So I am new in a village of people and Im trying to learn the language and the culture and to add on to all of that, Im suppose to be starting some sort of work. Well, I am an agroforestry volunteer. During training we learned how to make tree pepenieres, but we also learned how to make gardens. I decided to make a garden in my compound to learn how to a make a garden in Senegal. It turned out that I used everything we learned in training. I made the garden just like I was taught. Before arriving in I had no gardening experience except for the little backyard garden that I made at home before coming here. That turned out to be a blessing here as well. So anyway, I bought a rake, pick, shovel and watering can and biked them out to my village. We got a place fenced off and started the garden. I learned from a little “gardening in senegal”book which plants were transplantable andd which were direct seeded. We did a pepeniere and direct seeded others. Overall the garden was good except something ate the salad and cabbage and the onions sucked. We still had tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, carrots, turnips, greenbeans and zuccini.
Ok so people knew I was making a garden because in village life, people know everything about what is going on. They just do. I wanted to make the garden to learn, but people kept asking to make their own. So, I had this idea. When I was in Dakar I bought a whole bunch of seeds. I went back to my village and anyone who told me they know I had a garden and they wanted one too, I replied by telling them that if they wanted to make a garden, they could make one and I would provide the seeds. I figured, why not? It would give the people an opportunity to have their own vegetables and maybe I would get to know more about how people got things done. I told this to a lot of people. I didn't quite know what this would end up doing because I didn't know much about my people, their customs, their work ethic and I had no idea what they knew or didn't know about gardening.
The first garden we made was at the health center about a week after word started. Two weeks later, the day before leaving my village I did my 15th garden. My small idea turned into me waking up in the morning, walking out of my hut and having women standing outside waiting to discuss gardens. At night I would sit in my sisters hut with her and the whole room would be filled with women wanting to make gardens. People took me seriously! I said to all of them, “get a fenced in place, get some manure and then come get me.” Well, people came.
I did gardens of all shape and sizes. I did several backyard gardens, where people didnt need to get fence. I also had people go all out. The wife of the chief of the village and 4 of her woman friends bought a ton of fence and made the biggest enclosure of everyone. They each have two plots, which makes 10 altogether. One man bought fence and made a lot right next to a well, which is very smart because he doesn't have to carry water. For those two weeks of garden making you could see me on a daily basis walking around the whole village with rake and watering can in hand. I swear every person in the village came to me while I was making my rounds and asking me for a garden. It reminded me kind of a nature show about sharks, when there is meat available. Yes. It was a bit overwhelming but boy did I learn FAST what I can and cant do with people. I got to learn about how much they knew about gardening. Many people who wanted gardens actually knew how to make them and maintain them. I think of all the people I made gardens with, only a small handful had anything beyond basic experience. When I was standing in the plots of people ready to begin working, I would always ask them where they wanted the garden, what they wanted to plant, who would water and stuff like that The answers I got made their mindset clear. Gardens mean you get vegetables. They wanted lots and lots of vegetables. I helped them draw out their plots (they always wanted to make their whole yard one giant garden). I helped with the manure and the watering techniques (I own one of the two watering cans in the village, so there are other methods). I helped dig and plant and left them with instructions. I had a helper for a lot of it. My 15 year old brother came with me for a lot of the gardens and helped translate and work. Alan, another volunteer came and visited me and I put him to work as well. We made lots of gardens. Then I left with 15 other names written down of people who want more gardens. I figured I would come back and survey the gardens I made and continue when I learn more. If a sentence could say a thousand words this one would be a good example. I learned a hell of a lot about the way things work in my village through making these gardens. I look forward to continuing to learn.
Oh and I bet you are asking, "what about trees?" Well tree pepeniere season is coming. I just spent 2 weeks in theis learing about tree stuff. More about that will come soon!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
pictures?
quick note to let you know that i finally posted pics! Here is the link
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2047653&id=72202129&l=7a28a
Yeah so those are all from like a 2 day period. I really have a lot more really good ones. its just a start.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
A Month part 2: Learning a new culture
Culture time! There is so much I could say about living in and learning about a new culture.. Its a complicated subject I think. Oh well, here goes nothin.
