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Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

9000 mile to America

People are always asking What do you remember about Africa? I always tell
them nothing, because that is the simplest answer, the truth is I actually remember
somethings about Africa that I like to keep to myself. The thing is I remember
somethings, but the problem is I dont know what I remember about Africa is really
or something I thing I made up. The simplest answer is that, war broke out and my
family decided to leave Ivory Coast and migrated to Guinea, my fathers homeland.
Seeking refuge, we settled in a refugee camp, with a bunch of people fleeing wars.
It was here that my family got drafted to come to the United States, I dont really
know how the whole process worked but we drafted out of thousands of people. My
dad stayed behind, it was just my mom, grandma and my six other siblings. What I
tell people me remember Africa is that its really hot and it doesnt snow, at least
where I was from. The version that I remember is really about the journey from Ivory
Coast to the camp, being a four year old kid isnt really easy because you tend to
observe a lot more than people thing and the one thing that I remember in
particular is a dead body that we passed, again I dont know what I remember is
really or made up, but anyway I remember that body lying there in the sun, fly all
over it, you can smell the body from miles and as you get closer you can see the oil
of the body soaking the ground beneath it, I have had dream about this for a while
now and I dont what to make of it, my mom is always telling us that we dont
remember anything about the journey, but I feel like we both now thats a lie. I
prefer the simpler version because it I have told it over and over and over again

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

that its starting to make sense that I dont really remember anything about where I
am from and its kind of sad.
The journey to the United States wasnt really hard for me because I didnt
really have any friends what I was saying goodbye to so I was starting life fresh
again. It wasnt easy for my mom or my older siblings because they remember more
than me and they probably have more memories than me and the others. Leaving
my dad behind was probably the hardest thing. Life in the United States at first was
rough. We didnt have a say in where we were going to live in the United States,
they just picked for us and we didnt have any family members living in the U.S., so
we completely lost. We came to the U.S. on September 9, 2005. We came during fall
when it was starting to get cold and then came winter because we had never seen
snow before so adapting to snow was hard as hell, like I still dont like winter, but
life at the being was hard but as time went on we settled. I started school in second
grade. Starting school in the middle of second grade is never easy, especially when
you dont speak English. This was the case for me, translation to life in the United
States was never easy for me. I dont really remember anything about second grade
but all I remember is taking ESL classes so I can learn how to speak English. ESL
was probably one of least favorite class in elementary school. I went to Elementary
school, Woodrow Wilson and Canyon Rim Academy. Woodrow Wilson was a school
for refugee kids, like 90 percent of the student body was refugee. Learning English
wasnt really that hard because when we were at the camps in Africa, we went to
school, where we learned the alphabets and our vowels, so that really helped when
it came to learning English. The only reason that English was hard the first couple of

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

year was probably because I spoke another language and I felt like learning English
would mean I had to abandon that language, I had to abandon a part of me and I
couldnt do it. I still speak native tongue and that is something I am grateful for
because language is really important to because I had already lost a part of me
when the war started and we had to move to another country. Whenever I tell
people I am from Ivory Coast (Cote dIvoire) they always ask if I speak French and I
a part of me feels broken when I tell them no because I feel like if I had grown up in
Ivory Coast I would learn French and maybe even English. I tried talking French in
junior high, but that never worked out so I just took Spanish and the two language
are very similar. But after like a year, I started picking up the language better most
because there was six other kids trying to learn English so really helped each other
learn the language faster and we became better at it, where we moved to when we
came to U.S. wasnt really the best of environment to raise 7 kids in and thankfully
my mom realized that sooner than later, all of our friends didnt have good influence
on us, we often got in fights and having escaped war to come here, my mom didnt
want to see any of us go through what she went. At the end of 3 rd grade we moved
to Millcreek, a town populated with Mormons. I went to two Elementary once we
moved to Millcreek, the first being Morningside Elementary School and Canyon Rim
Academy. I dont really consider Morningside as one of the schools that I went to
because I literally went there for like two days, before enrolling at Canyon Rim
Academy. I started 4th grade at Canyon Rim, like the 2nd grade I had a hard time
settling in, settling and fitting wasnt really hard for my sister at all but it was really
hard for. I made my first really friend after like six months after being at the school.
Nothing really changed the first year, I still had to take ESL, but the weird thing was

