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My Father's early life
My dad was born in the capital of Haiti(Port-au-Prince) on June 20, 1959. He grew up as the second oldest child out of 4 siblings. He has one brother and two sisters. When my dad was 4-9 , he would play alot of soccer with his school friends while his older brother would help out my grandpa in a small hardware store which my grandpa owned. -
Had to work at his fathers shop(1960's)
First, my dad’s brother was working in the hardware shop as a cashier. Then as years went on, my dad started to work as a cleaner, and cashier for the store. The store was named “Handal’s Hardware Shop” in French. -
Attended Anglade Academy(1965-1975)
My dad attended Anglade Academy in 1965 through 1975. He got a decent education, and he learned alot of French. The school mistreated my dad because the principal didnt like my dad’s father. -
Duvalier dictatorship(1968-1977)
The Duvalier Dictatorship was very controlling and impacted the Haitian economy. My dad had to live through this terrible rule. Corruption influenced the emergence of gangs in the country. -
My grandpa becomes richest man in their home townin Haiti
My grandpa becomes the richest man in their hometown in Haiti. Gives some of his wealth to my dad to help him start his own business. My grandpa made this wealth through owning his hardware shop, and different small businesses that my family was apart of. -
Near Death Experience under Duvalier Dictatorship #1
My dad was dating a woman, and the woman's father was the Chief of the secret police in Haiti. When my dad got to her house, the girl's dad pointed a .45 pistol at my father. The girl jumped in front of my dad, and ended up not killing him. -
My Dad's Teenage Years and Struggles
My dad was not focused on school work during high school and middle school. He would always being hanging out with his friends, that didn't influence him in a positive way. He struggled with bad grades in most of his classes. -
Dad gets robbed by a Gang member
The emergence of small gangs in Haiti was on the rise. My Dad was robbed by a gang member when he was leaving his school. My dad didn't have that much money, but this was definitely a huge turning point for him because it showed the true colors of what the Duvalier Dynasty is doing. -
Near Death Experience under Duvalier Dictatorship #2
My dad was at a checkpoint in Haiti when one of the biggest criminals pulled up towards him and pointed a gun directly at my dad's head. My grandpa told the criminal to back off, and the criminal did. My grandpa's influence over some of the people in Haiti was huge because of his wealth. -
My Dad buying a plane ticket with the spare money he had to the United States
My dad wanted a better opportunity in life with a stable economy, and the opportunity to live the "American Dream" . He bought a plane ticket and used his student visa to fly to Boston MA. -
My Dad's immigration to the United States(arrival)
My grandfather believed my dad was crazy for moving to a new country, but ultimately supported it. When my dad got into the US he was a bit confused because there was not that many French speaking people. -
My Dad moved with an American family in Newton MA
For a couple days he had to stay at a hotel. When he finally moved, he moved in to a household owned by the Reed Family in Newton MA. The family had two kids(one boy and one girl), and one golden retriever named Patrick. Patrick reminded my Dad of his old dog in Haiti named Johnny. -
Attended Chauncy Hill Chapel Hall in Waltham MA
My dad got accepted to Chauncy Hill Chapel Hall in Waltham MA. He learned English very quickly, and he scored decently high on the SAT for someone who is not from here. He started taking school more seriously, and became a straight A student. -
Dad attends Northeastern engineering school(1977-1980)
My Dad attended Northeastern engineering school. He wanted to be an engineer, but after 3 years he decided that engineering was a lot of work and didn't suit his interests. He started becoming more fascinated with finance but didn't know where to start -
Meets a French professor at a French speaking event in Boston MA
One day my dad decided to go to a French speaking center in Boston MA to meet new people. He met a "francophile". My dad started talking to him more, and he was a professor at Babson College. My dad wanted to transfer schools to focus on finance major instead of engineering. The professor recommended my dad to transfer there. -
Attends Babson and gets his bachelors degree(1980-1984)
My dad attended Babson College in 1980-1984. He enjoyed the atmosphere, and made a lot of connections which he still talks about today. He got his bachelors degree in finance, and founded a hardware startup with his friends. These startup plans slowly faded away. -
Becomes a stock broker for Merill Lynch
After taking some graduate courses for Business Administration at Babson College, my dad became a stock broker for Merill Lynch, which was a wealthy investment firm at the time. -
Gets married to his first wife in Boston MA
My dad gets married to his first wife in 1985. The woman graduated Harvard, and her major was Education. My dad would have no children with her, and stayed with her for 5 years. -
My dad and his first wife get divorced
My dad and his first wife got divorced over private issues. After the divorce, the first wife ended up being a principal at a school in Boston before retiring. My dad moved on to better things, and focused more on real estate because he started becoming interested in that. He ended up getting his real estate license after the divorce. -
My dad gets married with his second wife(My mom)
In 2003, my dad married my mom in Massachusetts. They both met in Paris, France via mutual friends. They had one kid(me) in 2006. The relationships lasts for around 11 years until things finally break. -
My Dad and Mom get divorced
My mom and dad got divorced on May 14th, 2014. Things weren't getting along between them so they decided it was best to split off and go there own ways. -
My Dad Post Divorce(2014-present)
Even though the divorce took a toll on the whole family including myself, my dad is still able to live a happy life. Currently, he is a Real Estate Agent for Keller Williams. He enjoys watching TV shows and action movies such as James Bond.