Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 41
33 would rot by next day because of extreme heat. That was a big worry. In the corner of that house was shop of a Mauritanian who had a big freezer there. One day, I requested him to kindly keep my food box in his freezer and I would take some of it as and when needed. He declined saying that he was already paying a huge electricity bill and my box would increase it further. Visa Problem Solved I had come to Kaolack but had no long stay visa and as such could be arrested and jailed by government agency. The Ahmadi brothers lived at quite a distance from my room. They worked all day long; I would only see some of them during Friday prayers. Senegalese do not speak English and I did not know French. I would try to speak in a language something like French; most of the time people would stare at my face instead of listening to me. That made communication very difficult. Therefore, I would sit on a bench outside my house everyday and count the vehicles passing by! One day I saw many children in uniforms walking along the other side of the road. I deduced that there is a school nearby in that area. I got up and went that way. After a short while I reached the gate of a primary school; the gate was open and I entered. The door of one room in the school building was open. That was Principal’s office. I entered and saluted him. After exchange of customary greetings, I told him my name. He said his name was Abdussalam Bari. He spoke good English and that made conversation easy. I told him that I was a Pakistani, a teacher in a High School at Basse in the Gambia and had come to Senegal