A Basket of Avacados

(Most of the wording in this post came either directly from Miria or from her mom.  I just filled in the gaps.)

"I was at school, waiting to take some porridge. All of a sudden some of the other kids ran up to me.  They were saying, "Miria!  Come quickly, there is someone here who wants you."  I ran out from behind the school to see what was happening.  I saw a white girl standing there in the yard.  She walked past all of the other kids and came directly to me.  They told me that this lady had picked me, and I was going to be her daughter, and she was my mommy from America.  Out of all the other kids, she had picked me!   .Then she told the other children "Go back! I have picked Miria, and I want to be with her now." I was so happy.  That day, as soon as school was over, I ran straight home to tell my sister and my brothers and my mama about this white lady who had come all the way from America just to see me.  A few days later, she came to my house and brought me some wonderful new toys, and a dress, and a book to write in.
Now my white mommy has been at the school for a month.  I have seen her almost everyday.  But last week the term ended for school, so I am not there everyday and I miss seeing her.  Today my mama said that I could take my report card from this term to show my white mama how hard I have been working in school. This term I finished 5th out of 40 children in my class.  My mama said that I needed to show my report to my white mama so that she would know that I am working very hard to earn the education that she is giving me.  Me and my brother helped my mom to pick a bunch of avocados and put them in a basket to bring to my white mama.  I put the basket on my head and me and Jonah started off for the school.  It is a couple miles away from our house, but I am used to walking that distance to go to school each morning, and to get water from the borehole.  When me and Jonah arrived, we gave her the avocados, and then we sat on the porch to talk.  Moses came out to sit with us and translate what my white mama said to me.  He told us that something very sad had happened.  My white mommy had a Jjajja (grandma) in America, but last night she left to be with Jesus. I was very sad for my white mommy.  I told her how sorry I was and I gave her a big hug.  I think it made her feel better, because she smiled at me a lot after that.  I asked her if she would please walk home with me and Jonah, and she said yes!    I was very happy.  I asked her a lot of questions.  I wanted to know what it is like in America, and what kinds of food she ate.  She told me that she eats chicken there the same as we do!  But she doesn't eat cassava. She said she likes Matoke, and mangoes, but she did not like Jack fruit very much.  Jonah asked her if she knew how to drive a motorcar.  He thought she would know how to drive an airplane too, because we thought that all Mzungus knew how to do that, but she said no.  Jonah wants to be a pilot when he grows up.  I told my white mama that I want to be a doctor when I grow up.  When we got back to my house, my mama was very surprised that my white mom had walked all the way from the school to come see us.   Moses had come too, he was helping us talk to each other.  My little sister Lydia came running as fast as she could and threw herself onto my white mommy.  She was very excited! We showed my white mama our new piglets, and their mother.  And the puppies, and our two baby goats.  One is mine and one is Lydia's, to take care of.  Then my mama brought chairs out, and we all sat down.  My mom prepared some matoke and yams for our supper while we all talked.  Lydia felt left out, since I had shown my report card to my white mom, so she ran and got hers too.  And she brought out the picture that her sponsor from America had sent her of their family.  Lydia is so funny.  She said she wanted to tell her family in America that she would like to send them some matoke. I told my white mommy that I had put the things she gave me in a safe place and was taking very good care of them, so that they would not get damaged or messed up. Then my mama started talking. She told my white mama how grateful she was for the opportunity that she was giving her daughter.  She said that a lot of people like to promise things, but don't help, or follow through with their promises.  But this white lady had not only provided her daughter with an education and an opportunity for a better life, she had also come all the way to Africa to see them and to be with them.  And then my white mommy said something amazing.  She told us how grateful and happy she was to be a part of our family.  My mama was so amazed by this that she jumped up off of her mat, ran over, and gave my white mama a big hug.  I am so happy that I have two mama's now, an African mama and a white mama.  I asked how long my white mama would be here with us in Africa.  I wish that she could stay with us forever.  But she said that she had to go back to America on Tuesday.  I told her that I was going to be a brave, grown up girl and that I would try not to cry any when she left. I asked her to please come back really soon to see me again, and I also told her that when I finished all of my school I wanted to come to America to visit her.  And then it was time for my white mommy to go back and get her supper, so I walked with her down to the road and gave her one last big hug.  See you mommy!  I told her. She smiled and waved goodbye, and then turned and walked back down the dirt road."