When the Haitian people began moving to Chile, in the heart of Latin America, there was definitely some resistance. A lot of Chileans felt their country faced enough challenges economically and politically without having extra mouths to feed, and foreign ones at that. Encountering resistance and overcoming hardship is nothing new to the Haitian people. With the same fearless determination that led them to defeat the French Colonial armies in ages past, they moved to Montreal, Quebec, and Miami, Florida, and claimed those places as their own. The Haitians knew how to get it down. Chile was just another piece of real estate for them to claim...
As the Haitian man encounters racism, strife and hardship, he smiles and works hard and perseveres. The geopolitical opponents of Haitians have noted that they reproduced quite rapidly once they're in a new nation. It must be said that there is strength in numbers and all that. Can't blame a Haitian brother for trying to get ahead. Oh well, haters still have to hate. In the province of Quebec, Canada, xenophobic French Canadians couldn't stop the progress of Haitians anymore than they could stop the sun from rising. Spreading around the world, the Haitian Empire grows by leaps and bounds every damn day...
It's almost as if it's hardship and strife along with stiff opposition that make the Haitian Empire grow. In the U.S. State of Florida, from small, rural areas to big cities, Haitians left their mark and there was nothing gun-toting Floridian rednecks or others could do to stop them. Faced with such a formidable people, what chance did the Chileans have? Hot-blooded, strong and durable, the Chileans faced the Haitian invasion...and lost. In 2002, there were fifty Haitians in Chile. In 2022, there are about two hundred thousand. Yes, you read that right...
Yvon Michelet was born in the City of Ouanaminthe, Haiti, close to the Haitian/Dominican Border. He grew up traveling back and forth between Dajabon, Dominican Republic, and Ouanaminthe, Haiti. When a lot of Haitians began moving to Chile following the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, Yvon followed suit. After all, Yvon was fluent in Spanish as well as Haitian Creole and French, which would prove to be really advantageous once he arrived in Chile. Upon arriving in the cities and towns of Chile, the Haitians began looking for work. A decade later, two hundred thousand Haitians call Chile home, and their numbers are growing...
"Valparaiso, here I come," Yvon remembered saying to himself once he arrived in the sprawling Chilean metropolis. The prospect of moving to the City of Valparaiso presented a daunting challenge, one which he secretly relished. A lot of Haitian immigrants are content to stay in the Chilean Capital and surrounding areas, where others of their ilk have established themselves. Yvon, fearless and fluent in Spanish, moved into the Chilean interior. Upon arriving in the City of Valparaiso, Yvon found work as a cleaner working for Gutierrez Auto Industries, a car parts manufacturer with locations all over Chile.
"Yvon, amigo, when I first met you, I thought you were a cocky young punk, but you've got what we Chileans call Corazon de Guerrero," said his boss, Raul Jimenez, one fine Monday morning. Yvon had just finished cleaning the offices of Gutierrez Auto Industries and was taking out the trash when his supervisor approached him. The stocky, balding, mustachioed Jimenez wasn't an easy man to work for, that's why his words surprised Yvon so much. Of course, the tall, sturdy young Haitian man maintained his composure.
"Trabajo es vida, Senor, work is life, sir," Yvon replied with just the right amount of humility, and Jimenez grinned, then wished him a good day. Yup, Yvon had the exact measure of his boss and knew how to handle him. Jimenez drove off in his old Jeep, knowing that since Yvon was on the job, the place would be clean beyond the clients expectations. Yvon was polite, hard-working and friendly, and he showed up early and wouldn't leave the job until the place was spotless. After Jimenez drove off, Yvon allowed himself a sigh. Every employee smiles when the boss is away, this holds true in all nations and all occupations...