Dèyè Mòn, Gen Mòn - (Behind mountains there are mountains)
“Cabin crew, please take your seats for landing” The pilot projected through my headphones. The movie paused and the monitor screen read- Pardon Interruption.
I pulled up the window shield and there it was: the land of The Mountains. I was minutes away from landing in Haiti. Suddenly, I was overcome with sweet nostalgia of this little paradise. 1800 feet above ground, I can note the roads, the houses, and most importantly the mountains which seem like a drop in a bucket.
As I drove from Port-Au-Prince to Saint Marc, I was in awe of the complexity of the landscape. It didn't matter how many times I had visited my country, this time it felt like i was observing it from a wiser set of eyes. I couldn’t help but think of the Haitian proverbs that states, “Deye mon, gen Mon” which translates to “Behind mountains, there are mountains. I can’t recall the first time I heard this proverb, but I use to hear it a lot growing up in Haiti. It didn’t mean much to me then, for anyone who has been to Haiti can testify that there are mountains behind each mountain; it was relatively an unimaginative proverb. Recently, during a casual conversation between my father and I, he said it. I took the opportunity to ask what it meant. He then told me that it means behind every obstacle is another obstacle. At that split moment it all made sense. Take a seat- let me explain.
1999-2019, 20 years in the making yet, zero experience in the field. There’s no manual to giving back or making an impact on someone’s life. It didn’t matter if I face the mountain ten years ago or ten years after today- what mattered most was gaining the strength to do what was necessary. It’s not that I did not face my personal mountains on a daily basis, but I always knew there was something bigger that I need to cater to. The Idea of feeding Frecinau( my village) was a dream since I was 8 years old. It may sound strange that an eight year old would think of such thing, but I was raised differently. I knew the homeless by name, I knew the story of the young woman who went 2 days without food, I also knew the child who died due to malnutrition. Because I was the witness to those tragedy, it was only right that I make a difference. While creating my vision board last year, I finally decided to turn my 8 year old fantasy into a reality.
My trip to Haiti was everything I expected it to be. I celebrated my birthday feeding over 400 people of all ages including men, women and children. The fulfilment that came with doing something of such perplexity is not to be compared. It’s not the near notion that I fed people, anyone can feed someone. It’s the ability to be used, but most importantly it’s not letting anyone rob me of my humanity. Gathering almost 415 people was not the challenge. The difficulty came from finding a place and enough people to cook the food. I am blessed to have a father who shares my vision. After God, he made it possible.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you helped a brother or sister climbed his/her mountain? Are you just satisfy sitting at the top of your mountain looking down on others who are begging for a hand to hold? You don’t need someone else’s approval to make a change. Don’t let fear rob you of your potential. Make yourself available. Change starts with you. Please comment and subscribe for more update.