I've thought about what to write and have decided to touch on the main things about the culture here that are different from American culture. Then I'll kind of say what ive learned by living amongst it, as an American of course.
In ASenegal there is city life and there is village life. The two are very, very different. Many city people have never been to a village and vise versa. I live in a village so I will be talking about village life.
So, some things to talk about.
Lets start with Islam! I am learning about the daily lives of muslims and how they see the world. Low and behold, they are just like normal people! A lot of them pray 5 times a day and many don't. They wear differet clothes. They have different holidays, like Kordite and Tabaski and a strange new year celebration. The way they celebrate their holidays in my village is different because they are poor and dont have electricity and stuff. What they basically do is braid eachothers hair, wear nice clothes and nice jewlery and nice shoes and walk about the village and great people. There is dancing too. African dancing that I know I will never be able to duplicate. I have some African clothes but I dont usually wear them. i like my clothes too much! So, basically living among muslims is great. They are nice. They have different values however and I find some of them to be great and some not so great but that is just my opinion.
I bet you guys are all wondering about polygamy. In the states its only crazy religious cults that have men with multiple wives, right?
Well that isnt so here. Having two wives is normal. Heck, having 3 or 4 is accepted, but more in villages than cities. Honestly though, that part of culture seems to be catching up to western views in cities. But once again, I live in a village. My sister's dad has four wives. Her mom is the first wife. When there are multile wives it is important to know which is the first; second third, etc. It counts and roles change. All my sis's dads' wives have between 5 and 8 kids. So, Dalanda has a ton of siblings, and pretty much all of them live in the village, or in a near by village. Many of the kids are grown and have families of their own. Dalanda's big brother has two wives, both of which are my good friends. Its normal here to have multiple wives, it just is. I pay very close attention to how it works and why it happens because it doesnt exist where I grew up. Here, amonsgt these people, it works. The culture here is different. Men and women have roles that have become rather concrete. The question of love in these marriages is the one that people usually ask about, and its also the most complicated. My answer is, it depends on each person. Cant really explain it here :p
The most important things in these relationships is a sense of traditional family values, and building a community that supports each other. Men have their roles and women have theirs. Oftentimes it is better for both the man and the woman if the man takes a second wife. When there are two wives they share the chores and help with the kids, etc. Men and women often dont spend much time with their spouses. They generally fall into their working roles during the day, and for that it is nice to have help.
Being general, the work roles of men and women are very different. I often see men sitting around doing nothing. I rarely or never see women doing that, except one friend because she has the day off work because her husbands second wife is doing the chores that day. Men do work, some have full time jobs even. But in my village, most have no work to do at all. They gather firewood and do house construction things. They make tea and sit down and chat. Its fun to chat with them.
The women work all the time. American eyes would see them as super athletes, made that way by being housewives the African way. Its hard work, let me tell ya.
Some great things about my village that Americans probably dont take into account. All of the villagers here own their own houses and their property. They made their houses with their bare hands out of sand and mudd and cow poop... Or cement if they can afford it; sometimes nice cinder block brick type things. The majority of the food that the poorest people eat is grown in their own fields. They dont rely on only money to eat. The food they buy makes it taste better, but they cuold eat nonetheless. This is not really a part of the American culture. In America people own houses, sure, but not until struggling for 30 something years of having their house own them. A house is a home no matter how big or small and the houses in my family are enough. Its cool to see that. I tried explaining to my sister how many americans were poor even though they have a house with electricity and running water and she just couldnt understand. The huts here are great. Its just like being in your bedroom. The livingroom and kitchen just happens to be outside which is fine because its warm outside.
Oh, weather. Its not culture but this is how it is. The seasons are basically the same as American seasons; you just add a million degrees. fall and winter are october through february. There is gradually gets "chilly" in the nights. It probably gets as low as 60 degrees. The days are still warm. Its the season of the year where you can be neight hot nor cold. Spring and summer is march through September. Its freaking hot, day and night. I havnet experienced the hottest part yet, which is aparently April. There is hot dry and a hot rainy season. Its painfully hot. People bath three times a day. In the rainy hot season nothing is ever dry, even the air.
