IF THE JOURNALISTS or reporters tell anybody dat duh cahn find anything tuh write bout, something would have tuh be real wrong wid dem.
Look, so many things gine on all ’bout the place, it got ya dizzy. Okay, granted the majority o’ the things negative or painful but, my Lord man, it got ya poor mind busy as evah.
I really ain’t want tuh talk ’bout the situation wid the Nigerian students because dat does upset me, I ain’t telling you nuh lie. I ain’t know how so many young people could be allowed tuh leave where duh live and come in tuh another country wid the promise tuh study only tuh find demselves in such a dilemma.
It must really be hard pon the poor parents o’ these students back home in Nigeria when duh hear what their children going through in a strange place all ’cross the Atlantic Ocean. As a parent myself, I could only imagine how dem feel.
I could tell you because when my children was in duh teens, duh went all the way out in Europe fuh a whole year on a student exchange programme. I ain’t telling you nuh lie: it was hard as France letting dem go wid the promise dat duh would be all right and well looked after. Huh! Dat was one side but I was scared, frighten as France tuh say the least. The other thing was dat they were two girl children and dat alone made it worse.
The only thing I did know ’bout these places my girls was going tuh was what I learn in geography at school and then the material the organizers send me tuh read up ’bout the different places, the cultures, the food and the language.
Doan talk ’bout the language at all; now dat was a major concern fuh me. The food I could live wid because my children wasn’t too picky and they would eat most anything, but you see the language thing?
How in the name o’ God my poor children gine communicate?
Oh Lord, I was going outta my mind, going through all kinds o’ stress. I gine tell you: it was not an easy time at all.
Leh me tell you something: letting dem go at the airport was one thing. I bawl there, I bawl when I get back home and I was bawling and worrying evah single day and night till I hear from dem and when I did hear duh voices, I ain’t shame tuh tell ya, I was bawling all ovah again.
The thing is, at dat time duh ain’t had the lot o’ technology dat duh got now where ya could communicate, pictures and all; ya had tuh wait tuh get a phone call from dem. So you might now understand how I feel ’bout the Nigerian students and, most of all, duh parents.
I really pray dat the organisers would make haste and get this whole thing sorted out because dem is human beings, dem is somebody children, dem got feelings like anybody else. Dem live somewhere and it is not fair dat these young people have tuh go through something like this.
The thing is, dem is Africans, we true brothers and sisters; we children. So why this sort o’ thing gotta happen tuh dem? Why must they be miserable in a strange place? Ya mean all the time so?
I pray dat the people involved would think ’bout their own children and get this very bad situation sorted out soon.
*Â Mavis Beckles was born and raised in The Orleans. She has an opinion on everything.
