Breeze a Blow an Mi Vibes Just a Build :: And So It Goes Here in the Country

Mi riich mi giete at 8:20 yesaday maanin fi katch won taksi fi skuol. Mi five minuts lieter den narmaal, but mi shur taksi gon pas suun. Farma dem pas mi pon di road. “Maanin tiich,” dem say as dem waak pas. Taim pas an mi naa sii no taksi. Won fi suun pas.

Fi 8:40 ina di maanin an mi kyaan bada fi wait anymuor. Mi fi be at skuol in five minuts. Mi gon hafi waak fi skuol and mi gon be liet. Beta gwan an toch di road. Won taksi wil pas an kary mi di rest of di wai, mi sur. Mi waak an waak an waak. No taksi. Mi waak sum muor an sii sum of di stuudent dem frum mi skuol waiting fi taksi. Dem say dem hav ben waitin frum 8:00 ina di maanin, so dem say dem gon waak wi mi.

Wi waak til wi riich di won big hil ina our kumuunity. “Miss Stofia*, wi kyaan chat wen wi waak up di hil or wi kyaan hav wi breath. No muor chat,” won stuudent se as wi start waak up di big hil. Im rit, ya no. Fi a riily big hil. Wi waak an waak hopin won taski wil pik wi up suun so dat wi nah hafi waak aal di wai to di top. But won taksi stil nah kum. So wi waak sum muor.

Wi pas two muor student dem hav been waitin fi taksi tuu. Dem fi hav jus waak kuz wi ova hafwai der nou. An wi stil waak. Mi finaaly did a riich skuol, five student dem wid mi and ful of sweat. Mi se mi sori fi mi Principal fi bein su liat. “Ya nah fi wori atall. It happen al di tiam!”

An su it go hiir ina di bush…

*Many of my students call me Miss Stofia (rhymes with Sofia) because they have a hard time saying Stoffel.

xoxo, Leah

Translation:

I reached my gate at 8:20 yesterday morning to catch a taxi to school. I’m five minutes later than normal, but I’m sure a taxi will pass soon. Farmers pass me on the road. “Morning teacher,” they say as they walk past. Time pass and I don’t see any taxis. One should pass soon.

It’s 8:40am and I can’t wait anymore. I should be at school in five minute. I’m going to have to walk and I’m going to be late. Bette go ahead and leave now. A taxi will pass and bring me the rest of the way, I’m sure. I walk and walk and walk. No taxis. I walk some more and see a few of the students from my school waiting for a taxi, too. They said they have been waiting since 8:00am, so they decide to walk with me.

We walk until we reach the big hill in our community. “Miss Stoffel, we can’t talk while we walk up the hill or we will run out of breath. No more talking,” one of the students says as we begin up the big hill. He’s right, you know. It’s a really big hill. We walk and walk hoping that a taxi will pick us up soon so that we don’t have to walk all the way to the top. But a taxi still does not come. So we walk some more.

We come across two more students that had been waiting for a taxi too. They probably should have just walked because we are over halfway there now. And we continue to walk. I finally arrived at school, five students in tow and pouring sweat. I apologize to my Principal for being so late. “You shouldn’t worry at all. It happens all the time!”

And so it goes here in the country…