"You’re over 18 why can’t you do what you want?" That is a phrase I have heard countless times. I may be over 18 but I am still Haitian. Which basically means I am a child to everyone in my family until I have a child of my own. Every Haitian child knows this struggle. You will always be your parent’s baby in any culture but even more so in Haitian culture. Think of the strictest set of parents you know. Multiply that by ten and you have typical Haitian parents. Strict would be an understatement. There are certain things only Haitians know.
You know your Haitian when:
1. When your garage, back porch, or basement is filled with junk to send to Haiti. Every time a family member is going to Haiti we all gather together a ton of old gently used clothes, comforters, electronics, and basically anything that we no longer use and pack it in a cargo box to send to Haiti.
2. When Griot is one of your top three favorite foods. Griot or fried seasoned pork taste like heaven on earth. This will always be my favorite food pair this up with some fried plantain and you are guaranteed to have a full and satisfied tummy.
3. When your parents preach the three L’s; Leglize (Church), Lakay (Home), and Lecole (School). Those are the only things that we are taught from a young age that actually matter.
4. In addition to going to school Haitians encourage their kids to follow three career paths. You are either going to school to be a Doctor, Lawyer, or Engineer. Nothing else those are the three that they believe will bring you the most money. The amount of nurses and engineers I have and my in family is increasing every day.
5. When you enter a room of Haitians, you must kiss every single person on both cheeks as a sign of respect. I have never liked this. I find it quite disgusting. People think it’s cool and comment saying “That’s just like what French people do”. It’s not all its cracked up to be. It is quite a burden actually. Especially at family gatherings when you have to kiss 100+ people on the cheek. Our when your uncles have stubbly cheeks.
6. When ringing in the New Year also means celebrating Independence Day with Soup Joumou. Soup Joumou is essentially squash soup that Haitians make every New Year to celebrate independence and be good luck for the rest of the year.
7. When you have been on “ajenou” at least 10 times during your childhood and even some during adulthood. “Ajenou” is a punishment where the person being punished has to kneel on their knees with their backs straight until they have ‘learned their lesson’ (as determined by the punishing parent)
8. When at least five people in your family go by the following names; Marie, Claude, Jean, Pierre, or Joseph. Almost every single one of my aunts has Marie somewhere in their name.
9. When people always ask you if you speak Haitian. What people fail to realize is that Haitian is not a language French- Creole is though and that is what Haitian people speak. I will never understand how people think that you can speak a nationality. We don't ask you if you can speak American.
10. When the media constantly emphasizes the fact that Haiti is known as the “poorest country in the western hemisphere” and only shows those kind of pictures when in reality Haiti looks like this.
