My mother’s side of the family is Haitian. Due to this, I have been introduced to some Haitian dishes such as mayi moulen (corn porridge), Haitian spaghetti, makawoni au graten (Haitian macaroni and cheese) and soup joumou (squash soup also known as Haitian Independence Soup). When I was around eight or nine, my mother, brother, and I moved to Brockton from Boston. It was a big change for me since I was going into the third grade with people who had been in the school since they were kindergarteners. I eventually started to get the feel of my school and classmates. However, another change arrived in the form of me learning to cook when I was nine. It started out basic (like boiled eggs and oven foods), then it escalated to me helping my mom make food. This also led to me aiding in making Haitian macaroni and cheese and soup joumou. Both dishes always (and still) turned out to be delicious. My mom introducing me to her cultural foods helped me to fall in love with cooking and baking. It also inspired my love for trying cultural and unique foods. I do not know if staying in Boston would have impacted me learning these skills, but my migration has opened a lot of doors for me in terms of taking college courses early, going to a technical high school, and having the experiences and friends that I have now. There are many unpleasant migration stories, but I am happy to have had a pleasant one.

– AC

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant