[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:01.82,0:00:04.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hello, my name is Castelline Tilus and I am from Haiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.89,0:00:08.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm trying to tell the story of my life.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.97,0:00:12.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to tell you how I arrived here in California
Dialogue: 0,0:00:12.95,0:00:15.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,where study and I live.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:15.54,0:00:20.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was raised in Haiti, in a small village in the countryside
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.22,0:00:21.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is called Jean-Rabel
Dialogue: 0,0:00:21.97,0:00:23.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it is located near the sea.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.67,0:00:28.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My parents used to work as teachers in Lycee de Jean-Rabel
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.80,0:00:34.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Maybe they tought that there were more opportunities overseas
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.15,0:00:40.08,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or there is better education overseas
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.08,0:00:44.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is why they decided to send me to live with my aunt
Dialogue: 0,0:00:44.76,0:00:47.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in Florida when I was very young.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:47.100,0:00:49.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember the day
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.94,0:00:53.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My father told me, "Cassou, go make you suitcase.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.21,0:00:56.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Let's go to visit our family in the United States."
Dialogue: 0,0:00:56.36,0:00:59.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I thought we would only travel for 2 weeks
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.11,0:01:00.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said, "OK, daddy, I agree."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.14,0:01:04.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I made my suitcase. I was so happy. I put all my stuff in there
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.93,0:01:06.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I said, "Daddy, let's go, let's go."
Dialogue: 0,0:01:06.81,0:01:08.89,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember that day. We board the plane,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:08.89,0:01:12.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we landed to Miami. I had a very good time
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.20,0:01:15.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After 2 weeks my dad said he is leaving
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.38,0:01:17.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I did not really understand what he meant to say
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.70,0:01:20.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He closed the door, he left me inside, he left
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.29,0:01:25.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,He got into a taxi....and I have not seen him for another 10 years
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.22,0:01:28.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means he left me in Miami with my family
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.74,0:01:32.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But him, he went back to Haiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:32.36,0:01:36.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In his thought, I would have a better chance to advance in life
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.48,0:01:38.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if I stayed in the US.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.60,0:01:41.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And, that was a little bit difficult for me
Dialogue: 0,0:01:41.61,0:01:45.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because I spent 10 years without seeing my parents,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:45.13,0:01:47.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without seeing my family in Haiti.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.18,0:01:51.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means I almost forget to speak Haitian Creole completely
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.18,0:01:54.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because in School, they speak mostly English.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.68,0:01:58.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,After some years
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.28,0:02:03.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I couldn't really communicate with my parents, I did not speak Creole, they did not speak English
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.67,0:02:07.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I remember the first time I visited Haiti after I came here
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.42,0:02:09.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I was 17 years old
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.94,0:02:12.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everybody looks at me like I am a stranger
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.62,0:02:15.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I try to speak Creole, I had an American accent
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.64,0:02:17.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They called me "Diaspora", "White girl",
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.92,0:02:21.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"Stranger"... like I was not a true Haitian.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.28,0:02:26.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That was the first time I had this problem because
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.07,0:02:29.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,throughout all my life I thought I was Haitian
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.85,0:02:33.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Everyday when I wake up I eat rice mixed with beans, fried plantain (Typical Haitian food)
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.70,0:02:35.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like I am Haitian in my blood.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.91,0:02:40.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But when I went to the country the people didn't accept me as a true Haitian.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.55,0:02:43.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That is why when I come back
Dialogue: 0,0:02:43.68,0:02:45.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the US after that first trip
Dialogue: 0,0:02:45.62,0:02:49.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I decided to apply myself to try to learn Haitian Creole.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:49.81,0:02:53.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I started to read the Bible,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.15,0:02:56.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I listen to Haitian radio,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.02,0:02:58.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,one is Radio Lumière which is popular in Miami
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.82,0:02:59.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What did I do more? ...
Dialogue: 0,0:02:59.99,0:03:01.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,... Anything I could do to learn to speak Haitian Creole
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.99,0:03:05.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means now, I can speak better
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.37,0:03:09.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But writing and reading Creole is a little bit hard for me
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.28,0:03:11.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And when I went to College
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.90,0:03:14.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In 2009, I started to learn French
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.70,0:03:19.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And that makes things harder for me
Dialogue: 0,0:03:19.14,0:03:22.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because now, I cannot separate French from Creole
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.98,0:03:23.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in my mind.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:23.99,0:03:27.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I try to speak Creole - it is a Frenchified Creole
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.05,0:03:32.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,When I try to Speak French, sometimes I find it hard to make the sentences
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.06,0:03:35.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(laugh) This is so frustrating
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.49,0:03:37.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but I cannot change it
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.02,0:03:39.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That just the way it is
Dialogue: 0,0:03:39.35,0:03:43.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means I feel more comfortable in English
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.22,0:03:46.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's the language I speak better.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:46.59,0:03:51.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But in the future I would like to master both Haitian Creole and French
Dialogue: 0,0:03:51.43,0:03:54.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Because I want to go back to Haiti to help my people,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.06,0:03:57.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help my country.