Warnings Before Going to Haiti
Can I talk my shit real quick?
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Every time I’m getting ready to head off to my next destination everybody and their mama wants to warn me about my future home. I’ve talked about this before, but I want to talk about it again because this time it hit different.
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This time the warnings went further than the usual “be safe”. I was told that there’s nothing to do in Haiti. Haiti is not a tourist destination. You need to really be careful when you go to Haiti because it’s not safe and very poor. People that had never even visited the country were telling me all these negative things they’d heard as if trying to change my mind and save me from making a mistake.
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I kid you not, somebody that visited Haiti for a few hours on a cruise (yes, they told me this) had nothing but negative things to say about the country. In a few hours they were able to form a deep understanding of an entire country, culture, and its people. I’ve been living in different countries for years and even I couldn't even try to create an analysis of a country in a few hours. Hell, I can’t even do it in a year.
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I haven’t been everywhere, but I can tell you that every country has problems. My desire to live outside of the States is not in search of the perfect country because it doesn’t exist. Instead, I seek opportunities and experiences. Telling me how scary North Korea is when I'm moving to South Korea is a waste of your time. Desperately trying to recall that one article you skimmed about that one protest in Haiti is truly unnecessary. Save it. I prefer first-hand experience from people who have actually LIVED there and getting my information directly from the source i.e. people currently in the country. You're 24 hour layover in Italy isn't going to help me. Sorry, not sorry.
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Before moving to a new country I do my research. After dozens of interviews for jobs abroad, I know what questions to ask. I promise there’s nothing you can tell me that I don’t already know. I do my due diligence and make my decisions accordingly. By the time you find out my next move it’s already written in stone. You’re not going to change my mind.
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