You may have ideas or visions of how life is lived in Haiti, but until you come experience it for yourself you must rely on the information provided by photos, films, or blog posts. My name is Brian Michaud, I am studying Mechanical Engineering at Syracuse and in order to bring the true eye of Haiti back to the states I have had my camera rolling since I stepped onto the plane to Port Au Prince, Haiti. Before I left, my friends and family would tell me, “Brian, this is going to be such an eye opener, you are going to be shocked!” I knew, just as they did, that parts of the world, and ways of life that I had never seen before were about to be revealed. I’ve seen photos, and I’ve watched documentaries, but nothing can describe the feeling you get when you step out of that plane, down the stairs, onto a landing strip that is over one thousand miles from the last point you touched the earth.
I immediately realized just how big this world is and how many different cultures can be created all at once. The Haitians are genius recyclers and I can see their joy in the simplest things, which I am so jealous of. Sometimes we get caught up in such a material world that we forget about enjoying the beauty of life itself. The college campus in Haiti is much smaller and there is nothing but a chalk board and desks to sit and learn from. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but after meeting a few students from the University it was clear to me that this did not matter to them. After struggling to speak french with one student in an attempt to explain to him our mission to install internet, I was blessed with a loving handshake and smile that I will never forget. The students are so nice! I pass by each student with a simple smile, or hello, and receive much more than anything I would in Syracuse. It baffled me at first to see that students who have so little can be so happy. But, I soon realized that his made perfect sense. There are no sororities, no fraternities, no in crowd, no out crowd. No distractions, everybody knows everybody and that is because, life is simple. The things to appreciate are right in front of your eyes, friends, family, knowledge, life.