My Childhood House is Haunting my Mind
Many years ago, in my country Haiti, when I was a little girl, I spent eight years of my life in a small village named “La Monkanj” in Camp-Perrin. It is a rural place located in the southern part of the capital city. It is not a luxurious place, as you can imagine, but it was my paradise. I cannot forget about that place even though I have never gone back since I left, probably twenty-five years ago. The last time I went to La Monkanj was when my grandmother passed away in 1997, and I was already a teenager. La Monkanj is a very exceptional place because everything is natural and beautiful. You really have to live there to understand what I am talking about. I would like to encourage anyone to get to know the kind of people that live in this place, experience the peace they have and appreciate their beautiful natural environment.
In this village, there are small houses made of cement with roofs made of iron sheets. My grandmother’s house was a beautiful and a clean place, it was all white surrounded with trees and all kind of flowers. That small house was separated in two bedrooms and a big room serving as a living room and a dining room. There was a big door, which served as a main entry plus two other doors for the rooms. In that big room my cousins and I shared everything together and we had a lot of good memories from there.
In La Monkanj, people are very respectful, kind and hard working. Right in front of the house there was a small road where the inhabitants pass by. Everyone knows each other, and every morning my grandmother’s friends stopped by to get some coffee, biscuits, and share old stories. These people inspired me a lot by their actions, they were always willing to share the little they had. However, they did not have quality education, but they knew how to behave in their localities. Even though they did not have the modern way of communication, they always found a way to check on each other every day. These people had moral values, beliefs and loyalty to their community. My grandmother was very popular in the area because she was doing some business, selling staples such as: sugar, rice, breads, and oil. These people were very supportive; they contributed to the progression of her commerce. I have never seen such good people.
How can someone fail to love living in such a place, with such pleasant people and a perfect peace? The Monkanj is still my favorite place on earth. Everybody can sleep with their doors wide open, no fear and no fights. People only die due to natural death. Far from the capital with no sirens, and no traffic, you only hear birds and kids laughing. We can say that now we are not safe anywhere in this world, but there are still some places where you can find a little peace of mind. There, people talk to each other, smile at each other, and care for each other. For examples, here in the United States, I don’t even feel comfortable to take bus transportation. Especially when I am going to Newark Penn station, I am not feeling safe. Because some people act strange and they look at you badly. So far, the Monkanj is the region from my country where I do feel safe. Everyone has somewhere they can really call home, where they can go to be in perfect peace with themselves.
The Monkanj would have never been my favorite place without such kind people, that peace and that fascinating environment. The nature is pure in the Monkanj with no pollution. As I said before, it is far from the capital, and there is no burning of fossil fuels, any factories, and no cars. In Monkanj, people use horseback to transport their goods. The area is surrounded by rivers, and all kind of trees and fruits. People grow vegetables and plant trees, and the harvest is always a festival for the inhabitants of Monkanj. The habitat is nice and green. I love this kind of environment because it is a place where you can refresh your mind. When I think of the cool environment of Monkanj, I feel lost in this country, where you feel so far from the nature. I wish I can be in that place, where I can smell the good air and see the beauty of the nature.
In that place, you can find every comfort that you need for your peace, the most beautiful soul of human beings and an unimaginable atmosphere. I never talk to anyone about that feeling, how I feel about this place, but I am grateful that I spent eight years of my life in that environment. I hope to return one day to visit my little childhood house. Even though my grandma is going to be missed, I expect to live the same happiness, enjoy the nature and meet the same kind of people as respectful and kind as they were before I left.
