My father moved from Haiti to the United States in order for me and my other siblings to have better opportunities and access to resources. He brings me to the United at the age of twelve years old. I had the chance to attend middle school and high school. As their second oldest, I will be the first in our family to attend college. My older brother didn't have the chance to do so because my dad income was very low since he didn't speak English.…
Have you ever loved someone so much, you’d give an arm for them? Not the expression, no literally give an arm for? Growing up in Haiti with my brother, I remember teasing and pushing him around, because thats what big brothers are supposed to do. One of the things I remember most vividly about him was waking up every morning to play soccer with a tennis ball we found, and racing each other all through town with our hands behind our backs pretending we were cars. Everyday wasn’t always perfect, like those days we spent chasing each other because we fought, just like all siblings, and I didn't always appreciate having a younger brother.…
In my seventeen years of living, I have gone through my fair share of tragedies. Yes, at seventeen years old. I have seen a marriage fall apart and a family member die right before my eyes. But even after all this, I’ve learned that everything happens for a reason and life shouldn’t be taken so seriously besides all the misfortunes it could throw at us. All of my family lives in Nicaragua, so growing up my mother and I would travel every time we had the chance.…
The lake lured me in as I could hear the waves crashing against the shore. I went straight for my chambers and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I awoke to my grandma baking blueberry pancakes. It led me downstairs where a large platter of them was waiting for me. After I was finished eating, I went to sit on the couch and watch cartoons.…
Africa, a continent made up of 54 different beautiful countries, which has very different characteristics and wealth. Cameroon, located in the center of Africa, is where I am from. I was born and raised there. I grew up with a lot of family around, but I am the only child of my parents. I am proud to say that I was raised by my family.…
Andrew Just last year, Dylan and I traveled to Haiti on a missions trip. As you may know, it's one of the poorest countries in the world. When we were beginning our descent on the airplane, I thought about how little roads and how poor the housing was. We drove through chaotic roads and rubble filled alleys, until we reached the orphanage. New Life Children’s Home is a safe haven for kids who lived in the mountains a couple miles north.…
On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, which was during the time I was in Haiti. It was one year before I even came to the U.S.A. That day, in the morning, I went to school and everything was alright. The school that I went to was open 7am to 2:45 pm, when school was over that day I planned to stay after school to study for one of the exam that I was going to take the next morning, but I didn’t stay, I went home. When I got home at 3:30 pm, I said hi to my parents.…
Going to Haiti last summer was something I didn’t really expect. The summer prior, I had worked at Tall Timbers, a summer camp, and fell in love; it was the best summer of my life. After working there, I was dead set on working there for every summer as long as I could. But even shortly after moving out and going home at the end of that summer, I remember lying in bed one night and having the thought, what if I had to give this up? What if I never get to work at Tall Timbers again?…
Coming from Africa and moving to America was tough because of the adjustments I had to make. My parents wanted my sister and me to have a better life, so they decided on moving to the States. When I arrived, I had to learn the culture and language to break the barriers that blocked a normal life. Sitting in class was like being a fish out of water. I had to quickly learn English so I could effectively communicate with my peers and teachers.…
Do you ever want to leave your home? I grew up in Somalia with my both parents and four of my siblings. Somalia wasn 't a safe place but It was the place I called home. I still wanted to live there.…
There are some memories in life that are unforgettable. We as people like to move to a different country to get a better life. Do you ever think about leaving your home, family, friends, and even your country to obtain a better life? My moment was when I was coming to America and how scary it was to come into a new country where we did not know anyone or spoke the language. Growing up in Mauritania, all I wanted and dreamed about was being able to visit America.…
Growing up in Jamaica was not what some may think as ideal, it has been described as a Third World Country, but to me, it was just home. Third world indeed, poor, violent at times; a contradiction, with its sandy beaches, clear blue skies, delectable food, feel good music, and some of the hardest working people one can ever have the pleasure of meeting, who refused to stay where life may have placed them, but strived to climb above those circumstances and attempt to carve out a life for themselves and their children. Let me introduce you to the Jamaica that I grew up in and remembered; I remember the endless summer holidays growing up off the Sligoville Road, in a small district called Mt. Moreland, where the playground…
To be Cape Verdean is not simply to have Cape Verdean blood within you, rather it is also to have a certain amount of pride and respect for our ethnicity and culture. In saying this, my Cape Verdean heritage doesn’t just mean something to me, but rather it is me. It is everything that is embodied within me and what I do. From birth, I was raised by a strong Cape Verdean family filled with hard working women and men.…
The republic of Mali is located in western Africa, with a population of around 15 million people. Making it the 24th largest country in the world. Mali also is notably one of the poorest countries in the world. Last summer, I had the opportunity to travel alongside with other students as part of the Students Travel and Exposure South Africa (STAESA) to provide a helping hand to the people of the village of Tiby, which is located in the southern region of the city of Segou. The STAESA is nonprofit organization that offers a variety of volunteer programs in African countries.…
Many people grow up having a normal childhood, I being one of them. I grew up living in a warm, and welcoming household with my mother, father, and older brother. As a child, we all thought we had no worries in the world. Everything was peaceful and taken care of by our parents. We all eventually grow up, and have to become more responsible.…