Fatou

=Fatou=

Podcast
media type="custom" key="8218386"

Geographical
Westernmost country on the african continent; the gambia is almost anenclave within senegal. Also the country of senegal uses following resources(fish,phosphats, iron ore). The location of senegal is in western bording the north atlantic ocean, between guinea bisson.

**Creative Writing**

 * // Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones //**// **we marry-** // **// Tom Mullen //**

January 1, 1988

Should I do this? Should I get married? I’m I ready? Do I really want to do this? I am really young, but I love him, I don’t want to have my parents disown me, or for me to dishonor my family by having children when I am not married. So yes, I am going to get married. As long we love each other then it does not matter if I married him.

January 2, 1988

I just call the man I’m supposed t married to let him know that my mother approved him of being able to marry me, but I lied about it.

Yesterday I called mom to discuss the marriage, and it did not go so well. We just did not see eye to eye, I thought he was the perfect man for me, and she thought I could do better. So I explained to her that he was a good looking, hard working, sweet, loving, and caring man.

So mom said she’ll think about it.

January 3, 1988

Just talked to mom, and she said that I’ll be able to pick to the guy I wanted, to married so that what wanted. Now I can marry the man of my dreams, all I have to do it get my mother to sign off on the wedding and everything will be on track.

January 28, 1988

It’s the day of the wedding, and everything is going bad, my dress did not show up on time and my fiancés suit was left in the motel room. So we have to go all the way back to the motel room and in enough time to be back for my own wedding. My mother is trying to calm me down but I just cant, how could I calm down at a time like this. All I want is my dream wedding, and so far it is looking like my dream wedding at all.

My fiancé returns back to the church in 10 minutes before the wedding with both mine and his outfits in hand, I felt like 100 pound had been lifted off my back. From there everything went smoothly, I got my dress on in no time, and he got dressed in no time, it felt like we were on time but we were not, we only had 2 till the wedding was planned to start, but we did it…….. We walked down the ile on time. Most of all we said our I do’s to each other, and I felt so good to know that I finally married the MAN OF MY DREAMS!!!!

March 22, 1988

Its been 2 months since the wedding, and we already had our first born baby boy, he is so handsome. He looks just like his daddy, but he has my eye, and nose. I have also found a job after school, at a nearby corner store. It pays enough, but my husband doesn’t want me to work because he feels that he cannot take care of his family. But I tell him the reason I work is because I do not want to have to depend of a man to take care of me for the rest of my life. I want to have some independence. You know?

May 15, 1988

The school year is almost over, I am so happy, but not just for that I’m happy because I just found out that I will be having a little baby girl. My husband and I are so happy. So I told him that it would not be a bad idea to upgrade to a bigger home. Like the houses in Senegal, they are bigger, better, and we will be able to have an maid that will help us take care of the house.

May 16, 1988

Last night my husband and I talked about moving to Senegal, or just buying a home in Senegal, just for us to be able to go back to visit. When he came back from work he sat me down, and told me the biggest news of my life. He told me that we will be buying a home in Senegal, I was so happy, I jumped up, and down with excitement. I called everyone I knew to tell them about the move. Here is so much to do, and so little time!!!!!

Transcription
Adreyan: Why did you come to this country?

Mama: To get a better job.

Adreyan: So there were no jobs in your home country?

Mama: It is but they don’t pay enough. Adreyan: What were some obstacles you faced on your way to the U.S.A? Mama: I was young so I was kinda of scared. Adreyan: Did you come with any family members? Mama: I came with my mom. Adreyan: You didn’t come with any other family members? Mama: No

Adreyan: Why not?

Mama: Because they did not have Visa.

Adreyan: Is it hard to get a Visa?

Mama: Yes, they ask too much questions.

Adreyan: What is a Visa?

Mama: It is a stamp they put on your passport, so you are able to get into the country.

Adreyan: Why did you choose the US and not any other country?

