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.

Chita pa bay

Chita pa bay which is literally translated by “Sitting down brings you nothing”.

Haitian parents usually said that proverb to their children in order to encourage them to be productive, especially when they see them laying in bed during the day as that tends to make a person lazy (from their perspective). Therefore, they want their child to stand up and look for something to do in the house. Better yet, the parent would love to see the child have a book in hand so that they know at least the child cares about his education.

Sitting down waiting doesn’t lead to anything productive. It is always good to be creative.

That proverb is there to remind us even when we are sitting we need to be productive.