In my own country, Haiti, I had a high school education. After that I
trained for 2 years as a lab technician. But getting a job was very difficult.
Jobs were scarce and if you didn't know the right people, you didn't have any
opportunity.
I met Presner when he came to visit Haiti. Then I moved to Montreal.
There I worked in a factory. Living there was easy for me because I could
speak French. When we moved to Calgary in 1981 we had to learn better English.
I had studied English in high school but I couldn't speak much.
So we found we could go together to AVC classes in the BEAD Department. We
went in the evening and worked during the day. For me this was a good
opportunity because I could improve my English comprehension and review math.
You know, when you don't do math for a while you do tend to forget things. The
teacher was very helpful and encouraged our progress. After studying for a year
at night I went back and got my grades 10, 11, and 12 -- in English this time!
I also took Business Careers at AVC, which offered me a chance for employment.
My English still wasn't good. I still felt shy speaking and would use my
sense of humour to cover-up anything I didn't understand. I'd applied for work
as temporary office staff and they sent me to a large oil company. Luckily they
needed a bilingual switchboard operator and I was hired. I worked there for
almost a year, but it was not me to work in the business world.
Since I was a little girl I've always wanted to be a nurse. When my father
asked as a child what I wanted to do when I grew up, my reply was always "To
be a nurse"
. So I applied to many places and was accepted into the
psychiatric nursing course in Ponoka. That is where I am now. Next year I will
transfer to Red Deer College to take the registered nurse's program. Likely I
will take this for 2 years and move back to Calgary. Then I will be able to
work and complete my studies for my degree at night. Eventually, I'd like to
work in the area of gynaecology.
Having a dream to be a nurse isn't all that easy. You have to give up a lot
of things as an adult student. You have to give up your freedom. Your family
suffers too. You can't always cook for them -- Presner hates to cook -- and
there are many other things you don't have time to do for your family. But the
end is very worthwhile.