Mama: It has more opportunities. Adreyan: What are some things you brought with you when you came to the USA Mama: Just clothing. Adreyan: What is the difference between your home country and the USA? Mama: Culture is different. Food is different. The people are different. The language is different. Adreyan: Was it hard to adjust to the American lifestyle. Mama: No, it was just like a normal person’s life, I went to school and stuff like that. Adreyan: How old were you when you came to the US? Mama: 14 Adreyan: How did you get here when you came to the US? Mama: Plane. Adreyan: Did you feel any pressure on your way over here from family? Mama: Not really. I was coming to join my mom, and I was happy about it. Adreyan: So, your mom was already here? Mama: Yes Adreyan: How is the food different? Mama: The food? We have everything you have here. Just taste different. We have spicy food and it’s more flavor. Like when you go to the food places here you bring your own seasoning’s like salt and pepper. Adreyan: What was the toughest part of moving? Mama: The language because I don’ t speak English. Adreyan: Did you picture the U.S. like this, or did you think of something different? Mama: I just thought there were no poor people. I thought everybody was rich, like how they showed us on T.V., life and buildings. Basically, I thought that when you walked, you could pick up money from the ground. That’s how they make it seem like. Adreyan: When you first got here, did you feel welcomed, or did you feel like an outsider? Mama: I feel welcomed. Like I said before, I was in school and with kids my own age, so… Adreyan: What emotion did you feel when you were on your way over? Was it a sad emotion? Mama: I was scared, because I wanted to sleep in my own bed, with my sisters and brothers. Adreyan: Would you move back to your home country if you could? Mama: Yes, I go back every year. Adreyan: Would you move there? Mama: Oh, uh-hum, yes. Adreyan: Do you think that the rest of your siblings and you dad will be able to come to the U.S.? Mama: My mother is here, my sisters and mother are here, but my dad don’t want to come? Adreyan: Why not? Mama: He’s too old, so he doesn’t want to come over here. Adreyan: What port of entry did you come in from? Mama: What? Adreyan: Like, where did you come in from? Like Ellis Island or New York? Mama: New York Adreyan: What was your reaction to the U.S.? Mama: After I got here? Adreyan: Yes Mama: It was cold, because I got here in November and December, so it was really cold. Adreyan: Do you think you made the right choice? Mama: Yes, I got married here, I got four kids. Adreyan: What was your home country like? Mama: Basically, it’s just like New York, it’s like a lot of people, busy, a lot of cars, a lot of buildings. It’s not like what they show on T.V. My country looks just like New York. Adreyan: In your home country, was your education really good, or was it not? Mama: It wasn’t. I didn’t even go to school. Adreyan: Why not? Mama: I didn’t, my family didn’t have the opportunity to take me to school, because we have to pay. So…. Adreyan: What drove you to the United States? Mama: Job and school. Better education and better job. Adreyan: Was it a hard process to get the Visa?

Mama: Yes it is. You have to go through a lot. Adreyan: Can you explain?

Mama: Like, you have to be rich, not be rich, but you have to have money to make sure that when you get here, you can live on it. You have to have all the papers you ask for. They want to make sure you come back home, so you have to go through a lot. Adreyan: What was some of the struggles you faced when you came to the U.S.?

Mama: Not being able to see my own family, like I used to everyday. Adreyan: When you came to the U.S., did you have everything handed to you, or did you have to work hard? Mama: Well, I didn’t work ,my mom did, and my brothers, because I was too young. They worked hard then gave me what I needed. Adreyan: Were you treated nice when you came over?

Mama: Yes Adreyan: How long did it take you to come over here? Mama: Eight hours.

Adreyan: Were you treated nice on your over here, like on the airplane?

Mama: On the plane? Adreyan: Yes

Mama: Yes Adreyan: What about when you actually came over her, because you didn’t speak any English? Mama: They were rude sometimes, like especially at school some times. Like, my mom, when cooked the food, it would get in my clothes. They would make fun of you and say you stink, or they would say ‘you don’t look like an African, because you are a little bit light. They would say that Africans are black, and they stink, and this and that. They would say, ‘how come you have nappy hair, like Africans? But I just….If you be nice to me, I be nice to you, but if you’re rude, I’ll be rude to you too.

