Former Catholic School Girl is Now a Rebel

Most of the Haitian population believes in Christianity. We have the Catholics, Protestants,  Seventh day Adventists and the small percentage that does Voodoo. I went to an all girl strict private Catholic School in Haiti. I had to wear those ugly uniforms and those ribbons in my hair everyday , even on Sunday for our mandatory church masses. The strict rules and overbearing nuns really push me to my limits and all that did was make me do the things they told us not to do.
You couldn't chew gum, put your head on the desk. The tension was really high between me and my teacher, I could never forger Soeur Margaret, she was considerably young and wore glasses, she was smart, very shy and quiet but also strict. Because she knew my parents, she constantly singled me out. You will think that I would be respectful out of fear of her not telling my parents, I acted worse. The school did not know my phone number and every time she would send a note home, I would forge my mother signature.She would beat me for having a diary of love songs, for talking in class, for having less than a perfect grade and for talking back but her beatings did not have any effect on me because the next day I will show up with my skirt pulled higher than the day before and sit in class and daydream about boys.Although I was no stranger to beatings, she would make us kneel on the cement ground for an extended period of time. My stubbornness would not allow me to show signs or weakness so I would hold out the tears because that means she wins. I would often stay in this position for 3 hours and you wee not allowed to move.
Although those punishments were harsh maybe sometimes cruel but I learned a lot from her. Someday when I visit Haiti, I plan to thank her because the morals she instilled on me, I still use until this very day, I always sit on the front row in class and never chewed gum in class. I do not accept less than the perfect grade. I am no longer Catholic but I am studious and very determined. I still have an attitude and now make my own rules in life that doesn't really align with some Haitian traditions because this former Catholic school girl is now a rebel.

You Know You are Haitian When..

1. Your parents are talking loud on the phone when they are talking to people in Haiti.

2. When you would ask your parents for the latest clothing or sneakers and they would tell you that they don’t send you to school for “fashion”.

3.When you eat rice with every meal.

4.When your parents wake you up saying, " leve, leve, leve. get up, get up, get up".

5.When u say, “wap kon George”, but don’t who the hell George is.

6.When you eat spaghetti and hot dogs and put ketchup on it.

7.When you take pictures you always have to stand next to flowers or trees.

8. When you are eating meat and try to break down the bones.

9.When your parents use to conserve cremasse for weeks.

10.Your Mom would use to put your hair in braids every summer " vakans

XoXo, Sosso