Would you allow your preteen daughter to take a bus trip by herself? Well, at the age of 12, I took a six-hour bus trip on my own.
It happened because my aunt whom I lived with at the time is a midwife. Although we were both used to her always working and never having time to take me places, at some point, I realized the relationship between myself and my cousins was turning sour because of prolonged absences.
So I then decided to travel to see them on my own.
While at the bus station, my aunt introduced me to a tall, light skinned, middle aged woman. She was her patient, and ultimately, the woman who I sat next to during my trip.
When she helped me pack my luggage, and gave me her seat by the window, I sensed a positive new beginning. I learned that this friend of mine was on her way to visit family members like me. I also remember learning about things from finding Halal meat for Nigerian "eba soup", to how satisfying it felt being part of a Muslim family that does not wear Hijabs to name a few. My broad smile during the whole trip couldn't be missed.
Her welcoming and genuine attitude motivated my shy self to discuss my plans of staying with my cousins, playing hopscotch, and cooking and eating Cameroonian delicacies like jollof rice. I don't recall how I concurred to telling her about my then aspiration to be a lawyer. What I will never forget was the genuine "yay" she sounded; Like she was rooting for me. She even stated that she wished at my age she had such aspirations. My heart was indeed warm because of the earnest conversation.
The end of the journey was bittersweet. My heart pounded with joy when I thought about seeing my cousins, but I felt so connected to this lady and had enjoyed talking to and listening to her that I was sad to leave her. Before leaving, we exchanged numbers, and I hurriedly asked my cousin to take a picture of both of us. I still remember our smiles.
Since then, we have only been in touch thanks to technology. Especially since I came to the United States, I have more appreciation for the likes of telephones and Internet. During our occasional phone calls which I always look forward to, we are both as excited to hear and talk about every story as we were during the bus ride. So much so that she has befriended my mother. Together, our phone and skype discussions range from aspirations, which are obviously different, to food recipes.
So much of me has improved because of our interactions. My understanding of the Muslim religion is so much so that I vocally denounce Islamophobia among my peers and on social media, (supposedly) overwhelming my world religions teacher.
I even (attempt) to cook Nigerian jollof rice (sometimes with halal meat) for my family. More importantly, however, I am more outgoing towards adults, because of our deep conversations. It is now easier for me to interact with my mom, and even with teachers.
I also realized that It was so easy to discuss because of how genuinely engaged she was. I know the importance of dropping my phone before going to the dinner table. I know that a conversation wherein one party genuinely and actively listen motivates the other party's enthusiasm. We formed a peculiar, but genuine friendship because of our conversation.
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I know I really need help with this. Please be as cruel as possible!
Leila, is the topic of your essay "Describe a RELATIONSHIP you have with someone DIFFERENT from YOU"
Personally I feel your transition from one paragraph to another is not really good and you spend time describing your journey rather than addressing the topic.
To me, you did not answer the prompt, what is the relationship between you and the cousin you're describing and how is she/he DIFFERENT from you? I think you should rule out this essay and think about a relationship you have/had with someone that is totally DIFFERENT from you. Like someone that you share different beliefs, goals or idea.
Hope you find this helpful :-)
