My object is a Muslim prayer mat. It’s a gift from my father. My prayer mat is red, soft and medium-sized like some carpets in the entrances of houses. It is square with a picture of the big mosque of Mecca, which is the saint place of our religion (Islam), in the middle. My father got it when my grandma came back from Mecca in 2004. She brought a lot of Muslims items and she gave them to family and friends. She gave some of them to my father. He took one of them as his favorite prayer mat and he kept praying on it. When I graduated from college, I had to leave my family for another city. As a special gift, my father gave it to me as a symbol of our culture. This prayer mat is used to pray our god five times a day. I had it for all the time in my college, then I decided to move to the U.S. To get my stuff ready, I packed a lot of clothes and shoes, but my prayer mat was the first object I packed up in my suitcases because it means a lot to me, so I couldn’t forget it. Here in the U.S, I have it in my bedroom and every time I look at my mat, it reminds me of my family, especially my father. He really wants me to keep practicing my religion and that is the main reason why he gave it to me. My father is very concerned about our prayers.

– Kadiatou Diallo

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