My Traveling Story by Matu Paasawe

My Traveling Story

by Matu Paasawe

My first travel in Africa was with my father. We drove from Guinea to Kakat in Liberia. The people at the border asked us for our documents. My father told them, “We don’t have any papers.” They asked us, “Why?”  We told them, “We were born in Liberia and we were going back to our country.”  They asked us, “Why did you leave?”  He told them, “We ran away because of the civil war. We are going back. So we can reunite with her mother who is also in Liberia.”  Then they said, “Okay.” 

A funny part of my travel was when my father asked me for my mother and grandmother’s number.  I said, “What? I don’t know their number because I’ve never seen them before.”  I asked my father, “Where is my mother?” and he said, “She is in Liberia.”

When we reached Liberia I asked my mother’s family, “Where is my mother?”  They said, “ Your mother is in the US.”  So I went home  and cried.

My father told me, “Don’t cry for your mother, because she is not good.”

“You are not good”, I said to my father.

“Why do you say I am not good?  If you really knew your mother you will not say such a thing to me,” said my father

I said, “I don’t care about you and mom, because I don’t know why you guys  fight about me.”

My trip from Liberia to Ghana

When I went to the Ghana airport, the people there were very mean to me.  I went to the airport to fill out my papers to come to America.  While I was there I began to cry, because the people were so mean, and no one wanted to help me.  So I called my mother, and she said to me “Don’t  cry.  If you cry nobody will help you.  So I said, “I will not cry.”
My mom said, “Ok,  baby help yourself my dear daughter .”  I said, “Why mom, because if you told me to take care of myself I will be lost in the country, I didn’t know how to take care of myself in Ghana, and I did know how to take care of myself in Guinea. I  need your help.  If you don’t help me I will be lost.”

My trip to America

It was nice for me. I saw my mom for the first time there.  It was the best day of my life.  We became sad and I cried in my heart, because I had never seen my mom.  She proved to me she loved me forever that same day. She said, “Wow, I did not think I would see you again.”  So we went home.  

My mom’s family was happy for me. They said, “Wow, you are the best baby for your mom.”  I asked, “Why did you people say that to me?” They said, “That is not bad to say that to you”  I said “Ok that’s not bad for me. I will be happy for my life because the first day I saw you guys I said that is best day in my life.”

On my first day of school I told my mom, “I don’t understand what the teacher was saying to me.”  My mom explained to me because she speaks English. The next day in school I asked if someone could translate for me because I still did not understand.  My school looked for a translator to help me.  My translator was not good for me because he did not speak my language.  He talked to me lot in the library.  Every time he came in my classroom he took me to the library.  He was explaining more in English.  I looked at his face, “Why are you explaining in English to me?”  He said, “Why?”  I told him, “I don’t understand anything in English.” I explained to him I did not understand the English language very well.

I needed a Guinea interceptor but he never got one.