Things fall apart

One afternoon, while sitting at the teachers' table. We're speaking English only.

Teacher: Binta, where is your iron hose?
Me: What did you say?
Teacher: Where is your iron hose?
Me: Where is my what?
Teacher: Iron hose, iron hose.
Me: Where is my iron hose?
Teacher: Yes.
Me: Still I do not understand. I am hearing all the words you said, but I am not understanding.
Teacher: Your bicycle.
Me: Why did you not just say “bicycle”?
Teacher: [silence]
Me: ?
Teacher: It is a word not used in spoken English.
Me, indicating the dictionary lying on the table: Is it in there?
Teacher: It is a word used by writers. Also, “devil horse.”
 I realized he must have been saying “iron horse,” not “iron hose."
Teacher: Writers like Chenua Achebe.
Me: He wrote Things Fall Apart?
Teacher: Yes.

And I think our conversation ended there, because I could remember nothing more about Things Fall Apart aside from Chenua Achebe and that the copy of the book I read in 11th grade was incredibly worn (in the Condition Issued column I'd wanted to write “falling apart,” but I wasn’t brave enough to deviate from New, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor).