When we arrived at the airport in Port au Prince, the and leader of the orphanage, Pastor John Paul, picked us up. We were to ride in his Toyota Land Cruiser from the airport to the orphanage, while a tap tap (aka taxi = truck where the bed has been converted by having a roof and seating in it) would follow with our luggage. Weston and Nick asked if they could ride on the tap tap with the luggage and that was fine. Of course, I wanted to do the same, and hopped on! When the Haitian tap tap driver saw me on the back of the tap tap he said I couldn't ride.*
Our team leader apologized to me and I got off and headed to the Land Cruiser. I can't remember a time when I felt so discriminated against. Just because I'm a girl. I'd be lying if I said the feminism side of me didn't come out and I was super pissed/hurt.
I grew up with a mom that told me I could do anything. As long as I could keep up, I could do anything boys could do. I was hammering, etc. with my dad at the age of 4. I never felt limited as a lady. Today, I don't want to be judged for being a girl, but on my ability. Which is why I think it struck me so harshly: this man didn't know me; he barely saw me. I guess it did give me a glimpse of discrimination and what millions of people experience everyday.
Flash forward to a few days later. We're building the basketball court at the orphanage -- cementing the court. We had two Haitian guys working with us and showing us how to do it (the Haitian way). Philip told us they were glad for our help, but yes, they were making fun of us a bit (understandable) and weren't used to seeing girls do this type of work.
As the man was smoothing concrete, I noticed an extra trowel, picked it up, hunkered down in the dirt/poo water/cement alongside him and went to work. I'm certain he and his buddies made fun of me at first, but at the end of the day, he was used to me mimicking his every move. At the start of the next day, I grabbed the trowel and we went to work together as a team. By the end of that day, he was letting me finish a project alone and would grab me to start on the next thing. I also received one of the highest compliments, well a compliment that I don't think I'll ever forget: he told me I could come work for him!
The Lord granted me favor and diligence to work aside this fella and I loved it. To me, it redeemed the tap tap incident. And if I ever post that I've left Charleston to lay concrete in Haiti, you'll know who I'll be working with.
* I recounted this story for Jenn and her eyes got huge and she said, "EA, how'd you respond?!" I told her that I didn't fly off the handle as she probably expected. Haha.
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