Down, but not out

(I promise, this post can be read with no bathroom breaks needed)

Probably one of the most interesting experiences about living abroad is seeing the way in which your adoptive country is portrayed by your home country. In this case, the way Haiti is portrayed in the American media.

Certainly, a critique on this subject could fill books - and probably has - but what motived me to write today were recent headlines I've seen in American (and other international) media calling the situation in Haiti "hopeless". Now, don't get me wrong - there are certainly challenges in this country that, at times, seem insurmountable. Public health, politics, education, brain drain, economy, violence - just a few problem areas in Haiti.

Yet - hopeless? It just seems like the Haitians are doomed to failure before they even have a chance to tackle these challenges. I recognize that we live sheltered lives in this country and that somewhere, at all times, parents are choosing which of their children will get to eat the meal that cannot be split among all.

However, facing these obstacles - life goes on.

Each morning, children still go to school. Haitians get up, get dressed, and battle traffic to get to work. The airport, seaport, customs and immigration zones at the borders all open. Merchants set-up shops on the sides of the street. Police patrol, alongside the UN, and direct traffic. It all feels very...normal.

And what I guess I can't imagine is, how it would feel for a third country to call the situation in my own country "hopeless." Certainly, the US government (read: taxpayer) has invested incredible amounts of money here - as have governments and NGOs from around the world. But does that give us the right to deem the future of an entire nation - one that we've probably never visited - devoid of hope?

The demographics in this country are startling - the median age is 20 years old. 40% of the country is under 14. But it is exactly for this reason that, I believe, there is hope for Haiti. And as long as people continue to get-up each morning, to dress and feed their children for school, to work and talk and laugh and live - then there is hope.

Life is certainly not easy in this country, and there are many issues that haven't even begun to be addressed, but I give credit to the strength of the Haitian people - who continue to live their lives in spite of the challenges, working to build a better future they know their children deserve. And that, in my mind, is what it means to have hope.