Page 5 - Africa Is Not a Country, 2nd Edition
P. 5
The sun is just rising as Arim and Efrem get up to prepare for
school. They take showers, change into school uniforms, and comb
their hair while listening to children’s programs on the radio. After
a breakfast of sweet, hot tea and bread with butter and marmalade,
they put on their book bags.
Their parents gently place their hands on their heads and say,
“May God be with you the whole day.” The boys kiss their parents’
hands and respond “Yekenielai,” which means “thank you” in Tigrinya,
a widely spoken language in Eritrea. Before they walk out of
the door with their father, who is going to his office in downtown
Asmara, the boys are reminded by their mother to always respect
their teachers and elders.
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