A conversation in the Pollo line changed my life

For many, preview is merely the last stepping stone one must cross before being an official student at the University of Florida. Some dread it, others anxiously await its arrival, and then there are other’s who have no idea what it will do for them. I was in that third group. A girl from a small private school who dreaded leaving home and starting college. Preview for me was what would make college a reality. The second I arrived, I had no idea what I was doing there. That all changed, however, when I had an interesting conversation in the Pollo line.

After being pleasantly surprised at how genuine and servant hearted my preview staffer was, I encountered another one just like her in line. By that point in preview, I was already questioning all my life decisions. I didn’t know what to major in, I didn’t know how I would handle missing my community back home, and I had no idea how I could possibly build a community here. That conversation and others I held with my own preview staffer led to many decisions that changed the way I view life, service, and even my own future career.

To begin with, I decided that they were going to be stuck with me. After the semester began, I instantly connected with them and they helped me discover the church I currently attend, the organizations I am in, and many amazing friendships along the way. The thing that changed my life the most, however, was their love for a country that many viewed as a lost cause. This loved inspired me to go on a trip with them with Projects for Haiti, and as a result my life will never be the same. 

Projects for Haiti is a non-profit organization that focus on making a sustainable impact on the lives of the Haitian people. Founded by Doctoral Candidates, Berthude Albert and Priscilla Zelaya, this organization seeks to raise up the Haitian people, by teaching them how they can support themselves, rather than continuously hurting them with a giving hand. While many organizations do so with good intentions, they further ruin the economy by giving so much away and taking business from actual Haitian workers.

What stood out to me the most on this trip, was the joy the Haitian people possessed. I had conversations with people that suggested their lives should be full of bitterness and hate, from orphans, to widows, to people with absolutely nothing. What I saw was the way these people did not allow their “circumstances to determine their potential.” They realized their joy comes from something so much more powerful than themselves.

Most importantly I realized, they are just like me. They have dreams and desires. They want to see their country rise up again, and I have the power to make them realize that they can and will. The resilience they possessed, made me realize the resilience that I lacked. The peace they had, made me realize how much of my own, I base on my momentary situations. Most importantly, they helped me realized how blessed I am to attend the University of Florida, and be educated in a way that can make an impact.

When we returned from Haiti, all I wanted to do was tell everyone about what that trip did for my life. I couldn’t quite place what it was, but the way I viewed many things, had changed entirely. It was at that moment that I realized, how my spirit had changed after seeing the spirit of the Haitian people.

It has been two months since we returned from Haiti, and not a day goes by I do not think about this trip. I went from feeling like I had no community, to having a team become like family and close friends. I went from dreading college, to anticipating the knowledge I could take to other people, who others had given up on and even changing my major as a result. Most importantly, I went from being bitter in meaningless situations to realizing how blessed my life truly was and how much I had to learn from the Haitian people.

All of this happened, because of my amazing preview staffer and that one conversation I had in the Pollo line.