So
March-May: Painfuly hot dry season
June-September: Hot rainy season
October-February: Cool dry season (heaven)
The cool dry season is the only time you dont constantly think about how uncomfortable you are, i.e. "man its hot," or "i cant stop sweating," or "if it gets any hotter i think i will die," etc. So, if you want to come here and be mildly comfortable, come in the cool dry season. If you want to come and see the green beautifulness come in the hot rainy season. If you want to feel the heat and see the brown, come in the hot dry.
im feeling finished with this blog. Next up is work.
I've thought about what to write and have decided to touch on the main things about the culture here that are different from American culture. Then I'll kind of say what ive learned by living amongst it, as an American of course.
In ASenegal there is city life and there is village life. The two are very, very different. Many city people have never been to a village and vise versa. I live in a village so I will be talking about village life.
So, some things to talk about.
Lets start with Islam! I am learning about the daily lives of muslims and how they see the world. Low and behold, they are just like normal people! A lot of them pray 5 times a day and many don't. They wear differet clothes. They have different holidays, like Kordite and Tabaski and a strange new year celebration. The way they celebrate their holidays in my village is different because they are poor and dont have electricity and stuff. What they basically do is braid eachothers hair, wear nice clothes and nice jewlery and nice shoes and walk about the village and great people. There is dancing too. African dancing that I know I will never be able to duplicate. I have some African clothes but I dont usually wear them. i like my clothes too much! So, basically living among muslims is great. They are nice. They have different values however and I find some of them to be great and some not so great but that is just my opinion.
I bet you guys are all wondering about polygamy. In the states its only crazy religious cults that have men with multiple wives, right?
Well that isnt so here. Having two wives is normal. Heck, having 3 or 4 is accepted, but more in villages than cities. Honestly though, that part of culture seems to be catching up to western views in cities. But once again, I live in a village. My sister's dad has four wives. Her mom is the first wife. When there are multile wives it is important to know which is the first; second third, etc. It counts and roles change. All my sis's dads' wives have between 5 and 8 kids. So, Dalanda has a ton of siblings, and pretty much all of them live in the village, or in a near by village. Many of the kids are grown and have families of their own. Dalanda's big brother has two wives, both of which are my good friends. Its normal here to have multiple wives, it just is. I pay very close attention to how it works and why it happens because it doesnt exist where I grew up. Here, amonsgt these people, it works. The culture here is different. Men and women have roles that have become rather concrete. The question of love in these marriages is the one that people usually ask about, and its also the most complicated. My answer is, it depends on each person. Cant really explain it here :p
The most important things in these relationships is a sense of traditional family values, and building a community that supports each other. Men have their roles and women have theirs. Oftentimes it is better for both the man and the woman if the man takes a second wife. When there are two wives they share the chores and help with the kids, etc. Men and women often dont spend much time with their spouses. They generally fall into their working roles during the day, and for that it is nice to have help.
Being general, the work roles of men and women are very different. I often see men sitting around doing nothing. I rarely or never see women doing that, except one friend because she has the day off work because her husbands second wife is doing the chores that day. Men do work, some have full time jobs even. But in my village, most have no work to do at all. They gather firewood and do house construction things. They make tea and sit down and chat. Its fun to chat with them.
The women work all the time. American eyes would see them as super athletes, made that way by being housewives the African way. Its hard work, let me tell ya.
Some great things about my village that Americans probably dont take into account. All of the villagers here own their own houses and their property. They made their houses with their bare hands out of sand and mudd and cow poop... Or cement if they can afford it; sometimes nice cinder block brick type things. The majority of the food that the poorest people eat is grown in their own fields. They dont rely on only money to eat. The food they buy makes it taste better, but they cuold eat nonetheless. This is not really a part of the American culture. In America people own houses, sure, but not until struggling for 30 something years of having their house own them. A house is a home no matter how big or small and the houses in my family are enough. Its cool to see that. I tried explaining to my sister how many americans were poor even though they have a house with electricity and running water and she just couldnt understand. The huts here are great. Its just like being in your bedroom. The livingroom and kitchen just happens to be outside which is fine because its warm outside.