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

that my sister and I were the only black kids in our grade, like at first it was really
weird because I have never been around so many white kid at the same, everyone
knew each other since like birth so it was really hard being the new kid, but I got
over it. 5th grade was probably my favorite grade because of my teacher. My
teacher in 5th grade name was Mrs. Augustus, she had just graduated from college
and she was really young, she was the teacher that really made me love school and
learn helped me ditch ESL. By time 5th grade came around, my English was actually
really good, people could understand and I started having more friends and it didnt
feel awkward being the only black kid in my class. The thing that I struggle with the
most was reading, I hated reading and I still do. Mrs. Augustus was the one teacher
that actually helped me and we every we had a reading day, she would always take
me outside and we would read together, this made me hate reading less and I
actually started liking school and was eager to come to school. Having someone
who care about your education and someone who actually care about you can be
the best motivation one can have. Because of her kindness to help to me improve
on my reading and English, I passed ESL. One of the reason that I started liking
track was also because of her. Her husband, whose name I cant remember, Mr.
Augustus ran track, I think in college and high school so he was hecka fast. During
lunch kids would always challenge me to a foot race and I would smoke them, I was
the fastest kid in my grade and at the school after my brother Abraham. She would
always told me Im going to ask my husband to race you and so she did and I
won, he was probably going easy on me, but for once in my life I felt like I can
actually be good at something, even though I never did track until junior high it was
good to know that I was freaking fast. Mrs. Augustus was probably the one who

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

helped me to become who I am today and for that I am grateful and would never
forget her for that. She eventually left after that year, which really sad because I
have never felted attached someone before and seeing her leave really made me
depressed. My 6th grade teacher wasnt that bad also, her whole focus was on
physical exercise, we would go outside every day to play Captured the Flag or
Dodged Ball. It was 6th grade that I learned how to play the violin and the Viola.
My 6th grade teacher Mrs. Patton, had a violin for every one of her students and we
would practice ever afternoon when we were done with all of our work and we
would perform at the school Christmas assembly. 6 th grade was probably the most
interesting grade, because we did a lot. We preform Romeo and Juliet to the entire
school, we also build our roman villas after learning about Pompeii. The reason that I
love this elementary school more than my last was because, I didnt feel left out,
even though I was the only kid in my class and my teacher were there for me, I still
had to take test to see how my English was progressing. The thing that made the
two schools different was the teachers, when my 6 th grade teacher found out that I
didnt have a printer she got me a printer, I didnt know what to make of it at first
but I later figure it out. My teachers were always there for me and none of my
friends made me feel left out, I think I was their first black friend and I didnt feel
ashamed of being different, if it wasnt for my 5 th and 6th grade teacher I probably
wouldnt have been where I am today. 6 th grade really changed my life because I
learned so many things like acting and playing the violin, 6 th grade brought out the
best of me. One of my biggest regret in life is never saying goodbye to Mrs. Patton
after moving to Murray. I visited her almost every day after school when I was junior
but never said goodbye, which I will probably regret. When I was living in Millcreek I

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

never really thought about race, race didnt affected me. I went to Wasatch Junior
High School, a really white school and there wasnt really a lot of minorities. All of
my friends were white, I literally had no black friends before coming to AMES. After
elementary, I started doing track and easily became the fast kid in my grade and I
would beat everyone. Doing track helped me get my mind of school when I felted
stressed out or I just needed a break from school. The thing about sport is that your
teammates becomes your family especially if youve playing together for like six
years, Im talking about soccer. I love soccer Ive be playing since 5 th grade when a
skinny white boy came knocking at my door if I wanted to play soccer, at this time I
didnt really like soccer, my passion was basketball at time but I guess it never hurt
to try something new and ever since I have fallen in love with soccer and that
skinny white boy has become one of my closest friend. Sport has always been a part
of me and I dont know what my life would have been like if that kid hadnt come
knocking on my door and not only that his parents also paid for my soccer fees all of
these years, something you just cant repay and this one of them, because my
coach has been a father-figure to me and I have taught me a lot about life. Doing
soccer and track, really helped me focused on school, because I need a certain GPA
in order to do track, I struggle in 7th grade with the whole GPA stuff but I did really
well in 8th grade. I ended 2nd quarter with a 4.00 GPA and by the end of 8 th grade I
had a GPA overall of a 3.9 which was really good for someone who struggle with
school for years. Ever since switching elementary school became easier and I
struggle less and less. I also found out that I was really good at math and science.
Math was really easy for because I was really good with numbers, even though I
never took any of the honors math classes I still got one of the best grades in my

