“I’ve always felt like a stranger, even in Haiti. However, I noticed that wherever I go, I always find similarities to parts of my country.”
At first glance, Deborah David’s blog appears to be whimsical, fun, and entertaining. The colors–like the countries where she lives or has lived–are lively; like roads on a 3D map, her posts pop off the monitor. The photographs of her thousand adventures draw the viewer right in.
Deborah’s blog chronicles the adventures of a compatriot in the “dyaspora” whose search for her own private Haiti ultimately leads to herself.
Yes, I do love the Ayiti-Forever sentimental stuff, but we’re not talking about melodrama here. Deborah is a busy mom, a wife, and she holds a Master’s degree in Administration. There’s not a whole lot of space for sap in her world.
VoicesfromHaiti honors and celebrates this creative girlchild. Check out her story:
My parents emigrated from Haiti when I was three years-old and my sister and I soon followed. I grew up in Marin County, California where I learned quickly to assimilate to the American culture. Throughout my childhood, I seesawed between the very conservative culture of my parents and the often times “liberal” culture of my peers. By the time I finished high school, I began to realize that I felt much more comfortable with the idea of being a Haitian immigrant in American society and started gravitating towards more of my parents’ cultural norms. When I finished college, I stood firm with the ability to enter and exit either culture with great ease whenever necessary. Now married to a first generation immigrant, and raising two children who are considered second generation immigrants, I often find myself struggling to maintain their sense of comfort with both the American and Haitian culture. I am constantly confronted with issues for which there is no right or wrong answer. To further complicate this issue, we recently relocated to Caracas, Venezuela. I now feel the need to maintain a balance of the Haitian, American and Venezuelan cultures to make the most of our experience.
Read the INNERview with Deborah.
Check out Deborah’s cool blog: Balancedmeltingpot