Oh, weather. Its not culture but this is how it is. The seasons are basically the same as American seasons; you just add a million degrees. fall and winter are october through february. There is gradually gets "chilly" in the nights. It probably gets as low as 60 degrees. The days are still warm. Its the season of the year where you can be neight hot nor cold. Spring and summer is march through September. Its freaking hot, day and night. I havnet experienced the hottest part yet, which is aparently April. There is hot dry and a hot rainy season. Its painfully hot. People bath three times a day. In the rainy hot season nothing is ever dry, even the air.
So
March-May: Painfuly hot dry season
June-September: Hot rainy season
October-February: Cool dry season (heaven)
The cool dry season is the only time you dont constantly think about how uncomfortable you are, i.e. "man its hot," or "i cant stop sweating," or "if it gets any hotter i think i will die," etc. So, if you want to come here and be mildly comfortable, come in the cool dry season. If you want to come and see the green beautifulness come in the hot rainy season. If you want to feel the heat and see the brown, come in the hot dry.
im feeling finished with this blog. Next up is work.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
A Month in My VIllage
So I just spent the longest time in 11 years that I havent logged onto the internet. I went about 28 days, and it felt great! It's really nice to know that there is a life out there without technology everywhere.
I spent 25 days in my village with the hopes of doing some last moment immersion before doing back to Theis for some more training on Agroforestry. It is normal to spend a week or two in their village and then leave for a few days to catch up on work, good food and other volunteers. It often seems that when you leave your village, and then return all refreshed, you kind of start over there. Life is a lot different when alone in the village than it is at the regional peace corps house.
My month in the village was great. I dont have a lot of time online to type it all out orderly so, thanks to a suggestion from my bro, Ill space it out into three blogs. 1. Settling in, 2. Culture lessons and 3. Work. I will start with settling in.
Each day this month was different, yet lovely. Once you realize that you are staying there, you really start to live. I went back and forth between daily schedules all month. I stayed busy every day. I think I took maybe 2 naps the whole month. I started the month off with a fitness plan. I was worried about being in one place for a long time because I tend to get bored doing that. So, I rode my bike in the mornings before it got hot. I rode 40 kilometers for a few days then took a day off. I only did this for the first few weeks. I must say I got in great shape. I also got auite daring on the road that I took. Eventually I got daring and rode all the way to Kedougou and back. I did that twice. The second time, a day that I rode 80k, was the last day I rode my bike. That is when I started getting distracted by other things in the mornings.
Daily activities are plentiful in my life in the village. Dalanda, my sister, makes every day fun. There is just one thing about our relationship that makes every day great for the both of us. She likes to help me in any way she can, and I like to help her in any way I can. And, we both need a lot of help! My sis has a tough role in the family. She cooks 3 meals a day most days for 8 or more people. She cleans house, washes laundry and draws water for herself, her husband and her kids. She does all the dishes, and more chores that I cant think of right now. Basically she works her butt off from before sunrise to well after sunset. She is exhausted every day. I love helping her with this stuff. She teaches me everything in turn and we basically just brighten each others day. Dalanda has helped me to realize several things;
at first when I got here I was frustrated at how dirty my backyard and douche seemed. I couldnt comprehend why though. In turn I would wake up every morning and see Dalanda sweeping the common area. I sat there every day wondering why the heck anyone would sweep dirt. There is no floor to sweep, only dirt. It took me a while to realize that some dirt it good and some is bad. Anyway, after starting to see how clean the common area seemed after she swept it, I tried my hand at cleaning my back yard. Low and behold, after several hours and some crazy selective dirt sweeping , I had a spic and span back yard and douche! who knew african village life could be so clean! Its strange how the American eye has a different concept of cleanliness than the African eye. After that breakthrough I started to understand how important it is to be clean. There is a way to clean your hutt every day to keep it clean, even if the floor is made with cow poop mixed with water. There is a way to clean your feet even if they do get filthy 5 minutes later. And yes, there is a proper way to take a bucket bath. I now find a super yet simple pleasure in deep cleaning my feet ans scrubbing my flip flops every day. It just makes me feel so clean!