Adreyan: Was it hard for you to make friends when you came to the U.S., or was it….. Mama: Um, it wasn’t hard, because I hung with the same friends that I had the first day Adreyan: When you got to high school was it hard, or was it, you got by?

Mama: It was easy, it wasn’t hard

Adreyan: Did you, like, play any sports in high school?

Mama: Yes I did. I played volleyball

Adreyan: Did you play any sports in your home country?

Mama: No.

Adreyan: What was your favorite food when you came to the U.S.?

Mama: Pizza

Adreyan: What was you favorite food in your home country?

Mama: Fish

Adreyan: Your kids were born in America?

Mama: Yes

Adreyan: Do they have dual citizenship?

Mama: Yes, as long as their born here, they are American.

Adreyan: Do you have dual citizenship?

Mama: Do you I have a passport?

Adreyan: yes.

Mama: No I have a green card. I don’t have my passport.

Adreyan: How are your holidays different?

Mama: They are way different. You have your Halloween in October, we just had ours, like, a week ago.

Adreyan: Do you celebrate Christmas?

Mama: We do, but we do it on a different day. We do it on the 24th.

Adreyan: Why is it different?

Mama: We don’t believe in all that Santa Claus stuff, we just believe in the 24th. On the 24th, we call that, and we just dress up, eat dinner, and go party. We buy the kids stuff.

Adreyan: Was it a challenge for you to learn English?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: What made it so hard?3

Mama: I did not understand it, I did not have no idea what they were saying.

Adreyan: you say you got married, what age did you get married?

Mama:15

Adreyan: why so young.

Mama: It’s our culture, it’s better than being bad, and having a boyfriend, having a girlfriend or having sex. Also having babies when you are not married. It’s just our culture.

Adreyan: So if you should change that, would you.

Mama: No

Adreyan: so would you allow your children to get married at 15

Mama: If they wanted to. But I know they won’t

Adreyan: Do you teach people about your language?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: Ok, you speak Wolof.

Mama: yes

Adreyan: Can you describe a day in your home country, and one in the U.S. can you describe how there different.

Mama: We wake up early, eat breakfast same thing just we do it at different times. if you got school than you go to school. If you got work than you go to work, so basically it the same.

Adreyan: how are the living conditions different in your home country to what they are now?

Mama: Bills, bills, bills, bills, bills…. too much bills in America!

Adreyan: Your country doesn’t pay bills?

Mama: Not like this!

Adreyan: It’s more expensive here (America)?

Mama: Yes

Adreyan: What did you expect to find when you came here?

Mama: More money here (America)

Adreyan: How old were you when you came?

Mama: Seventeen.

Adreyan: Do you have tribes in your country?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: Do all the tribes speak the same language?

Mama: No.

Adreyan: Why don’t they speak the same language?

Mama: Cause they are different people, just different area of where their grandmother/grandfather comes from.

Adreyan: Do you have lots of festivals during the year?

Mama: Yes

Adreyan: Is there a myth that Africans don’t like African-Americans, or African-Americans not liking Africans?

Mama: That’s not true, white people make you think that we don’t like you, because they don’t want you to come over there. They (whites) come over there all the time.

Adreyan: In your country, do you get violent when you vote?

Mama: No.

Adreyan: Are your clothes in your country the same as ours (America)?

Mama: Yes, it’s the same clothes, but we have African clothes too.

Adreyan: Can you name some African clothes?

Mama: Granbubu, or you can say paybach.

Adreyan: What are those hats the guys be wearing?

Mama: Those are Muslim hats, they represent the Muslim faith

Adreyan: How do you entertain yourself in your home country?

Mama: We watch TV. We don’t have 200 channels, we have20 channels at the most, because 1 channel shows everything. We don’t really need all those channels, because they don’t have it yet.

Adreyan: How did you get your TV?

Mama: The TV store

Adreyan: Do they make them?

Mama: Yes

Adreyan: You guys have big manufacturers?

Mama: Yes, but you can get it cheaper here (America). Like, I bought my TV here for 1,200 dollars, but if I were to buy it back home, if would have cost 2,000.

Adreyan: Do you have cameras that actually take pictures?