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

class. I love learned to love school and it always like a place where I can be a
different person, learn. I just makes me sad to see people who comes to this country
and they dont take education very seriously, like you were given an opportunity
that many people who die for just to be in your place and you just waste that like
its nothing. So its really frustrating when I see my little brother struggle because
its just sad seeing someone with so much potential to just let it all go to waste, he
started Pre-school here in the United States so he learned things that we never did,
and I keep telling him, I wish I was your age when we came to the U.S. Being one of
the few black kids at my school I never felt discriminated against in any way and
nobody was racist to me, yeah it was awkward being the only black kid in your class
when youre talking about slavery, its awkward today. The first time that I encounter
racism was on the soccer field. There were was this Hispanic kid who I never got
along with when the game started, so we went head to head a few time, during the
game I passed him and heard him saying fucking Nigger, which I have never
heard before and only that it was really offense because of all of the movies that I
have watched and of course history class. At first I didnt know what to do, I was just
dumbfounded, so I started swearing back at him and one of his teammate who
heard the whole thing told him that that wasnt cool we both had to be separated
from each other, the referee didnt really see what happened so he couldnt really
give out any cards, but I was just amazed because it was really the first time that
someone had call me that. After living in Millcreek for over 5 years we moved again
this time to Murray, where we are currently living. Coming AMES wasnt really my
choice and I still have mix feeling about it all. After this move I started dealing with
racism more often than at my old school because the overall population here at

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

AMES and Cottonwood were minorities. Freshman year wasnt really that hard me,
since it was a new school and I didnt know anyone, I actually made friends faster
this time than at any of my other schools. It felt kind of awkward being around other
black kids because I wasnt use to it. I wasnt use to being around minorities, so it
was really awkward and the funny thing is it still feels weird being a class full of
minorities. When I moved to AMES my friends started calling me an Oreo at first I
didnt know what this mean but I later picked up the meaning, they all thought that I
was too cool for them because I went to a white school. I think the mean reason
that people starting calling an Oreo or Mormon wannabe was probably I guess I
didnt act like the their stereotypical black person. Whenever I tell be that I dont
like watermelon, fried chicken or Kool-Aid, they act surprised because apparently all
black people likes fried chicken, all black men must play basketball, all black people
must like Kool-Aid, watermelon and I guess I didnt really fit their typical black dude.
I stuck at basketball, that why Im playing soccer. When I tell my friends or other
kids that I dont swear, they all call a Wannabe Mormon but general I am a Muslim
and swearing isnt really allow, because swear a lot brings out the worst in a person,
I mean I swear when I am usually mad but I dont like making a habit. I know a lot
about the Mormon religion and how some dont swear because my coach would
make anyone do 50 push-up is they swear. One of the big difference between my
new school and my old school was the way the minorities treated each other. Over
at Cottonwood, ever race has its own gang and most of the race dont like each
other, like during one lunch when I was playing soccer with my friends, a fight broke
out between the black gang and the Mexican gangs, none of my friends are part of
the gangs, as far as I know but it was scary because I think one of the kids might

Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

have had a pocket knife, but lucky the bell ringed and the teachers starting coming
out, but it was scary how each race is separate and how some dont mingle. The N
is also like one of the most used word at Cottonwood and AMES and its really sad,
because the word is offense and black people are calling each other the N instead
of telling people to stop using it. Everyone is opposed with using the word, the word
is still offensive, but I feel like it has lose it meaning. When I was hanging out with
my white friends and the song Niggas in Paris came on and being the only black
kid in car, they felt like they needed to ask me before they can see the word and I
feel told yea, as long as they arent saying it, but I feeling everyone wants to say it
and if you cant see it you are feeling left out. I dealt with racism throughout my
whole life but one the most messed up moment was when I was walking home, and
a police officer stop and told me he was looking for a black male, about my age and
told me for a second he thought I was the kid he was looking for and only if I had
been a little taller and I told him no and that I was just coming from school and the
good thing was that I was just right across from my house and I just kept rewinding
the whole conversation over and over again and I told my mom and she was pissed
off, I did the right thing answering him, but deep down I realize what would have
happen had It been my brother who just look like me but hes older and a little taller
than me and I was just outraged. Ever since I have become more careful around
police officers even though one of our close family friend is a cop. When starting
hanging my friends most of them starting calling Nigga and for a while I dont to
stop but as I progress through high school I realized it was useless and for a while I
have begun to accept it as part of my identity because people will only see the color
of my skin but they will never know the things I have to through every day, being a.

