In March 2015 I went to Haiti for the first time and my whole life changed. I fell in love with the people and left a piece of my heart there. I went back for the second time in March and I met a young woman who worked at the resort we stayed at, Hotel Royal Decameron. Gloria radiates and is full of a sweet and gentle courage. In her interview on Sister Radio she talked about her life and her country. What she says is far more important than anything I could say. Here is some of the transcript from her interview on Sister Radio. You can listen to the full interview here
What is your average day like?
“My average day…Let me start because when I woke up every morning I’m so glad because I have clothes to wear, and I have health. And I feel very good because I am like a joyful person. And I like every morning to wake up and see I can work, I can breathe. That’s a great thing for me. And after I wake up, I’m listening to music because I’m practicing how to be a good speaker, so I keep practicing. And after, I take a shower and I come to work. Because my job is like a full time job, I spend all my day at work. And I very, very, very enjoy it because that’s a great opportunity for me, for me to meet people, to meet you! And I love my work. I have my family, I have my father and he has a business, and I have a sister and brother to help too.”
How did you learn to speak English so well?
“Yeah, I am self-taught. I learn it by watching videos, listening to music, and that’s why I learn English by myself and I very, very enjoy it.”
What do you love about your country?
“What I love about my country is like we have so many fun things, if you wanna have fun you can come to Haiti, we have a lot of thing you can enjoy yourself. What I like the most in my country is our hospitality.“
What do you want to see change in your country?
“What I want to change in my country is the minds of the people who are living in my country. I want people to think that they can do something, they can grow up and our country can become like others. That’s all I want. I want my country to change in their mind, to grow up, to know also they are the only who can make changes. It’s going to come from us.“
What does being a woman and sister mean to you?
“I have a little sister, and I really love her. She’s my little sister but she’s bigger than me. When I am hanging out with her they think she is older than me, and I love her so much. Being a sister means being like a mom, taking care of each other, and want the best for her. Being a sister means to me you want all the best for your sister. You want her to grow up, you want her to have the best in her life, that’s what being a sister means to me. I have a brother but my sister and I are so close. And she is the first one who really cares. She’s always the first one. Being a woman means to me being respectful. The first thing is to love yourself, not thinking that people are gonna love you, but you have to love yourself. Some women think a man should love her before she loves herself, but being a woman means to me that you love yourself, and to be respectful. A lot of confidence.“
What are you grateful for?
“That’s a big question because when my mother died, I wasn’t grateful because all my dreams was with her, like to be something for her, to make her proud of me. But when she died I start to think I’m not grateful. But this morning when I wake up I start to think about the things I have in my life. I am only 21, I finished high school and university, and I have work. In Haiti that’s not easy. Work is not very easy in Haiti to get, to get a place with good people, nice people who love you for who you are. That’s not easy to get something like that, that’s really a blissful thing and I’m proud of it. And my work is one of the grateful things I have.“
What is something you want others to know about yourself?
“I’m not like people who like to talk, I’m like people who like to be funny, I like to joke. I want people to know that I enjoy my life very, very much. I’m a very honest person, and that’s not for showing off, but I think I am a good friend and sister. Good friend, good sister, because I love my friends a lot and I love my family a lot. I’m not good at men. I’m good at everything, but I’m not good at men. But right now I start to love myself. Since I was a child I didn’t love but now I start to love myself like I am. I love me like I am.“
Mwen renmen ou!
Another BIG thank you to Gloria! Hope you all feel inspired 🙂
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Listen to Gloria’s interview “Haiti and Sisterhood” HERE
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