When I met my husband Endy (then-boyfriend), he would tell me all about Haiti. He would tell me stories about growing up with his siblings, his best friends. He would tell me about the journeys they had to get to school, the funny stories of dressing up in their parents clothes and the soccer games they played on the roof of their house. He would tell me how beautiful "The Real Haiti" was. I mostly just listened, and quietly doubted that a place I always heard was a "third world country," could be beautiful. 

What? You're going to Haiti on vacation!? 
​It took years of convincing to plan a trip to Haiti...7 years actually! Endy planned everything for our 10 day adventure. Although I was excited, my worried mind kept playing questions over in my head like, "what if we can't find water to drink?" and "what if we get TB or yellow fever?" As I type these ridiculous things (that I never actually said out loud), I can't even believe I thought such judgmental things about a place I'd end up falling in love with! 

As an innocent Italian-American, red-headed, 28-year-old, I really had no clue what Haiti was really like. I had no clue that visiting Haiti would change my life. As our vacation plans neared, I secretly wanted to back out or hoped for some reason we weren't going to end up going (sad, but true). 

The time came and we flew from Florida to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My life was forever changed and my eyes and heart were opened like they had never been before. For more of an in depth look about what I saw and experienced, read my blog about things I noticed while in Haiti. Before my first trip, my husband encouraged me to start a blog about Haiti to share what we saw. I wasn't fully on board with the idea, but I did. When I was there and then returned home is when I started blogging about all-things-Haitian and really fell in love with the idea of blogging. I embraced the culture and through my experiences, I had to share all of the amazing things that were so new to me.

What's new with The Real Haiti
After developing a variety of digital resources about Haiti that focus on cultural education and celebration, we evolved into a membership style resource center called The Real Haiti Academy. You can now enjoy the option of a "pay what you can" model starting at $0. You have the option to pay $0, $15, $25, $50 or $99. No matter how much you pay, you will be getting the same access to the membership with all of the digital resources.

As a member of TRHA, you’ll connect with a community of Haiti lovers who are passionate about keeping the Haitian culture alive. Be proud of your (or your family's) heritage. Encourage multicultural diversity as you're raising your children at home and in your community.

Find out exactly what's included in The Real Haiti Academy.

In this time of uncertainty, one thing I am certain about is that I am not in control of anything. God is in control. I have been given a God-given talent and passion to develop this website and these resources. This is how I am sharing with my digital community who has supported The Real Haiti in one way or another.

Export business man in Port-au-Prince who went back to his homeland in Saint-Michel, Haiti to take over his family's business at a clairin distillery - The Spirit of Haiti. If you've ever wondered how this rum is made, check out their production process (with photos!) 

This is The Real Haiti. This is why I had a fire lit under me the first time I went to Haiti. And this is why I continue to blog passionately about Haiti and the amazing things happening there. Every day, hardworking people, living life in Haiti...The Real Haiti. 

Original podcast story posted here.

The Importance of an Education in Haiti
I have yet to meet a Haitian that doesn't think school is important. School is a top priority among Haitian parents and families. No matter how poor or wealthy, everyone values education in Haiti. Despite what you may read or hear in the news, the majority of Haitian children go to school. Parents will do everything that they can to make sure their child gets an education no matter what. Their determination is one of those things that fascinates me most about the Haitian culture. 

​Just like we do in the United States, parents and students in Haiti prepare to go back to school in the same ways as us. Because I've never attended school in Haiti, I can't express my experiences on that. So, I asked a friend of mine, Fedno Lubin, who is a student in Jacmel, Haiti. Fedno is also a photographer who I hire occasionally to capture The Real Haiti. *All photos on this post are by Fedno Lubin*

About Schools in Haiti
Haitian students primarily go to private schools, which means there's tuition fees or there are tuition waiver programs available to some. Here's a breakdown of how the education system in Haiti works: (research info below provided by classbase.com)

