The Morning Drive

I briefly mentioned it in a previous post but I am a Co-Host on a morning talk radio show called The Morning Drive. The show airs Monday thru Friday from 8am-10am on WSRF 1580AM, a Haitian owned and operated radio station located in North Miami Beach, Fl (that was a mouthful). The show is hosted by young Haitian Americans with the purpose of acting as liaisons between the gran moun (older) Haitians and the younger more Americanized generation. It's a great concept if I do say so myself. 

La Plage/The Beach

Abaka Bay

I live in South Florida, which translates to sunshine, beautiful people, partying and BEACHES!!!! Year round, save for a few days of "winter" residents of Florida flock to the beaches in droves. This weather also draws in many caribbean native immigrants. From the Haitian point of view, Florida just makes sense! You lived on an island, a piece of land surrounded by water (in case you didn't know what an island was lol), full of beaches, sunny and tropical weather year round so where else in the U.S. should you move to? Florida is one of the few states in this fair country that resembles Caribbean weather, so one could assume the transition would be a little easier for those coming from Haiti.

But lets talk about the beaches for a moment. In Florida there are many beautiful beaches that people travel across the country...better yet the world to come see. South Beach, Daytona Beach, and Palm Beach are just a few of Florida's well known beaches. Little did you know Haiti is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches worldwide.

Here comes the bride...

So my older sister is getting married this weekend. I am super happy for her and very proud. She found a man who puts her first and prioritizes her happiness...Although I don't think I have ever seen her this stressed. My sister usually has it all together but if you bring up anything regarding her wedding party, flowers or guests...well to put it nicely you just  may get your head bitten off.

Is there a word for Bridezilla in Kreyol (Creole)? I'm just kidding. For a bride to be, she is pretty reasonable...at times, but its the other 23 hours of the day that has us all going nuts. In typical Haitian woman fashion everything is over the top and spells the end of the world. "UMWAY!!! Guys the caterer didn't call me back today. He must've packed up and escaped with all the money!!!" "WHOOSH!!! My hairdresser rescheduled my appointment. If I have to go to someone else they will mess up my hair. And if my hair looks bad for the wedding he's going to leave me and the wedding will be off!!!!" Her exact words, no, but definitely not an exaggeration. The one fun part of the wedding preparations is trying to see if my sister's innate Haitian-ness will creep up out of her.

Now if you've ever been to any REAL Ayitien (Haitian) weddings you know four elements are always present.

Roses are Red Violets are...

I'm not one of those guys who considers himself a poet. I'm definitely not what one would call a spoken word artist either. I would say that I have a talent for stringing words together in rhythmic pattern with the purpose of conveying a message or my personal feelings. But if you want to be technical I do enjoy writing poetry. I'm not keen on performing my own stuff but I do enjoy sharing it and being heavily complimented on it (wink wink).

So every now and then I will share a poem with you guys. I welcome commentary and even encourage you to do the same. Many people out there are private poets and have no intention of sharing their work. The thing is whether you plan on publishing your work or just doing it for fun, poetry is a great way to share your feelings and relieve stress. And believe it or not you may find out that you have a knack for it and that people may actually enjoy it. I'll be sharing one below and every now and then from here on. Hope you guys do the same...Until then

Na we pita/A plus tard




Yours Truly, by Rhonel Cinous 

Regal, raffish and extremely well read 
Haitian by heritage, American by birth, culturally conscious and accepting of all
On a journey to find himself and leave a size 13.5 foot print on this world too big for the next man to fill
Never hesitant to take on the next challenge that knocks on his door 
Eccentric in his ways, eclectic in his tastes, ever inquisitive and eager to learn the lessons life has to offer
Looking for adventure, living life to the fullest and loving each day the good Lord blessed him with 
He is Rhonel. 
Just your everyday average amazing human being
With something to say 
A loud voice to say it with
Hoping to touch anyone who may hear him

No, please, after you...

 

The Scenario

A man is walking towards the entrance of a building. The building has what looks like a pair of not so heavy double doors. A few paces ahead of him is a woman chatting away on her phone and teasing her hair with her free hand. She reaches the doors ahead of him, looks back at him, then again at the doors and she waits.

The Question
 
The woman arrived to the doors first, is unencumbered by any items in hand, and seems to be physically capable of opening the doors herself. The man notices that she purposefully waits for him to reach her and pretty much signals him to open the doors for her. What should he do?