I need your prayers ya'll...
A round old fashioned Haitian woman, she loves to eat and can throw down in the kitchen. Her accent is heavy and she loves little kids, especially the fat ones. She used to tell me and my sisters old Haitian tales before we went to bed and when I hated food she would make me sit at the table 'till I cleaned my plate!
Ten years ago, my tati (aunt) fled Haiti with her then 1 year old daughter, on a temporary Visa to escape an abusive husband. Upon coming over she immediately looked for work. My mother hooked her up with a home aid case taking care of an elderly woman out in Lincoln. She lived with us for a while and then got her own apartment. She has lived a life dedicated to her family and religion. She has worked hard and her English is fine... thank you very much.
Soon after 9/11, she received a priority package in the mail with an alta matum- green card or deportation.
Once again, my tati fled...
She moved in with one of her Jehovah's Witness "sisters". She put nothing in her name for fear of detection... she was in hiding. My tati hired a lawyer to help her file for residency. Every avenue was met by legal roadblocks. As a last resort, we tried to get her married but because of her "religion" she refused. My mother, a hardcore nationalist, swallowed her pride, renounced her country and became an American citizen... in hopes of claiming her sister. Because of harsh new immigration laws, this is a 10 year process and as a penalty, my tati would have to be deported in the meanwhile.
Last week my mother called and told me that the 100 year old woman my tati has been caring for for 10 years has passed. My tati is now left with no source of income and cannot get another job without papers.
I waited a few days before I called her, not yet ready to hear the pain in her voice. She asked me how I was doing and i told her and she reminded me to eat well so I don't become skinny. I asked her how she was doing, "Malooloo, (the nickname she gave me from birth) I'm doing the best I can and praying" she says in creole. I told her I would go onto craigslist and help her search for something. She did not sound hopeful. She asked me what would happen to her daughter if she could not work or worse, was deported... what would happen upon entering a country so desperate that people, Haitian or otherwise, are kidnapped at the airport and held for ransom. Where would she work? How would she survive? I had no answers.
My tati's future is uncertain. I can't imagine my life without her around.
As we search, please keep her in your prayers.
Ten years ago, my tati (aunt) fled Haiti with her then 1 year old daughter, on a temporary Visa to escape an abusive husband. Upon coming over she immediately looked for work. My mother hooked her up with a home aid case taking care of an elderly woman out in Lincoln. She lived with us for a while and then got her own apartment. She has lived a life dedicated to her family and religion. She has worked hard and her English is fine... thank you very much.
Soon after 9/11, she received a priority package in the mail with an alta matum- green card or deportation.
Once again, my tati fled...
She moved in with one of her Jehovah's Witness "sisters". She put nothing in her name for fear of detection... she was in hiding. My tati hired a lawyer to help her file for residency. Every avenue was met by legal roadblocks. As a last resort, we tried to get her married but because of her "religion" she refused. My mother, a hardcore nationalist, swallowed her pride, renounced her country and became an American citizen... in hopes of claiming her sister. Because of harsh new immigration laws, this is a 10 year process and as a penalty, my tati would have to be deported in the meanwhile.
Last week my mother called and told me that the 100 year old woman my tati has been caring for for 10 years has passed. My tati is now left with no source of income and cannot get another job without papers.
I waited a few days before I called her, not yet ready to hear the pain in her voice. She asked me how I was doing and i told her and she reminded me to eat well so I don't become skinny. I asked her how she was doing, "Malooloo, (the nickname she gave me from birth) I'm doing the best I can and praying" she says in creole. I told her I would go onto craigslist and help her search for something. She did not sound hopeful. She asked me what would happen to her daughter if she could not work or worse, was deported... what would happen upon entering a country so desperate that people, Haitian or otherwise, are kidnapped at the airport and held for ransom. Where would she work? How would she survive? I had no answers.
My tati's future is uncertain. I can't imagine my life without her around.
As we search, please keep her in your prayers.
posted by Marly @ 12:56 PM
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