“Tim tim!”, “Bwa chèch!” much like “lone” “respè” was a call-and-answer shout that was well known back home.
It was a call-and-answer shout kids who spent time at home during summer vacation will recognize easily. At the end of June and the start of summer vacation, some folks went on vacation in foreign countries, while others stayed home or went to spend time in the countryside.
Growing up going to foreign countries was one of the coolest things we had the chance to do, but looking back, the times spent back home were some of the best experiences I had ever had. With that in mind, I wanted to tell you all about some of them in this post.
Going to the countryside, where my mother was from was one of my favorite things. We got to dip in cold rivers, going on fruit farmlands where we would pluck mangoes and other fruits by the bushels so we could eat; we would play soccer and tag, climb trees, while our parents would run their blood to water thinking we were going to get hurt, knowing well they would whoop our asses if it happened. For the less athletically inclined, there was the opportunity to go to the library and pick up some books to enjoy during the long break. For some, these things were not accessible because of the wealth disparity in the country however, all had something to enjoy/do during the break like long days at the beach enjoying all kinds of fresh sea food.
Despite the lack of security and stability in the country, for a moment everyone enjoyed themselves. During that time, it was also as if protesters and gangsters had also gone on vacation. The reasons for protesting, and theft had not disappeared overnight, but it was as if those took a break too.
But I digress. As I was saying there was a lot to enjoy. Regardless of the crushing heat and the beating sun, we were eating mangoes and oranges, playing various games outside, drinking the coldest limeade in a tin cup, so you could not convince us we had it rough.
At the end of the day, after getting cooked by the heat, came the best part: grilled corn, games and stories. They used to bring a bag full of corn on the cobb that we would grill on a tiny grill. Someone would take pine wood to help start the charcoal burning and we would sit and play “kach kach liben” or sit while the adults would tell us stories, or test us with riddles. When the corn was ready, everyone would take their half and sit back down for the stories.
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