I never thought that I would be able to drink black coffee. I always took coffee with cream and sugar. I used to ask people how you guys drink black coffee. I had decided that if I had to give up sugar, I would stop drinking coffee.
But now I am trying. I drank half a spoonful of instant coffee and hot water in a cup. First, I felt terrible. Then, slowly, I finished it. Still, I don't like it. How do people drink black coffee?
The YMCA Greater Toronto has a “Black Achiever Program” program for ages 14 to 19. This is a career cluster mentoring program. It runs through the school year. September to June. This program allows the self-identified black youth of high school to develop academically, professionally (career-wise), socially and mentally with the help of black adult professionals and role models.
In all other programs, the YMCA treats everybody equally.
From my childhood, I have always heard that my hair is black, silky, gorgeous.
This is what a Bangladeshi girl wished to have. Then the beauty parlour era came. Then girls started trying different colours in their hair.
I never tried any colour on my hair. I like my hair colour. Even now when it is started becoming white/gray. Sometimes I put henna on my hair (The last time I did, about a year ago). This is for the health of the hair and also makes my hair colour more elegant.
When I was in Saudi Arabia, people use to touch my hair whenever they get the chance. They use to tell my mom, "All Bangladeshi girls have this type of nice hair?". Because they have seen my mom and her friend. Both have nice black long hair.
When I was in school one day one of my classmates started rating who has the most black hair. She started her counting from 1. Some other girls also join her. I kept listening. I thought maybe my number will come from 2 to 4. But they went to rank 7 but didn't say my name. I couldn't hold myself anymore. I said, "Maybe my hair is burning in the sun too much. That's why I'm not getting good colour." She looked at me with a big surprise. "You have the best and most black colour. That's why we are not even considering counting your one."
Oh, that was a relief.
Before I start talking, I must inform you that I'm writing about my very childhood stories. I don't know, what is the current situation now.
One day my mom had to go far away for her work. Her office gave her a car with a driver to pick and drop. As she may stay the whole day she took her kids with her. So, I got a chance to visit that place. I could remember that we drove with the main driveway for a long time. then on the left side of the road, we turn to a rough road. Then came to a village. I moment I reach there I could feel that the village is different. Hear houses are made of clay. Roofs are made of date dry leaves. Everywhere I could feel a calm environment. People were living there happily, but they are poor. And all of them are black. This was totally new for me.
Later my mom told me (I don't weather that is true or she just assumed), These people were caught and bring as a slave. Now there is no slavery, but still, elite people don't want to mix with them. So, their village is outside of the main village and separated.
I didn't have any idea how black or white people treated in this world. But I liked their separated village. If they can live peacefully separately, then why not. Who wants trouble in their life?
I have born at Dhaka Medical College. After getting birth, the doctor hit me to cry. To clear my vocal. My dad didn’t like that. So, to annoy
him doctor kept hitting me and I kept crying. My dad couldn’t stop himself but
to ask the doctor to stop. They laughed. Till now I found some people hurt me
without any reason, just to enjoy.
My mom was happy to see me. Because she saw I didn’t take my
father’s skin colour. My skin colour was white. As she told me that I had the
brightest skin colour among all brothers and sisters (I doubt). But I couldn’t keep
her happy for a long time. By 3 years I became just like my father. Quite dark
skin.
In Bangladesh, people called me, black skin. But they always
tried to make it sugar-coated. Like, you are black, but there is something attractive
at your face, which makes people look at you, black rose etc.
I am not conscious of my skin colour. I rarely look at the
mirror. So, most of the time I forget what my skin colour is. During my teenage, I noticed, all colour dresses aren’t looking good at me. I had to avoid
some colours which make me look worse.
My skin colour became the most important thing in life, when I had started to think to marry. I know I'm not beautiful. But I didn't know I am that much ugly. For example, I'm giving you two comments, ugly girls like me always try to catch beautiful boys otherwise no one will marry them, My face looks so dirty I don't wash my face after getting up in the morning.
But I never tried to hide my colour. I even don’t
put makeup on my face (Actually I even don’t know how to put on makeup, I don’t
have any). I think, my face has different shades of colours, I don’t need to put
more colours on it.
After arriving in Canada, I got to know, my skin colour is
brown. But one day, one of my teachers told me, you are black. I didn’t hear
like that for a long time. Then I looked at him and saw he is from Latin
America. His skin colour is yellowish-white and very beautiful. So, obviously, my
skin is very dark in his eyes. I didn’t mind, if he thinks like that, he has the right to let me know that.
I know, not only for my skin colour but because of the way I
look, many people don’t like me. Some of them can’t hide it. It’s ok not to
like me. But I am what I am, and I think I am a very good person to hang out with.
