VOA慢速英语2011--Young Haitians in Florida Learn About US Culture and Their Own

Education Report - Young Haitians in Florida Learn About US Culture and Their Own

This is the VOA Special English Education Report.

The state of Florida is home to one of the largest populations of Haitians outside of Haiti. The city of Miami has a neighborhood known as Little Haiti. People who live there keep close ties to Haitian culture.

TEACHER: "Bonjour, monsieur."

Young Haitians can learn French at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

Haiti is a former French colony¹. French is the main language used in schools there.

The center offers the classes through a nonprofit organization called the French Heritage² Language Program. Not all of the students are Haitian. But for the ones who are -- including Dominique Domond -- the language has special meaning.

DOMINIQUE DOMOND: "My mom speaks French a little bit. She speaks French and English."

Marie Domond is Dominique's mother.

MARIE DOMOND: "Sometimes, he says, 'Mom, I want you to teach me how to speak your language.'"

Jennifer Linkletter teaches French at the Little Haiti Cultural Center.

JENNIFER LINKLETTER: "French is part of what it means to be Haitian, and the goal of the program is to get them in touch with their French history and with their French roots and to be proud of that."

Learning³ another language can also help them when they grow up. Martine Buissart is the Miami coordinator⁴ for the French Heritage Language Program, which is based in New York.

MARTINE BUISSART: "The more languages you speak, the more you can share, you can work. For work, it's very important."

The organization has also helped expand French classes at Boyd Anderson High School in South Florida. About twenty-five Haitian earthquake survivors⁵ attend the school.

(SOUND: School bell)

The students were among thousands of Haitians who came to the United States after their country's powerful earthquake last year. One of those survivors is Kerby Edme.

KERBY EDME: "Right after I jumped to the other roof, the house collapsed⁶."

The teachers have tried to help students like Kerby learn to live in their new culture.

KERBY EDME: "The teachers were very patient with us, because some of us, we didn't speak English before we came here."

Angel Almanzar, the principal⁷ of the school, says language was not the only problem.

ANGEL ALMANZAR: "Lack of knowledge about the American education system. Feeling isolated⁸."

Teacher Mathieu Daquin is himself Haitian. He says the classes have been good for the students from Haiti.

MATHIEU DAQUIN: "It's like Little Haiti within a school. This is where they feel at home."

For student Endieula St. Jean, that comfort is important.

ENDIEULA ST. JEAN: "When I came to the United States, I was very, very, very angry, nervous because I [couldn't] speak English. All I [could] say was 'good morning' and 'good afternoon.' That's all."

Another student, Paul Alceste Zamor, graduated earlier this year. He received the highest possible score on the college-level Advanced Placement test in French. But it was not immediately clear whether he would gain the immigration status required to attend college in the United States.

PAUL ALCESTE ZAMOR: "I want to be a good surgeon, and then go back to Haiti to help people there."

Other Haitian students, including Kerby Edme, say they share that goal of helping⁹ Haiti.

KERBY EDME: "Every Haitian, even [if] they weren't there when the earthquake happened, I think they have in mind to go [and be] successful and then do something for the country, even a little bit, because when it all comes together, it makes a big thing."

And that's the VOA Special English Education Report. I'm Christopher Cruise¹⁰.
___

Contributing: Alex Villarreal

1 colony   

n.殖民地；(同类人的)聚居地

参考例句：

• There lived a colony of bees on the tree.树上生活着一群蜜蜂。
• They live in an artists'colony.他们住在艺术家聚居区。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

4 coordinator   

n.协调人

参考例句：

• The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下，负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
• How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室？

5 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

6 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

7 principal   

adj.主要的；n.负责人，校长，资本

参考例句：

• When he saw the principal,he raised his hand in salutation.他看到校长时举手敬礼。
• Their school gave a reception to their new principal.他们学校为新校长举办了一个招待会。

8 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

9 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

10 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。