Month: October 2019

Virginia & Washington, D.C.

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience, Photo Essays

There’s something beautiful about having the opportunity to get away and see new places. 

This is exactly what I got out of the experience of being in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland over the weekend. I don’t travel much, but when I do I always have a good time. Going out of town for a few days, away from any pressures and responsibility, is freeing and relaxes me in a way that can’t be accomplished in my house. It’s also always interesting to see how other places differentiate from where I live, starting at the structure of buildings and going into the population. Whether the place I’m visiting is a different city, or a different state, the visit itself never ceases to be a fun learning experience, and this time in the DMV area (Maryland, Virginia, part of West Virginia, District of Colombia) exactly the same. 

My trip to the DMV area is one that I will never forget, and the experience is one I will forever treasure. 

 

Our day started in Alexandria, Virginia. 

The first destination was Van Dorn Diner, where we had breakfast. 

We then made our way to Washington D.C., where majority of the sightseeing was done. 
The Art Museum of the Americas was our first stop in Washington, D.C.

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We spent the majority of the remaining time in D.C walking around, marveling at the different sights and taking pictures. 

 

Here

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Creative Writing

Here they stand.

One girl and one boy, face to face.

And here they are standing hand in hand, with fixed gazes. They look at each other, close in proximity, and warm smiles are exchanged. They are the kind of smiles that reach the eyes, that’s how the pair know they’re real. Nothing but bliss is being shared between the two.

Here they stand in the living room, unintentionally ignoring the noise coming the T.V. and the sound of kids laughing outside. In this moment, the sounds of the characters on the television show yelling at one another and the chatter outside all fade away.

In this moment, no words are said, no comments are exchanged. The mere presence of one another is enough to fulfill them both.

Here they stand.

One girl and one boy. They are facing each other with their backs against the world because right now, the moment being shared between the two is all that matters.

 

This week I wanted to write something on the more sappy, romantic side. When I think of true, pure love, I think of moments like the ones the characters in the piece of sharing. Sometimes, the simple act of just sitting by, or in this case, standing near one another is enough. It doesn’t always have to be expensive outings. The little things, they matter too. 

I think that once you are able to enjoy your time with someone, whether you two are out and about, having a simple conversation, or laughing after an intense staring contest, it is clear that a connection has been established. 

Waiting with Patience

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Experience

Wait. 

This is not something that we always like to hear. Sometimes there is nothing more that we crave than to get what we want, to get what we are working for, and to get it right now. Sometimes all we want is to receive the instant gratification. This makes it easy to forget that all we can do now is wait.

Wait.

With patience comes healing. This can be the healing of a hurting heart, of what feels like a broken soul, or the healing of a scar, either a physical or emotional one. One’s arm usually does not magically heal after it has been broken just as one’s heart usually cannot automatically become restored after a feeling of it being shattered into a million pieces.  There are times when we try to rush the healing, automatically claiming that we’re “good now,” ignoring the pain that we feel instead of just waiting. Waiting and understanding that there are some things, like healing, that simply do not happen overnight.

I say this from experience.

Wait. 

In many instances, it will take time before we can fully reap what we’ve sewn. It takes time before the hard works pay off. As someone sits in a classroom, they may not see the point in being there. It is after receiving the diplomas and reaching the level of comfort and success that they have spent their life fighting for that said person realizes those hours sitting in the classroom weren’t absolutely pointless. They lead to something greater.

Wait. 

And wait patiently as you put work and effort in the things that you do.

You’d be surprised at how far that can take you.

 

This week I wanted to write about patience, a virtue that I feel is so important. When people rush things, they are usually not as good as they can be. So I wanted to use this piece as way to remind others to have patience and to just wait. Whether we like it or not, sometimes that is the only thing we can do, and sometimes it’s the only thing left to do. In Every difficult situation that I have ever gotten out of, I managed to get through it with faith, but also patience. 

 

Source of picture: https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/why-patience-virtue-leaders

 

 

 

Name

by Rhobie Toussaint, posted in Uncategorized

First days of school with a different set of teachers are always interesting. When the teacher does roll call for attendance, I wait until he or she calls on my name. There’s always a chance that they’d stare at my name for a second or two before pronouncing my name as “Row-be”and I’d have to correct them. Some years, the teacher would alternate between “Raw-be” and “Row-be” throughout the entire school year. Other times, the teacher would mispronounce my name for the entire school year, and on a good year, all six of my teachers would get it right the first time.

My father told me that he wasn’t originally going to name me Rhobie, but as he was thinking of names, it crossed his mind. He liked the name’s pronunciation in Creole. Although my name is common, the way it is spelt is different. The name is also usually seen as masculine. Every once in a while, a friend of mine almost gets in trouble because by the spelling of my name, their parents think I’m a boy. One of my closest friends told me that when I sent him a message saying who I was, he also thought I was a boy. He assumed I had the wrong number since most of his friends were girls. There’d be instances in which people add an extra ‘b’ or neglect the ‘h’ in my name, or if I was really lucky, the person would do both. In most instances, I’d let out a sigh, or possibly shoot a glare and correct them. Other days, I did not have enough energy to care. One could only correct someone so many times.

Despite the mishaps associated with it, I’ve grown fond of my name. For as long as I remember, I never cared about fitting in. I don’t follow trends simply because everyone else does. I don’t want to be like anyone else — I don’t need to be. I’d rather stand out, and my name is one of the things that help me with just that. People would tell me, “I’ve never seen it spelt that way” or “You’re the first person I’ve met with that name,” and every time, I can’t help but smile. I’ll take the mispronunciations, and misspellings, and the failed attempts of others trying to give me a nickname any day. My name will always be a part of me.