Reflections from Trek: Derek in Haiti

Derek Ly is a buildOn student at Upper Darby High School in Philadelphia. These are his reflections from his time on Trek in Haiti in last spring. There, he learned to have an open mind and felt that he “entered a new cycle” of life. To read his full piece, titled “Revelations,” click here.

Darkness…. the sun rises over the horizon… dawn… the sun hovers high in the sky… noon…the sun sets across the horizon… dusk… the night falls upon the world… darkness. Everybody in the world lives through this cycle of day and night. This cycle becomes a normal part of everybody’s life. For most people, this cycle stays the same throughout their lifetime, but for some, they enter a new cycle.

I still remember when I went to Haiti and first arrived in the village. The warm welcoming they gave us while when we were still in the jeep. The smiles and warm greetings were really something special in Haiti. In the church, I remember signing the covenant and meeting my host family. Isaiah and I were excited, but uncomfortable at first when we first met them. As I got to know them though, I come to love and accept them as a real family while I was there. Then a new cycle of cultural workshops and work on the worksite came. Surprisingly, this cycle went by all too quick, I was still carrying rocks, shoveling dirt and listening to the village about their cultural life, then I heard it was time to leave, I thought to myself “Wow, I still feel like we had another week.” Even though we left, I still lived in the village of Demion 11 through my memories.