Naiema

Chapter One

Nigeria is a long ways away from here. I'm nervous because I don't know how this will work. My mum is back there, my brothers, my grandma. Everyone I know and love.....
But Im here for me...to better myself for my family.
Just 4 years of schooling and I can visit back home.

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The University of Michigan is huge! Im so glad I was accepted here! Being a foreign student to the United States is hard enough, but attending a predominately white institution is even harder. Ive researched all of the African American organizations at the school, Ive even researched the African organizations at the school. There aren't many, but I'll try my best to make friends here.
Majoring in Biomedical engineering is another one of my many fears when coming to one of the best research institutions in America. What was I thinking?

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I slowly got out of my cab and stood in front of the North Campus, Bursley Residence Hall. I walked through the doors and went to the front desk, past the pool table and lounge chairs to the right of me. The woman at the front was a residence hall advisor.
"Hi, how can I help you?" She asked with a large smile, her dirty blonde hair cut at her shoulders.
"Hello, Im Naiema Baddeh, I'm a foreign student from Nigeria. I was instructed to come here by the admissions advisor to recieve a key to my dorm." I said, smiling back at her. "

"Wait here for just a couple of minutes." She says as she goes into an office and closes the door behind her. 

I was waiting there for what seemed to be 10 minutes before she got back to the desk. "I'm afraid you weren't assigned to Bursley dorms. In your records it shows that your dorm is on Central Campus in the Betsy Barbour House." She looked at me waiting to reply. "No," I started, "I'm a  biomedical engineering student, my dorm should be here on North Campus close to my classes." I told her. "I'm sorry..you're not in Bursley files." She told me. "What do I do?" I asked her. "You should probably go to Central Campus and figure out transportation from there to North Campus for classes." She said. Was that all she could offer me? "Okay..." I said as I walked away, and out of the doors of Bursley Hall. 

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After riding the M-Bus for 15 minutes, I finally arrived on Central Campus. It was much busier and full of life than the North Campus. I needed a map to navigate this place. I walked for a little bit, just to explore when I just stumbled across the Betsy Barbour Residence Hall. 

I walked up the front stairs and entered the Elizabethan type building. I could tell that the place belonged to the women by it's frilly decorations and floral printed furniture. I found the front desk and walked to it. 

"Excuse me, can you help me get a key to my dorm?" I asked the girl with red hair. 

"Yeah. What's your name?" She asked with a monotone voice. 

"My name is Naiema Baddeh." I told her. 

"How do you spell that?" She asked me.

"It's N-A-I-E-M-A B-A-Double D-E-H" I spelled it out. 

"I thought it would have been way more complicated than that..haha." The girl laughed. 

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"Nothing...I'll just go get your key for you." The girl turned away and went into an office. 

The people haven't been so nice so far. I'm a little disappointed. 

The girl returns to me and hands me a key card. "Here ya go...welcome to Michigan." She says and turns her back. 

I decided to wait until I went to my dorm. I wanted to explore again. I walked out side of Barbour and started on State Street. Michigan is really beautiful in the spring. I was walking and admiring a gorgeous rose bush when someone knocked me to the ground. 

"Woah! I am so sorry! Are you okay?" A male voice was talking to me.

"I'm fine. Thank you." I say still not looking up, as I'm trying to gather my bearings from the fall. 

"I wasn't paying attention. I'm really sorry. Here, let me help you up." The guy said. I grabbed his hand and became eye level with him. 

He was about 2 inches taller than me, seeming as I'm pretty tall at 5'10. "Thanks!" I smile. 

"No problem," He started, but not with a concluding voice, "are you new here? I've never seen you around campus." He asks me. 

"Yes, I just got here today actually. I moved from Nigeria." I tell the green-hazel eyed boy. 

"Oh, wow! That's really cool! What are you majoring in?" He asks curious. 

"I'm majoring in biomedical engineering." I tell him.  

"Shouldn't you be on North Campus?" He asks. 

"Yes, but apparently my dorm is here on Central Campus in Betsy Babour instead of Bursley. So I'm stuck." I say. 

"Do you need help figuring out the bus system?" He asks me.

"I do actually. Thanks." I say smiling. 

He really is very attractive. He has dark brown hair that hangs in his face. He wears black glasses that make his eyes just a bit bigger. 

"Let me show you around and help you figure out the ropes. I'm Max Weiss by the way." He says. 

"Naiema Baddeh." I reply. 

"Your name is so...different." He says. 

"Is that good or bad?" I ask with a giggle.

"Its good in your case. We don't get too many girls like you here at Michigan." He says. 

"You mean black dark-skinned Nigerian girls?" I say. 

"You could say it like that....."