How to read a ‘slippery when wet’ road

The wet road to school can be very dangerous because of its slippery nature. The first couple of days, my walking to school is marred with slippery incidents. The more I slip, the more I feel my body become tense. I dread each next step... It is such a metaphor for walking on foreign land, for treading on a different culture...
Whenever I am about to land on my back, Jacinth or Mado exclaim: ‘Sorry!’, as if it was their fault. Then they point to me on which side of the path to walk. I never slip where they point... It takes me a few days to work out that there is a very narrow band on which walking is safe! There is a slight visual difference , which I can see, now.
It is the narrow band upon which thousands of previous locals have treated upon, on their way to the market, to the field, to church, to school ...
Around those hills, safety on the path is created by a communal bond. Being able to spot that narrow band is part of my slow enculturation process... Barefoot children, the poorest of the poor in the community are able to run effortlessly and without the slightest mishap on the wettest, most slippery road. I admire and I envy them and I fully accept their laughing at me when I am about to land on my back...