Sunday, one of the heaviest rainy days in the city was the day of my farewell.  I left my country. I left my house, my life and my friends.  I left my beautiful sun that used to wake me up in the morning.  When the plane was taking off, I started to think of my soccer field, my street and local merchants. I left my friends and I can still see their eyes full of tears. I can also still see the smiles on their faces but I know I will not see them soon and if I do, it will not be the same.
I landed in JFK after nine hours flying. It was crowded and scary. There were dogs and security officials everywhere. The air smelled different and the people were moving fast like it was a fire drill. I wonder if that was the way of hunting the American Dream. I-95 impressed me. I’d never seen such a large road and the traffic was impressive. I was in a different world.
 I completed my English language program and started a new life. While studying, I accepted a dish washing job at the University.
My best moment was being with my brother Jann. He was fun to be with. He always had questions and funny stories. I always wish to give my son the same program my brother had while growing up.
 I went to BCCC to get my Associate degree, then got married and bought a house. Now I have a son that I dearly love. I have not seen my country, my friends and my sun for a decade. I miss them all but I am happy with my little family. No matter where you go, you will find love, a family and friends.

Who Wrote Our educational System

Bongo Camara was the name of my first elementary school located in the south of the capital city. I was about 7 when I started my education. My first day of school was the best experience ever. First of all, it was good to get away from my anti-colon grand-parents, then I had to wear uniform, have my own book, pencils, bags and a new pair of shoes which I rarely get. We were required to shave our head before the first day of classes and go to bed early because the school starts at 7am. I didn't why I had to go to school but I was excited that morning. Upon arrival, there was a tall big pole in the middle of the school field with a red-yellow-green flag on the bottom of it. I was there very early that day after two miles walking. All students gathered around the pole. One student volunteered to pull-up the flag while others sing the National Anthem. I didn't know how to sing it but the rythm was moving me. After the flag reached the top of the pole, the director and teachers introduced themselves to us and pointed out our classes. All male students looked indentical, same uniform, same no hair-style but different pair of shoes. The system was so great that one can compare it to the army except that we didn't carry guns. In class, we sat straight, listened attentively and even had to raise our hand for bathroom. The first lecture was the abc, then few pronouns. As week goes by, I started to know how to read and write. I started being a different person as well. I didn't have to do alot house work nor to the farm from omday thru saturday.
   The worst part started when I moved to the capital to continue my education. The city was noisy, alot cars, trains, people and dirty to me but the schools were better build with better location and alot amenities. I didn't like the system at all. I was not used to being beating by a teacher for being late, not doing my homework. I used to be happy going to school in the morning and suddenly all those feeling vanished because i was scared to be punished or beating. My parents couldn't do anyting about it because it was the same system nationwide. The only way to escape them was to be on time and do what you are expected to do. There wasn't a student-teacher relationship outside the school. Teachers were treated like "gods" because of their knowledge and all parents respected them dearly. I was intensively tutored at home by my uncle and that allowed me to skip few grade and went to high school very fast. I felt relieved in High school because professors don't punish students there. We call them professors in high school and teachers in lower grades. Then I realized why I was going to school but still didn't know why my grand-parents were opposed to it. I did have a better and worst moment at school and wondered who wrote the program/standard. The academic program is great but the student right is horrible.

The Mind Game

Every day we hear or witness hate crime, discrimination, racism and other kind of human mistreatments or misjudgment. We also see some people fighting really hard to end those activities in order to give the opportunity to the victims of rejection, hates and discrimination to have  their right and live a better life. These human activities or behaviors have been going on for many years or decades without an end or solution. The question is WHY?  It’s hard to determine the answer of the question why people discriminate and hate each other.
My experiences with life sometimes make me understand why some people have hate in them. I had a friend from the Netherlands who never wanted to take pictures with me or people of color but love to spend all his time with me. I can see frustration and disapointment of his face when we are out and taking pictures with others but him. He told me that he is not the person I am thinking he is. He can't associates or  do anything with people of color because of his family. I felt different when he told me the true. I realized that he was being played by his family and he is scare to make a change in his family belief. I was educated the same way until I reached middle school where I started seing the world clearly. I realized that my family was not discriminating but feeling uncomfortable around other races because they never did something to hurt them nor make them uncomfortable. Few of my family members were denied jobs, college admission, club membership and that made a negative impact in them. I believe this is the genesis of anger, the source of revenge and the creation of hate club.
                I believe in change and that the new generation is open to change.  Most American now hates Muslims because of the 09/11 terrorist attack in New York that took a lot of human lives and major destruction. This hate against Muslims will continued for decades if we don't teach our children the positive side of it: "they are not all terrorists".  It's hard to love again after being hurt but we have to make a change and make the world a better place.