• Primary - Ecole Premiere (Traditional System), ages 6 to 12-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Certificate of Beginning Studies. Haiti Educational system is based on the French system. French remains the language of instruction in the private schools, however Creole and French are used in the public schools.
• Middle - Ecole Fondamentale (Reform System), ages 6 to 15-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Brevet d’Enseignment Fondamental.
• Middle - Secondary School (Traditional System), ages 12 to 15-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Brevet Elementaire du Premier Cycle.
• Secondary - Secondary (Reform System), ages 15 to 18-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Baccalaureat; Diplome d’Enseignement Secondaire. 
• Secondary - Technical Secondary School, ages 15 to 18-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Technical Certificate.
• Secondary - Secondary School (Traditional System), ages 15 to 19-years-old. Certificate/Diploma awarded: Baccalaureat II. 
• Tertiary - Higher education. Higher education is provided by the universities and other public and private institutions governed by the Ministry of Education. The university system is composed currently of four or five private institutions in addition to the State University of Haiti. All higher education institutions are located in the capital city. They offer a degree in law, medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, engineering, agriculture and veterinary sciences, education, social sciences (mainly ethnology and psychology), economics, business administration, linguistics, international studies, and African studies.

Common grading scales:
80.00 - 100.00 or 8.00 - 10.00 Très Bien (Very Good) US - A
70.00 - 79.99 or 7.00 - 7.99 Bien (Good) US - B
60.00 - 69.99 or 6.00 - 6.99 Assez bien (Satisfactory) US - C
50.00 - 59.99 or 5.00 - 5.99 Passable (Sufficient) US - D
0.00 - 49.99 or 1.00 - 4.99 Mal (Fail) US - F

According to the Ministry of Education in Haiti, the official school calendar has September 4 as the start day for back to school. ​

What are your favorite memories of 'back to school' in Haiti or somewhere else! Share it with us below in the comments.

Since we have little ones now,  I've done something I never thought I'd do - I converted our dining room (which we actually used) to a playroom! Crazy, I know. I am an interior design wannabe with a wannabe minor in decorating.

Our home is full of Haitian art in all different forms like paintings, sculptures, statues, papier mache, woven materials and mosaics. Since I had so much of the Haitian decor already, I figured why not create a Haiti inspired playroom! 

First thing first, I had my husband raise the gigantic chandelier so adults would stop bumping their heads on it. Some of the Haitian paintings were already hung so that made the wall decor easy. Check out our unique Haitian paintings for sale here.

​These paintings were done by my husband's cousin in Haiti. The one in the green frame was painted on a burlap sak and glued to a hard cardboard material. The frame is actually one that I found in the garbage! It was originally gold and had an ugly horse painting in it. Thankfully the Haitian painting was the exact same size! (fun fact - I love repurposing things and thrifting...it's one of my favorite things to do!) ​

Playroom Inspiration
If you're tired of stepping on legos and tripping over trucks, try dedicating a corner (or a room if you have the space) for the toys to make a playroom or play area. It's nice to have the toys in one area so that we could have our living room back. I have a playroom board on Pinterest where I got my inspiration! Check it out here.

Other Fun Haiti Inspired Things in Our Playroom
​Add this short story book to your collection! It was written and designed by me :) 

Mermaid Violette is madly in love. Her friends -- a crab, fish, dolphin, jellyfish and shrimp, all wonder who Violette loves so much and can't live without. Read the book to find out who the lucky one is!
The story is written in English. Bonus pages of sea creatures in English and Haitian Creole!

Add these customizable wall art prints to your little one's room or playroom! Designed by me :) 

I plan to do more blogs about Haiti inspired rooms and home decor so stay tuned! ​Thanks for stopping by!

Join us for the 3rd Annual cultural and food event Taste of Haiti showcasing everything Haitian in the heart of North Miami! An entire afternoon filled with family friendly activities! Come enjoy great food, music, arts and crafts! 

Taste of Haiti website

Rewind to 2004 when I started dating Endy (who is now my husband). He brought 2 friends with him the first time to meet my parents because he was nervous. While my mom cooked an Italian feast, my dad played cards with the guys. It all went very well and my parents were very supportive of our relationship, thank god. This wasn't a bad first-encounter, but shortly after that we experienced something that would forever make us stronger.

The rest of my extended family weren't so welcoming of Endy. They told me to "be careful" and that "you will have social problems in an interracial relationship." It was a big deal that scarred me for years. Endy just reminded me of their ignorance and to only worry about what we felt and what my parents thought. (Thank you Endy for not running away as fast as you could, lol).

In 2009 (pre-Haiti earthquake), Endy and I were eating a feast at my parents house (a common thing!) and my dad started telling us about a friend who had a blog about rating/reviewing different golf courses around the world. We got to talking and Endy mentioned Haiti and how he wanted to tell people about the other side that he (heard) about and experienced some of as a kid growing up there. He said, "I just want people to know about The Real Haiti." This is how the blog was born.

