Yahya

 

Yahya

 

Yahya was my primary driver this summer. He did an excellent job and became a good friend. We spent a great deal of time together in that Landcruiser - on average about 35 hours a week to and fro. He made the almost unbearable passage bearable, and helped me learn many of the nuances of the place much faster than if I had been alone. Yahya is an honorable young man and it was a great honor to spend the summer with him.

 



Yahya is from Zongo, the village I stayed in. He is a Muslim and that was a nice connection between us. He also has a great sense of humor, which probably helped him survive me and that dreaded road. We joked and laughed a great deal, and I never saw him angry nor did I see him ignore or mistreat anyone. This is an important note, as refugees are in a very precarious situation and they way they are treated by support staff can make all the difference. Yahya understands this and is a great ambassador. He quickly became involved in many of the classes and meetings we had, far and above his basic duties as a driver.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the interest Yahya had in developing his English. We had ample time to do so on those long rides and he was a very quick learner. As I have mentioned in other posts, our favorite English expression became "pigs in puddles." Yahya is a very loyal man - he loves his family, his job, and the people he works with. I had the great fortune of meeting his family, Hawa and Fatima (below) and seeing the house he is building for them. We even ran into his parents out on the road one day. Beautiful family.

 

I miss my daily commute with Yahya and our frequent stops to change currency, buy farm tools, charge camera batteries, and drink cold orange sodas. Yahya hopes to visit the states one day, and of course, Chicago should be his first stop!