My Trip To Haiti

In 1999, I left Haiti. Although it has been 16 years, I hold on to the memories for dear life. I lived in a city called Port de Paix, just a few hours away from the capital, which means it was quiet and peaceful; that was just wonderful. This essay will outline the wonderful memories of my childhood in Haiti.

As of 2015 the U.S Census Bureau revealed that approximately 116 million families are living in the United States. These families possess their own unique style, culture and set of beliefs. My family, consisting of my married parents and my older sister, are no different in the aspect that we too hold our own set of beliefs. The socially constructed term ‘family’ traditionally is defined as a unit that is related by marriage or blood, share financial responsibilities and care for any children/dependents (Lofquist et al., 2012). Growing up as a Haitian American, my ideas of what it means to be a family have been greatly influenced by my cultures and my religion. The Haitian culture greatly emphasizes family relationships and familial

To conclude I’ve been blessed to experience two different countries, although it wasn’t easy I’ve learned from both, while daily life in America/Miami is much different than in Haiti, there are many similarities as well. Underneath all of our cultural differences, the same heart still beats. Food must be eaten, clean water must be drank. Everyone must sleep at night, and wake up to a bright new day. Spending time with family and friends is at the center of the lives of both Americans and Haitians. With all of our differences, we are all simply human beings living a life on planet

I’ve always thought of myself as a person who has a interesting background and childhood. My childhood would consist of fails, near death experiences, and anything crazy or out of the ordinary from other people’s childhoods. Most of my days would consist of going to school, seeing something amazing or crazy, go home, and do homework. Occasionally, I would go to the park where i would explore new places or just walk around and try to make new friends. Most of the time, I would just explore my surroundings and enjoy nature as much as I can. Whenever I would go to El Salvador, I would walk around in big forest and enjoy how fresh the air is. The air over in the countryside is pure and makes you feel at peace due how low the co2 levels are in

Attention Getter: Who here has heard of the horrible plight of Haiti? Haiti has been through constant suffering everyday due to economic difficulty, lack of food, lack of clean water, hurricanes, and possibly everything that could go wrong with the world. I’m sure no one in their right mind would want to be there now but does anyone know how Haiti became as it is now. Well that’s what I’m about to tell you.

Everyone has a past either good or bad and they’re the ones that decide how they are going to use it. I’ve always been so fascinated with people’s personal stories because I think our past, where we came from and what we have been through has a big impact on how we live our lives. My story is a unique one, I grew up in Haiti and I mostly remember about all the insecurity problems there, being scared that my parents got killed on their way back home from work, or me and my brother getting kidnapped one day. My story is different from everyone else’s, no one can tell it better than I can; but all of us at one point have experienced something in common and finding this person or this group of people

1492 - Christopher Columbus accidentally lands on present day Haiti and Dominican Republic and conquers the island for Spain,naming the island Hispaniola. 1697 - Spain gives the western part of Hispaniola to France, and the French name it Ayiti. 1801 - Toussaint Louverture (a former slave) becomes the self- proclaimed leader of Haiti and ends slavery 1804 - Haiti becomes independent from France and Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares himself emperor. 1806 - Dessalines is murdered and Haiti is split into a black north and mulatto south 1818-43 - Pierre Boyer unifies the north and south of Haiti, but excludes blacks from power. 1915 - US invades and "monitors" Haiti 1934 - US removes troops, but holds fiscal control for 13 more years 1956

Going to Haiti is an incredible adventure and it really puts in perspective how much I take for granted everyday. Most Haitians my age have no bed to sleep on, a small shack which they call home and share with their extensive families, and not a clue what they are going to do that day when they wake up. In a way, which may sound selfish, I wish to live like them to feel what it’s like to always be happy and full of spirit regardless of the food they eat or the clothes on their backs. I have many memories and experiences similar to the ones shared and I had moments like those spent with Kata and the man during village ministry every day with various Haitians. The Haitians impact my life more and more every second I am there, and even though Haiti may seem like the poorest country in the world and the mosquitos are horrible, and the heat could drive one mad, I will always choose Haiti over any other place in the world as my happy place, and there is not a place I’d rather be than

