When I met my husband Endy (then-boyfriend), he would tell me all about Haiti. He would tell me stories about growing up with his siblings, his best friends. He would tell me about the journeys they had to get to school, the funny stories of dressing up in their parents clothes and the soccer games they played on the roof of their house. He would tell me how beautiful "The Real Haiti" was. I mostly just listened, and quietly doubted that a place I always heard was a "third world country," could be beautiful. 

What? You're going to Haiti on vacation!? 
​It took years of convincing to plan a trip to Haiti...7 years actually! Endy planned everything for our 10 day adventure. Although I was excited, my worried mind kept playing questions over in my head like, "what if we can't find water to drink?" and "what if we get TB or yellow fever?" As I type these ridiculous things (that I never actually said out loud), I can't even believe I thought such judgmental things about a place I'd end up falling in love with! 

As an innocent Italian-American, red-headed, 28-year-old, I really had no clue what Haiti was really like. I had no clue that visiting Haiti would change my life. As our vacation plans neared, I secretly wanted to back out or hoped for some reason we weren't going to end up going (sad, but true). 

The time came and we flew from Florida to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My life was forever changed and my eyes and heart were opened like they had never been before. For more of an in depth look about what I saw and experienced, read my blog about things I noticed while in Haiti. Before my first trip, my husband encouraged me to start a blog about Haiti to share what we saw. I wasn't fully on board with the idea, but I did. When I was there and then returned home is when I started blogging about all-things-Haitian and really fell in love with the idea of blogging. I embraced the culture and through my experiences, I had to share all of the amazing things that were so new to me.

What's new with The Real Haiti
After developing a variety of digital resources about Haiti that focus on cultural education and celebration, we evolved into a membership style resource center called The Real Haiti Academy. You can now enjoy the option of a "pay what you can" model starting at $0. You have the option to pay $0, $15, $25, $50 or $99. No matter how much you pay, you will be getting the same access to the membership with all of the digital resources.

As a member of TRHA, you’ll connect with a community of Haiti lovers who are passionate about keeping the Haitian culture alive. Be proud of your (or your family's) heritage. Encourage multicultural diversity as you're raising your children at home and in your community.

Find out exactly what's included in The Real Haiti Academy.

In this time of uncertainty, one thing I am certain about is that I am not in control of anything. God is in control. I have been given a God-given talent and passion to develop this website and these resources. This is how I am sharing with my digital community who has supported The Real Haiti in one way or another.

The first time I visited Haiti, my life changed. I opened my eyes to realize there are other places beyond South Florida where people live, work, have families, do life. Because I had a tainted opinion before I went, going to Haiti was the best decision of my life. Can we say CULTURE SHOCK?! I needed a culture shock badly. I had no idea what kind of positive experiences would help shape the woman I am today.

Our 8 day adventure through Haiti was amazing. We saw so much of the country that even my husband never saw while he lived there on his younger years. Mostly quiet in the beginning, I had to take in every piece of my experiences. It was overwhelming, beautiful, sad, hopeful, peaceful, chaotic, contradictory and surprising. I took notes and wrote down the things that left the biggest impression on me.

• Tent cities
• Mansions
• The poorest of poor and richest of rich
• Port-Au-Prince airport and city...as I like to refer to it as a game of Tetris...filling up every single spot available
• The barest mountains, and then the must green mountains
• My husband and brother-in-law stopping to help out victims of a car accident; Every passer-by stopping to help the accident victims, coming from the top of a mountain on foot, as well as drivers; A random driver picked up the man who needed medical attention to bring him to a hospital
• Going through cities with no one, then entering traffic, people, and cars everywhere
• Sitting in the Commissary of Gonaives office; their jail cells; a shot gun in the bathroom
• Blowing out half of the hotels electricity from my blow dryer
• A minister of the Dominican Republic, his wife and dog
• The Citadelle Laferrière; climbing to the top; young children laying down on top of the highest part, at the very edge, playing on the palace; a view from 3,000 ft high; a trio-band of children under 5 years old, playing handmade instruments out of bamboo and sticks
• Ruins of Sans-Souci Palace
• Founders of Haiti sculptures
• A Food for the Poor light post
• The 365 Doors Palace & The Crête-à-Pierrot
• The Presidential Palace, crumbled from the 2010 earthquake
• Many limbless men
• One of the most beautiful beaches at Club Indigo; Brazilian Marines playing volleyball in speedos; uniformed Army soldiers walking on the beach
• Amazing sunsets
• The same man selling lambi (conch) out of his canoe in the ocean, twice in two resorts hours away from each other
• A man swimming with a basket tied to his feet that just caught lambi, bringing it to shore to sell
• Fresh food and juice everyday, all from the earth; endless rice, beans and plantains
• The House my husband grew up in, where his mother still lives
• Haitian Christmas dinner with family that traveled hours just to see us
• Hanging out with hurricane lamps because of no electricity
• A dear friend, Ronald, who we hadn't seen in 4 years
• Outdoor kitchens and bathrooms
• Amazingly beautiful restaurants that made me feel like I was walking into a European heaven 
• Bringing our own alcohol into restaurants
• "White" skin Haitians speaking Creole, French and English
• Ogier-Fombrun Museum
• The owner of Moulin Sur Mer
• The house my husband was born in, on the floor, literally
• Cars and trucks piled so high with people and things
• Beautifully decorated Haitian taxi buses
• A semi truck flipped over on it's side with several men outside of it, trying to figure out how to get it out of the swail
• My all time favorite Haitian band, Carimi, in the nastiest, most disgusting "night club," but had the time of my life; a bathroom so nasty we couldn't use it; got 2 hugs and kisses from Mickael, the lead singer, and a photo with him

These experiences changed my life. If you're considering going to Haiti, DO IT! I've never been on a mission trip so I can't give advice on that planning, but if you want a vacation that you will never forget, consider traveling to Haiti. You can learn more about Haiti's tourism, what to do, where to stay and what to see here.