Reconnecting with my roots
Above all I believe my time in the Haitian Summer Institute helped me reconnect with my culture and learn about my history from a different perspective. Growing up in Haiti, we were not allowed speak Creole in school outside of the one Haitian Creole language class offered. We would also get punished if we addressed a teacher or an adult in Creole especially if they addressed us in French. Still today, it is considered “gauche” to address someone in Creole if they address you in French. Like many of my school friends, I didn’t appreciate Creole until I came to the United States. Being a minority in a country makes you cling to everything that reminds you of the motherland. My identity and sense of belonging to the Haitian culture is tied to the warm feeling in my heart when I express myself in my native language. It doesn’t matter where I am when I speak, read or write in Haitian Creole my spirit is transported home. Haitian Creole has been one of Haiti's official languages, along with French, since 1961. French was seen as the language of the educated and Creole was the language of the uneducated mass. Although that same feeling resonates in the older Haitians leaders and elite, the diaspora and the upcoming leaders of Haiti are reclaiming their freedom and embracing their native language. With the “Academi Kreyol Ayisyen” (Haitian Creole Academy) in Haiti and many other institutes at Universities abroad, young Haitian students in Haiti and abroad such as myself want to be taught in their native language. As of now there are more literature, newspapers, radio and TV in Haitian Creole but students are taught in French in Haiti. I had the privilege to attend a primary school in Haiti that provided a basic Haitian Creole language course. However, with the promotion of Haitian Creole in academia, medicine, education and politics, a mastery of the formal linguistic expressions of the language will be required for any Haitian professional. The Haitian Summer Institute and FLAS Fellowship gave me the opportunity to get a deeper knowledge of my language and understanding of my culture which will allow me to better serve my people and fulfill my duty. From July 2015-June 2016, I decided to serve with City Year (AmeriCorps) in Jacksonville, Florida. During my year of service, I was personally assigned 12 at-risk students to work with during the class periods. By the end of the academic year, 9 out of my 12 students showed significant improvement in their course performance, attendance, and behavior. A combination of my persistent guidance and my organizational skills helped me to keep track of my students’ academic, social and personal development. The experience and social awareness I gained from serving with City Year expanded my passion for service, deepened my focus on health and education, and ignited in me a strong desire to help curb the causes and negative effects of communal poverty.
We served the undocumented Haitian immigrants working in the Bateyes (sugar cane fields) of Dominican Republic who are living/working in inhuman conditions, facing discrimination and violation of their basic human and civil rights due to apathetic political policies in the Dominican Republic. Through this trip, we acquired a greater understanding of the plight of the Haitians living in Dominican Republic by volunteering with different local nonprofit organizations and by hosting forums for Haitians living in Dominican Republic and Haitian-Dominicans to share their experiences.
Our service trip mainly focused on education through workshops and activities at College Jean Rigaud Antoine but we also did a library project at Wayom Timoun and offered scholarships to students through APEX technical school. Each participants’ presentation was related to their major. The topics spanned from pollution in Haiti, personal hygiene, art, and the importance of reading books in Haitian Creole for the younger children to HIV/AIDS, STDs and safe sex practices, science, financial literacy, higher education and construction safety for older high school students. As it was many of the participants first time in Haiti, they also got to explore some of Haiti’s touristic sites. Our work in Haiti is highlighted in a short documentary by Win Win Global that is located below: HSO FIU winner of UNF Rasine Kreyol "Do you know your roots?" Competition Campus Clean Up HSO FIU wins HSO of the Year at the National Haitian Student Alliance Annual Conference Night of Commemoration for 2010 Earthquake in Haiti Building Houses with Black Student Union for Habitat for Humanity Tabling during CSO Club Fair
During my Spring 2011 semester at FIU, I met Chantell Mazo who told me about Medlife and that they have one more slot open for a service trip. Two weeks later, I was in Lima, Peru. I enjoyed working with the Medlife employee and serving the people. My stay in Peru reminded me of Haiti. The living conditions of the people living on the outskirts of Lima are similar to the people in makeshift towns in Haiti. I was mentally prepared for anything I might see while I was there. I have been on medical trip before and knew that the unexpected should always be expected. For the first two days, I worked with the "papanicola" gynecologist then with the dentist. I enjoyed interacting with the patient and practicing my Spanish. On my last day, I got to work with the doctors. I got to take patients’ vitals such heartbeat, temperature and blood pressure. As simple as that might sound, it was fascinating for me. Pre-med students normally don’t get the opportunity to interact with patients at that level. I enjoyed and appreciate the medical exposure that I got on this medical brigade. Above it all, I loved having the opportunity to serve other people. I am used to serving the Haitian people or in my region but through Medlife I got to serve people of a different country, culture and language.
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AuthorMy passion is serving my community locally, nationally and internationally. Archives
April 2020
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