Adieu Tout Passe :C

I started my childhood in my mother’s village in the south.  I was raised by grandparents because my parents were still in University. My grandparents had never been to school because of their opposition to the western culture. Growing up, I used to spend my  day in the farm with them. I remember when I first started going to the forest looking for firewood and my grandfather gave me a dog as a companion. Having my own dog was the best gift in the whole world.  I called my dog ”Tout Passe” meaning “Everything Goes By”. I felt no fear when I was with my dog. As a tradition, a dog should carry something on his neck that makes sound so that he will not get lost in the forest(GPS). It’s made of tiny metal and two or three bullets in it. It took me a week to make mine because I wanted the make the best for Tout Passe. I couldn’t make the best but did work for someone to make me one.

Usually, dogs don’t sleep in the hut in my village. They stay outside to secure the village. I used to hide to go to sleep outside with my dog and when my grandparents found it out, they let him in  every night. My whole life changed when it was time for me to go to school in another city. They didn’t let me bring Tout Passe with me. It was a heart break and I cried during the whole trip. I kept asking people about my dog until one day they told me that my dog had die. My whole life turned upside down and I am still feeling the pain.

gr1@umbc.edu