Khari bēgu mâǃkhais sida ǃāros ǃnâ mâs ge kaise a ǀhawe khoen tsî ǃnaoǃnāsa bē xa. ǃHūb ai i ge noxoba gui xūn ǃnaohe nîse ge īna ge mâ i. ǃNao-aogu ge ǁîgu bēgu ra ǃgûǀî ǀgauba ra ǁgauǁgause gere ǃau.
The small bus stop in my village was busy with people and overloaded buses. On the ground were even more things to load. Touts were shouting the names where their buses were going.
“Kaiǃā! Kaiǃā! Hurioasa ǃoa!” Ti ta ge ǃnao-aob ra mîsa ra ǁnâu. ǁNāb ge bēb hîna ta nî ūse ība.
“City! City! Going west!” I heard a tout shouting. That was the bus I needed to catch.
Nē kaiǃā bēb ge ǁaupexa ge ǀoa hâ i, xawen ge noxopa gui khoena gere ǁgūtsâ ǃapasa. ǀNîn ge ǁîn di ǃgaeǀkhāde bēb ǃnâka ge pakhe hâ i. Naun ge bēb ganagab ai pakhe hâ īse.
The city bus was almost full, but more people were still pushing to get on. Some packed their luggage under the bus. Others put theirs on the racks inside.
ǀAsa ǃnarisao-aon ge ǁîn tiketde ǁkhammâi hâse nûǃkhai-e nē ǀoa hâ bēb ǃnâ ra kōmâ. Taradi khariǀgôarona ūhâ di tsîn ge nē kaixū ǃnarisa ra humisense ra nû-unuǃnâ.
New passengers clutched their tickets as they looked for somewhere to sit in the crowded bus. Women with young children made them comfortable for the long journey.
Tita ge mûuidaos xōǀkhā ra ǀāgāsen. Nûxōǀkhā ta ge khoe-i ge ǃam plastik ǁgaruba ǃgarise ge ǃkhō hâ i. ǁÎb ge ǀoro ǁkharode ge ana hâ i, ana ǀorohe hâ jab ǀkhā, tsî kaise ǃhuri hâse gere mûsen.
I squeezed in next to a window. The person sitting next to me was holding tightly to a green plastic bag. He wore old sandals, a worn out coat, and he looked nervous.
ǃAukab ai ta ra kō ǁaeb ai ta ge ra mûan khariǃāsa ta ra ǁnāxūsa, kai-ai ta ge ǃāsa. Kaiǃāsa ǃoa ta ge ra ī.
I looked outside the bus and realised that I was leaving my village, the place where I had grown up. I was going to the big city.
ǃGaeǀhāde ǃnaotoahe tsîn ge hoa ǃnarisao-aona nôa. ǁAmaxū-aon ge noxoba bēb ǃnâ ra ǀāgāsen în ǃnarisao-aon ai ǁîn xūna sī ǁamaxū ka. Mâ i hoa i ge ǁamaxūn ra xūna gere ǃhaose. Mîdi ge kaise ǃhaose gere ǀōbate.
The loading was completed and all passengers were seated. Hawkers still pushed their way into the bus to sell their goods to the passengers. Everyone was shouting the names of what was available for sale. The words sounded funny to me.
ǀOro ǃnarisao-aon ge ān nî xūrona ge ǁama, naun ge khari ûxūrona ǁama tsî a ǁgaetsoatsoase. ǁNîn hîna ge mari-e ūhâ tama hâ în, tita khamin, ge kōǃkharas ǀguisa gere dī.
A few passengers bought drinks, others bought small snacks and began to chew. Those who did not have any money, like me, just watched.
Nē ǁaxasib ge bēb huters ǀōb xa ge hanihe, ǁgauǁgaus ǃnarioa da ras disa. ǃNao-aob ge ǁamaxū-aona ra ǃkhaoba în bēba xū ǁgôa ga.
These activities were interrupted by the hooting of the bus, a sign that we were ready to leave. The tout yelled at the hawkers to get out.
ǁAmaxū-aon ge hāgu ra se bēba xū gere ôa-am ǁgôasa. ǀNîn ge khari marina gere mā-oa. ǁKhātin ge nauna harugu xūna ǁamaxūsa noxoba gere dītsâse.
Hawkers pushed each other to make their way out of the bus. Some gave back change to the travellers. Others made last minute attempts to sell more items.
Bēb ra ǁîb māǃkhaisa xū gaebe ǁaeb ai ta ge mūuidaosa ra kō. Âi ta ge ra, tsâbe ta ǁkhawa ǃgāroǃāsa ǃoa nî oahāsa.
As the bus left the bus stop, I stared out of the window. I wondered if I would ever go back to my village again.
ǃNaris ra aiǃgû khami îb ge bēb ganakaba kaise ge ǀgam. ǁOmsa ra ǁkhorese ta ge mûde ra ganam.
As the journey progressed, the inside of the bus got very hot. I closed my eyes hoping to sleep.
Xawes ge ti âisa omsa ǃoa ra oa. Ti mamasa ǃnorasa îs nî? Ti ǃôade xare mari-e kuru i di nî? Tsâbe ti ǃgâsaba âihō îb nî ti hairode nâbatesa?
But my mind drifted back home. Will my mother be safe? Will my rabbits fetch any money? Will my brother remember to water my tree seedlings?
Garu ta a daob ǃnâ ta ge ti ǁnaob kaiǃās ǃnâ ra hâ ǃkhais ǀōnsa ra ǁkhāpesen î ta ǃkhōmâisi ǁkhā ga. ǁAeb ǀkhā ǁîsa ra gaiseb ge ra ǁom.
On the way, I memorised the name of the place where my uncle lived in the big city. I was still mumbling it when I fell asleep.
Khoese īrgu khaoǃgâ, ta ge ǃgari huwib tsî ǃnarisarao-aon gaihes hāxū ta ra ǃgaroǃās dib ǀgaub xa ra ǃhuirihai. Ti khari ǁgarurosa ǁgope tsî ta bēba xū ra uriǁgôa.
Nine hours later, I woke up with loud banging and calling for passengers going back to my village. I grabbed my small bag and jumped out of the bus.
Oa dawasen ra bēb ge ǃkhaese ra ǀoa. ǀGūǁaeb ge ǁîba aioas ǁga nî ǃnari-oa. Tita nēsi a hâhâsaba xū i ge, ti ǁnaob omsa ôatsoatsoasa.
The return bus was filling up quickly. Soon it would make its way back east. The most important thing for me now, was to start looking for my uncle’s house.
Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
Brian Wambi
Maureen Merley So-Oabes
Khoekhoegowab
Level 3
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