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Il giorno che lasciai casa per la città The day I left home for the city Le jour que je quitta la maison pour la ville

Written by Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula

Illustrated by Brian Wambi

Translated by Laura Pighini

Read by Sonia Pighini

Language Italian

Level Level 3

Narrate full story

Autoplay story


La piccola fermata d’autobus nel mio villaggio era molto movimentata, con tanta gente e autobus stracarichi. Per terra c’erano addirittura altre valigie e bagagli da caricare. I bagarini urlavano le destinazioni degli autobus.

The small bus stop in my village was busy with people and overloaded buses. On the ground were even more things to load. Touts were shouting the names where their buses were going.

Le petit arrêt d’autobus dans mon village était occupé par des tas de gens et des autobus surchargés. Sur le sol il y avait encore plus de choses à charger. Les revendeurs de billets criaient les noms des endroits où leurs autobus allaient.


“Città! Città! Direzione West!” Udii un bagarino urlare. Quello era l’autobus che dovevo prendere.

“City! City! Going west!” I heard a tout shouting. That was the bus I needed to catch.

J’entendis un revendeur de billets crier: « Ville ! Ville ! Direction ouest ! ». C’était l’autobus que je devais prendre.


L’autobus per la città era quasi pieno, ma c’era ancora gente che spingeva per salirci. Alcuni avevano messo il bagaglio nel bagagliaio dell’autobus. Altri li mettevano sulle cappelliere dentro.

The city bus was almost full, but more people were still pushing to get on. Some packed their luggage under the bus. Others put theirs on the racks inside.

L’autobus de ville était presque plein, mais plus de personnes poussaient encore pour embarquer. Quelques-unes chargèrent leurs valises sous l’autobus. D’autres mirent les leurs sur les étagères à l’intérieur.


I nuovi passeggeri obliterarono i loro biglietti mentre cercavano un posto per sedersi sull’autobus sovraffollato. Le donne mettevano comodi i loro giovani bimbi, in preparazione al lungo viaggio.

New passengers clutched their tickets as they looked for somewhere to sit in the crowded bus. Women with young children made them comfortable for the long journey.

Des nouveaux passagers agrippaient leurs billets tandis qu’ils cherchaient un endroit pour s’asseoir dans l’autobus. Des femmes avec de jeunes enfants les installaient confortablement pour le long voyage.


Mi schiacciai di fianco al finestrino. L’uomo di fianco a me teneva stretto a sé un sacchetto verde. Indossava vecchi sandali, un cappotto usato e pareva molto nervoso.

I squeezed in next to a window. The person sitting next to me was holding tightly to a green plastic bag. He wore old sandals, a worn out coat, and he looked nervous.

Je me suis serré à côté d’une fenêtre. La personne à côté de moi tenait un sac vert en plastique fermement. Il portait de vieilles sandales, un manteau usé, et il semblait nerveux.


Guardai fuori dall’autobus e realizzai che stavo lasciando il mio villaggio, il posto dove ero cresciuto. Stavo andando nella grande città.

I looked outside the bus and realised that I was leaving my village, the place where I had grown up. I was going to the big city.

Je regardai à l’extérieur de l’autobus et je réalisai que je quittais mon village, l’endroit où j’avais grandi. Je me rendais à la grande ville.


La fase di caricamento dell’autobus era completata e tutti i passeggeri erano seduti. I venditori ambulanti continuarono a spingere per salire sull’autobus a vendere i loro prodotti ai passeggeri. Tutti urlavano i nomi dei prodotti che erano disponibili all’acquisto. Le parole suonavano buffe.

The loading was completed and all passengers were seated. Hawkers still pushed their way into the bus to sell their goods to the passengers. Everyone was shouting the names of what was available for sale. The words sounded funny to me.

Le chargement était complet et tous les passagers étaient assis. Des colporteurs se frayaient encore un passage dans l’autobus pour vendre leurs marchandises aux passagers. Chacun criait les noms des articles disponibles. Les mots me semblaient drôles.


Alcuni passeggeri comprarono bevande, altri piccole merendine e cominciarono a masticarle. Quelli che non avevano soldi, come me, guardavano e basta.

