Going In Exile

Going In Exile

When I was a kid, my father was actively involved in politics, and he was a lealer of a political party named UFDG. The military dictator president did not like my father and forced our family to go in exile in Senegal for two years. I was in the 6^th grade when we moved from Guinea to Senegal. In Senegal, my family had to start a new life. The exile affected our lives for the worst because my parents had to look for a new job, a school for me and my brothers and sisters, and also we had to make new friends in a new place.

First of all, the exile was not easy for my parents because they had to start all over again and they had to look for a new job and feed their family. In Senegal, my father spent many weeks trying to get a job, but it was not easy to get one. In Africa, it is not what you know; it is who you know, most of the time. However, my father finally landed a part time teaching job at a private university, but his salary was not enough to take of his family. My father had to find a second part time job at another school for him to take care of his family. It was a very difficult experience for him because he was a well known math professor who taught many years at the university in Guinea. Looking for a new job in Senegal was very hard for him because he didn’t know anybody that could guide him.

Secondly, it was very difficulty for my parents to find schools for all their children because we were all on different levels. I was in elementary school; my big sisters were high school and my big brothers in college. All the schools were in different locations, which made it very hard for my parents. Schools were not near where we lived, so we had to take the bus every day. My parents spent a lot of money and time for our transportation. The school hours were very different from Guinea because we had to go school back home and come back in the evenings to school. There was not way that we could walk the distance to save money, so it was costing us lot of money every month.

Thirdly, I was in the 6^th grade when we arrived in Senegal and I remembered my father taking me to this new school. I did not know any body, and could not speak the local language. Everything was new for me and I did not have any friends. In Guinea, I had lots of friends that I have known for years. Most kids in Senegal speak Wolof, their native language, so it was very difficult for me to understand them. Even though French was the mandatory language spoken in the class room, students were shy to speak French. I was shy too because my French was very poor when I was in the 6^th grade. This makes it very difficult for me to make friends.

Finally, going to exile in Senegal was a very hard on my family because we had to start all over again. For me, it this was the worst experience in my life, but it though me courage and experience. Even though the exile was not something we wanted, it thought my family how to survive in foreign country. Many people in Guinea who were wanted by the government who did not have a place to go ended up in jail. Looking back, I think it was a good thing that we left Guinea. This was an experience that made my family stronger for ever.