Bonjou, Kouman ou ye?
How are you progressing in the Haitian Creole language so far?
Have you taken a class?
Have you networked with a Creole speaking group?
Have you sent yourself messages in Creole on your phone? (I did that!)
Have you dreamed in Creole yet? (I always spoke perfect English, with no accent, in my dreams.)
Learning a new language can be quite an adventure. When I came to the USA, I didn't understand a word of spoken English even though I had studied the language for a short while in Haiti. One week after I landed at the Miami International Airport, I was sent to High School. With the help of an interpreter I was told that I would start in the eleventh grade based on my school transcripts from Haiti.
That was great, I thought. Except that I was sure whether it meant that I would be in the eleventh class, or that I would be the eleventh student.
My first year in High School in the USA was the worst year of my life. I cried often. I never thought this dark period would ever end. I would not have made it out sanely if it wasn't for my piano teacher, Mr. Sunburg. Mr, Sunburg was an older teacher who was funny, unconventional and talented. Even though I never understood most of what he said in class, his body language communicated patience, compassion, and understanding. He is the one who gave me the idea that people don't have to speak the same language to communicate well.
These are some of the most embarassing moments I remember from that time:
1. When I was called upon to answer a question in class my teachers seldom understood a word I said. They’d ask me to, “speak up!”, “repeat!” and eternally wait for my answer in a quiet classroom filled with chuckles.
2. My math teacher was videotaping the class one day. When it was my turn to speak I was mortified. I couldn’t utter a word. Worse of all the whole class kept saying, “Come on girl, say something!”
3. Public transportation in Haiti is not the same as the in USA. No kidding! there are no bus stops, there are no marked buses, and there’s no button to press to stop the bus. In Haiti you yell “Psst!” to get the bus driver’s attention. So in my first months in the USA I stepped onto a Miami bus. The driver was mad at me. I now know that it was because I was fiercely waving my arm to stop the bus instead of waiting at a bus stop. When I got to my destination, I wasn’t sure how to stop the bus. So I kept going until another rider had to get down. I’m pretty sure I walked an extra six or seven blocks that day.
4. On the stairs, in school once, a boy came to my face, waving his menacing fingers at me, saying…. Something I didn’t understand. I charged at him and he ran away. I don’t know what I would’ve done if he had charged back. I don’t know how to fight. Haven’t had a catfight yet.
5. In Haiti, it is traditional to greet and kiss every grown up that comes into the house on the cheek. When I came to the USA I kept kissing the landlord every time he came to collect my mom’s payment until he told my mom to make me stop kissing him.
6. We do not have the “letter grading system” in Haiti schools. On my first day in High school I got a grade of “F” for a, possibly, review test. When I got my graded test back, I sat it on my desk and the girl next to me was gawking at my letter grade. She took my test from me and started passing it around in class. I thought that was good thing. I don't think so anymore.
7. I walked into the boy’s bathroom. Worse of all, I did not even notice that it was a little bit 'different'. I just went in. I actually thought it was weird that a boy came in and stood up to pee in that “thing” on the wall.
8. It took me a long time to confidently answer, "Here!", to roll call without breaking into a sweat and palpitation.
9. Someone should have warned me about Halloween and saved me a day of confusion.
10. I am grateful for all the people who have kept eye contact, and nodded, and smiled as they were trying to make sense of my broken English.
