A Lesson in Humility by Margaret

A Lesson in Humility by Margaret - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

In October I took my love of volunteering to the next level and went on a week long medical mission trip to Haiti. It truly puts things into perspective when you see a child that cannot walk simply because their mother can not afford food. I cannot put into words how humbling this experience was and I returned from Haiti and came to the startling epiphany that I take my life for granted. When I say that the people who live there have absolutely no material possessions I really mean that they have absolutely nothing. Many of them are still stuck in tents from the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake and the countryside is littered with shacks smaller than most people’s garages; but to the Haitians that does not matter. As long as they have their family and they have god, they are the happiest people alive. Even as Hurricane Sandy raged around us, people would still hike up to the mountains for three or more hours just to see us. And what really amazed me was seeing that through all of that they still had some of the largest smiles I have ever seen on plastered to their faces. They were so grateful and that it made me truly realize the importance of giving back. I am so extremely blessed and I think that it is only logical and fair that I help others.
My fellow volunteers and I provided medical assistance to over 500 people a day during our stay in Haiti, from pre-teens with sexually transmitted diseases to severe malaria cases; we saw the worst of the worst. But a few experiences truly stood out to me.
A little girl was carried in by her mother and a bandana covered her face, but her pain was clearly visible. It was then that her mother lifted up her daughter’s rose colored dress and the source of her woe became painstakingly clear. A large third degree burn engulfed a third of her leg. Light pink flesh was exposed while charcoal-like skin wrapped around her wound. Where exposed flesh ended, peeling skin was met. Long story short, It was the kind of gash that would be at home in a horror movie; it was the kind of abrasion that makes you cringe. But what really struck me was her silence. While we pried the dead tissue from her, not a sound escaped her lips. This six year old was aware of the help we were giving her. I was aghast. When I was her age, I could not get a shot without screaming myself blue. But here was this girl in an underdeveloped country who sat perfectly still throughout this clearly painful process. I sat next to her and tried to take her mind of the excruciating task at hand. Towards the end of her endeavor, I jogged back to my tent and retrieved a stuffed animal I had brought on the trip. The second I placed that toy bunny in her hands her face lit up. This was the first expression that was not apathy I saw displayed across her face. I was shocked at the amount of appreciation this child had within her. It is something I will hold dear to me for the rest of my life and whenever I begin to feel envy swell up inside me I think back to that little girl and her admiration.
Another story was equally touching to me on my trip there. I saw my aunt and Father Larry as they has hiked back over the mountains. Their trip was long, it was over snake-infested ground and decaying roads. Yet, there was such a joyful though solemn smile placed upon their faces. Later that night while we all circled around each other and the story behind their sober grins began to unfold. They began to tell the tale of how they made a home visit to a bedridden women. She had suffered several strokes and had lost the ability to move. Her husband was glued to her side, vowing to make her last year as painless as possible. My aunt and the priest father Larry had a difficult task ahead of them. They were to administer her last rites. When they told me this part I was dumbstruck. It made all of our work there real. People are dying. If we can not get them regular medical care this is what happens, they wilt away. But once again the Haitians good nature shone through. Even on her deathbed this elderly woman let her appreciation be know. She kept murmuring, “god bless you, god bless you”. Although all we gave her was some medications to numb her pain and a few words, it let her embrace her death peacefully.
It is reasons like the ones above why I chose to volunteer. People are thankful. What other incentive would you ever need? I began to volunteer as something to round out my college applications but I found so much more. I found a way to make a difference and I found a way to make a positive impact in the world I live in. I volunteer because it makes fills me with a meaning of purpose. But more importantly; it fills others with hope.