Year 9 Footsteps Intensive Language Day
Haiti - a Francophone country in Penury
During their Languages Immersion Day in Term Two, the Year 9 French elective class experienced a life-changing and moving presentation as well as a day full of activities that focussed on the country of Haïti.
Mrs Lofthouse had invited an inspirational and knowledgeable guest speaker, Cay Merritt, to come and talk to the boys about the experiences she had during her time volunteering in this poverty-stricken country, which is the poorest in the western world.
We heard a motivational speech and watched a moving PowerPoint that highlighted vividly how the people of Haiti coped after the devastation of the 2010 Earthquake. We learnt about their culture, customs and ways of life, which opened our eyes to the privileged position we have grown up in.
After the striking PowerPoint, we had a short lesson on Haitian Creole, one of the two main languages of the island. We learnt basic greetings and conversation starters and were able to see the similarity between French and Creole. We learnt basics such as, “Hello, how are you? = Bonjou koman ou ye?” and everyone was given a chance to practice this new language in the classroom.
During the aftermath of the 2010, 7.0-magnitude earthquake that rocked the small island nation, child slavery became even more of an issue in Haïti. We learnt about the Restavek child slaves aged from three years and up, who, having been orphaned by the earthquake, have grown up with no parents and were forced to work long hours in a host house doing all of the menial chores that were required of them. Everyone was touched by this experience!
Along with inspirational videos about Haïti and its beautiful and rich culture, we tasted some of their diverse food for lunch, eating a beautiful chicken dish cooked by the boys at home. The small insight into the food that the Haitian people ate allowed the boys to feel connected with them and understand their way of life. The boys discovered the hardships that the guest speaker had endured in a heartbreaking array of photos, ranging from charity work, hospitals, and youth homes. The presentation was truly amazing and left a mark on each and every boy in the room.
For the last two periods, we relaxed and watched a French movie, and discovered the beautiful countryside and small village communities that are scattered throughout France. The day was a highlight of the year for many boys and a huge thanks goes to Mrs Lofthouse and Mrs Merritt for organising such a moving and inspirational event. It has made each and every one of us appreciate what we, as the “lucky country” fail to value on a daily basis.
Ross Lamb (Year 9) and Will French (Year 9)