The Hate You GIve

                                                

Adja Siry Mbaye 

ESL 100 

March, 2023

                                                         The hate you give  

Good relationships are one of the keys to success in life. I am happy and proud to be a black woman. I was born in the United States, but I was raised in Senegal. Since I came back to Chicago, I was so shocked to see how the interaction between people is different in each country. Society, relationships, everything looks more complicated in the United States for black people. Communication with people used to be very easy in Senegal because there are no complexes, I mean that people there don't care about the color of skin. Senegalese accept people how they are, but now I have lost this sense of community since I came. 

 

 In Senegal, called Pays De La Teranga, people are very welcoming no matter who the person is, their race, or where they originate from. There are so many tourists coming from each part of the world to visit Senegal. Chicago is also a welcoming city, but it difficult to perceive because many people lead their life without worrying about others. I am kind of scared to talk to people here because to me they look unsociable, the opposite of Senegal. in Senegal, I can talk to whoever I want in the street without any problem. It is very simple to make friends there. 

 In addition, I saw that in the United States that I will have to be another person, I will have to rely just on myself like most people in the United States. Even if I have a Family in Chicago, I can only count on myself. African people who come to America have a new mindset. In my opinion, The new mindset is just being selfish. I never had roommates before I came to Chicago. In Senegal I was living with my family. I was always around people that I knew. In Chicago I am so lonely, because I am alone here, and my family is in Africa.  My relationship with my roommates is complicated. My roommates are acting very badly with me because of the color of my skin. I never feel comfortable at home. That's Why I am always in my room because I don't want to see them. This is another problem that black people must face here. 

 

 Finally, I always feel comfortable at school in Chicago. The teacher and the students are very nice, they are welcoming, they don't judge me and they don't run away from me just because I am black. I really feel like I was at home in Senegal. School in Senegal is a little different from Chicago. It's very difficult in my country because people have to go to school Monday to Friday, and there is no work study until people get their diploma, but even if you have a diploma, people may not have a job. I prefer school in the United States because people can manage their own hour and mingle it between school and work. There are a lot of opportunities in the United States that we don't have in Senegal because our society is poor.  

 

Therefore, the unfriendly nature that people have encountered and their attitude towards me has taken the African side of me. I used to be friendly and open, but for now I have learned to be introverted, even if it is not what I really want. I am so thankful to be black, and I hope one day people are going to accept black people. Black People need to be considered in society because they are human even if they are black or white. I will have to make myself, find my place and adapt to my new life in the United States. I need to remember that there are so many opportunities that I couldn't have had if I had stayed in Senegal.