A Day in the Life

Abdoulaye, Oussman, Lawratou

 As part of youth month, I've interviewed a few members of my newly established english club. What follows is a simplified version of a spirited and trilingual conversation about a typical day in their lives. 

Naano: So I want to ask you guys about your lives. How old are you, and what do you do?

Abdoulaye Kane: I'm 20 years old. I'm a student at a French-Arabic school in Koalack.

Oussman Demba: I'm 27 years old. I'm a waiter at Fathala reserve.

Lawratou Diallo: I'm 17 years old. I'm a student at the lycee in Sokone.

Naano: Ok, so at what time do you wake up in the morning, and what's the first thing you do?

Abdoulaye Kane: On a school day, I usually wake at 8am. I drink some water, wash, and pray.

Oussman Demba: I wake up at 5:45am everyday. I wash, then I pray.

Lawratou Diallo: I get up at 7am. I also wash and pray as soon as I'm up.

Naano: How do you get to work or school?

Abdoulaye Kane: I can walk to school. It's not far.

Oussman Demba: I walk 5km to work everyday, rain or shine.

Lawratou Diallo: I also walk.

Naano: Abdoulaye, you go to a Franco-Arabic school. How many languages do you speak then?

Abdoulaye (matter of fact): Wolof, French, Mandinka, Arabic. Some English, because Gambia is not far, and some Puular, because my mother is Puular.

Naano: Wow. Oussman, what kind of food do you serve at Fathala reserve?

Oussman Demba (proud): In the morning, we have a buffet with yogurt, fruit, village bread, beans, butter, jam... At lunch, we have Spaghetti Bolognese, chicken, and pizza.

Naano: Lawratou, who do you live with in Sokone?

Lawratou Diallo: I have family members in Sokone, so I live with them during the school year.

Naano: Don't you miss your mother?

Lawratou Diallo: Yes! But I usually go back to Dassilame every weekend, because it's not far.

Naano: Abdoulaye, at what time does school end for you, and what do you do after school?

Abdoulaye Kane: School ends at 7pm. I often watch TV for about an hour, then have dinner, than do homework until midnight.

Naano: Do you know what you want to do later in life?

Abdoulaye Kane: I want to live in the United States, in Washington. I'd like to be a teacher there.

Naano: What about you, Lawratou?

Lawratou Diallo: I want to be a nurse in a hospital.

Naano: Oussman, how many children do you want?

Oussman Demba: I want two, a boy and a girl. You can invest more in your children when you have fewer.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Somewhere along the way, we talked about:
-Cheb Shacks
-favorite foods
-the difference between "tree" and "three", "choose" and "shoes"
-the n-word...
-Rihanna

It's peanut-planting season!