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.