One Haitian Family in Miami, Florida

I have the pleasure of knowing so many people from different walks of life. They range from upper class societies to lower class. I love everyone and I never shun from anyone no matter where they came from or what they have.

I love meeting people from different countries. Four years ago I met one distinct family from Haiti that now resides in Miami, Florida. It has been amazing to me how different our lifestyles are.

 On the outside, this family seems to be very loving etc...However, once I got to know them, I found out that they see things a little differently than most of the people that I know. The mother of this family, who is in her early 60's feels as though she had seven children in order for them to take care of her. She said that she feels as though when they turned 13 years old that they should find a job and begin contributing to the house bills. She said that she does not put any thought into the kids obtaining a higher education. She feels that education comes from what she teaches them. She expects her kids, who now range from 28-42, to responsible for her bills, travel, clothing, pocket money, lottery money and food. I am wondering if this is a cultural way of thinking? It just does not seem like logical thinking to me. To top things off, she makes it a point  to turn her kids against their father in order to get them to "not to" give him money just so that she can get it ALL! I really want to know if this is the way that most families from Haiti think and live or is it just an individual way of doing things?

Another thing that this mother does is that she expects her children to make her bills etc...a priority. She said her mortagage needs to be paid first and theirs need to be paid secondary. She said that way, if they lose their home, they will still have a place to reside at her place. If at any time, any of her children does not comply to her demands, she literally disowns them until they finally feel like there is no choice but to give her the money. Is this ethical? Is this the correct way to treat anyone especially those you love?

I would like to get to know more and more about Haitians. There is so much that I can tell about this family but time will not allow in this one blog. However, I will continue to learn more and more about this family as well as other Haitian families, so that I can learn and compare different cultural lifestyles.

From Russia to the Home of the Brave

The United States has been known as a melting pot for centuries. People from around the globe have migrated to the land of the free and the home of the brave in order to find opportunities for advancement.

After Hurricane Katrina, I had the pleasure of meeting many people that were from different cultures. When I was a toddler, my parents were friends with a chiropractor who was from Canada but his wife had migrated from Russia. She often tells her story to the local high school. She tells about her push factor was that the government was extremely stern. She could no longer stand it and she stated that when she was a little girl, she would always say that she would leave Russia. Before she was 18, she was able to leave with a friend and her family. She left her mother, father and two siblings for a better life. She did not know what she was going to have to face but she had a dream that it would be better than her living conditions that she lived in. Her friends father and mother painted a beautiful picture of America and she wanted it all.

Once she settled in, it did not take long to get use to the lifestyle of U. S. citizens. She loved it. She enrolled in school and from there, she lived as though she had won the lottery! Her parents never came to the states and neither did her siblings. They felt betrayed by her. However, she felt that this was a decision that was made that formed and shaped her life for the best.

One World Many People, I think this class is interesting it points on all topics culture, race, religion , geographics . Being that religion is a big part of my life and I am a preacher's kid. (lol) I find it amazing to learn about other culturs and other religions. Being raised a certin way had an effect on my thinking about other cultures and how their practice of religion differs from mine . I like to learn about different people and their cultures and how they live and how it effects them, and getting different views and conversations started is a good way to learn about others.  Being raised as a preacher's kid has a lot of advantages and some disadvantages, because I was taught only one religion I didn't have any idea on other religion or how other cultures practice their own religion . This class will give me a better understanding on all the different religions that are being practiced.

 I am a diverse person and I like to engage in different things as well as have a good conversation on other peoples views on life. I like to have fun and learn new things about anybody.