Education for the sake of it all.

Sometimes its hard for me to picture myself living in a country that I've only ever visited. Its also hard for me to imagine not going to school day after day or having a computer at my disposal whenever I needed it whether it be for school or just to keep in contact with my friends. I can honestly say that one of the most important things for me is to get good grades this semester. I've never worked as hard as I have these past weeks at school. I find myself actually wanting to work and do well just for my self worth and I think that's a big improvement. My parents as most parents tried to stress as much as they could the value of a good education. Cheesy I know but it taught me a great lesson in life with them always pounding that one concept into my head. Now that I'm in college and on my own its easier to get into a relaxed state when it come to my school work.


Sitting in class is hard at times and it may be a bit boring at times. Sometimes I just have to make myself remember that some people don't have these opportunities. If you would like to learn more about education in Haiti this link will help. Education Maybe be its easier not to have to learn as much as we can while we can?

A.P.

HURRICANES GUSTAV,IKE, and, HANNA

• Have you ever looked out your window?

• What did you see?

• Could you find hope by just looking out at the beauty?

• What about others?

• What do they see when they look out at the world?

This isn't what I would want to see when I look at my neighborhood. This past hurricane season has left many people devastated by hurricanes Hanna and Ike. Haiti needs help during this time. Lives have been lost, homes destroyed and for a country already in pain this does not help the morale. We in the land of opportunity may help to repair the affects. Goodwill to men isn't dead yet ya know.




One of my favorite musicians is Wyclef Jean. In a later blog I will write more about him but he established an organization called yelehaiti. This site is worth visiting in helping the cause to save Haiti. There is a video on the page that is worth exploring and worth taking time out of your day and thinking. We consider so many things a problem now a days. Sometimes we forget that others in the world would love to have some of the small problems we have today. Just a thought. In the U.S. we've been hit by hurricanes especially in the south. New Orleans is the best example of the effects a hurricane can have on a place. Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and they are still in recovery as I write this. This example is only about that one state, but what about a whole country that has been destroyed by hurricanes? How long do you think it would take to repair it?

A.P.

Situate.

Being from a different background than your friends is more common these days than it ever was in the history of the United States. My family is from the island of Haiti as you may or may not know. My father was born in Jérémie and my mother was born in Saint-Marc which are almost at opposite parts of the country. Haiti is located in the Caribbean and is located on the same island as the Dominican Republic.


Haitian culture is very different from that of the United States. Haitian people speak what is known as Haitian Creole or simply Creole. Creole is a blend of different languages mainly West African, Central African, Portuguese, Spanish, and some English. Although Creole is the language spoken by mostly all of the people, French is spoken and is recognized as a secondary language. I speak creole fluently and I was taught French while in high school. I can understand , read and write in French, and I can read creole.

Family and togetherness is an essential part to the Haitian culture. Haitian families are usually close knit and live near each other. My mother has three sisters and two brothers. My father has five brothers and one sister. My grandmother had 11 brothers and sisters. My family is very big and its made me less selfish than I would have been. Being around these people all the time comes with a big responsibility because there are a lot of names to memorize. I have 9 first cousins and at least 20 second and third cousins. We do not care about last names since we all came from one person and that is my great-grandmother. This past summer we had a family reunion which resulted in a broken window (my fault), a broken chair, a broken door and no space at all to put anyone. Have you ever seen 12 fully grown people in the back of a pick up truck? I've been there and I've done that.


A.P.

Remember the rain that made your corn grow.

The title is a Haitian proverb that i chose for this first blog entry. This blog will focus on where my family originated: the Republic of Haiti. My name is Agnia and I'll be your blog master per say. My blog entries won't always be as structured as this one is so this is just a temporary set up. I am 100% Haitian by blood and American by birth. In this blog I will be tackling the issues of being American by place of birth, being American in other countries, music, entertainment, books, and funny differences between American culture and Haitian culture. Everything will be in good fun and hopefully I'll write about some things that you didn't know about. Hopefully. Since I've been raised in both of these unique cultures I have information that you can't find on the net, personal experience. I hope that these blogs will be light of nature and pretty informative at the same time.




Happy reading,
A.P.