Advanced Essay 2 -Cultural Literacy

It was the first day of school. I got dressed in the tacky uniform we bought at Cramers. I went downstairs to get breakfast and waited for my mom to shower and get ready. I waited patiently for my mom and after 30 mins she finally came downstairs. We left the house and got in the car. I was so nervous all I can do was shake the whole time.

¨Fatima why are you shaking?

To go to a new school where you will be judge is such a nightmare. I hate being judged because i'm always categorize in a group. Why can't we just be categorized in the same group?

I got adjusted to the ghetto language. What is ghetto? What is proper? I never understood the both of them because it sounds dumb. I believe we all have different versions of english because we all come from different backgrounds so everyone english is different. Ẅas it there purpose to change our accents? Everybody comes from different backgrounds , culture and customs but we always get judge because we're different. Different is great its unique.

¨Fatima why are you shaking?¨

¨Just scared never been to a school with white people. I'm going to turn white that's what my friends say.¨

She looked at me and didn't say a word so I didn't either. It was silent the whole way to school. We finally arrived to school. Finally I said in my head I just wanted to get out the car.

¨Here’s your lunch money¨

¨Thanks mommy¨

    I closed the door and wait for my mom to pull off. Before I could turn around towards the school a group of white girls stares at me.

¨Can I help you ? I replied

¨Why are you here you're not even white.

 I stared for a while. I don't even know why I am here My dad can't pay the tuition , I live far away and I'm not even white I'm black . I didn't bother to respond so I walked away from the them and went towards the building. My eyes shifted to the groups of white people I saw I never saw that much of white people in my life before. This wasn't the school for me because I didn't fit in at all. I got attention more than I ever did. My cocoa brown skin is what got the attention  because I didn't look vanilla.

¨What's your name?

¨Fatoumata”

¨Why are you here you're black¨

¨And you're white why can't we both be here¨

I could feel my blood boiling. I went to go sit down with the rest of the class.The teacher walked in her tunic with her black vail. Her skin was very wrinkly like my shirts at home. She noticed me quickly and told me to stand up. I stood up and watched the whole class eyes stare at me.

¨What's your name?¨

¨My name is but lemme tell you how it's like this but people pronounce like this lol

The whole class froze even the teacher. We had the same uniform , same tie and vest just different type of ice cream colors.

¨She speaking ghetto she doesn't belong here

Did I just code switch I asked myself. I thought everyone talked like that or was it just me and my friends. Whenever me and my friends talked it made us feel closer because we understood what one another was talking about. I sat down and never repeated my name again.

¨So tell me black girl do all black people talk like this?

¨Do all white people stink?

¨ So if you want to hurt me talk badly about my language.

¨Why you talk so ghetto?¨

¨Ghetto makes me closer to my friends.¨

To white people ghetto is the black people ¨languages¨.

Me and my friends code switch all of the time because speaking ghetto to someone who speaks the same way makes me feel more closer to them because they understand me.

¨Young lady get out of my classroom the teacher said

¨Me what about him ! He started it

From the look I saw in her eyes I knew she was a racist women. I walked out of the class with my anger at 100%. It was the first day and I got kicked out of class. Nobody wanted to help me find the office so I had to find it myself. I hated it here I just wanted to leave and go far away.

I finally got to the office and waited for the nuns to come and talk to me.

Time past it was about 12 clock. I realized that nobody was in the office so I got up and walked out. I was so hungry that I could eat a pig. The whole school was at the lunch line waiting to get baked mac and cheese with a parfait. Trying to buss in the the lunch line was ridiculous , nobody wanted me to get in so me and the other students waited at the back of the line. After lunch was over school was out. It was only 12:30. I couldn't wait to get out of this place and run to my friend house and tell her about my day while watching Pretty Little Liars. She opened the door and went inside. I sat in my favorite chair with the white fur. We both sat down and told her about everything.

¨Girl all this happen we strolling on them tomorrow¨

I giggled .

¨Do you think we speak ghetto?

¨Śhe looked at me with a stare

¨Its our home it's where we connect.

¨ My mom once said ¨flies don't enter a close mouth. ¨

Never be afraid to show who you really are. Love your skin and the background you come from because that is what makes you as a person. Judging someone only makes you jealous don't judge a book by its cover.