The arrival

My name is Angele David. I come from the tribe Yoruba and I am native of a village near Owu in the Nigerian South.

I made this blog because it seems important to me to tell you my story.

I ran away with my daughter Messia because she risked an excision. She had only one year old. I arrived three days later to Lagos. I had to prostitute myself during six months in other to pay the clandestine boarding.

I arrived in Boston three weeks later. I was terrified during this travel because the conditions were very difficult. Thus I thought that my daughter would not survive.

Having gone out of the port I looked for a church. I met a black priest who helped me. I was taken to the social services. Unfortunately it was full…

I was really in despair. It was cold and I didn’t have warm clothes. I saw the long avenue, the lit enlightened, the plentiful food... Although people in Africa were poor, we helped each other. We were always united. There, people were not interested in me while they saw that I was desperate with my baby. I was shocked by this individualism. They probably thought that I was a beggar…