11th July 2016
Arriving in Haiti with little more than the French I left school with was not the best plan. I found it difficult to speak to people and only for Sr. Rose and Sr. Nazareth spoke to me in English, I really may have just as well gone back home again. I certainly would have found it impossible to fit in.
Learn Kreyol with You Tube
Gradually over the course of the past 3 months (almost) I am now beginning to understand some of what people say in Kreyol. It seems to be a bit like French alright although my Kreyol teacher (I simply had to find someone with whom I could practice – all other efforts were proving to be just too slow. I wanted to understand what was going on and be able to speak with people, even if it was simply to bid them the time of day), told me it was a mixture of French, Spanish, Latin and Greek.
The structure is simple enough with very little changes to endings when you conjugate verbs – which is a big help.
I’m also managing to speak to people and although I’m slow in conversation, I somehow manage to make myself understood, for the most part (or someone helps me out).
I’m so jealous of one of the young Spanish girls who joined us last week. She can converse wonderfully in Spanish, French and English and is a joy to chat to.
Rose, my Kreyol teacher has been a great help, setting me straight when I fail to supply the correct word. She would make a good teacher some day, but will she get the chance?
She just passed her exam (Rheto) that allows her to go into a year’s programme for the final year of secondary school. In another country, this would signal a bright future of fun, adventure and achievement ahead.
But for Rose and those others I have met here, her potential may never be realised and all because of lack of money.
With a good grade in her final secondary school exam (Philo) Rose would have the potential to study at University but without funding from somewhere her obvious potential, like many others in Haiti might never be realised.
This is the tragedy of Haiti over and over again. There is certainly potential – a huge potential. With 10 million people, human resources are not limited but they need the wherewithal – that is hugely lacking for the average Haitian in order to take their rightful place in our globalized world.