                I believe that our children will follow our steps and we should be positive and teach them how important each individual is and how they should treat each other with respect and dignity.
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2008/07/mccain-pow-bud.html

The Goose Generation

   

My ancestors and parents had their way of living according to their generations. Every generation has it own ways of dealing with daily life and cultures. Because of few sad events that happened in the past generations, they tend to create a doctrine to live by. My generation learned alot from the past generations in both negative and positive ways. We resume that into one way, the geese way.
     Geese are smart, supportive and fly in team. Most businesses are now using the way geese fly to run effeciently so does my generation. When I was growing up, my parents used to tell me that I am the "way" because I am the first born in the family. They told me that my brothers, sisters and neighbord's children will follow my steps so it's up to me to decide whether to lead them to success or to fail them. I was and still the goose. The way of the geese is that they fly together and while flying, there is one leader haead follow by other geese on V shape. If you surround yourself with excellent people you’re far more likely to succeed than if you attempt to go at it alone. Sometimes we see one goose fall out of formation. And when this happens the fallen away goose begins to struggle mightily until it manages to fight its way back into formation. Sometimes, times  get tough and you may become annoyed with one another from time to time… but synergy cannot be created by a single person working in isolation.
    My generation change position. When the one leading is tired or of ideas, he might step back and be on the formation and someone else take the leadership toward the destination. Goose hon to encourage each other. My generation communicate to support each other and as geese never leave any goose behing, my generation work hard to make sure everybody reach their goal.
  Geese fly in V formation with one leader and followers, my generation does the same thing and is supportive and creative as well. People can learn good examples from animals, birth,s insects, ect.. to make life better for their generation.
http://theleadership.wordpress.com/2006/06/10/synergy-why-do-geese-fly-in-a-v-formation/

Goree

Every weekend morning is a busy weekend in Dakar, the capital of Senegal located in West Africa. Tourists from different horizons with their cameras and camcorders formed a long line at the port of Dakar. In front of them is a big white ferry ready to be loaded for Goree. Tourists standing on Africa soil came for a reason. Some came to satisfy their curiosity, some to reconnect to their history and while others came for pleasure and discovery.
   The people who came to reconnect to their history carry different faces and moods while visiting Goree. Most of them are African Americans, Africans and human right activists. Goree is not just a museum or a building on the Island , it is History and that history narrates the Slave trade by Portugueses, Britishs, The Netherlands and the French.
 Goree was used as port of slave trade and transportation to the Americas. The darkness, the cold wind from the Ocean going straight to the dark room where slaves where "stacked" are just few of the sufferances that Africans went through. Stepping on Goree soil and seing the door from the dark room to the ocean, makes a court case in the matter of "Crime against humanity".
  The building is been taking care of, thousand of tourists visiting everyday and UNESCO protect the area as an educational and historical place.This place matters to all Black people and to the world as well because of its history and the location as well.

Goree: The Door Of No Return :C

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO6ik2Z74so


Goree is an island located 1.2 miles at the sea from Dakar, Senegal. It's the smallest and least populated in Senegal. This place matters to me because of the History behind it and the reconnection of most people to the African Heritage.
History: Goree was a small port and site of Europeans settlement along the coast. It was not habited by Africans because of no water. Portuguese were the first to habite the land and used it as a cemetry. Then, a port of Slaves trade, Slaves shipping point to the Americas. It was build in 1776 and belonged to one of the class wealthy senegalese Metis woman trader(the Signares)
     After the decline in slave trade from Senegal in 1770 and 1780, the place was used for shippment of Peanuts, Peanut oil, gum arabic, Ivory and other important products. The port and the building is now used at a Museum and UNESCO site. The building was reconstructed by a senegalese named Boubacar Joseph. He conducted the tour of Goree until his death in 2008. He wanted to make sure history of our ancestors remained alive and to teach the future generation about Slavery.
  More than 200,000 tourists visit the site per years. Most of them are African-Americans, Nelson Madela, and two other presidents. When I visited Goree in 1996, I learned alot about the historical event and also can feel the cries, the pain and the sufference in that dark room. I saw the only door from the dark room to the ocean which African slaves walked thru and never came back. A very sad site to visit but very educational.
  This place matter to me and all people that cares about human being and are interested in teaching the history of Africa and promoting  human right and civilization to the future generation.

I am Afro

Afro is a symbol of determination and expression and also a tool of cultural promotion. African American Men have been trying to find ways to express themselves in this vast country full of challenges. The daily life was completly different from the one we are living now in the 20th century.
Nowadays, there are many hair styles around the globe without meanings.Some  hair style only show the cool side of the person not the cultural representation. Afro or Afro hair was not the case in the 60's, 70's and still going on to present. Most activist such as Angela and the Black Panthers used Afro has their hair style because it represents their attachment to Africa and also shows reclaim their identity. Afro hair was not limited to Men. Women with their natural hair also adopt the Afro style but they have different ways of cutting them and maintaining them. Most Men keep their Afro thick and junky while others cut it sharp and neat like Michael Jackson hair in his childhood. Women used hot comb, oil, and other hair product to keep their hair neat and sraight.
       There were alot politics behind the Afro hair. Human right Activists thought that Afro was the best hair style that will make them proud of who they are and also shows the Black beauty and they feel good about themselves. When we look in UMBC 1960's year book, We noticed that students at that period have different culture when it comes to fashion and hair style. Most students were dressed like today's business Men. Some white students hair was close to Afro hair style especially the art students.
   In conclusion, Afro, derived from the word "African American" was and still the hair style of most African American and African. It was a symbol of human right and cultural promotion. The Afro comb is made with the "Black Power" hand and now few are made differently.