Achte, peye; prete, remèt. Men sa ki fè yon nonm

Our proverb for today is “Achte, peye; prete, remèt. Men sa ki fè yon nonm” which literally translated to "Buy, pay; lend, give back. That’s what makes a man". We say this proverb to remind people that honesty is a payback check. It also emphasizes the importance of integrity in financial transactions and interpersonal relationships.

People of good character will always try to fulfill their obligations even in difficult period of time.

This proverb is use as a piece of advice in Haitian’s community, whether a parent said it to a child to enforce their character, or a friend to another to remind them why honesty and integrity matter for the good of our community in their relationships.

Rat kay k ap manje pay kay

Rat kay k ap manje pay kay: “The house’s rats are eating the house’s thatch.”

In Haiti and other countries of the Caribbean, thatch used to be a popular material for people, especially farmers, to use to roof their homes. It absorbs the heat of the sun less than other materials, and it’s cheaper too because it grows in the field of the farmer. Nowadays, we do not find many houses with thatch roofs - even in the countryside.

As much as rural dwellers like a thatch roof, rats also find it a good place to live and hide. Sometimes, they use thatch as food, too.

The owner of the house will notice that when some areas of the roof have holes or begin to leak. They might even hear the sound the rats will make while destroying the roof.

Haitian people use this proverb when they see people of an organization or other group are the ones that are destroying it by their actions and behavior. They say this proverb to state that people are sometimes the ones that are harming their own people. We understand that some people do not even like themselves. They are willing to destroy what belongs to them. Then other people tend to step back and stay away from those matters.

We sometimes are sad about what’s happening to some associations, familie, but we do not know that they or some of them are the ones that are trying to destroy their own. When we know, we say: “Never mind! Rat kay k ap manje pay kay.”

Se lè ‘pa bon’ pa la pou w wè kisa ‘pa bon’ te itil.

Se lè ‘pa bon’ pa la pou w wè kisa ‘pa bon’ te itil.

Literal translation for this proverb would be “when ‘not good’ is not available, you see its value”.

In Haitian Creole, we use the word "bon" meaning "good" as a generic word. We use it to define everything that fits, that is useful, normal, alright, perfect… and its contrary ‘pa bon’ meaning "not good" to express the opposite of everything that is positive, normal, needed etc.

In society, abundance, habit and the availability of people and things makes us think they are ‘pa bon’ neglecting/ ignoring their values. But when they are not available anymore, we tend to notice the area where they had fit is empty. Because someone is always available, we tend to treat him/her badly or neglect him/her. Also when we always have something available we tend not to value it or even feel embarrassed with it. But when we do not have them any more, we feel how important they were and how blessed we were having them.

Haitian people say this proverb when they are in need of someone or something that was neglected in their lives. Either they got rid of it/him/her or they were mean or cruel with him/her/it. They also use this proverb as a warning to people that are taking for granted what they have at their disposal. When they do not have it/him/her anymore, they will feel its/his/her value. For example, mistreating somebody that are kind and/or available to them, or misusing/wasting something they have.

Let’s value what we have and celebrate who we have in our lives because they are blessings from God. Let's not wait until their absence make us realize their value.

Bwa pi wo di li wè lwen, grenn pwomennen di li wè pi lwen

Our proverb for the day is “bwa pi wo di li wè lwen, grenn pwomennen di li wè pi lwen” which literally translated means, “The tallest tree says that it sees far, but the seed that travels says that it sees even further”.

According to this proverb, it is always good to look for opportunities instead of staying in our comfort zone. That way while we are learning new things, we will be able to make more impact in other people’s lives by what we learned in our journey.

That proverb also teaches us to be proactive, reminding us that we may have talent but if we want to keep on track, we will need to keep practicing to broader our view and our knowledge to get the best results.

Premye so pa so

Our proverb for today is “Premye so pa so” which literally translated to “The first fall is not a fall”.”

In Haiti, we say this proverb to encourage others when they are learning a new activity and they fail at the first try. We want them to challenge themselves until they succeed so they can realize that quitting isn’t an option.

When a child is learning how to ride a bike, it is not always easy to ride at the first try. Whenever they fall down, they are scared to try again. Others who are already good at riding a bike say to them “Premye so pa so” to let them know that they were from this step too, until they mastered it, in order to encourage and make them believe that they can do it too, to emphasize that we don’t want them to abandon what they can learn.

Any time you visit Haiti, and you hear someone says that proverb, you will have an idea what is it about.