Clare Munn in Haiti
This is a guest post by Clare Munn, CEO of tcgagency and founder of the self help brand CQ: Expressive and Receptive Intelligence. Clare recently travelled to Haiti and found an uncanny resemblance between life in Haiti and life in Africa. This is Clare’s story.
Zambia and Zimbabwe (where I’m from) should have dinner with Haiti. The three of them would be laughing, dancing, cooking and certainly singing within 30 minutes of shaking hands. The similarities to me at least, are ridiculous. Triplets.
Being 300 feet above the airstrip in Haiti conjured up the same emotions as landing in Africa. Why is it I feel the gritty truth of a developing or third world country in a way that won’t allow for a poised reaction? Perhaps my inner grit contains magnetic particles. All I do know is that I was completely open for my 51 hours of being there. Sleep wasn’t even a consideration and mobile usage certainly wasn’t on the top of my list.
All three countries have such character to be able to rise above the stench (literally) to be warm to a visitor, to show appreciation and, above all, to show such generosity with so little, which turns out to be so much. Localities like Africa, and Haiti, teach us such important lessons:
- For us to always find the big in the small
- That it is our attitudes that set us apart. Perhaps let’s all try and have an attitude of character and appreciation
- To always find a smile in a tear, and above all, to always remember we are connected, no matter where we are from, what color, shape, age or size.
Thank you Haiti for helping me expand my focus. And Zambia. And Africa. I leave for Kenya this Saturday and I am so looking forward to touch down.
Be Well.
-C
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I’d like to point out how the photo collage is absolutely breathtaking. I really hope to one day help out in Haiti and also to visit Africa. It is on my bucket list! But, thank you for the post and for bringing these 3 countries’ similarities to view, as I was unaware.
Well, thanks must go to Clare for the photo collage. I did have to crop a lot of the original collage so the image fitted in with our blog layout but what you see is 100% original. It creates a lovely feel doesn’t it? You will find visiting Africa an amazing, uplifting and informative, I’m sure.
I have been lucky enough to have visited Africa a number of times and my parents lived in Zambia for a few years before I was born. It is a beautiful country and far richer in life and culture than many seem to realise. I agree with you about the attitudes, if we could be even half as optimistic and free-spirited we would be far happier and improved. You have made me want to visit Haiti too now!
Yes, Zambia does have so much more to offer than people realise. That’s why we do what we do – trying to raise Zambia’s profile, but also realising that in doing that we are making it less of a secret. Travellers like to keep places secret but I think awareness has obvious benefits. Thank you for your thoughts.
I have to admit that I’m a little envious of your world travels. The countries you’ve visited sound like they have a lot to teach and a lot of experiences to share. Thank you for getting me to think about Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. They sound like marvelous places.
Travel is the most amazing thing isn’t it! And every new places teaches you so very much.
This is beautiful and heart warming, I am very pleased you shared this with us. I have not done much world traveling but these places are on the top of my list. I think that your line “find a smile in a tear” will stick with me for a long time. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve become addicted to the ‘Best of Zambia’ since I stumbled over it on the web a month ago. You folks are right, being a Zambian who has been privileged to visit & live across all continents in the past decade, i say you couldn’t express the nature of our culture any better. I live in Brazil now & the people here are great too. Brazil strikes me as a bigger version of Zambia, in many ways. Hope I can make the 2012 M festival! Keep it up!
Thank you sooo much for such amazing feedback. We have Clare Munn to thank for this guest post so can’ t take all the credit. Would love to visit Brazil one day and that may not be too far in the future as some friends have just moved there. Please connect with us on Facebook and Twitter too and help us spread the word about our beloved Zamia. Thanks.