Hello TDO! It’s been a very long time… I know I have been “M.I.A”, and I would like to present my sincere apologies. Since it was my senior year of high school, I got really caught up with school work, college applications, exams, prom and graduation. So I disappeared from the writing scene, but now I’m back! I graduated as Valedictorian of the Senegalese American Bilingual School’s Class of 2010. I had to… ➫ Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been almost a month since a disastrous and devastating Earthquake hit Haiti on January 12th, 2010. Currently, the death toll is estimated at about 200,000, but that number is still hard to determine. Haiti, especially the capital Port-au-Prince, is in crumbs: the Presidential palace and the National Assembly are among the many buildings that have collapsed.

In the struggle for reconstruction, Senegal, a tiny, poor country in West Africa with a population of only 12 million and a per capita income of $1,700, is showing remarkable solidarity to help its Haitian brothers and sisters. ➫ Read the rest of this entry »

It’s tradition at SABS (Senegalese American Bilingual School) that the 12^th grade students organize the annual “Talent Show” to help raise money for their prom. SABS Talent Shows give students a chance to express their different talents such as dancing, singing or modeling. Students at other schools in Dakar are also welcomed to participate and to watch; in addition, famous artists and amateurs are invited to entertain the audience. Past generations of 12^th graders have ⇨ Read the rest of this entry »

Not your average boy from the block, Alioune Francois Sow (better known as Alune or Loon) is far from typical. What is it about him that makes girls fall head over heels for him? It must be a combination of his charismatic personality, his All- Star basketball skills, his passion for music, and his undeniable swagg and style. ➫ Read the rest of this entry »

Taking standardized tests is always stressful. After intensely studying for a month, I took the SAT for the first time this past Saturday. I was racking my brain on how much I would get on the SAT, and which university I would go to depending on my score. Late night studying consisted of trying to remember math concepts I had learned in the 9th and 10th grade, and learning words I never knew existed in my life! I developed a system where I would put ➫ Read the rest of this entry »

This year I’m thankful for my Family. The loss of my maternal grandmother earlier this year has brought my family closer together. My grandmother was a very special person to both my mother’s side of the family and my father’s side of the family. It was amazing to see how both families could be so supportive. Although the doctors had given her only seven days to live, with the love and support of family ➫ Read the rest of this entry »