My first trip to Disney World, now that, that was a memorable trip. That trip was one of the most magical and happiest memories of my life. It was back in 2008, I had just turned 6 years old a few months before we left to go there. It was summertime, and the weather was perfect. I remember being so bored on the way there because I am an only child so I didn’t have anyone to entertain me besides myself. My mom’s side of the family went on this trip with us, and at the time I was the only grandkid, and the only kid at all. So once we finally were almost there I remember passing the big ‘Welcome to Disney World” sign and being so excited I peed my pants--my mom was pretty mad, but my dad thought it was kinda funny so I didn’t get in too much trouble.

Haiti was once the first black independent republic in the world and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened to Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country experienced repeated civil war and foreign intervention. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Thus, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. It was out of concern for profit and stability within the United States' own backyard. The purpose of this paper is to show the negative aspect that the United States had played in the government of Haiti.

One of the most prominent issues that face Haiti today is hunger. According to the statistics given in the novel On The Day Everybody Ate, “three-quarters of Haitians live on less than $2 per day… and 56% live on less than $1 per day” (Trost). This is not enough for a person to substantially sustain himself/herself. The majority goes hungry. In addition, over a third of the population has no easy access to clean drinking water. Many Haitians do not know where their next meal is going to come from. They are forced to eat day by day, eating what they can.

Right after graduating, I left the country for the first time and traveled to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. Isla Mujeres is small a tropical island near the coast of Cancun. I dove to the bottom of the sea floor and climbed to the top of massive rocks. The island is about five miles long, so the majority of people there use golf carts to get around. I also pursued my interest in my photography while I was there and captured my whole trip. I spent hours editing the film and ended up with a stunning production. I worked for The Tylor Bailey Band at the Country On The River Music Festival, and gained a lot of experience from the opportunity. I worked my first job as a Sales Associate at Urban Outfitters. I took as many shifts as I could over to the summer

In tenth grade I was enrolled in conformation class at my parish church. This was the first time I had really started getting involved with my Church parish. The big event everyone was talking about for the upcoming summer was the mission trip to Jamaica. My first thoughts about this trip were to stay away from it. I found myself not wanting to get involved with a huge event like this. Leaving the United States is something that I have never done before. A whole week away from home is something that scared me at the time. I kept it in the back of my head throughout the year and the time came to make my decision. The decision I made would, without me realizing it, change my life forever. My trip to Jamaica would teach me just how blessed I am.

My service learning activity took place overseas on a small island named Haiti. I took the trip with Sister Victoria and five other people. In my short time there I grew a deeper appreciation for all that we have here in the United States. For instance, clear water, readily accessible medical resources, and so much more. Additionally, to a growing deeper appreciate, my team and I did a lot of activities there to help the community of Jacmel. For example, we visited several orphanages within the surrounding communities and helped with meal preparations, feedings, and ADLs. In addition to visiting orphanages, we also had the opportunity to work in the clinic where myself and the rest of our team helped with taking vital signs, general assessments, and wound care. Furthermore, we had the opportunity to visit several hospitals and clinics are were able to drop off medical supplies that the hospital/clinic needed. Lastly, we accompanied Sister Margaret to do home health visits in nearby neighborhoods.

Haiti has long been known for its major export of Haitian migrants in search of a better way of life. It is an exodus that goes back several decades, however with recent times the numbers have increased dramatically. In fact, that numbers of Haitians fleeing Haiti in the early 1990's far exceeds the numbers recorded in earlier years. Between 1972- 1979, some 8,000- 10,000 Haitians arrived in the United States. Compare this number with the 14,443 Haitians interdicted between September 30, 1991 - January 1, 1992. By early 1994, this number totaled over 41,000 (Report on the Situation of Human Rights in Haiti, 1994). Economic deprivation has always been the predominant influence for the migrating of Haitians, yet in the