently $865,585! Amazing huh?! Not only have the people donating been touched by Rachel and her wish, an estimated 43,296 people have also been affected by her wish by receiving clean water... and just a quick fact I saw...4,900 kids will die today because of water related illnesses. What a blessing she was and continues to be!


Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1Timothy 4:12

Here's the link to her page and the reason why she wanted to help...the heart of a child is beautiful....
http://www.mycharitywater.org/p/campaign?campaign_id=16396

charity: water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects

l'equip petit....the little team

Today I was interviewed and the woman asked me what characteristics I love about kids...this video is one example of why kids are so great :)


l'equip petit from el cangrejo on Vimeo.

who says

Who's the judge of pretty, who says you can't do something, who says you have to do that, who says? All around I hear people put down others for one thing or another. I hear girls think they are less of a person because they are not attached to someone else. I see the confidence of  a child being torn down because someone says they can't. People start trying to impress everyone else and end up losing themselves. We become preoccupied with petty things and forget life.  How boring would it be if everyone was exactly the same?  How much of an impact do you think we could have if we stopped idolizing and centering our lives on image, on having the "right" brands, on acting or doing the things everyone else is and instead honed in on our God given talents, passions, personalities, plans and even looks? Knowing that you are only here to impress one, which is your Creator, could make life oh so sweet. Knowing that God has made everything beautiful and loves us with an unexplainable love should banish all the negativity you hear and see around you...not to mention all the stress that comes with trying to be who you're not.  Realizing that the person with a big nose or a stutter, or whatever else it may be, is formed in the image of a God who makes no mistakes should also change the way we decide to treat others. You are not stuck if you choose not to be, you are not ugly, you are not unwanted, you are not alone...you only have to believe that...love yourself, love others, love God and live your life.

your worth does not come from your body, your mind, your work, what you produce, what you put out, how much money you make. Your worth does not come from whether or not you have a man. You have inestimable worth that comes from your creator. 

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11. 

We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

The Help

Just finished The Help and I loved it. Pretty quick read with a great story. It takes place in Mississippi during the civil rights movement. It's centered around the black women that work for white families as their maids. It's really crazy to see the way people were...and still are being treated for silly things like the color of skin...I recommend reading it and afterward you can join me for the movie!!! I'm also going to go to the Freedom center in Cincinnati to learn more about our nation's race issues, the underground railroad, slavery and civil rights! (which you're also welcome to!)

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let's make a piNata!!!

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Okay so when I was younger I remember making pinatas with my mom! It was such a fun, cheap craft and at the end you got to show it off to everyone while busting into some candy. I loved it then and I still love to make them so I thought I'd share! This is super easy...you can be very creative with it also. I am going to teach you how to make the simplest piñata ever and then I'll give some tips on how to make them more intricate.

What you need:
- a balloon ---> Since I'm going SUPER simple I'm just going to use one regular balloon...if you want to get all fancy you can use several balloons, different sizes, or cardboard. But how bout' we try that later?? ha
- mixing bowl ---> to put your water and flour in...(the paste)
- water ----> I like to make my water warm, makes it a little easier to deal with
- flour---- for every 2 cups of flour you use, pour about a cup of water in. I honestly just pour the two until I get a consistency I like...but that sounds about right. Just make sure it's not lumpy...it's gotta be thin enough to dip your newspaper strips. I guess you can compare it to pudding right before it gets hard...ya know?
- lots of old newspaper---> tear your newspaper into strips...about 1-2 inches wide. This part does not have to be perfect, so don't spend all your time measuring...just rip away!! ha
- crepe/tissue paper--->you can get the kind you wrap gifts with, the kind that comes in rolls...whatever.
- rope/string/ribbon...something that will connect it to a tree or a bigger rope later.
- glue
- scissors

So, blow up your balloon. Mix the flour and water in your bowl. Rip your newspaper to pieces and dip them in the bowl...get ready to get messy!

( tip...to make it easier to put strips on your balloon,  sit the balloon in a bowl so it's not rolling around everywhere)

You have to cover your balloon completely with the newspaper. The more layers of newspaper you use the harder it is to bust open later...I love to put a lot!! It works best if you put one layer on then wait a little while for that to dry some and put your next layer on. (maybe 5 minutes...I'm not to patient) Once you have all the layers you want on there, you wait. This is the worst part. It takes a while to really get hard. I'd give it about 2 days. If it's sunny/dry outside it doesn't take as long. I used to put it either outside or right in front of a fan to make it go faster, :D

OK so after it's finally dry you cut out a hole at the top big enough to fill it with candy/toys. When you cut the hole, you'll pop the balloon underneath and pull it out. When I cut my hole I like to leave a little section connected so it's not so hard to cover up (like a latch door)...you can also cover it with another layer of newspaper...with cardboard..with crepe paper.. You'll also need to poke two small holes on the top/side to pull the ribbon/rope through.


Now this is where you use your imagination! It's time to FINALLY decorate.
you can scrunch up the crepe paper, cut into strips, paint your piNata, or use different material to cover it up.

Here are some examples I found on the computer!

Once it's decorated to your liking break it open and have some fun!!

soy latina!

 My Dad is from Kentucky and my Mom is from Honduras...so I'm Latina. I did not grow up speaking Spanish nor was I born/raised in a Latin country but it's in my blood and I have definitely fallen in love with the culture. Luckily, I've been able to visit a few places in Latin America and experience the life first hand.  Since there are SO many things I love about my culture I'm going to try and share it!!! Recipes, dances, music,crafts, language....etc. Enjoy!