In the late 1940’s, a young educator, after being married with 3 children, was sent in a humanitarian mission to Zimbabwe, Africa. My mother, Antonise, was only 10 years old, the second of the three who were left behind along with my grandmother, Claire. The Haitian government or UN offered him the option to take his family along, but he decided to leave them. My grandfather, Augustin Louis, taught in Zimbabwe for a few years and then he was relocated to England. From there, He ended up in the Bahamas in 1960 where his family joined him shortly after. My mother had met my father in grade school. They felt in love and had my brother, Schmid out of the wedlock when they were both 18. Both agreed for her to leave with the rest of the family to the Bahamas. My brother was 2 years old and left his father and grandparents. In less than 2 years later, my parents reunited in the Bahamas and started their own family. Soon after, they gave birth my sister, Pauline and then me a year and a half later in November 23, 1968. We were both born at Princess Margaret Hospital in New Providence which known today as Nassau, Bahamas. My grandfather who was a teacher there felt that my sister and I would get a better education in Haiti at the time because the Bahamian education had only reached up to 12th grade level. One had to go away to college or higher. I was about 6 and my sister was 7 years old when we left with my mother. I loved Haiti very much then. My extended family was big and somewhat well off. I had 8 uncles and aunts with many cousins. We lived with my father’s parents. They treated me like a prince. I made a lot of good friends some of whom I still have in my life today. I lived there for about 10 years. School was really great there then. For some reasons though, people always looked at me as a foreigner. After the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier: AKA Baby Doc, everything started to change. Prior to that, my father made a few attempts to bring me back, I did not want to leave and my grandparents supported my decision. I left when I was 16 and lived in Freeport, Grand Bahama. In the process, I missed two golden years in high school that cost 11th and 12th grade. I attended a night high school program at Saint Paul College in Freeport while working at the Bazaar during the day. I moved to the United States in 1991 after the golf war. I lived in Miami, Fl for the first few months then moved to Detroit, MI with my uncle who had already settled there for years. I started the high school program again at Hazel Park in Detroit, but to complete the remaining credits at Lindsey Hopkins when I came back to Miami In late 1992 after hurricane Andrew. In mid-1993, I met and felt in love with Beatrice. She did not want to get married before we had Ricardo in March 1994, but she did in August 1996. I am currently divorced and have been for a while. I have two beautiful children, Ricardo, 15 and Gabrielle, 6. I prefer my status to be single. In April 2000, I graduated with an associate in science degree from MDCC in electronic engineering and technology and an associate in art degree in December 2008. I am a state-certified residential appraiser in Florida and I own Magnum Property Appraisal Services, Inc. I am currently seeking a bachelor in science degree in exceptional education at MDC. My goal is to have a master degree in education and a P.H.D in psychology.
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