236 Athena N.A. (Haiti, Age 15): English

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Athena,N.A

Age 15 , Haiti

 “I was born to defeat life.”

          Hello my name is Athena. I was born in port – au- prince , Haiti .

Haiti is located in the Caribbean, our closest neighbor is the Dominican republic. I was born in November 5, 1999 at the hospital of “  L'hospital de l'universite d'etat  D’haiti. After my birth I lived with my mom but she couldn’t babysit me because she was 15 at that time she didn’t really know how to take care of a baby.  So my dad grandmother which means my great grand mother took me of my mom arms when I was one month old.

           When I went to live with my great grand mother I was very sick I had a fever called “ coqueluche’’ , I had this fever because I took the flu shot which I’m allergic to. The doctors couldn’t do nothing to help me so they had told my family that I was going to die because they couldn’t find a cure to give me . But my great grand mother daughter  which is my great aunt didn’t believe in what the doctors were saying so she took me to a private hospital, my great aunt love me a lot because we were born the same date November 5.

         When we arrived to the private hospital the doctors told my grandma that they can hill me but the medication and shots will cost her a lot, My grandma didn’t have a problem with that because she was a businesswoman at that time, she use to travel all around the caribbean to buy furniture like coach, chairs, bedroom, living sets etc and she would sell them in my country.

I was now living at the hospital for seven months , I had to take 7 shots everyday but the worst was that they couldn’t find any veins on my arm because or under my feet so they had to cut all of my hair out so they could give them to me by the side of my head , after seven month at the hospital I was doing better now so they had send me home with medication I had to take.

               The day I was supposed to go home one of the doctors had stole me she had switch me to another baby at the hospital  but my family had saw that so they had call the police after searching the hospital for 2 hours they had found me inside of a closet in the doctor office. All I can say is that since the day I came  on earth I am a bless baby, God has always been protecting me that’s why I believe I that I was born to defeat life.

Citizen American.

After living with my grandma for 8 years, she had passed away, I remember it was the first day of carnival ,she was diagnosed with cancer. The second time she came to the U.S.A the doctors saw that  she had cancer ,unfortunately it was too late ,so after 2 months she passed away.

   

   I remember I saw people crying but I didn’t understand what was happening because I was still young, when we went to the funeral I  saw my aunt crying my grandma crying everyone was crying, except me .  Two  month later that’s when I started to cry because if I needed something my great grandma were not here anymore to gave it to me.

When I  went to live with my aunt I  was 9 years old I  was happy. We used to go to the hair salon together to go do our hair, we used to go to the restaurant , we were like twins together.

Until One day my grandma had called my aunt and she had told her that I  have to come to new york because she doesn’t want me to stay in haiti anymore, because there was war at that time period. I  remember we went to go shopping clothes for me to come to new york. When we went to the airport I was crying because I didn’t want to leave my aunt , my friends especially my mother But I  had to go.

I left my country the 6/25/12 at 2:00 oclock pm.  When I was in the airplane I  felt really comfortable because it was my first time on american airlines plane it was big and I actually made friends with a couple that were sitting next to me they were americans but they knew how to speak creole and french.

They gave me a blanket so I  could sleep, the airplane had arrived to JFK airport at 7:00 oclock pm.

I came here during summer time it was really nice outside I felt lost because the airport was so big it felt like I  was in paradise. But there was a problem, when I arrived,  I couldn’t find my dad because his car had a flight tire so I  was the only one left at the airport, the security took me to a room where I  had to wait for my dad to come pick me up, i was so mad , I  was crying.

 I fall asleep on the chair when  wake up I saw a lady standing in front of me she was talking with the securities I couldn’t understand what they were saying the only word I understood was “stepmother” , the thing is that my dad was standing outside and he had send my stepmom to pick me up but the security had said no my dad have to come himself . so I  saw her left and i saw my dad coming he was holding a white baby in his arms , it was my brother , the baby was so cute I was happy to see my dad , that was the second time in my life I had seen him . The police had made him pay to take me because he was too late.

 And this is how I  Became An American Citizen.