by Amanda Scanlon
In July of 2013, I first went to Haiti as a Britsionary. This was my first time doing any sort of service trip. A week that proved to dramatically change my life. After my experience I was more aware of my life on a day-to-day basis. What I was choosing to do, how it would affect me and my happiness. I looked for ways to be truly happy, as I had seen so many of the Haitian people during the course of my week. These people were living in the worst poverty in the Western Hemisphere and I was home in my comfortable life looking for happiness. I started to look deeper and knew it had to come from within. I knew there was a deeper meaning to life and I had to find that. I had to go back to Haiti and experience this true happiness again. I did just that by booking a flight for Christmas of 2013.
Over the course of my second week in Haiti for Christmas, I developed a stronger connection to the children. I found it amazing how resilient they were considering the circumstances from which they came. They were more grateful for the simple things in life than I ever expected. I knew I needed to again find my way back and do more, especially with these children. So I again booked another trip to Be Like Brit. I created a program out of something that was a source of my happiness- dance. I had been a dancer for 25 years and taught classes for about 12 years.
As it was, my life had a different path laid out for me. After many conversations with Len and Cherylann and much consideration, I made the decision to move to Haiti and work with the children and staff on the educational program at Be Like Brit. At the beginning of July 2014, I moved to Haiti and instead of implementing my dance program, jumped into my work as the “Assistant to the Program Director”. I came down to Haiti expecting to impress upon the staff and children of Haiti important educational goals, methods, and strategies praying that my work would make a difference in their lives in the smallest of ways. I was eager and excited as I left Boston on July 10th and even more excited to arrive in Grand Goâve on July 11th.
Sitting here 13 months later, I know that it’s my life that has been impacted beyond belief. So much has happened further beyond my expectations than I could ever have imagined. I have spent the past 13 months sharing moments of happiness, sadness, pain, excitement, and pure joy with 66 of the most incredible children. I have been blessed to work with 89 of the most caring individuals in our Haitian staff. I have been grateful for the support and guidance that I have been given from Len, Cherylann, Bernie and Richie as well as the incredible BLB staff Gama, Kristin, Jonathan, Doreen and Melissa. I have also been blessed to cross paths with the numerous Britsionarys that have spent time in Haiti and the communications that I have had with our Sponsors.
Life has yet again brought me to another path and I will be packing up my bags and heading back home to my family. I will be leaving on Saturday to yet again pursue my love of education and teaching in the kindergarten classroom. However, I will certainly not be doing that without leaving behind more than 66 pieces of my heart, numerous friendships and a love for the Haitian people beyond words.
The past 13 months of my life have by far been the most incredible experience I have had and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I followed my heart to Haiti and will subsequently be leaving a great piece of it behind in Grand Goâve. I am so thankful for the Be Like Brit family that I have been so lucky to call mine. I am leaving Haiti with more than I ever could have expected- overwhelmed by love, life lessons and experiences that I never expected in my life. If you told me 10, or even 5, years ago that I would spend a year of my life in a developing country, I would have laughed. Now I can’t imagine my life without the experience of living in Haiti.
I am leaving Haiti with great hope. This hope is multi-dimensional. I have great hope for Haiti as a country and the endless development that I have witnessed. Each time I have flown in and out of the airport there is more progress being made. I have hope for the people of Grand Goâve and their endless work ethic. I have hope for our Haitian staff and their continued commitment to the children at Be Like Brit. They are the most caring people as I said before and truly treat the children at BLB as their own sons or daughters. The connections between the children and our staff are to be learned from. I have the greatest of hope for our 66 children. These children have the greatest of opportunity available to them and I can only hope that each and every one of them continues to take advantage of that. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of our children from Fredo and Delienne right down to Shilove and John Jeffrey. These children truly have what it takes to be incredible leaders and make a difference in the world.
While I’m sure this will be an emotional week for me leading up to my departure on Saturday, I intent to cherish each and every moment I have with the children and staff alike. There is no way I could ever express to them my gratefulness and appreciation for every moment of every day over the past 13 months. I have been supported through challenges and moments of difficulty and shared the most incredible moments of true happiness and joy.
Thank you to everyone who has and continues to support Be Like Brit in every way, shape and form. Each little part is what makes everything possible for the children on a day in and day out basis.
With endless hope for the children of Haiti at Be Like Brit,
Amanda