A few passengers bought drinks, others bought small snacks and began to chew. Those who did not have any money, like me, just watched.

Quelques passagers achetèrent des breuvages, d’autres achetèrent des petites collations et commencèrent à manger. Ceux qui n’avaient pas d’argent, comme moi, observaient seulement.


Queste azioni vennero interrotte dal fischio dell’autobus, il segno che eravamo pronti a partire. Il bagarino urlò ai venditori ambulanti di scendere.

These activities were interrupted by the hooting of the bus, a sign that we were ready to leave. The tout yelled at the hawkers to get out.

Ces activités furent interrompues par le klaxonnement de l’autobus, un signe que nous étions prêts à partir. Le revendeur de billets cria aux colporteurs de sortir.


I venditori ambulanti si spinsero a vicenda per farsi strada fuori dall’autobus. Alcuni diedero il resto ai viaggiatori. Altri tentarono di vendere altri prodotti all’ultimo minuto.

Hawkers pushed each other to make their way out of the bus. Some gave back change to the travellers. Others made last minute attempts to sell more items.

Les colporteurs se poussaient pour sortir de l’autobus. Quelques-uns ont redonné de la monnaie au voyageurs. D’autres ont fait des tentatives de dernière minute pour vendre d’autres articles.


Non appena l’autobus lasciò la fermata, io guardai fuori dal finestrino. Mi chiedevo se sarei mai tornato al mio villaggio.

As the bus left the bus stop, I stared out of the window. I wondered if I would ever go back to my village again.

Lorsque l’autobus quitta l’arrêt, j’ai regardé par la fenêtre fixement. Je me demandais si je retournerais à mon village un jour.


Nel corso del viaggio, l’interno dell’autobus diventò molto caldo. Chiusi gli occhi sperando di dormire.

As the journey progressed, the inside of the bus got very hot. I closed my eyes hoping to sleep.

Alors que le voyage avançait, l’intérieur de l’autobus est devenu très chaud. J’ai fermé les yeux en espérant dormir.


Ma la mia testa si trasportò a casa. Mia madre starà bene? I miei conigli porteranno denaro? Mio fratello si ricorderà di innaffiare le mie piantine?

But my mind drifted back home. Will my mother be safe? Will my rabbits fetch any money? Will my brother remember to water my tree seedlings?

Mais je repensais toujours à chez moi. Est-ce que ma mère serait en sécurité ? Est-ce que mes lapins rapporteraient de l’argent ? Est-ce que mon frère se souviendrait d’arroser mes semis d’arbres ?


Sulla strada, memorizzai il nome del posto in città dove viveva mio zio. Stavo ancora farfugliando quando mi addormentai.

On the way, I memorised the name of the place where my uncle lived in the big city. I was still mumbling it when I fell asleep.

En chemin, j’ai mémorisé le nom de l’endroit où mon oncle vivait dans la grande ville. Je le marmonnais encore lorsque je me suis endormi.


Nove ore più tardi, mi svegliai con dei forti colpi e chiamate per i passeggeri in ritorno al mio villaggio. Afferrai il mio piccolo borsone e saltai giù dall’autobus.

Nine hours later, I woke up with loud banging and calling for passengers going back to my village. I grabbed my small bag and jumped out of the bus.

Neuf heures plus tard, je me suis réveillé au bruit de quelqu’un qui appelait les passagers qui retournaient au village. J’ai ramassé mon petit sac et j’ai sauté de l’autobus.


L’autobus di ritorno si stava riempendo velocemente. Presto avrebbe fatto ritorno ad est. La cosa più importante per me ora, era cominciare a cercare la casa di mio zio.

The return bus was filling up quickly. Soon it would make its way back east. The most important thing for me now, was to start looking for my uncle’s house.

L’autobus de retour se remplissait rapidement. Bientôt il partirait vers l’est. La chose la plus importante pour moi maintenant était de commencer à chercher la maison de mon oncle.


Written by: Lesley Koyi, Ursula Nafula
Illustrated by: Brian Wambi
Translated by: Laura Pighini
Read by: Sonia Pighini
Language: Italian
Level 3
Source: The day I left home for the city from African Storybook
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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