Bedroom makeover

That would be my room this morning;) I decided to decorate. Since I had left to go study abroad to SCAD, my mom took off all the photos and posters .... and well made my room pretty empty looking. So it was missing some personality to it. I searched through my things in the storage room and found all types of awesome stuff like paintings I had done a while back, fabrics that I bought and also were given to me from Senegal, as well as, a cartoon of me when I was younger. I also found one of the living rooms carpet and some lights :) So here its the make over outcome! $0 money spent.

The closet now has a curtain :) I love it! its probably my favorite part! it give it a whole "arab" feel.

This fabric's pattern was made by hand I believe is done with a stamp and a rock. It is also hand dyed! I love it! It was a gift from a good friend back in Senegal.

Gave the desk area a carpet, painting, drawing, and lights :)

added some fabrics to the night table so it could go along the african look.

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Yep, I feel tired :P I also helped my mom with christmas decorations today... and now its time to pamper myself and do a facial mask I got at the FACE SHOP yesterday!

SCAD (Fall 2012) - Computer Aplication

Albert Einstein Stamp made on Illustrator. 

Vertical-Logo and Business Cards made on Illustrator.

Horizontal-Logo and Business Cards made on Illustrator.

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Indesign Project. I decided to share my experience and point of view of Senegal.

This class I took with Prof. Gladman

Colored Paintings by Stefanie Gómez

I spend about 5 hrs experimenting a little with colors, portraits, expressions and most of all different brushes. I think I am getting close to were I want to get, as far as painting. 

Worried Serer by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Monsieur Muslim by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Marabout by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Baby Girl by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Dancing Wolof by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Worker by Stefanie Gómez
Medium: Tempera
Size: 22 in x34 in

Astou(drawing)

Astou. I met her in Senegal, Africa. She is a child with independence always on her mind. She is ready to fight with the world. No child could stand in her way or she would cry until she got it her way hahaha. I will never forget the big smile she would have after "winning" such a thing. Living with her was a whole experience. I felt as if I was one of her big sisters. Often, after a nightmare Astou would come running to me- she would ask with her gorgeous eyes.. "Tu peux venir dormi avec moi, sil tu plait?" (Can you come sleep with me, please?) I said no a couple of times... but when I would say yes, her eyes would brighten and she would fall asleep while I would softly pat her bare head...  I love her, she is amazing.

Astou (while she had extensions on) photograph by Stefanie Gomez.

Favoritas de Africa

Mis fotos favoritas de Senegal, Africa:

My favorite photos of Senegal, Africa:

(listad por dia tomadas)
(listed by date taken)

1.  Este niño me vio con esos ojos, y yo no pude parar de voltiar a verlo.
This boy looked at me with those eyes, and i couldn't stop looking back at him.

2. Belleza de color.
Gorgeous color

3. Yo senti como si esta es la realidad de una casa musulman en senegal.
I felt as if this was the reality of a muslim home in senegal.

4. La sonrisa de innocencia.

The smile of innocence

5. caballo de mar & conchas.
Seahorses & shells

6. La increible forma de sacar camarones.
The amazing way to get shrimp

7. El bebe con los ojos soñadores.
The baby with dreamer eyes

8. Mis chiquitas, mis hermanas, mis oraciones.
My girls, my sisters, my prayers

9. Bella Aminata (mi nombre favorito).
Beautiful Aminata (my favorite name)

10. La Mujer Africana.
The African Woman

11. Henna por Nbaye.
Henna by Nbaye

12. Soñadores, Exploradores, y Pensadores.
Dreamers, Explorers, and Thinkers

Lovely day stars.

I have been all around… and I can say Senegal makes me smile. It can be very very dirty, it can have the ugliest buildings and the most unattractive sceneries… but through all that you can see a light! There is something shinning! … Children, lovely day stars.

There are so many, always playing or working. They have their lives ahead of them. Some “knowing” that they have a nothing in the future…

… With that, I want you to picture this:

The day sky full of stars... all shinning miles away, each in its place where God placed them. The sky is blue, zero clouds, zero sun... just the stars!

So, think about it what happened? What are the stars doing in the day? … They seem as if the night forgot them. There are so many how is that possible! How can the night so wonderful... leave them just there, leave them to be! (Think about it… and try to understand me.)Surely, the night did not forget them... maybe its just waiting to see. The moon comes once in a while ... to give them a chance, inviting the day stars into the night sky.. to shine as strong as they can until the end of times... and through!!

... fortunantely, they are still young... they are the future.

The colorful patterned and embroid robes

It’s been a week and a half, and I don’t have the words to explain the things I have learned or seen. I see it’s different but I also see it’s the same… Then again its just culture. In life we all need goals, we all need love, and we all need food as well as health. Some have more than others but others enjoy the little they have. Really that’s everywhere.

What I want to write about its how wonderfully different life seems to be in such dry land. When I look around I see people wearing robes with colorful patterns and with a beautiful embroiling. That is exactly how their personality is outgoing, happy but with this fine conservative touch. That is also exactly how their food tastes like crazy, wild mystery of 5 or more ingredients. But then again life in general is also like their robes…with a lot of colors in different patterns …With happiness in different forms and occasions. The embroiling resembling those smalls details that makes our life extra exotic and distinct from others.

