Unlike the majority Haitian immigrants, I do not have a sad story. Instead, I have multitudinous nostalgic memories; I am thankful for that. My family and I we did not leave Haiti due to financial struggles. In Haiti, we lived in the second biggest city and one of the most peaceful places in the country. As a merchant, my father traveled in and out of the U.S. buying and selling products. From primary through high school, I studied in the most prestigious private school in the area. After high school, I moved to the capital to study in one of the best private universities in the country, all paid in full on my behalf. By the time my father was able to move the rest of the family to the U.S., I was in my final year at the University Studying
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would be. Understandably, I felt disoriented, out of place. I, now, had responsibilities and needed to find a job in a hurry to contribute to my family. Moreover, transitioning from French to English at the age of 24 proved to be challenging than anticipated. Furthermore, I found out that the credits for the courses I took from the university in Haiti were not transferable. That implicated starting over and I was up for that, yet first, I was obliged to spend a year in adult school in order to learn English. That proved to be difficult considering I was fairly familiar with written form English and adult school was for beginners. Practicing speaking English would be ideal, though in a community where one’s doctor, preacher, friends and even cashiers speak mostly creole, that was practically impossible. In consequence, I read, all the time and out loud. With the assistance of google and a Haitian Creole-English dictionary to mitigate definition and pronunciation, I read and watched television in abundance. Thus and so, before I knew it, I was taking classes at Polk Community College, now named Polk State College. And when faced with the dilemma between the 12 hour shift and my classes, I chose my classes now that I came to understand why my father moved us to the U.S. Although, it was tough, being an immigrant gave the skills to transition from one culture to another. In the same way, it warrant the opportunity
would be. Understandably, I felt disoriented, out of place. I, now, had responsibilities and needed to find a job in a hurry to contribute to my family. Moreover, transitioning from French to English at the age of 24 proved to be challenging than anticipated. Furthermore, I found out that the credits for the courses I took from the university in Haiti were not transferable. That implicated starting over and I was up for that, yet first, I was obliged to spend a year in adult school in order to learn English. That proved to be difficult considering I was fairly familiar with written form English and adult school was for beginners. Practicing speaking English would be ideal, though in a community where one’s doctor, preacher, friends and even cashiers speak mostly creole, that was practically impossible. In consequence, I read, all the time and out loud. With the assistance of google and a Haitian Creole-English dictionary to mitigate definition and pronunciation, I read and watched television in abundance. Thus and so, before I knew it, I was taking classes at Polk Community College, now named Polk State College. And when faced with the dilemma between the 12 hour shift and my classes, I chose my classes now that I came to understand why my father moved us to the U.S. Although, it was tough, being an immigrant gave the skills to transition from one culture to another. In the same way, it warrant the opportunity