Yellow, Black, and White
Alison Rivera
April 23, 2013
Frustrated at times, amused at others. Being a Hispanic-American in Senegal is quite an extraordinary experience. “‘Foo joge?” “Where do you come from?” they ask me as I sit next to the girl with light brown hair and green eyes. My tangled wavy hair and my dark brown eyes. Not only am I a...
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Bricks by Bricks
Alison Rivera
February 11, 2013
I remember when Mom bought property; what it meant for the family…new start, a promise, the beginning of something better. The house was just missing paint, and it was completed… ready for our arrival. I also remember five months ago, how I hated the sight of cement buildings with no doors or installed windows no...
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Here she is a girl… In America, she is a woman
Alison Rivera
February 11, 2013
“The randomness of where we are born and how much that determines who we become” – Blue Sweater p. 33 Popularly quoted as “Life is a box of chocolates.” Just six words…but they resonate so much with women’s social status in Senegal. At training seminar 2, myself and three other fellows held a discussion on...
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Xaliis bii
Alison Rivera
February 11, 2013
The kids call me money “xaliis,” “l’argent.” They pull literally my skirt but figuratively my head out of the clouds for America isn’t a hero here but more of an arrogant exhibitionist. I thought all “Toubabs” were viewed the same until I met an old French man. Being a good host to his model wife’s...
Read MoreThe ‘Girl’ Effect
Alison Rivera
October 26, 2012
I met this one girl in Dakar. She was cool; she took me out dancing one night. Brazen would not describe her but the slang word “sassy” will. Her false name is going to be Alpha; not exactly a pseudonym since the name perfectly describes her. Catholic, Senegalese, single mother were my very first impressions....
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Would you rather?
Alison Rivera
September 28, 2012
Let’s play the game “would you rather:” Would you rather… Would you rather travel to another continent or would you rather drive 6 hours north to a university? Would you rather sit in a small class room that felt more like a family or would you rather sit in a university’s lecture halls?...
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“A Girl From South Bronx Going to Senegal”
Alison Rivera
July 10, 2012
The dirty worn out shoes made their way down the aisle, their owner slowly shaking a used Dunkin Donut’s coffee cup. There are probably about two dimes in the cup. He starts off telling his tragic story: lost job, no family, hunger. The woman across from me clutches her Louis Vuitton purse tightly; the teen...
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