Eytan Galanter
MCHC 1012

Jason Petite’s life in Haiti was different then his life in America. He misses his old traditions and cultures, but keeps to himself in an attempt to provide for his family. Living in New York isn’t easy, but neither is living anywhere else.

Early Childhood
Its easier there you know. Over there you just drink on the streets even when you little. Sometimes the adults would drink with us. Ya know life was way easier. No rules man. We would just live. Wasn’t no police tryin’ to make sure we followed some damn laws. The cops played soccer with us. Sometimes they bought us shit. None of em shot no kid because his hand was in his pocket. Nah its all good im just playing.
My mom raised me and my cousins by herself. She had time to work 2 jobs cuz the jobs were pretty chill. Nothin was fast like here. Mom could take a break from her hotel job, go to her cleaning job, come back to hotel and get us some food then take a nap at home. It was pretty good. She didn’t see us too much but she put food on the table.
The funny part was when my cousins Ray slipped on a banana peel and busted his knee up pretty good. Could see bone. Easy. Ray screamed his head off, then stood up walked home and slept. Didn’t even do nothing. No hospitals around our area, our village ya know. Ray’s knee still busted. Looks comic as hell, bits of skin on an indented ass leg *laughs*. We still cut his ass about it. Stumpy Ray *smirks*

Coming to New York
Man, coming here was easy. Nothin at all changed. Same thing just faster. Just work hard and go home. More rules but its all good. Came here cause that’s where my mom is. Nothin special really. Going to move to Russia later. Take my son.
Why is this place so weird though?
The only bad thing is the cops, and the rules. Cops is like evil over here. Not sure they human some times. People that really don’t care. Its all good though. Its all about getting that money and feeding my family. Ima get better, work my ass off and feed my son. That’s all there is to it. Not complicated. Life ain’t easy nowhere. It aint easy here but its all good. I’ll be good I don’t need much man. Just need my family.
I don’t trust nobody. I especially don’t trust nobody recording me. Who knows what agency you could be from. It is what it is, you is probably a mole so I aint sayin nothin important on recording.

Family
My son is everything. His decision though. He chooses. I don’t care what he does long as he stays happy. Until then I gotta make sure he stays educated and fed. That’s it. Gotta keep his momma happy too.
“I don’t really know my parents. Dad was kind of distant. Love em though.”
Fact is whether its Haiti or New York it’s all about your family. Nothin else matters. Nothing. All that matter is their happiness. It’s pretty simple life just working and shit until they happy with their life. I’ll die for them, so I sure as hell will live for them.

Friends
I think friends don’t even matter. I don’t know what the hell a friend is. Some n**** that chills with you and then tells the next person about it? Nah. I don’t need friends. I had some friends in Haiti and none of em ever did anything for me if I really needed it. My friend Rob once didn’t help me move after I broke my leg because his ass was too busy doing f***ing nothing. Dude wanted to drink with me, but not be there. That’s some sad shit. Nah my friends are my son my son’s mom and my parents. Maybe my boss

Negatives of living here
Yo back in Haiti we used to be able to do what we wanted with our kids. You know teach em how we thought was good. Back then I could whoop him if he mouthed off. Kids never spoke up after. Behaved. This life is mad different. Bro I can’t even slap my kid if he curses out his mom. Shit, I hate that. Some rules are dumb. It’s all good. It’s all good though. It’s all good. Nah it aint, I aint even allowed to raise my kid like I want. That’s some bullshit.
Ya know that the police back there don’t even wanna hurt nobody. They really just trying to help people. It’s insane man. Crazy. They gotta get a gourde or two. Man maybe a dozen but they’ll be chill. No one in Haiti sitting in prison for smoking weed. Cops there smoked some with us. Damn it’s crazy sometimes. My bro back there was part of a gang and the cops still didn’t kill him. Got im to drop his gun and cuffed him. Over here I here the kids getting shot over their toy guns, it’s crazy. It’s funny because I never think about it the other way. Them cops probably don’t think they are doing nothing wrong. Probably think they just doing their jobs good. Maybe they are told to act that way. Probably think they just want to get back to their families too. It’s all good just gotta keep your head down some more. It’s cool I guess.

You know one time I didn’t get a house on the place I wanted to live just because I wasn’t white. My name sounds white so they invited me to an interview then when I came asked me dumb as questions and called me 3 minutes later that the position been filled.