[Mdmaxx]

....that to prospective parents who want to adopt Haitian children REALLY know about the Haitian culture. Being a Haitian young woman myself, I am very proud of who I am. I just happened to come by this site and some of the things I read ( ) made me want register just so I can explain a few things to the would be parents.

1.) It would really help if you would learn Haitian history in order to teach this to your child (do not simply rely on the school system).

2.) I would suggest that you learn how to speak Kreyol. Kreyol is a beautiful language in which to communicate. I can't tell you how many Haitians kids you know who can't speak the language of their ancestors....deeply saddens me. FRENCH is not the answer! In Haiti more than 95% of the people can't even speak French. (While it could be a great language to learn afterwards).

3.) Don't rely on what you've heard and seen in the Media or by ignorant people...which leads me too....

4.) NO Vodou (its actual spelling) is not what Hollywood would have you think it is. No one in the religion of Vodou sticks needles in dolls and drinks blood. What silliness! Vodou is a spirtual religion. Their is one supreme being! (Despite what you've heard) Whether one would like to call him God or otherwise...And yes Vodou is apart of the Haitian culture, I'm not a Vodouist but I do respect the religion for what it is.

5.) I seriously urge you to visit Haiti with your child(ren) when they become of age. Please make sure to know where your going first and to take them to landmarks like the Citadel and to experience the beautiful sunsets of their country.

6.) Recognize Haitian arts such as music, dance and famous painters and their works.

7.) Know Haitian customs and traditions. Such as: if you have a child and their tooth fell out, you wouldn't put it under the pillow, you would tell the child to take it and go outside and throw it on the roof top. BUT I always enjoyed the money
Also Haitians are VERY respectable when it comes to an elder. A child in Haiti would NEVER appoarch an adult and not call him or her Sir or Madam and in some cases adult women are referred to as "matant" and adult males are referred to as "tonton". The former means Aunt and the latter means Uncle. Its a sign of respect. As far as traditions goes there are too many to write (but you can always PM me). For example on the first day of every New Year (which is the day that Haiti won its independence) soup "joumou" is made as a part of celebration and is usually eaten around mid-day through six, no later. For the recipe, PM me. Its basically pumpkin soup with herbs and spices but its great if made right! Oh and the soup is NEVER to be repeated until the first of January of every year. This soup may seem insignificant to others but to Haitians it means what Thanksgiving means to some people. Soup joumou is also nicknamed the "Freedom Soup". What better way to celebrate the New Year than with the very soup that we were not allowed to drink as slaves?

I know that was alot to read but I'm glad you made it

I would suggest that all 7 things I wrote are important BUT numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4 really are the ones to work on. I know that most of you aren't Haitian and some of you aren't even Black but it makes it easier for a child to grow up. I know it helped me to know who I am. My farther, a white Italian man adopted me after my mother died (they were married for only 6 months), I learned a lot from that man and for that I'm truly grateful. Adopting can be a great thing if done right.

Ayiti se la mwen ye toujou.

[Ladyann]

I have sent you a message.

[nyack]

Dear mdmxx ?):

Thank you for your posting. My daughter is Haitian and I live in a community with a large Haitina population and have many haitian friends so my child is blessed but I 'm glad you wrote what you did,

[Mdmaxx]

Originally posted by nyack
Dear mdmxx ?):

Thank you for your posting. My daughter is Haitian and I live in a community with a large Haitina population and have many haitian friends so my child is blessed but I 'm glad you wrote what you did,

Thank you...God Bless you and your daughter...

[4HisWill]

I don't know how to PM because I am new to this. My husband and I are adopting a child from Haiti. Could you let us know how we can get information on Haitian culture and traditions? Also, how about the receipe for Freedom soup? Thanks for you input.

[DenMA]

I really appreciate all that info too! We have the possibility of adopting a boy in the very near future. I have been reading up on Haitian culture and have ordered Creole language CDs so we would be able to help with the transition.

Do you have any recommendations for preparing our other children? I plan on having them try and learn some Creole along with me, but I would love to teach them more about where their new brother would be coming from.

[savannahcaprice]

Hi there, I just found your list of things for adoptive parents to do in order to make sure their Haitian children have access to their culture. I would love to hear anything more that you have to offer. I am adopting a little boy very early next year. I am particularly interested in hearing your thoughts on French/Kreyol. I live in Toronto, Canada and there is a big Haitian population in montreal which is about four hours from here. There most people speak French. I had assumed French would be a good language to learn as it would allow him to communicate with French speaking Haitian people living here in Canada but I am well aware of the fact that it is not the Language of the people in Haiti and that it wouldn't help him to speak to many people in Haiti. I am sort of torn. I would also love to hear much more about some of the traditions that you mentioned (when he looses a tooth, new years day etc.) Thank you so much for posting this information. It's just the kind of start I was looking for.

[mommytoEli]

Mdmaxx...do you have any opinions on:
adopting more than one Haitian child at a time?
should we adopt boys or girls?
ages of children at adoption?
ages or races of other children in the home at time of adoption?
where the family will live after the adoption?
the changing or rearranging of birthnames (both first and last)?

Thank you. We are just looking into starting a Haitian adoption, and any information would be valuable!

[mommytoEli]

oh hey...what a loser i am...i didn't even realize this is an OLD post brought back from the dead....anyone else want to chime in and give me their thoughts on my questions?

[DenMA]

Can't chime in on your questions, but good luck! Our Haitian son is 9. He came home in Decemebr to 6 brothers and sisters, all white, all bio. He seems pretty darned happy. I will say that I took Mdmaxx's advice to heart though. I learned creole, and continue to speak it with our son. I don't want him to forget, and it's how I get better! We talk about Haiti alot, and followed the elections with him this year. Our boys all share a room, and both the American and the Haitian flag are hanging in there. We have a photo album of pictures from his village (He did not come from an orphanage), and we look at it together regularly. We are fortunate to live in an area with a large Haitian community nearby, so we have made many new friends, and keep in touch. He loves to cook, and together we have made some Haitian meals....the soup is the best! It truly is a beautiful culture, and I am so grateful for my son for bringing that into our family!

[DenMA]

Oh! And books too!!! I have found some great children's books about Haiti on Amazon.com, but my best find of all was with Educavision.com - It's mainly educator's materials in creole, but I called, and spoke to the man who runs it, who is Haitian himself. Turned out he and his wife were in the process of adopting a little girl, so that was cool. Then, I asked if he would speak to my son a bit, to keep up the creole, and we found out his father was born in the same village as my son! I ordered the early reader series, and they are cute little picture books in creole. My son loves me to read them to him. They also sent a CD of Haitian children's songs, which is fantastic. Again, good luck!