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Unit 3
Activity 1b: In this story, Sophia describes her life and an important event on the
islands of Agalega. Read the story carefully.
My beloved island Agalega
I was one year old when we left Mauritius. My mother worked as a teacher on the south island
of Agalega. My childhood in Agalega was full of adventures in the village of Sainte Rita.
I felt isolated from the rest of the world. My island made me dream of becoming either a painter
or a singer to show people how beautiful my island was. I always woke up to the sounds of
the waves and chirping of birds. When it rained, I woke up to the sound of rainwater on the
corrugated iron sheets of our house. The Day Gecko, our famous lizard, was a daily morning
visitor. Its arrival was a sign that it was time to get up. The village was very quiet because there
were no factories and only a few vehicles on the islands.
My mother prepared tea from the rainwater that was collected in a plastic container. On many
days, we did not have bread or rice. During those times, my mother was a genius and prepared
something that I had never tasted before. I am still amazed by how she saved our, maize,
sugar, rice and other foodstuffs and mixed them to make a tasty dish.