Our Journey from Haiti
Coming to America
Haitians come to America for a better life, a good job, good health care, and an escape from economic problems. Some Haitians try to escape illegally by coming here on rafts. Although they risk their lives to flee oppression, they are not accepted into the U.S. like their Cuban neighbors. Many illegal Haitian immigrants are returned to their country after sailing and swimming to American soil. Those of us who are lucky enough to come here legally have to wait a long time to get a visa, and it costs a lot of money. We have to have a relative who came many years before sponsor us. Many people come here to be reunited with family members. The plane ticket costs almost $200 per person, which may not seem expensive to Americans, but the average income in Haiti is only $460 per year. The plane ride to the U.S. is relatively quick and stops in Florida.
What We Left Behind
We left our fathers, grandmothers, cousins, uncles, aunts, and dogs in Hiati. We led two lives in our country, depending on which extended family member's house we were staying at. We don’t really have much contact with our family anymore. It is too expensive to call, and long-distance costs a lot. We have to wait for our relatives to call us, because the phone lines are not always working. Most people in Haiti don’t have a cell phone or internet access. In fact, a lot of Haitian immigrants in the U.S. are also unable to afford these things.
What We found Here
We found a whole new world in the U.S. There were restaurants and big supermarkets with lots of things for sale. Walking into these stores for the first time made us want to fall down on our knees and kiss the ground. We found our family again, since our sisters and mothers had come to the U.S. several years before us. It was really difficult for us to get to know each other again.
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