So I guess Africa with its enchantment and hardships… have a lot in common and a lot to learn from. I simply pray that God blesses them, because they try hard to find the way to Him.

Emotions for June 22.

June 22 of 2010 at 11:30am, I start the journey of my dreams. I can’t wait; there are so many emotions inside of me…. I can hardly express one.

I am so excited to set foot in a different nation were the culture, the food, the people will all be different, nothing like I have ever experienced. It just seems crazy that in a matter of a week I will be walking in African land. In a matter of time, I will be speaking with them, learning from them, eating from their tables, and well simply spending time with them. I keep wondering what it will be like…what it actually looks like, what its like to be in their shoes. I am just curious to know how will they see me, will they see me different? Will I be considered strange? Or normal? What is that am going to learn? I am just curious.

So in June 24 at 4am, I will set foot in this questionable place. From there on I hope to see my questions being answered and curiosity fading. Or maybe I will just have more unanswered questions! Who knows! For now I will just keep wondering.

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EN ESPANOL: Emociones para el dia Junio 22

El 22 de junio de 2010 a las 11:30 AM, comienzo el viaje de mis sueños. No puedo esperar, tengo tantas emociones.... que casi no puedo expresar ni una.

Estoy tan emocionada de poder ir en una nación donde la cultura, la comida, la gente es diferente, nada como lo que yo he experimentado. Me parece una locura que en cuestión de una semana voy a estar caminando en tierra africana. En cuestión de tiempo, voy a estar hablando con ellos, aprendiendo de ellos, comiendo de su comida, y simplemente pasando tiempo con ellos. Me pregunto cómo será ... como es en realidad, como se siente estar en sus puestos. Tengo curiosidad de saber cómo van a verme, diferente? ¿extraña? ¿O normal? ¿Qué es eso que voy a aprender? Solamente tengo curiosidad.

Así que el 24 de junio a las 4 AM, voy a llegar a el lugar de mis preguntas. Y a partir de ahí espero ver que mis preguntas se contesten y que mi curiosidad desaparezca . O tal vez nascan más preguntas! ¡Quién sabe! Por ahora me quedo con la curiosidad.

Why Senegal?

I talk to my parents about going to Africa after I finished High School, they approved. But they asked me to where. My first choice was DRC, just because I had represented them a couple of times in Model United Nations. However, that wasn’t God’s plan… the day after I proposed it to my parents, the rebels riot in DRC. Obviously, my parents were not comfortable with that. So, I kept researching about other countries.

Until one day, my dad was in the car listening to the radio. There was an interview with a Costa Rican Family serving in Senegal. My dad wrote down the email address, and communicated with them. As time when by and we learned more, we realized God was opening the doors. It was then and there when we decided that I should go with them to

THIES, SENEGAL.

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EN ESPANOL:

Porque Senegal?

Yo hable con mis papas de ir a África después de terminar el Cole, y ellos aprobaron. Pero me preguntaron a que parte. Mi primera elección fue República Democrática del Congo, sólo porque yo lo había representado un par de veces en el Modelo de las Naciones Unidas. Sin embargo, eso no era el plan de Dios ... el día después de que se los propuse a mis papas, hubo una medio guerra. Obviamente, mis papas no se sentían cómodos. Así que seguí investigando sobre otros países.

Hasta que un día, mi papa iba en el carro escuchando la radio. Había una entrevista con una familia costarricense que sirven en Senegal. Mi papa anotó el email, y se comunicó con ellos. Con el tiempo, nos dimos cuenta de que Dios estaba abriendo las puertas. Entonces decidimos que yo debería ir con ellos a Thies, Senegal.

Will a dream always be a dream?

Our dreams are our goals, though, sometimes we grow out of them. I have 1 dream I have not accomplished or grown out from. I dreamt it many times, and its the same image replaying.

In my dream, I am in a dry place … nothing seems to have green color. There is a perfect line between the blue sky and the golden ground. I am walking along many kids, who seem to be so happy. I don’t hear laughter but I see it.

I took this dream to be Africa. Ever since, I wished to be there in the shoes of my dreams. I also think, it's part of God's mysterious plans for me.

So, to answer the question: No, my dream will become real ;)

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EN ESPANOL:

Va ser un sueño siempre un sueño?

Nuestros sueños son nuestros metas, solo que a veces crecemos de ellos. Yo tengo un sueño que no a sido realizado. Lo he soñado muchas veces, y se repite la misma imagen.

En mi sueño, yo estoy en un lugar seco ... nada parece tener color verde. Se puede ver la línea perfecta entre el azul del cielo y el dorado de la tierra. Yo estoy caminando al lado de unos chiquitos, muy felices. No se escucha la risa, pero se ve la alegría.

Yo pienso que este sueño debe ser en África. Desde entonces, he querido estar allí en el lugar de mis sueños. También creo, que es parte de los planes misteriosos de Dios para mí.

Así que, para responder a la pregunta: No, mi sueño se convertirá en real;)