Once, when I read the adventures of Tom Sawyer, I dreamed of a life as exciting as that of this little rascal. As the years went by, my life became more and more bleak. Introverted, the books opened me to a world full of fantasies and unusual things. But I just had some exhilarating moments in ”live’’. I didn’t know there were people who might work while having a blast. Here is the hectic experience I just had through what amounts to ‘‘The big mop” by Louis de Funes.
Wednesday, 9 a.m. The sky is beautiful, not a cloud on the horizon. I’m packing my bags to join a group of 4 bloggers who plan to travel the north of the country. I’m a little embarrassed to be the only girl in the group, but since the job requires it, I close my eyes to this little detail. A detail not so small as that anyway, as the rest of this adventure will show us. I don’t know any of them. On the other hand, they know each other perfectly, which I discover throughout the trip.
A bunch of crazy people!
Real madmen! I apologize for the term, but just for their outspokenness, they seem like lunatics straight out of the mental asylum. Even Joseph*, the one who seemed to me to be the wisest of the group, provokes a giggle in the Jeep when he recounts the time he touched himself (masturbated). The rest of the gang is made up of crazy and disturbed young people. Their world is made up of dirty jokes and pranks that arouse my astonishment to the highest degree. They are fearless and talk freely regarding sexuality without shame in a raw and reckless way that my ears tremble with amazement.
Kizosi*, the naturalist, teaches us his code of conduct: the 3Bs (Drink, Kiss, Work). He was the one I thought I knew best, but I was stunned, dazed and scandalized by his words throughout the trip. He tells us regarding his exploits of “eaters” young girls, but not only… He also tells us that his repertoire extends to the remote corners of the capital since he shows us various places where he fishes his conquests. And this since he was 11 years old! He gives us a speech that would make the angels of heaven green with indignation. But he makes it clear that he was always protecting himself.
Caesar*, the coolest with his cap, his ring and his bracelet bearing the colors of the Rastafari and the symbol of the Ganja takes me into his universe. His rich and deep experience makes him the scholar of the bunch, but I am just as amazed by his disconcerting frankness and his love for women. What’s more normal ?
And there is Pierre, the prankster and moralizer of the group who also makes sexual remarks incompatible with this status of ”umukizwa” (converted). “Are you thinking that I’m white?” », he asks me with his playful air (literally: Do you think I’m white on this white part?) Innocent as I am, I give too literary a meaning to this sentence. Knowing it’s all a joke to this bunch of « cons« , I’m looking for a perverse meaning of the sentence that I can’t detect. I barely notice our driver whose face remains focused on the road but who bursts out laughing at times.
And zdorovia (health) !
We spend three days together. Kizosi and Caesar impress with bottles of liqueurs and whiskey that follow one another. Na zdorovia (cheers) is no longer a wish for them, but a rallying cry or the start of a long drinking binge. Caesar walks the streets with a bottle of liquor or whiskey. What disconcerts me even more is his lucidity which remains intact. Always ready to debate and bounce on any subject.
Enthralled by their contagious enthusiasm, I swallow two drops of liqueur to test its taste. A decision I immediately regret following that tiny sip hit my tongue. Apart from Pierre and me, the rest of the clan eats and drinks as if their lives depended on it. They burst out laughing at times because I eat little. They are real gluttons straight out of the Middle Ages.
They are not of the same ethnicity (that’s what I understand), but no subject is taboo. Even the most sensitive such as politics, ethnicity, etc., go through it. They talk regarding each other’s ethnicity in a funny and caricatural way. I forbid myself to comment, having grown up in a family where this subject is more than taboo. I forbid myself to laugh too, but not for long because their overflowing humor makes this subject less sensitive.
The time of farewell
“There’s a gift I’m giving out there.” (there is a letter that I have to deliver)! It is on the way back that Joseph informs us with these words that he wants piss. The car stops, I also begin to feel my bladder filling up, but it’s inadmissible to urinate in the middle of nature near this band of troubadours with twisted language. My full bladder threatens to explode. Swallowing my pride, I ask the driver to stop where there are toilet stalls. They offer to accompany me and I refuse on the spot. But I end up giving in since I will be isolated in my cabin and besides, they also letters to deliver (urge to urinate). What is even more amazing is that all this does not prevent them from doing their job properly. Work is the only time they put a damper on their hilarious jokes.
Back home, I come out of this stupefied adventure, with a clear feeling that their working world is made up of comic jokes, moments of relaxation and conviviality. Moral of the story: it is possible to work while having fun, and it seems that it is good for your health.
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