Haiti Through the Eyes of Curtis St. John

We recently asked him to share his reflections and photos of a recent trip.

During winter break, in the first weeks of January 2016, 2017, and 2019 I’ve had the pleasure and the privilege to volunteer as an Emergency Medical Technician at Hospital Bernard Mevs in the heart of Port au Prince, Haiti. To say the experience was life changing would be an understatement as it would be more accurate to say that Haiti has become a part of my life and have since become enamored with the culture, the people, and my understanding of how much we take for granted including our health care, sanitation systems, and access to safe drinking water.

Before my first trip I had always been shy about meeting new people and feeling awkward going somewhere I didn’t know the language and since then I’ve not only met incredible new friends from around the world but now have a rudimentary grasp the Haitian Creole language, and picked up many new medical skills to bring back for use here in the states and most locally here on campus as staff adviser and EMT with Purchase College Emergency Medical Services, a student run group ready to tend to the sick and injured of Purchase.

Photo Essay: Haiti with Curtis St. John

While Curtis St. John is a familiar figure in the Conservatory of Music Building, one of his other passions is the volunteer work he does in Haiti. We recently asked him to share his reflections and photos of a recent trip.

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There were many new interesting sights sounds… and quite frankly smells that took some getting used to… including but not limited to: Goats and pigs wondering the city streets, fields of trash and tires on fire, and the most wonderful local cuisine.

The work is challenging. The most vivid memory is a woman who grew concerned when her child in the Emergency Room began to decline as I treated her. She looked me in the eye and said, “I’ve had five babies. She’s the only one left. YOU have to save her.” We are not always so successful.

It’s also very rewarding when that same mother runs up to give me a hug and exclaim her daughter is now awake and talking again.

I look forward to going each year and although the trip is challenging and rewarding in many ways, it never hurts to get a break from the cold of January in New York and visit the warmth of the Caribbean.

—Betsy Aldredge