Afro-Deutsch On a Journey

And here I am, far from Germany and from Senegal, the motherland or I should say fatherland? How did I end up in Detroit?

Growing up was an adventure, moving from one continent to another frequently. I have three sisters and each us is born in either Germany or Senegal. My parents were quite the travelers. I guess they had a hard time deciding where to settle down, where to live a fruitful life at, being an interracial couple in the 80’s was not easy.

But this is not a story about being mixed, well.... not fully. This is part one of my journey from living in Germany to living in Senegal and yes, now in Detroit! How in the world did I ended up here?

This is the story about how I went from being a tomboy, to a teenage rebel, to a young beauty pageant, to a out of control young adult, mother, friend, blood sister, wife, career driven women and small business owner. That is, I have plans on becoming more than a small business owner, if I play my cards right! Life is nothing but a roller coaster. There are extrem highs and there are extrem lows, and there are things in between....

Taking it day by day has become my new motto and staying neutral, not overly happy, not sad, just in the middle, where it’s safe...

When I close my eyes and think of early memories of Senegal, I see myself playing in a new neighborhood which was pretty much a construction site. There were finished and unfinished cement homes everywhere I look. I see contractors working, passing on cement blocks to each other, chanting, laughing, calling my name... wait someone is calling my name from a distance...

It’s my mother, the sound of her voice puts a big smile on my face and I am running towards her to greet her. I look up and all I can see is her blond hair that shines so bright in the sun and her red lipstick...she is so beautiful. I always thought my mom was the prettiest person I had ever seen. Being a mother myself now, I can’t believe I caused her so much grief.

I often think about what would have happen if my mom never met my dad, who would I have been? One of my Senegalese cousins probably. Would I have ever seen the world, would I had sisters?

My parents met in the late 70’s in France. That is where their romance began.Well, according to my mom, it was more so the rollercoaster ride that I described earlier that began. Even though I do believe that they loved each other, or at least fell in and out of love considering that their marriage lasted 20 years plus. What are the odds? My dad was a young pilot student that had received a scholarship from the first president of Senegal, Leopold Sédar Senghor and my mom was I believe at the time a court writer. One of the ladies that captures everything said during a court case using a typewriter....