Trip to orphanage

Today Kristen and I went with a girl that works for Father Rick's organization to one of their orphanages.  I was expecting to maybe see a couple dozen kids.  Turns out there were hundreds.  It started as an orphanage, but they wound up taking in several kids from the city to provide them with an education and food.  Today happened to be their end of summer party and two bands were going to play for the kids.  When we arrived, some of the smaller kids came up to greet us.  They were so cute and innocent.  The girls were definitely much more popular than me….apparently I'm much better with dogs than kids.  We took a short tour of the living facilities for the orphans.  The room we visited was made out of a large storage container.  There was about 6 or so beds.  Both Kristen and I were shocked at how neat and clean the room was.  All of their little dress shirts were hanging neatly in a makeshift closet and their t-shirts were folded and stacked perfectly in the corner of the room.  Clearly, these kids are taught discipline. 

            We noticed the instilled discipline even further as we sat back and watched the kids interact.  The teachers and workers kept a close eye on the kids barking orders at them when they got carried away just like you'd expect to see in a good American school.  We met one of the main people in charge of the orphanage after he got done giving a talk to the kids on stage over the microphone.  He went out of his way to come over to us, say hi, and let us know what was going on in perfect English.  It's hard to sum up a man's character in a few moments, but there was no misunderstanding what this man stood for.  He was a strict disciplinarian, but also a very respectful gentleman with a heart of gold.  I'd imagine he's a perfect role model for the kids.

            The short orphanage experience really got me thinking about Haiti's problems again.  I was so impressed with what this group had done with the orphanage/school that it gave me a sense of hope for the country.  I also had the thought that the work that was being done in the orphanage/school was probably more impactful than the healthcare work we are all interested in.  Educating the youth seems like a much more effective way to address Haiti's problems from a long-term perspective.  Don't get me wrong, the healthcare support is vital as well, but you never know when the donor funds may dry up.  On the other hand, an education is permanent.  So I decided to quit my pursuit of medicine and become an educator.  Just kidding.  I did think about it, but I realized that I just don't have that much interest in teaching.  I need more of an intellectual challenge.  It then hit me that my pursuit of medicine is not entirely about helping people, there's definitely some selfishness involved.  I felt a sense of guilt.  Then I got over it.