The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

ELISHA PIERRESAINT
KAITLYN CURRY, TEACHER
South Shore Charter Public School, Norwell, MA
It all started in Abington, Massachusetts. I had just moved there and was pretty
nervous and quiet around that time. I already had a couple of friends at school,
although I didn’t know what the other kids would think of me. My mother said
she was making one of my favorite cultural foods, Sos Pwa. It’s kind of a mix
between sauce and beans and tastes scrumptious with white rice. I got
extremely excited and couldn’t wait until she was finished with it. I should also
probably say that the town that I live in basically has very little diversity, so
people weren’t used to things people of different races did, liked, or even ate.
The next morning, I woke up, realizing I fell asleep waiting for the Sos Pwa. At
that moment, I jumped off the couch and sprinted to the kitchen. I lifted the lid
off the pot that was on the stove and lit up with joy. There it was, the Sos Pwa
I had been waiting for. Since it was a school day, I couldn’t eat the Sos Pwa due
to me having to get ready, so I grabbed my towel and hopped in the shower.
I was planning on eating the Sos Pwa before I went to school, but I only had
five minutes before the bus came. A thought came to my head and said, Why
don’t I just bring it to school? And that’s what I did. I grabbed a bowl, put some
white rice in, then poured the Sos Pwa on top. I couldn’t wait to dive into this
food. So I put the bowl into the lunch box and ran outside for the bus.
Fast forward to lunch, and everybody pulled out their lunch. One kid had
pizza, another kid had a PB&J, someone even had a cheeseburger. I pulled out
my lunch, not aware of what was about to happen next.
The kid sitting across from me said, “Ew, what’s that smell?”
The girl next to him said, “Smells like fart beans!” I looked around to see
everybody looking at my food, and then at me.
Finally, the school bell rang, and I got to go home. I saw my mom in the
kitchen making dinner while saying, “I made your favorite, bannann peze!”
“I REALIZED THAT I
SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID
TO EAT WHAT I LIKE.
SO THE NEXT DAY,
I WENT TO SCHOOL
WITH MY FAVORITE
HAITIAN PLATE,
AND I ATE WELL.”
and smiled, but deep inside, I knew she was right. No matter where I go, people
are going to judge, so just let them.
I went to school the next day and sat by myself at an empty table, when I heard
commotion next to me. “Ew, Jalek, what is that smell?!”
Jalek lifted off the lid on his food and said, “It’s fish and kimchi! My mom made
it for me!”
Another kid responded with, “Well, it might have gone bad, because it doesn’t
smell right.”
Everyone at his table laughed, but he quickly came up with, “It’s better than
the school lunch. I’d rather eat what I’m used to than to hide it and eat the
school lunch.” After he said that, I felt a spark in my chest. I realized that I
shouldn’t be afraid to eat what I like. So the next day, I went to school with my
favorite Haitian plate, and I ate well. This time, without any problems.
Now, this was a meaningful time in my life because if this event had never
happened, I’d probably still be ashamed to eat my culture’s foods, and maybe
even end up hating them. I grew by not really making a big deal out of things
anymore. I don’t care what anybody says to me about something I like. And
I thank God every day for that moment.
I answered back with, “Mom, why can’t we have normal food?”
She noticed something was wrong. “What are you talking about? All foods are
the same, they’re just prepared differently,” she said. I told her what happened
at school, and she frowned. “Those kids don’t know what they’re talking about.
People are always going to find a way to judge. It’s human nature!” I laughed
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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