Walking into the city series 1 by Thomas Rogers Muyunga Mukasa

I enjoy writing and when I do I feel so fulfilled. I started taking time to do serious creative writing when I volunteered to teach English to a school of 200 students in a rural district in Africa. I had to write stories about rural lifestyles with examples that my students would be familiar with. This got them excited. They felt they knew what was going on and the stories were from their own vicinity. We could not afford many text books. I had the only copy used to teach the English syllabus. I taught for four years and my school as well as the students were ranked among the the first five schools in that district.  Creative writing enables me to make my senses work for me. In these series we shall answer such questions like: what city? Contrasts of regions within the city, the events that I see, or get to hear, you will walk with me and get to hear the sounds that get to my ear. Or you will be a bystander taking in certain urban related events as they happen.

I live 3 miles away from the proper down town San Francisco City. My side, the Bernal Heights, lies east of the city. I enjoy walking to the city. I do this when I have to get to work,  do errands or just want to get into the city. There is another side to walking: it enables me get my daily exercise. It is said: a healthy body and a healthy mind. 'Mens sana corpore sano.' I also get the opportunity to take in the beauty, events, architecture, art on the murals and the diverse arrangements unique to different streets that make up San Francisco.

My side of the town is typically residential. The homes are two storied apartments or bungalows with independent yards. Birds are seen playing around in the fountains or pecking the seed bags left for their enjoyment. A dog left by the owner barks so loud behind one way glasses. But, this is not to say that all apartments in San Francisco are like the ones my side of town. Nope! There are those that are 50 storeys and beyond. The similar aspect for all apartments is the tarmacked yards lined with bright white and yellow markings denoting where each resident can park a car.

The roads leading to and out of the apartments or homes have large signs cautioning on speed, a school or a junction in the vicinity. An occasional car drives into the street with a couple hurrying or taking their time on the way to perform this or that errand......or the gym,....or the grocery store. Otherwise, it is a quiet, almost event-less trudge for the first mile.

A very steep incline works a heavy toll on my leg muscles, feet and toes. Sometimes, I have noticed, when the winds are blowing so hard one feels a great force that may almost drop one down but for size and weight. Excitement begins after the first mile.

There is a busy corner on the route I prefer to take from home. A restaurant with large curbs is always busy around this time. Many families gather here for breakfast. Across from this restaurant, is a park. During sunny mornings one may find many people sitting on the benches or the green lawns. Farther on is the famed Cesar Chavez street. The section between Cesar Chavez and 24th Street has large Spanish colonial style apartments. They are miniature castles. These have security fences, signs emphasizing privacy, security cameras with dark glassy all seeing eyes and real large notices with 'Neighborhood watch" caution. Every time I pass here I am reminded of the Trevor Martin case (Florida). I always stop my mind from playing out scenarios of being chased or someone coming up with an excuse to gun me down! For all the time I have walked this street, there is a particular corner where persons of Latino extract congregate. I do give my passable "¿Cómo estás?" or when I sense something deeper "¿Cómo te va?" or "¿Cómo le va?" I have since learnt this is a point of pick up for farm hands or those who need day jobs. At this point one can hear rapid fire Spanish or the laid back slow spoken one. I am working on my Spanish and French, one day I shall surprise a few friends I have made with long drawn Spanish conversations!

Beyond Cesar Chavez one gets into a section bustling with more cars, animals on leashes or being carried by owners and many pigeons. The pigeons are so bold that they fly straight or near one's face almost on purpose. I call them the dare-devil pigeons of San Francisco. The police on motorcycles do a regular patrol. Some are in their black and white cruisers. People are walking in and out of doors, there is a lot of near bumping into each other, speeding cars seem relieved after being let go by a green light, a distant siren pierces the air, careful drivers watch out for other road users.

As soon as one turns a corner lo and behold! More restaurants squeezed into a block with tell-tale coffee or spicy aroma are by this time bustling and brimming with people. Cafes, on top of serving meals and drinks have facilities for those with personal computers to log in and chat or do whatever they fancy with those machines.

The traffic police has stopped a youthful body toned driver of a Jeep Wrangler. Both parties, the stopped and stopper, seem to be polite with each other. The driver is signing a piece of paper from a book proffered by the police officer. 3 other officers on silent motor cycles are watching. They are on the sides and seem to be talking amongst each other. This belies the ease with which their eyes can peel away towards a sign of any disturbance.

I now get to the wider sections of the down town streets. These ones have wide berths or raised platforms for deliveries. Large tractor trailers are able to park as they offload or load merchandise. This goes for delivery vans too. Meanwhile, there are more cars speeding by and fewer other road users. Down town is quieter and businesses seem to be conducted indoors. Ahead is my destination address. I get to the gate and use my pass to gain access. I say my share of greetings to the beaming security officers and proceed to get a table and chair in a row I like most. Today, being Thursday I have so much to complete including publishing this story.