Escape from reality.

Now I am not saying that this is necessarily a vacation but it's definitely not our reality. I visited the country of Haiti. It was so hard to imagine what this country would be like before I arrived. This trip truly made me humble in my life and what blessings I have. They have NOTHING.

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Learn about their culture.

If you've been to another country, you know that culture is way different than America. The most striking thing that I recognized was their food. It was pretty much the same thing- soup. Anywhere and everywhere we went we were always fed soup. It wasn't bad! They also offered us glad bottles of soda. They tasted similar to sprite and mountain dew. They also offered us whole coconuts that they cut the top off of, and even delicious mangos!

Learn about their language.

Language is another huge thing. The Haitians speak French and Creole. The only word I really learned was "merci", which means thank you. That was one word I said a lot of the time because they were so kind to us. But even though they spoke a different language, love speaks for itself. I was beyond baffled when they shared how much love they had, meanwhile they have very little to nothing.

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Change in scenery.

Obviously, when you travel somewhere new, there will definitely be a change in scenery. Haiti was very mountainous, and I wasn't expecting it to be that way. Some of the Haitian nuns I met said the beaches were very beautiful. We didn't visit the beach. As soon as we left the airport, I was culture-shocked. I had never seen anything like it.

There was trash everywhere I looked. People were flooding the streets, trying to sell basically everything to make money. We stayed at an orphanage, so we were safe. I think experiencing everything I did has turned me into a very grateful person. We have so much more than they do. And not that many people truly know what a fourth-world country is like.

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Make New Friends.

I have an easy time making friends. This was no different when we arrived in Haiti. All of these little girls are orphans. I'm sure they enjoyed the time we spent together as much as I did. We visited one orphanage with girls that were around my age. They asked in broken English if I had parents or a boyfriend. They played with my hair and wouldn't stop touching my white skin. They wanted me to stay with them forever and it truly broke my heart when I had to leave their sweet, smiling faces,

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Visiting a fourth world country is definitely an experience I recommend for everyone! I probably wouldn't call it a vacation, due to the state that Haiti is currently in. But I had the best time with all those precious little girls. This trip really changed me for the better. If you are ever feeling like going on a vacation, you should consider visiting a fourth world country.