Cherished Memories of Africa — Page 42
34 to learn French. He said, ‘how can I help?’ I replied, ‘I want to learn French in your school’. He said, ‘this is a primary school’. I said, ‘it doesn’t matter. As I want to learn elementary French, therefore, not to talk of primary school, I should be in a nursery class’. He was much surprised and said, ‘look you are a foreigner, therefore, I cannot enrol you in my school without approval by the education department. ’ ‘Let us go there and get the approval’, I said. Anyhow, Allah softened his heart and he accompanied to the Education Department nearby and told the officer concerned that I was a Pakistani teacher from the Gambia and wanted to learn French for a while, for which I needed his permission. He was surprised. After a while, he told me to write the application and assured me that he will grant the permission. I said that if I knew how to write French, I wouldn’t be there. He instructed Mr Bari to write application for me and that he did. The officer typed the permit on the official letter-head, stamped it and gave it to me. That facilitated my travels in Senegal without any hindrance and I could also travel between Senegal and the Gambia. In Nursery Class to Learn Next day I was in the school. I asked t he Principal to place me in the nursery class, that he did. He introduced me to the class. The innocent African children stared at me in surprise. Soon it was recess time. Scared at first, the children gradually started coming close to me and touching me especially my hair with their hands. I too shared their fun. Next day I went to the higher class and then the next. Thus I attended three grades in two weeks. It was very beneficial – I could speak a bit, school children started greeting me and became well acquainted with the teachers. After that I bade the school farewell. However, the bond with the school became strong. I studied there for a few weeks at first