Hi! my name is Hamidou Soumailou and I am from west African Niger. I moved to the United States in 2016 when I was 16 years old. It was hard for me because my parents stayed behind. I went to High school and it was called Brooklyn International High School. Got bullied multiple times during my first year there, wasn’t a good experience. I pray no one has to go through the same adventure I went through. My aim for this semester is to focus because last semester there were a lot of things going on in my life but now I am stable.
I have a calendar I always try to follow. Saturday’s is called homework day and Friday’s is called fast food. Every Friday I will head to the Popeyes near my house and get that big size family meal just for me. People in my family think I am crazy but I do not pay attention to them. Most of my school days off I am often at work because I like to keep myself busy all the time. I love playing soccer but it’s too cold for that right now. One thing I love to do is help people out when there in need.
Thanks, Hamidou, for sharing with us. I’m sorry to hear about the hardship you faced in high school + agree that no one should have to experience bullying. I agree that rituals are important- even if the people around us don’t understand them!