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Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15

Its still offense and I am constantly telling people not call me their nigga because
Im not anyones nigga or nigger. So the first year of high school was just about
adjusting to the racism and how to confront it. Of all the years that I have been at
school, junior year was probably the hardest year for me in the years. During my junior my

grandma was in the hospital for almost a month and I was really worried about her and there was
nothing that I could do for her but just be there for her. I did my homework and everything, I just
preform badly on tests and even though I there in class physically, but mentally I was
somewhere. At the same time my moms diabetes was getting worse, we have tried everything so
she can be healthy but she wont listen to any of us and it really worry me because its only
impacting her, but its also impacting her seven kids and her mother. I was under a lot stress
during my junior year, I didnt really do good in any of my classes, I got my first ever C grade
and I was kind of disappointed. During all of this I also had to worry about my grade by the end
of junior year I notice a big drop in my GPA, before junior year my GPA average was 3.90 and
by the end of junior my GPA had drop to a 3.6, which really made me because I had work so
hard to maintain that GPA and to see it all drop like made me pissed off. On top of that I preform
badly on the ACT, getting a score of 15 and with that I knew that I had to re-take the ACT again,
because it was good enough to get into my favorite college or good enough to get the amount of
scholarships that the schools offers. I was struggling bad in junior, at moments life was getting
better for, my soccer team took 2nd place in our division and I had it state for Track and Field,
which was amazing considering it was my first time doing track in high school and I made it to
state in my first year and I was happy to represent Cottonwood. Life was starting to get better
again until state. I waited for almost 10 hours before my race started and I was stressed out and

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Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15
when it was time for my race it showed, I false started and got disqualified, so at this point, I
couldnt really do anything right and this was probably the lowest point in my life and I felt like I
had let down my coach and my teammates, I eventually got over it all and learned a valuable
lesson that year, life doesnt always turn out like the way you want it to be, you never really
think about losing a love one until you see them in a tough situation and you cant really do
anything for them, life can be a bitch sometime, its up to you whether you want to pick yourself
back up or let yourself drown, I decided to pick myself up and now I am a senior and I am about
to graduate. I think junior year really made me a better student and really got me prepare for
Senior year, even though there is a lot of things to do during my senior year, I feel like I can ace
it because I junior year really kicked my ass. I think coming AMES has really prepare me for
what the real world has to offer because I think dealing with racism really made me stronger than
I was before and coming to this school has given me a new perspective, a perspective that I
would have never experience if I had gone to Skyline. The only thing that really matter is your
skin color or that accent you have, because even though you may have be born in the United
States people would always judge you base on your skin color. At first I kind of felt insecure
about my skin color when I first came to AMES, because I grew up with white friends and went
to a school were 90 percent of the students were white, but after being at AMES I have learn to
accept myself for who I am and I dont feel insecure about my color anymore and try to embrace
it even though my brothers and I are always joking whose the lightest and whose the darkest.
People are always asking Is College worth it? or Is spending 12 years in school worth it? Yes
they are both every important. Starting school half way through second grade. I have always felt
like I have to work harder than the other kids because I started school late and I think that has

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Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15
open my eyes to how important education is and how some people who comes to the U.S. dont
take education seriously just makes me mad, because you have an opportunity that many people
dont have. Education is really important to me, even though I have struggle along the way. After
high school I am thinking about going to a small liberal arts college, like Westminster, a school
that I have applied to and have a really good chance of getting into, but I have already gotten into
one liberal art school, Fort Lewis, a school I dont really want to go to but I feel like going out of
state, than its definitely my first choice. Is college worth it, not really, I mean tuition is way too
expensive, especially at Westminster. People are always saying you will become successful if
you go to college, but going to college doesnt necessarily grantee you successful, its up to you
to decide whether you want successful after college or not. The really reason I want to go
college is so I can leave home, I love my family but sometime I feel like home isnt really the
place for because I dont really get along with my mom and sometime I feel like leaving home
for a while might help me sort things out for the better. College can be worth it if you do
something with the degree you get. Westminster might be expensive but I feel like I can manage,
but going to SLCC might not be a bad choice because I can transfer to Westminster and tuition
would probably lower. I have been though a lot and I can probably write like 20 pages but I
wont because not everything can be told, somethings must be kept to yourself, like my mom not
knowing about what I remember about Africa and that is something I dont want to share with
her. I have a through stuff that some people cant even imagine going through and I am proud
that I went through them because I manage to get through it. Growing up without a dad was
really hard but I had other male figures to look at and mostly I had my mom to look up because
raising 4 boys without their father is badass and she is one badass women. Going through all of

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Lasana Trawally
U of U Humanities
11/3/15
those situation has made me a better person, dealing with racism and religion profiling has made
a better person and dont really care about what others think of me, because they will never
understand what I went through and I hope they dont. Dealing with those situations means I am
really for whatever life has for me and I will always be prepare because I have people who are
always there for and people who will always look for me. Life can be a bitch, everyone know
that and sometime life can knock you flat on your ass, but its up to you decide whether you want
to get back up or admit defeat.