Personal narrative

 

An old adage states that man is the product of his environment. As a matter of fact, it seems-based upon what we see every day- that our cultural background molds our thinking and behavior one way or another: The Haitian culture shapes my life in a very positive manner; in the  way to have a strong faith in God,  overcome the obstacles, and discipline my life.

Culture is a set of beliefs, rituals and practices that connect the individual with others, and God with the cosmos. In my culture, the majority of Haitian parents are devout Christians. They always try to talk to their children about what God can do and this at their young age. My lovely father had a strong belief in God and would often times tell me there is a God in heaven that can do everything. Before he passed away, he gave me a bible that contains 66 books and it is divided into two main parts: Old Testament and New Testament. My father told me with abundant stream of tears rolling down his cheeks: I give you this book because you’ll need it your whole life. Since that day, I pray every morning and every night with my Bible. My culture has shaped me this way. As a result, I live my life from a different and a better perspective. As a matter of fact, that book my late father gave me allowed me to know about the love of God, to trust him and to find out about his omnipotence. All of sudden, more precisely, at the age of 17, I was starting to have frequent headaches. My mother took me to several doctors. Despite all, the pain got stronger every day. At last, I was diagnosed with brain tumor in an impoverished country like Haiti. My family did everything that was in their power to take me to see a specialist from the United States, but the efforts were unsuccessful. Engulfed in sadness, I remember the last words my dad said before he died and his gift: the bible. Then, I started to pray to God in my room with the help of my mother, saying God: “I know you can do everything….” After several sessions of prayer, I went back to the doctor and the tumor was gone. My doctor was dumbstruck. It was a clear answer to my fervent prayer sessions. Since that day, I have showed a strong belief in God. 

My culture has always taught me to be strong and courageous. Despite hardships we may come across on the road, we remain hopeful. All my friends were crying, thinking I was going to die, but I clung to the Christians teachings, the principles that my father had implanted in me before he passed away. In this extreme situation in which I found myself, I held onto the way my ancestors fought for independence. During the last battle against the French army, when a cannon ball took Capois Lamort’s hat away, one of the leaders of our ancestors, he cried out: “forward, ever forward. When another cannon ball knocked his horse down, he kept shouting: “forward, forward”. In the face of such feat, the French army stopped the battle and saluted the courage of this great man and his army. It is this same spirit that is injected into the veins of all Haitians and, particularly, in me. This helps me to be optimistic, courageous and not to give up ever. It comes at a moment when people thought I would die and my mother was making plans for my funeral, but that did not worry me. I stayed courageous and hopeful though.

The experience of my illness has taught me discipline. It taught me to be stable spiritually. In my culture, when some people are sick despite their faith in God, they tend to consult the voodoo priest for healing and this barely gives good results. If I had gone to a Voodoo Priest, I strongly believe that I would not be alive now. Some people around me encouraged my mom to take me to the voodoo priest, telling her if she would let her daughter die in stupid way like this. She did not accept because my family had confidence in God. In no time, I neglected to take my medications on time and follow the instructions of my doctor. I continue to follow the health principles and maintain a good relationship with my God. To me, that experience is a lesson of courage, discipline, hope and trust in the Almighty God.

In conclusion, my culture shape me in the positive manner. The faith it help me to have in my God drives me to the healing .The courage that I inherited from my forefathers me allowed to be courageous even most of people taught that I passed away. From my sickness, discipline became a part of my life about everything that I make and the way that I have to serve God.