Día de los Muertos
For this project we had to an essay on a deceased loved one, then we had to write a spanish eulogy on it and make of video of us reading it out loud. Doing this project was fun and emotional at the same time because he had to think about the good things the person had done for us and also unforgettable memories we had together.
Hadja Diallo
Día de los Muertos
As long as I could remember, my uncle have always been a father figure to me. When I was 2 years old, my father left Guinea for the pursuit of a better life for him and also for the future of his children. He chose to come to america, the land of opportunities, where he had a vision of a better future. He left me and my siblings in the care of my Uncle, who raised and cared for us during our childhood. He was there by our sides through thick and thin and was fair to us as a biological father. My father trusted him with everything, even the people that were deared to him the most. It isn’t until later in my youth that I realized that my uncle was not a biological brother of my father; I was explained that he was just a relative from the same hometown as my father’s. The story behind their acquaintance is that my uncle happened to move into the city for a job and met my father, who gave him a place to stay and opened up his home and family to him. Since day one they treated each other like brothers, I believe it is the main reason to why we did not know their differences. As the youngest, of course my uncle treated me like a little princess, I had everything that I wanted in terms of gifts, celebrating birthdays and spending most of his free time with me. It is indeed the best childhood that any kid could ask for. Sometimes, when I start acting up, my mother will blame my uncle for spoiling me so much.
Another reflection that will never be erased out of my conscience is the emotional care that was provided by him. Back in Guinea, I used to get sick a lot, and whenever it was the case, he will stick by my side with all that I needed. He will make sure that I was getting my treatments from the best doctors. Without a car, and the hassle of transportation, it was very difficult to get around places. On days that I am sick and have to go to the hospital, we always will take a taxi. I remember once, it took us a while to stop a vacant taxi, and he had me on his back, walking for a couple of miles before finding one. Imagine yourself with a sick child that needs immediate assistance from a doctor and cannot find a reliable source of transportation? He was an incredible man for his hard work and patience. I remember this particular moment as if it happened yesterday, when I was severely ill and threw up on his back. I apologized later for doing so, but he did not seem to care, and told me that I needed to relax and get some rest. I had an issue with my appendix and had to get surgery done, and without him I can surely say that there was a very slight chance that I could be here today. He was the only one that we had for such services and he did not fail to go beyond his best each time. My father sent money for him to assist with the spendings and also my medicines.
We went through a lot in Guinea including presidential elections and all the strikes. When it started becoming hectic, my father decided to find his ways to bring us to live with him and pursue a better education. It was really hard for me to think about moving to a different country, where another language is spoken, but mostly having to leave the people that I grew up loving and caring for especially my uncle. Again, he was the one that helped out with all of our immigration papers, appointments, interviews etc... The last time I saw him was at the airport, before we boarded for the US. After we all got on the plane, I kept asking myself, “Would this be the last time I see my uncle or will I get a chance to see him again someday”. The thoughts were really stressing me out.
After we settled down, I used to recharge my mother’s phone to call long distance for an amount of five dollars every weekend, so that I can talk to my uncle. I will go over things with him such as school related, the differences between the two countries and so on. This one weekend, I called him and he told me that he was sick, but he did not tell me how bad his conditions were. I still kept calling every weekend to check up on him, until he passed. On May 16th 2013, a day that is unforgettable to me is the day they announced me that he passed away. I was in school and I had an early dismissal; my brother picked me up and told me that we had to go buy some new things for living room without knowing what was going on, I got very excited since I love shopping. My brother said that first we had to go home and get the money from my parents. When we got home, as we opened the door, I saw my mom bursting out in tears and surrounded me with her arms. As she kept crying, I knew that it was definitely something serious that had happened but didn’t know exactly what it was. Then my dad set me aside and said “Hadja your uncle Yaya passed away” from that instant, it was the first and last thing I remembered hearing for a whole week. With the shock, people and words were just mute to me, as I sat and reminisced on the past and the unforgettable things that he had done for me and my siblings. I cried every single day for days, and I am still mourning his death as I write this paper. I know that my uncle is in a good place for his great personality and his good deeds and that he still watches over his little princess.
I decided to make the sugar skull, because of how important my uncle is to me and how he made a great impact in my life. I chose the colors red, yellow, and green because that represent him in so many ways. Red, Yellow, and green are the color of the Guinean flag; that represent my uncle, because he was born in guinea, started a family in guinea and he also died in Guinea. “Días de los muertos” has opened my eyes to celebrate the past of loved ones, because it made me remember the great things my uncle did for me and others during his lifetime. It’s just a great way to remember and be thankful to God for sometimes having such amazing people in our lives. I always wish that he did not have to leave us so early, so that I can repay him for all that he has done for myself and also my siblings.
Hadja Diallo
11-11-15
Spanish Eulogy.
Yo soy Khadija, Soy una persona muy encantadora. Yo soy el más joven de cuatro niños, tengo dos hermano y una hermana. Sólo el estado en América por tres años, nació en África y hablar cinco idiomas..Yo no soy americano africano, soy sólo un africano que vive en América. Me encanta viajar a lugares diferentes y estoy esperando para ir a paris este verano.
Yaya era mi tío quien me crió.. él era un hombre alto con ojos muy grandes, que caminan rápido. Fue muy divertido y corazón amante. Antes de morir, dejó a dos niños hermoso y su esposa también estaba embarazada.
-Link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr5uYWCjFzA
