(originally posted on CNP's blog)

Three!... that's how many weeks I've got left of the nearly 50 I'll spend with CNP this year. 2014 will bring new adventures in Haiti, but my official time with CNP will come to an end on December 20th. As much as I'm counting down the days until I get to spend Christmas with my family, I'm sad to be saying farewell to this incredible organization. Thankfully, I will only be living minutes away next year and I look forward to staying in touch with my friends here and continuing to join with CNP as I'm able to help raise up a healthy generation of Haitian children!

My internship has been filled with many highlights, successes, challenges, and adventures.

Some highlights...

• Getting to know many of our great CNP staff on a personal level. Long car rides to Port au Prince and hikes through the mountains grant you the time to learn about their families, dreams, difficulties, and everything in between. I look forward to continuing these relationships into next year!
• Having the opportunity to watch the sun rise and fall over some of the most beautiful landscapes in Haiti!
• Learning more about the reality of malnutrition in Haiti and how to help combat it with both clinical and grassroots education programs. 

Some successes...

• The hundreds of children who have come through our nutrition clinic—coming as malnourished children and leaving as healthy children—are success stories I'll always cling to in the face of the harsh statistics that still exist in this country.
• My Creole was good when I started in January, but it has improved even more. We don't use translators, which is great for Creole learners, and it wasn't long before I was off in the mountains by myself, conducting meetings solely in Creole, and depending on it for the majority of the work I do.

Some challenges...

• Serving in Haiti is never without its challenges! I've been working alongside many of our Haitian staff members who have been with CNP for over 10 years. I've felt like a newbie and yet I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to help push our programs forward. I'm thankful for their patience and for the respect I've been able to gain from them as we work together for the benefit of the families we serve.
• As much as I want to see the children in our programs thrive, it's not always easy. There are so many factors involved when trying to help a malnourished child, and it can be challenging to find and address the root problems that are hindering the child's progress. You can will it to happen all you want, but it's a struggle and a fight—though it's definitely worth the effort to be able to see a child come out on the other side.

Some adventures...

• 3, 4, and 5-day treks through the mountains of rural Leogane with our mobile nutrition clinics, to do surveys, and to just spend time with and learn about the communities we serve. I'll never forget not being prepared (shoe-wise) for a 20+ times river crossing adventure or hiking a total of 7 hours (mostly uphill!) with our nurse on her mobile clinic route or staring down a tarantula in the middle of the night and then waking up the next morning to my fire ant infested backpack.
• Milking Port au Prince trips for all they're worth by taking advantage of airport runs in order to eat sushi or pizza with other interns and/or play Supermarket Sweep at grocery stores to buy as many goodies as possible that you can't find in Leogane before your driver gets too impatient.
• Spending a couple relaxing weekends away at the beach with the other interns to refresh and rejuvenate in the midst of our busy schedules.