Haitian man’s family thrives in WO with a whirl of activities

Name: Georges Carraha
Country of origin: Haiti
Language: Kreyol & French (also
speaks Spanish)
Been in the US since: 1982
Family
Wife: Joyce Thomas
Sons: Tyler, Ryan, Dario & Julien


I met Georges Carraha and three of his four sons in Degnan
park on a beautiful Friday afternoon. His sons immediately ran to the
playground while Georges and I sat down for our interview. We started talking
about Georges’ life in Haiti.
He grew up in a strict Catholic family. His background is interesting; his
father had roots in the Middle East and his
mom had Haitian parents. His parents were merchants and Georges had to start
helping them early in his life. As a 10-year-old, he would work with his
parents during his lunch hours, after school and on Saturdays.

“This made me who I am and made me understand
responsibility at an early age. I never had time to get in trouble. I learned
to stay focused.” he says.

Maybe it was the strict upbringing; maybe it was all the work
he had to do because as a young adult Georges rebelled against his parents and
took up an offer from his aunt and godmother who lived in New York City. She had asked him to come to
the United States
and stay with her while he got his education.

To a young, rebellious man this sound­ed great. Said and
done! Georges packed his bags and left for America.

What was the hardest thing when you came to the U.S?

“It was all so different from Haiti. I came from a strict
Catholic upbringing where you just did as you were told. It was a shock to me
that the children here would get choices in what to eat and what clothes to
wear. Even the adults were not satisfied; ‘my coffee is too hot’ and ‘my beer
is too cold’. In Haiti
we were just happy, grateful and respectful. So it was very different for me.

Also, I thought that it was a very mate­rialistic way of
thinking. Here, everything was about money, which was not the case in Haiti.

It was also different to me that people spent so much time
inside. In Haiti
we are always outside but here people are inside watching TV.”

Georges, as any international student who wants to study in
the U.S., had to take a TOEFL test (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) in
order to be admitted to the niversity. So he started out in an ESL class in
order to learn English and prepare for the test. He passed and started at the
CUNY colleges, finishing in media studies with a degree from Hunter College.

After receiving his degree, Georges started in television and
has worked in the same field for 20 years. There is where Georges met his wife,
Joyce Thomas, in 1996 when they were co-workers. They struck up a friendship
that later on turned into love and the rest, as they say, is histo­ry. Since
2002 the family, with their four sons, lives in West
Orange.

What brought you to West Orange?


“We lived in Kew Gardens, Queens, and
we needed more space for the kids. We were looking for a place where the kids
could get a good education, a place which was closer to the city, since my wife
works nights and has to drive to work. We also wanted an integrated town. We
looked at some different towns but West Orange
stood out with its diversity, school system and it was also a lot more
affordable than some towns around here.”

When the Carraha-Thomas family came to West
Orange they immediately became involved in the community. Georges
has coached Mountain Top League soccer for many years and he is a stroke and
turn swimming official for the YMCA and the USA Swimming. The boys are all out­standing
in different ways. The oldest son, Tyler Thomas, 19, is currently attending Rutgers University
in New Brunswick
and plays on the football team. Julien, 7, is the YMCA state swim champion in
his age group. Ryan, 11, is on the safety patrol at Gregory Elementary. He also
plays trumpet in the school band, sings in the chorus and is in advanced arts.
One of his pieces is in the arts show at Gregory. Dario, 7, is active in soccer
and swimming. All of the boys are swimming for the West Orange Wave. The family
also consists of two grown chil­dren, Brandon,
28, and Arielle, 21, both of whom live independently in New York City.

What do you love about West Orange?

“ The diversity. We never feel like minorities here. It
is an open and liberal town and the same goes for the people here.”

What would you want to see forWest Orange in the future?

“I would love to see more businesses here in West Orange. We would love to spend our money in town but
we are forced to spend it elsewhere when it comes to din­ing and entertainment.
I want to see more choices in West Orange.”

You can’t have an interview with some­one from Haiti without
asking about their family, and I did.

How is your family back home?

“It is hard for them psychologically and in many other ways.
I am from Petionville that was hit hard by the earthquake, so it is hard, but
they are physically OK.”

Our interview is over and Georges quickly collects his sons.
He has to hurry because tonight is one of the workshops which he needs to
attend in order to get his license to volunteer for the traveling soccer league
in West Orange.

The Carrah-Thomas family is one more family that has chosen
to make West Orange their home and is giving back by helping out in the
township. In my quest to feature West Orange
residents from all over the world you will meet many, many more.

FACTS ABOUT HAITI:

Haiti is located on the Hispaniola Island
(which it shares with Dominican Republic)
in the West Indies.
Capital. Port au Prince
Language: Kreyol & French
Population: approx 9 million
Fun facts about Haiti:
the first slave nation to gain independence (1804)