alright, so here is a very long overdue attempt to recap the summer.
the patagonias, camping for 30 days, and tanks.
so austin had a fun filled summer of continuous army training and traveling. to start off he went down on a 'cultural exchange' to chile for a month. he got to study at the chilean military academy in santiago, and learn along side the chilean cadets.
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| austin at the military academy |
okay, but lets get down to the facts: they call it a cultural exchange but really it was like an awesome vacation including staying at an amazing resorts overlooking the patagonias, dining at all you can eat bbq buffets, sightseeing, and practicing some spanish on the side.
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| all you can eat |
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| chilean po-lice |
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| beach |
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| coastal city |
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| patagonias |
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| you can prevent forest fires |
so it wasn't allll tourism. while there they also did some service projects, which included going to schools to teach kids english and helping plant trees near the patagonias where a recent fire destroyed much of the vegetation.
after chile austin returned home for a few weeks and then headed off to washington state for an officer evaluation course which tested him on all the skills and knowledge he has learned thus far in his ROTC training. his results from the evaluation course determined his overall national ranking in his graduating class, which also helps determine his branch and post placement. the evaluation course is pretty rigorous, lasts about 30 days, most of which you are 'camping' (sleeping outside under a poncho maybe?) and running missions 24/7. austin said he probably got on average less than 5 hours of sleep a night the whole time, and mainly ate MREs (which are dehydrated food meal packs, which are so super delicious-not). luckily there were a lot of blackberry bushes around so austin would just snack as he carried out his duties. austin did really well at the camp, received excellent markings (which is the highest you can receive) and recondo (which means you passed all your tests the first time)- so pretty much he rocked it
. he has received his branch and will be
commissioning as an armor officer in december. we are still waiting to get our post and reporting date.
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| inside the tank! |
after washington austin headed down to the great state of texas where he observed an armor platoon at fort hood. armor platoons cover all the big bad toys like tanks and hum-vs. so thats what austin did for 3 weeks, play warrior king on a tank battlefield, pretty much the ultimate off-roading adventure.
austin and i were able to stay in contact for most of the summer through email, phone calls, and skyping- and while he communicated with me from his lush hotel rooms in chile and texas, i sat on the other end in haiti, where 90% of the time there was no electricity.
bucket showers, beans and rice, and the beach
which pretty much amounts to the best summer of my life. thus far.
i spent my summer in leogane, haiti which is a city about 20 miles (or a 1.5-6 hour car ride) from port-au-price, the capital. leogane was near the epicenter of the 2010 earthquake. approximately 90% of the people living in leogane were effected by the disaster.
this is a picture taken from this summer. unfortunately there are several places that still look like this. but they are rebuilding! and it was amazing to be apart of that process. ill just give you a taste of everyday life:
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| bed mat with mosquito net and all |
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| home |
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| riding around on 'motos' |
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| getting well water for a bucket shower |
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| walking down the street |
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| teaching english class |
i went down with the
sustain haiti organization as an in-country director. the organization focuses on building individual, family, and community self-reliance through
agriculture, business, health, and english education.
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| women's focus group |
we taught english classes twice a day everyday, and then in between english we went out to communities and taught our agriculture, business, and health classes.
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teaching feminine hygiene class and passing out kits
with reusable pads |
my role as an in-country director required me to meet with local community leaders; organize, schedule, and implement education classes and community projects; organize, train, and ensure the safety of volunteer; as well as maintain all logistical operations like finances, data reports, interpreters, housing, transportation, food, security, etc. needless to say a lot of chaotic days and sleepless nights, but
loved every minute.
and on the weekends we went to the
beach which felt
a lot like paradise
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| jumping! |
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opening a coconut with a
machete! |
haiti is a beautiful place and going there this past summer is one of the best decisions i have ever made.
i was able to have a ton of great experiences, learned a lot, and i met a ton of amazing people.
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| haitian management team, sustain haiti |
i do miss these picturesque places, the white sandy beaches and clear blue water, the adventurous moto rides. but what i
miss the most are the
people. we may not have spoken the same language or lived the same culture but everyday we worked side by side to help build a better tomorrow for someone else. these
friendships are what i
cherish the most from my experience in haiti, and leaving them was the hardest part about coming back. because people matter. my favorite part about the summer was going to remote villages (where no other NGOs go because it requires a 30 minute moto ride, crossing a waist deep river, and then hiking up a mountain an hour and a half to get there) and delivering first aid kits. and letting the people know that we care. that they matter. that they aren't forgotten about. and i think that is what is at the
heart of service. its not about building bunk beds, tying quilts, or painting hospitals. its about letting another person know that they are noticed, important, and cared about. that they have
individual worth. being able to serve people in this way brought me the greatest joy this summer. definitely one i will never forget.
haiti 2013
(with austin this time of course)
