Kek

“You only make a bridge where there is a river.” This is an old African proverb. In Kek’s life, the river is like a boundary that is keeping him from belonging. The bridge represents Kek’s journey to feel like he belongs in America.
As Kek’s life in America progresses, he tries his best to fit in. He starts to build his bridge the day before school. Dave comes with a box of clothes for Kek to try on. Kek has fun trying to pick out his clothes, and he “parades through the TV room” to show them off. He wonders if he “looks like an America boy.” He has fun for a while, but a river of doubt rises inside of him. He is not sure if looking like an America boy “would be a good thing or a not-good thing.”
When Kek first comes to his ESL class, his river is swirling with uncertainty. He sees all of the different people who speak different languages and he wonders how they will ever connect. But, when he draws a cow somebody in his class let out a small “moo”. Soon everyone is mooing and they “are a class of cattle.” It comforts him “to hear the cattle again.” All the students connect, and Kek realizes

they might not be as different as he had thought. Having this connection makes Kek’s bridge stronger.
A part of Kek’s river is feeling lonely.

He doesn’t have any friends when he comes to America, and Ganwar doesn’t seem to want to be with him. Hannah plays a considerable role in helping Kek build his bridge. She is Kek’s first friend in America. Being friends with Hannah led Kek to other friendships. In times when Kek feels upset, Hannah is there to make him smile, like when he accidently broke his aunt’s dishes. Even though he felt terrible, Hannah helped him see the light of the situation by making him laugh. Hannah also helps Kek open up more. He tells her all about Ganwar and his “many worries”. He tells her about his family and what happened to them. He feels alone in his sadness, but he realizes that Hannah has also “seen sad places”. Knowing that he is not alone helps Kek feel more optimistic about his situation. Having optimism like this helps Kek build his

bridge.
Even though Kek is very optimistic, his river is filled with the feeling that he will “never know all the things there are to know.” Kek tries to understand the American culture, but it confuses him. He is having a very hard time “learning English words.” He feels like he will always “stumble behind” when people are talking. At first Kek lacked the motivation to learn English because he was still holding on to his African culture. Eventually he started to construct this piece of his bridge. He started practicing at home and he was excited for “the learning to begin.”
Kek’s bridge is not complete yet, but he now has help building it. Little by little Kek is crossing the river, and feeling a sense of belonging. It has been hard, but with his optimism Kek is making progress.