Travel to Africa Series: Part 2
When I arrived at Songhai at midnight, I realized something else. Although we had gotten three suitcases at the airport, one of which I thought was mine, as I opened it up and started to empty the perfume and cologne and grape cuttings, there were none of my clothes in the suitcase. Turkish Airlines had lost my only suitcase. It was too late to do anything about it, so I fell asleep in my clothes and figured I’d worry about it in the morning. I texted Nzamujo the next morning and tried to look my best, which wasn’t very good.
We walked to one of the three restaurants for breakfast, past the ostrich enclosure right next to my apartment, where about fifteen ostriches eyed me suspiciously. Young people were sweeping the dirt roads and paths of the 70 acres of Songhai. As I walked down the road, I saw African cows, horses, goats, fields of corn, pineapple, rice, fields of yams, and a whole city of people working and planting and greeting me in French- and most of all- seemingly happy in what they were doing.
I asked if I could get a comb somewhere and maybe a blouse or two, just in case my suitcase never appeared, so Nzamujo’s assistant took me out to get a few necessary items. She spoke French and I spoke English, so we drove to a beauty salon in Porto-Novo. There were many assistants there who only spoke French, and she waited in the car with the driver while I waited in the salon with the assistants. They were all delightful, and I invited them to Los Angeles through signs and gestures and pictures, but they mentioned passports and smiled and laughed and I knew they would never be able to come. Finally, after about twenty minutes, I went outside and asked why it was taking so long to get a comb.
She informed me I was getting my hair done, but we were waiting for the owner. She didn’t trust these assistants to do it correctly. Everyone watched when the owner came and did my hair. I guess they didn’t have the opportunity to deal with white people’s hair very often. And I finally got my comb!
Breakfast!
The Ostrich Enclosure
Songhai
Getting my hair done!