We took our first major trip to Haiti as tourists in 2010. We visited 4 hotels on that trip and reviewed them and our experiences on the blog. 

Kibo blan an ye?
Fast forward to today, my dad took his first trip to Haiti with Endy for vacation and had a blast. All of the pictures below were taken by my dad. Here are some of his experiences…and I quote him…

While he experienced Haiti outside of a hotel at a family members house, he got to take Haitian showers, eat home cooked meals everyday and also see parts of Port-au-Prince as they ran daily errands. He and Endy walked up and down mountains where he saw a rock mine and people washing their clothes in the river. 

He expected a lot of the scenes of PAP to look the way they did (thanks to cable news), but couldn't believe the other side of Haiti that is not shown in the media. Most shocking thing he experienced: Caribbean Supermarket in Petionville. He mentioned the workers uniforms nicely pressed and buttoned up with smiles on their faces. He was also shocked at the school kids walking to school looking fresh with pressed uniforms. These are just some of the things he shared with me over a few hours of chatting. He even said, "next time I go to Haiti…"…

Lakay se lakay!

Hey fans,
Thank you as always for stopping by The Real Haiti. It's been a while since I've posted a personal blog and it's been a while since I've been to Haiti. 

Our last trip to Haiti was in March of this year. While trips always leave me inspired and pumped up to come back and share all of our experiences with you, the last trip was slightly different. I put my camera down and just focused on our adventures and our friends and family who we visited. It was nice.

Life has brought some great events in the last few months, which is why we haven't gone to visit. While I am so yearning to jump on a plane and get down there, I decided to take a few steps back think about Haiti, this blog and why continue. From the start, it's been an educational tool. I intended for it to be and it always will be. I really hope that you learn something from it each time you stop by.

I got a bit side tracked when a couple of hiccups happened. Over the years, but more frequent in recent months, The Real Haiti logo was ripped off seven times (for the ones I know of). While a lot of you say to not let it bother me, it does. It's not the fact that it's "my brand," it's the fact this page is a labor of love and I feel it is all erased when it's ripped off. A hair product company went so far to put The Real Haiti logo on their product! It's just plain rude and it's illegal (And for all of you who tell me to sue them, I am not wasting time or energy on that) {rant over!}

In the end, I want this "business" to stay enjoyable for me so that you can benefit from reading about Haiti and seeing pictures and videos from a place we all love so much! I am still always available to talk or share your ideas, businesses or just collaborate. Contact me anytime at link to the right. Mesi anpil!

For the second year in a row, the Tyrone Bryant Library in Ft. Lauderdale, FL invited us to display Haitian photography and artifacts that we have collected. This year, we were asked to do an activity with children as part as our education for Haitian culture. Of course, we said yes! The event was story time with kids and a kite making workshop - Endy's favorite memory as a child in Haiti.

We weren't sure how the kids would react, especially since it's a pretty tedious craft. I was given a stack of books to choose from to read to the kids. As I went through them to choose one, they were either long and boring, full of "facts" or they were completely untrue and negative information about Haiti} earthquake, poverty, illness, etc}. This was not the cultural education that I wanted to share with the kids. So, I chose a book with nice pictures and ad-libbed it through story time, providing my own knowledge and asking the kids about their views of Haiti. 

I asked the kids to raise their hands if they are Haitian. About 10 did, but I couldn't help but notice a teenager smiling without raising her hand. I knew she was Haitian. She didn't want to admit it, though, which of course I called her out on and told her she should be PROUD. She was shy, pretending she wasn't Haitian. When we started the kites, she sped ahead of everyone and was almost done with hers by the time we were all on step 2. She started to help the other little kids. 

A few of the little kids knew a lot about Haiti. They said Haitians are creative, there are snakes there, there's sand there, they eat griot and rice and they use goude for money. This all made us very happy, but I am so glad we did this activity with our local community because it just motivates me more to write my own book so we can share it with those who know little or nothing. 

I am putting it out there again, so I am held accountable, to provide a book for kids that they will feel proud to be Haitian at the end of it. Or, they will know about the real CULTURE in Haiti, not the one the news tells us about {voodoo, stealing, violence}.