1 00:00:01,819 --> 00:00:04,861 Hello, my name is Castelline Tilus and I am from Haiti. 2 00:00:04,889 --> 00:00:08,971 I'm trying to tell the story of my life. 3 00:00:08,973 --> 00:00:12,953 to tell you how I arrived here in California 4 00:00:12,953 --> 00:00:15,333 where study and I live. 5 00:00:15,542 --> 00:00:20,222 I was raised in Haiti, in a small village in the countryside 6 00:00:20,222 --> 00:00:21,711 which is called Jean-Rabel 7 00:00:21,968 --> 00:00:23,233 it is located near the sea. 8 00:00:23,673 --> 00:00:28,643 My parents used to work as teachers in Lycee de Jean-Rabel 9 00:00:28,799 --> 00:00:34,154 Maybe they tought that there were more opportunities overseas 10 00:00:34,154 --> 00:00:40,083 or there is better education overseas 11 00:00:40,083 --> 00:00:44,403 That is why they decided to send me to live with my aunt 12 00:00:44,764 --> 00:00:47,943 in Florida when I was very young. 13 00:00:47,995 --> 00:00:49,944 I remember the day 14 00:00:49,944 --> 00:00:53,193 My father told me, "Cassou, go make you suitcase. 15 00:00:53,213 --> 00:00:56,325 Let's go to visit our family in the United States." 16 00:00:56,355 --> 00:00:59,034 I thought we would only travel for 2 weeks 17 00:00:59,114 --> 00:01:00,894 I said, "OK, daddy, I agree." 18 00:01:01,144 --> 00:01:04,928 I made my suitcase. I was so happy. I put all my stuff in there 19 00:01:04,928 --> 00:01:06,793 I said, "Daddy, let's go, let's go." 20 00:01:06,813 --> 00:01:08,887 I remember that day. We board the plane, 21 00:01:08,887 --> 00:01:12,196 we landed to Miami. I had a very good time 22 00:01:12,196 --> 00:01:15,381 After 2 weeks my dad said he is leaving 23 00:01:15,381 --> 00:01:17,704 I did not really understand what he meant to say 24 00:01:17,704 --> 00:01:20,289 He closed the door, he left me inside, he left 25 00:01:20,289 --> 00:01:25,216 He got into a taxi....and I have not seen him for another 10 years 26 00:01:25,216 --> 00:01:28,735 That means he left me in Miami with my family 27 00:01:28,735 --> 00:01:32,365 But him, he went back to Haiti. 28 00:01:32,365 --> 00:01:36,475 In his thought, I would have a better chance to advance in life 29 00:01:36,475 --> 00:01:38,604 if I stayed in the US. 30 00:01:38,604 --> 00:01:41,614 And, that was a little bit difficult for me 31 00:01:41,614 --> 00:01:45,127 because I spent 10 years without seeing my parents, 32 00:01:45,127 --> 00:01:47,184 without seeing my family in Haiti. 33 00:01:47,184 --> 00:01:51,183 That means I almost forget to speak Haitian Creole completely 34 00:01:51,183 --> 00:01:54,684 Because in School, they speak mostly English. 35 00:01:54,684 --> 00:01:58,284 After some years 36 00:01:58,284 --> 00:02:03,673 I couldn't really communicate with my parents, I did not speak Creole, they did not speak English 37 00:02:03,673 --> 00:02:07,423 I remember the first time I visited Haiti after I came here 38 00:02:07,423 --> 00:02:09,944 I was 17 years old 39 00:02:09,944 --> 00:02:12,618 Everybody looks at me like I am a stranger 40 00:02:12,618 --> 00:02:15,644 When I try to speak Creole, I had an American accent 41 00:02:15,644 --> 00:02:17,924 They called me "Diaspora", "White girl", 42 00:02:17,924 --> 00:02:21,284 "Stranger"... like I was not a true Haitian. 43 00:02:21,284 --> 00:02:26,074 That was the first time I had this problem because 44 00:02:26,074 --> 00:02:29,853 throughout all my life I thought I was Haitian 45 00:02:29,853 --> 00:02:33,697 Everyday when I wake up I eat rice mixed with beans, fried plantain (Typical Haitian food) 46 00:02:33,697 --> 00:02:35,906 like I am Haitian in my blood. 47 00:02:35,906 --> 00:02:40,554 But when I went to the country the people didn't accept me as a true Haitian. 48 00:02:40,554 --> 00:02:43,683 That is why when I come back 49 00:02:43,683 --> 00:02:45,620 in the US after that first trip 50 00:02:45,620 --> 00:02:49,814 I decided to apply myself to try to learn Haitian Creole. 51 00:02:49,814 --> 00:02:53,147 I started to read the Bible, 52 00:02:53,147 --> 00:02:56,023 I listen to Haitian radio, 53 00:02:56,023 --> 00:02:58,815 one is Radio Lumière which is popular in Miami 54 00:02:58,815 --> 00:02:59,987 What did I do more? ... 55 00:02:59,987 --> 00:03:01,994 ... Anything I could do to learn to speak Haitian Creole 56 00:03:01,994 --> 00:03:05,374 That means now, I can speak better 57 00:03:05,374 --> 00:03:09,283 But writing and reading Creole is a little bit hard for me 58 00:03:09,283 --> 00:03:11,905 And when I went to College 59 00:03:11,905 --> 00:03:14,696 In 2009, I started to learn French 60 00:03:14,696 --> 00:03:19,143 And that makes things harder for me 61 00:03:19,143 --> 00:03:22,977 because now, I cannot separate French from Creole 62 00:03:22,977 --> 00:03:23,986 in my mind. 63 00:03:23,986 --> 00:03:27,053 When I try to speak Creole - it is a Frenchified Creole 64 00:03:27,053 --> 00:03:32,055 When I try to Speak French, sometimes I find it hard to make the sentences 65 00:03:32,055 --> 00:03:35,486 (laugh) This is so frustrating 66 00:03:35,486 --> 00:03:37,023 but I cannot change it 67 00:03:37,023 --> 00:03:39,353 That just the way it is 68 00:03:39,353 --> 00:03:43,215 That means I feel more comfortable in English 69 00:03:43,215 --> 00:03:46,593 That's the language I speak better. 70 00:03:46,593 --> 00:03:51,426 But in the future I would like to master both Haitian Creole and French 71 00:03:51,426 --> 00:03:54,056 Because I want to go back to Haiti to help my people, 72 00:03:54,056 --> 00:03:57,755 to help my country.