Walking to School

Walking to School

The Sun!

– Super bright always hot

The “young” mosque 

– Lots of men and boys gather here on Fridays 

– Call to prayer

The children

– The “bonjours” and the “Toubabs” 

My construction guy friend! 

        – Blind in one eye

        – Calls me his younger sister

        – Greeted him casually 3 times before becoming friends

The sheep 

– Always under a tree 

Boutique 

        – Sometimes I stop here on the way back from school and get credit for my phone 

        – The man inside is the fourth friend I’ve made here

The road

– Never too busy

– Motorcyclists always stop there

The huge puddle (this applies to the rainy season)

– After it rains 

– Slowly becomes smaller and smaller, but it always rains again before it can dry 

My old guy friend! 

– Salaam Maleekum!

– Long hand shake 

– I have to leave five to ten minutes earlier

– Calls me his daughter

– Always brightens my day to see him 

Silvia

– Walking into the compound 

– Knocking on her door

– Saying hi to her four sisters and sometimes her yaay

The Grand Mosque

– Very large and round

– Women are not allowed inside

– Large tower // great landmark

The old, topless woman

– Always sitting on her doorstep 

Fruit man friend!

        – Silvia and I get our apples from him on the way back from school

        – He gives us a free banana for the five apples we each buy

The market

– Hanging clothes

– Shops for carpentry, metalworks, boutiques

– Lots of smells

The heads

– There’s an oven looks like a grill/pizza oven with a bunch of heads roasting

– Don’t know what kinds of heads – sheep, cows, goats? Some have eyeballs. 

– Freaked out the first time I saw them

The railroad

– We cross here

– There’s grass!

        – Our favorite part of the walk

The Road 

– Main road in Tivaouane

– 5 easy steps of crossing The Road

Look both ways

Repent your sins

Tell your parents you love them

Hold your breath

Run 

– You made it! Yay!

The mystery house with the beautiful overgrown yard with the wall and fence surrounding it 

– A concrete wall with a red metal fence above it

– Stand on your tippy toes while you’re walking trying to see over the concrete wall

– Over grown grass and weeds

– Very beautiful 

The bright teal hospital for children 

– Always children and mothers outside 

A beautiful little garden 

– Plants in pots across the street within a fenced in area

The fence to get through

– The school is surrounded by a metal fence

– There’s a door that opens just enough for us to get through

You’ve arrived! 

What kinds of things do you pass en route to a frequented location?