Three things you should know about me:
- When I was little, I used to confuse brown and gray
- In 1976 I was 5 years and it was one of the worst summers of my life
- When I was little, I use to go to a Haitian daycare center
In 1976, my mother fell into a coma that lasted 3 weeks and my father never really explained what was happening. So, I was a little girl lost and sad. And it’s at the daycare in the arms of Miss Camille that I found comfort. It was her gentleness and kindness that put balm on all of my worries. I remember one evening in particular, after a big crisis where I had cried all of my little heart out, Mr. Thomas, the owner the center had taken upon himself to speak to my father. A few days later, I visited my mother alive and well at the hospital. Finally I had some answers! I’ll never know what had been said to my father but I know that this intervention on top of my mother’s doctor intervention helped me to be reunited with her.
For me, the Haitians are synonymous of comfort. The little girl in me will never forget this gift that I was given amidst the storm of my 5th year on this planet. Besides, I always had this feeling protective of my Haitian friends, a kind of intolerance to human stupidity. When people would tell me: “You go to daycare with your little black friends?” I could not understand why adults insisted on saying they were black, while their skin was this beautiful brown color so I corrected them systematically: “They are not black, they are gray!” I meant that they were brown, but since I confused gray and brown, it came out that way! There were my friends, my protectors and I wanted people to take care of them as they would.
Since Wednesday morning, I am glued to my TV, Internet and newspapers. And I’m trying to understand, I just can’t wrap my head around it. I know there are no answers. The only answer is the one I have been taught by the people of Haiti: if everything collapses, you build it all over again. That’s all. So now, I want to return some of the comfort that they gave me when I did not know where my mom was. I don’t want anyone to forget that they will need help not only now, but also in the months and years to come. Haiti is my friend. So I’m doing what I can. I donated money and I want you to do the same. I’m asking you to help me comfort them in return.
To donate, please click on the link below which will take you to the top of the Red Cross assistance to Haiti.
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=43149&LangPref=en-CA
Virginie Archambault 