Mama: We have cameras, videos, all the stuff you have here, we have here at home. Like here, every kid has an iPod, but back home, not every kid is going to have one. Some are rich, some are poor, so not every kid can afford one.

Adreyan: Did you see some of your culture in America?

Mama: Yes, some of same sayings you have over here, we have back home. Some of the people over here (America) came from Africa, but they just lost there culture, because they don’t know Africa. It’s the same.

Adreyan: Do you guys have computers/internet?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: In Africa, do you believe in abortion?

Mama: No.

Adreyan: Is there a limit on the amount of kids you can have?

Mama: No, you can have as many kids as you want, as long as you are married. If you are not married, we don’t recommend it, because you are not married. We call that a sin.

Adreyan: Do you believe in divorce?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: You can get married at any age?

Mama: The youngest I’ve seen anyone get married is 13. I got married when I was 15.

Adreyan: Do they get married to people the same age?

Mama: No. I’ve seen someone aged 13 get married to someone in their nineties.

Adreyan: Say you were married in your home country, you were 18, and your mate was 13, and you came to America. Would you have to get a divorce?

Mama: No, you have to have a parent sign for you here, but my mom signed for me.

Adreyan: Does your artwork, if you were to sell it in America, would it sell for a lot of money?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: What’s the difference between the artwork here and over there?

Mama: It’s the same.

Adreyan: Do you guys make your own clothes?

Mama: No, people make it. People back home make it, we just buy it.

Adreyan: Have you found anyone in America that makes your clothes?

Mama: Yes

Adreyan: Is it more expensive to but it here than back home?

Mama: Yes, it is. If I bought an African outfit for $250 bucks here, I can just send $120 and get it there.

Adreyan: Do you have special parties for birthdays, like when you turn 16 or 18.

Mama: Yes, if you turn 1, that’s like special, if you turn 5, 15, 16,18, and 30, because you are officially an adult.

Adreyan: Do you have a drinking age?

Mama: no, we aren’t supposed to drink because we are Muslim. We don’t eat pork. I’ve never seen my mom drink, never seen my dad drink. My husband don’t drink, I don’t drink. There are people who drink though.

Adreyan: Certain foods too?

Mama: I don’t eat pork, it’s against our religion.

Adreyan: What would happen if you eat pork.

Mama: Nothing would happen, it’s just against god’s law. So if you eat it, you would be breaking that rule.

Adreyan: Do you face discrimination over here?

Mama: Yes, some people make fun of us because of our accent.

Adreyan: Do you get mad?

Mama: No.

Adreyan: What language does your channels speak?

Mama: French.

Adreyan: If you were watching the same program in Africa as we were in America, would you be listening to it in English?

Mama: Yes.

Adreyan: Is beauty considered different in Africa?

Mama: No. it’s the same as it is here. It’s a personal preference.

Adreyan: If you were in a relationship with someone, and they said that they didn’t like your accent or your skin color, would you feel offended?

Mama: No, because that would be what he likes.

Adreyan: Is it a big deal to date outside your race?

Mama: No, it’s not a big deal.

Adreyan: How about religion?

Mama: A woman can’t date a Christian, but a man can. They believe a man can change a woman, but a woman can’t change a man.

Adreyan: What if you did marry a Christian?

Mama: Nothing, but my parents would disown me.

Adreyan: Is education different there?

Mama: It’s like here.

Adreyan: Do you think that it’s important to be bilingual?

Mama: I don’t know. I speak three languages, English, French, and wolof. My daughter speaks two languages, English and wolof.

Adreyan: Does your college credits transfer over here?

Mama: My husband, he did that. When he finished the university (Africa), he got his I-20. There is a lot of people over here like that.


 * Analysis**

In class I learned about how Immigrants get to the Untied States, and why they come to the United States. I also learn what it meant to be an immigrant, because I never knew what it meant to be, like I knew about it but I did not know in detail what is really was. In class we really went in deep to what it was.

During the interview I found out that the people that come here are coming for a better job, or they are coming to escape religious persecution. In class we talked about how people came for some of the same reasons.