The name is Franklin Joseph. A young Black man of Haitian descent living in the City of Montreal, Province of Quebec. Presently I'm studying Criminology at Concordia University and I also work part-time as a Mobile Supervisor for a Security Company. I've been in the Confederation of Canada since July 2008. It's been a little more than two years. So far, I kind of like the City of Montreal. It's changed me, man. I'm on my way to becoming a permanent resident of Canada. I see myself as a successful policeman someday. Especially since I outperform the Canadian students in my Criminology classes at Concordia University. They don't know how studious us Haitians can be.
Prior to moving to Montreal, I lived in the City of Cap-Haitien in the Republic of Haiti. I lived there with my parents. My father Etienne Joseph is the Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Cap-Haitien. My mother Astrid Jeannot Joseph is a schoolteacher. They sent me to study abroad due to the unstable political climate of Haiti at the time. I was living in Canada at the time of the 2010 Earthquake. Thankfully, my parents were okay. I want to do them proud. That's why I study so hard at Concordia University. My folks came to visit me in Montreal during the summer of 2010. I was so proud to receive them in my home.
Since moving to Canada, I've made major strides. When I first landed in July 2008, I had nothing in my hands. Since then I acquired a work permit and with it I earned my licence as a Security Guard from the Quebec Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services. You need a licence to do anything in Canada, including working as a security guard at the mall for twelve bucks and fifty cents an hour. Anyhow, since I started working, I was able to obtain a Health Card and a Social Insurance Card. You need these documents if you're going to work in the Confederation of Canada. I worked full-time and was able to save about nine grand. I applied for a study permit and then enrolled at Concordia University. Since I'm not Canadian, they're charging me international rates. Isn't that fun?
Anyhow, it's at Concordia University that I ended up meeting the two ladies who changed my life forever. I met Karime LeJeune while walking around the campus library at Concordia University. The tall, gorgeous young Black woman simply took my breath away. Karime is of Haitian descent, though she was born and raised in Montreal-Nord. I was smitten with her the moment we met. I really liked her. Growing up in Cap-Haitien, I had a natural appreciation for tall, gorgeously dark-skinned Black women with big butts. I'm a Haitian man after all, you know? I pursued Karime relentlessly. You know us Haitian guys. We're the most ardent of all players. Not all of us, though. Unfortunately for me, Karime isn't into Haitian guys. Actually, she's not into Black guys at all. She thinks Black guys are chumps. She has a thing for White men, especially Italian men. Yep. When I saw her walk around campus with some Italian dude named Tartaglia, my heart ached. However, I had to move on. It's my life.
Things didn't work out with Karime LeJeune and my confidence was shot through hell. Seriously. No Black man is ever thrilled to lose a Black woman to the White man. I don't care what he says. I kept thinking about Karime and how she practically worshiped White guys yet thought of Black men as losers. Where does she get off generalizing us like that? I've met lazy White men and studious Black men. I've met smart Black men and dumb White men. I've met smart White men and unmotivated Black men. Colour doesn't determine performance or study habits. Personality does. Someone ought to tell this to Karime LeJeune. I began to question myself. Did other Black women share her opinion? I see a lot of Black guys in the City of Montreal walking around with White women. Why? I see quite a few Black chicks walking around with White men. Why can't Black people in Canada love their own? I don't know. Worshiping White folks while putting down their own people must be a Black Canadian thing. Must be why I don't get it.
I decided to focus on school and work as opposed to chasing women. My parents were counting on me to become somebody in the world of tomorrow. I'm twenty three years old and I'm in my second year at Concordia University. When I graduate, I will be twenty five. I feel like I'm already behind some of the students. It's because Canadian Universities are slow to acknowledge the credentials of international students. I studied at Universite Roi Henri Christophe in my native City of Cap-Haitien in the Republic of Haiti. Yet when I came to Canada, the school officials at various Universities wanted me to start from scratch. Is that cool or what? If you ask me, the way Canadian officials treat talented folks from the outside world is seriously outdated and unnecessary. It's almost as if Canadians are afraid that talented men and women with University degrees from other countries are going to steal their jobs. As if!
I led a solitary life. Working as a security guard just to pay the bills. I've got a monthly cell-phone bill of eighty bucks. Rent costs four hundred. I also have to pay for groceries. And don't even ask me for tuition. Sometimes, I have to get by on four to five hours of sleep per day because I work at night right after school. My classmates at Concordia University led lives that were quite different from mine. Most of the students, whether Black or White, were born in Canada. They don't have the worries that immigrant students and international students have. The schools are charging us twice as much as they charge them on average. Kind of sucks, eh? I didn't have time for parties and dating. Besides, I doubt I would find a Black lady who could love me in Canada. Most Black women in Canada appear to share Karime's sentiment that White men are demigods and Black men are losers. I don't think I'm missing out by not dating.
