"My aunt CeCe made a trip from Haiti to New York on an ocean liner when I was just a little girl. She loved it so much that she eventually made her home there, and we only saw her when she came to visit. I think it was through her stories that I began to love the United States too. Years later when I was grown and had my own children she invited me to come and visit. My husband arranged my trip. He said, "Laurence, your world has been small, but now it is about to become very wide."
Read the full story
My aunt CeCe made a trip from Haiti to New York on an ocean liner when I was just a little girl. She loved it so much that she eventually made her home there, and we only saw her when she came to visit. I think it was through her stories that I began to love the United States too. Years later, when I was grown and with my own children, she invited me to come and visit. My husband arranged my trip. He said, “Laurence, your world has been small, but now it is about to become very wide.”
Let me tell you, I loved New York too. After my first visit, I came almost every summer. My husband told me one year that he was able to obtain a visa for me to work in the U.S. I began to see that by doing that, I might be able to do something for my family. I thought that maybe one day I would be able to bring them here to see this beautiful country.
Martine was maybe three at that time, but I’m sure she remembers my suitcase, because I always had something in it for the children. She was my baby, so there was always something special for her. I remember I brought shoes and a dress for her first communion, a lot of beautiful things you could not find in Haiti.
When my oldest daughter wanted to go to college in New York, I decided to make my permanent home there too. I trained to become a nurse, worked hard, and became a citizen. I brought all my children eventually. Not all of them were happy at first; some were very depressed. We left our big house in Haiti and everything they knew. Now they had to be careful everywhere, in the street, on the subway. It was a very different life, and at times they were afraid. I had to take care of them, provide for them all. It was difficult, but I was a strong woman.
My husband’s work kept him living in Haiti. He visited us often, but he never moved here. He took a job working as a diplomat in Nigeria and Gabon. He came to New York, and I also traveled to Africa to see him. It was after he had a heart attack, many years later, that I moved back to Haiti to live and take care of him. By the time he passed away, Haiti was becoming a very dangerous place, and my children convinced me to come back, so once again I packed my life into two suitcases.
Now I am happy. Seattle is so beautiful! It’s quieter here, not nearly as stressful as New York City. I worked as a teacher when I first arrived, and now I am working as an interpreter for Haitians and French-speaking Africans. I still love to work. My four daughters are here. Do you know that Aunt CeCe passed away only last week? She was 109 years old. We all miss Haiti very much, and I hope that one day something good will happen in my country.
Back
