This is my last week of classes. Over the past four years I have taken economics, statistics, Christianity, and all the required difficult courses but last semester I chose something a little different. And I want to thank my professor.

African drumming provided a much needed break from all the other classes I had. It threw me into a new culture that I never experienced before and after one semester I wanted more.

So I took the advanced class, Akoma. Recently, I was having a bad day. It was gloomy and rainy and I didn’t want to go to class at all. My friend Tess messaged me, “See you at African Drumming?” That motivated me to go to class.The music we studied was Ewe music from Western Africa and Haitian music, which mainly uses rhythmic percussion and dance and is played at funerals, for war calls, and to show prestige.

That rainy day I danced and drummed my problems away. Moments of concentration and focus on the drumming patterns or the dance movements, allowed me to get lost in the music and forget about everything around me. Throughout the semester this class has helped me through a lot; it gave me support that helped me through my other classes.

This class gave me a community and something to look forward to on gloomy days. My professors, Josselyne Price and Koblavi Dogah, as well as our guest professor, Johnny De’Scoville, lit up the class. We worked hard while having a blast.

This class made me smile even when I didn’t think I could smile during dark times. It gave me motivation throughout the past two semesters to try, to get me up and off my feet. It pushed me through the rough times and has given me a community to which I can return. I want to thank my professors for teaching me a new culture and helping me through the hard times.