I've been getting lots of questions lately so I thought I would write a blog to answer some of the most frequent ones. If you have any others feel free to ask! I promise there is no such thing as a stupid question :)
Q: What language do Haitians speak? Can you speak it?
A: They primarily speak Haitian Creole which is a combination of French and several African languages. Starting with 1st grade classes are taught in French, so educated people speak French also, but everyone speaks Creole. I know a few words in Creole. I have been trying to learn, but so far I don't know much. I hope to be fluent by the time I come back.
Q: Where are you going to live?
A: In a house with the other volunteers
Q: Will you get paid to be there? Does the organization take care of your expenses?
A: No, I am a volunteer so I will not be paid. I will be responsible for my expenses (rent, food, plane tickets, etc) so I will be relying on donations. If you feel led to give please refer to this blog post or contact me about how to donate.
Q: If I give a donation is it tax deductible?
A: Yes, Respire Haiti is a 501(c)3
Q: Will you be able to call home while you are there?
A: Yes, mostly using Skype
Q: What are you doing with your house while you are gone? What about Baxter?
A: A good friend of mine (Carleigh) is going to rent it and she will also be taking care of Baxter.
Q: What will you be doing while you are there?
A: Whatever I am asked to do. I think my primary role will be mentoring some of the girls at the Freedom House, but I am sure I will be doing many other things as well. I will just wake up every morning to see what the day holds and what God is leading me to do :)
Q: What is the weather like there?
A: HOT. It's in the Caribbean, so it's close to 90 degrees (or hotter) year round....and there is no A/C where I will be living.
Q: How long will you be gone?
A: 3 months at a time, because of visa requirements I will have to come back to the states every 90 days.
