My Main Man, Mamoudou

By Connor Gordon

Cock-a-doodle-doo! My eyes opened to see Mr. Schaefer, bucket hat on, stick in hand, attempting to chase the rooster out of the compound. The morning quickly passed, and we did our first daylight tour of the village. After lunch, “Connor’s barber shop” opened up. It started with hair combing and then moved on to clippers. My first customer was my main man, Mamoudou. For some reason, we connected, and he was the one among the crowd that trusted me to cut his hair. All of this happened without any verbal communication. When I was cutting his hair, a large crowd gathered around. He didn’t move or really smile, but when I was done, his reaction was priceless.

I have relationships with many kids, but Mamoudou seems to always find me wherever I am. When I woke up, Mamoudou was standing by the gate waiting for me. He doesn’t say much and all the kids respect him. Maybe it has something to do with his pet baboon, which I didn’t have the nerve to touch. Tonight, I just finished cutting at least ten other kids’ hair but honestly, I lost track. Mamoudou helped by holding a light so I could see and keeping the other kids back so I could do my job. In two days, Mamoudou has taught me a lot about myself- I talk a lot, I’m good at cutting hair and there is a lot to say about someone who doesn’t say much at all. Now, I am going to hang out with my main man, Mamoudou!