Making Connections

Every day that I have spent here, I have taken away at least one lesson from the community that surrounds me. This morning's Work Hour taught me the value of experience. In many of my business classes I have learned about production and human capital, however never truly understanding the value of such labor. Sure businesses can assign numerical value to these concepts, but within these numbers and dollar amounts the determination, sweat, and hard work of the individuals who complete these tasks are lost. The hours that I have spent over these last few days working alongside students and Volunteers on the playground and yard have taught me more about production than I would ever learn in a classroom. LCS students and faculty serve their community every day, reminded of God's blessings and love by phrases and prayers posted on the walls around them.

After today's Work Hour, I went to work on my project. However, before I could start really analyzing most of my research, I needed a few Economics questions answered. President of The Haitian Project, Deacon Moynihan was able to reach out to a few of his connections in order to ensure that I had a great understanding of the topics I was dealing with. Deacon Moynihan's connections were unbelievable, and included Dr. Gregory Mankiw, Dr. Daron Acemoglu and a top advisor for the U.S. treasury. Dr. Mankiw is a top Economics Professor at Harvard University and a former economic advisor for President George W. Bush, and Dr. Acemoglu is a MIT Professor, has received a countless number of awards for his work in the field of economics and has recently received international recognition for his book Why Nations Fail. Having these well-respected economists help me with my project was an incredible opportunity, and I am grateful for their willingness to assist me. 

As a result of their help, all of my Economics questions were answered and I was able to move forward in my research and analysis. Using the GDP levels from Haiti and the United States and other additional statistics, I was able to come up with some interesting information. From comparing an estimate of the cell phone industry's revenues in 2011 and the amounts spent on health care, I learned that in the U.S. people spend 8.5 times more money on health care than cell phones; however, in Haiti people spend only 1.1 times more money on health care than cell phones. This information puts the amount of money spent on cell phones in Haiti in perspective with other spending within the country. It also raises a ton of new questions including: Why is cell phone spending so high? Is it that prices are astronomical or are people spending more of their income on their phones than they should be? Does the amount of money spent on health care suggest poor access to health care or are Haitians spending a proportionate amount of their GDP on this necessary expense? With the ultimate goal of answering the question of what benefits are Haitians receiving from their phone use and how are they paying for it, I cannot wait to see what I learn from the rest of my research.

Today was also a day full of performances. The Gospel Choir, ballet and hip-hop performances were earlier today before students returned to their homes for the weekend. Each performance was excellent, and it was so nice to see the proud smiles on each of the student's faces as they showcased their talents. After each performance, the love and support of the LCS community was apparent as the audience screamed and applauded their friends and peers. Tonight we were also able to watch a dress rehearsal of the student production of Guys & Dolls. All of the speaking parts are performed in Creole, however the songs are performed in English. As English is the third language of many of the students, I was thoroughly impressed with each student's effort. I cannot wait to see how the final production goes next weekend!