I am learning how darn hard it is to cook here. The most complicated dish is called Laciri and some day I will make a blog about how to prepare it, complete with photos. It takes two days to make it. There are several other dishes too. They are all hard too. I had no idea you could do so much with corn, really. My main jobs with cooking are the same jobs that kids can do. I unugol a lot, which is pounding. I make peanut butter, I take the corn to the machine, I sift, I stir, I mix. I have tried pretty much everything though. And remember, all food here is made completely from scratch! Every time I cook with my sis I learn new ingrediants. Breakfast is the same every day for example, yet different. Its a porridge called Mbuiri. It always has corn in it, and water. The rest is up to what is available. It can have either all or none of: sugar, tamarin, baobab fruit, sour milk, or salt. Oh and the way the corn is prepared also depends on the day. Its best with everything and a double dose of sugar. Breakfast in my home is great!
I have a home garden. My brother and I made it with some help from some of his friends. We started with a pepeniere but now we have several plots that include, lots of carrots, turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, eggplant, zuccini and onions. My main motivation in making this garden was to learn about gardening. And learn I did. It was slow and sketchy making it because I didnt know much of what I was doing. I bought a pick, shovel, rake and watering can. We made a large fenced in area. Dalanda and I went to the fields and found some amazing fertalizer. We gathered it with out bare hands and walked it back home half a mile on our heads, singing the numa numa song and laughing to hard we almost fell over. Ever since the garden was planted my brother, Omar and I have had a deal. He waters every morning and I water every evening.
This brings me to my next settling in experience. Drawing water. This is something you definitely dont have to deal with in the states. Want to water your garden? Do Laundry? Wash dished? Drink? turn on the fauct or the hose! Here? Walk a block to the water pump, wait 30 minutes amongst 20 screaming kids fighting over whos turn it is to fill their basines, and then, when you finally get your turn, carry the water back on your head! I carry Between 100 and 120 liters of water on my head every day for that damn garden. My record is 160 liters in one day. Ive gotten pretty good at checking out people water carrying devices. You think you are good and recognizing brands of clothing or types of cars? I can glance at any bucket or basine and tell you what brand it is and how many liters it is! Beat that! I usually carry 20 liters on my head. I had to work up to that and on my last week in the village I upped my capacity to 30 liters. My sister saw me bring that 30 liter basine home and looked me straight in the eye and told me I was going to die. Sure enough, Three days later I couldnt move my damn neck and my back was killing me. Im back to the 20 liter basine.
Going to the forage is crazy. I cant even explain it. Water fights everywhere. Cows surrounding it begging like starving dogs for a drink. Cows fighting over the best spill-over spots. Dogs getting kicked, dead frogs floating about. Kids surrounding the area washing dishes, corn and younger sibling and themselves. And here I am, a toubab in my khaki pants.
This month I have gotten to know a lot of people. Luckily for me, most meetings have been good. I have gotten to know a lot of Dalandas family finally. The first two months I got to know most of Omars family. It turns out that I already met most of her family and just forgot. She has several sisters and brothers, and the wives of her brothers are out and about too. Ive gotten to know a lot of them. I have fun hanging out at the local doctors office. My brother works there as the doctor's assistant. THe doctor's brother is one of my best friends there. We have made gardens there. That will be in the work section of the blog, as will more stories on getting to know people.
Language! All I can say about it is that Im learning a lot! The problem with it though is I am not getting gvery good explanations on how to say things or what im doing wrong. If people understand me they just nod, whether I say it correctly or not. Im getting tutoring sessions from my bro though; which helps a lot.
Kids! Ive never lived with kids before and now I have a ton. I love havings kids as a part of my daily life. I love getting to know each one good and bad. Ill say more about them later.
I am running out of time. cant correct it. sorry! expect the next blog soon!
I spent 25 days in my village with the hopes of doing some last moment immersion before doing back to Theis for some more training on Agroforestry. It is normal to spend a week or two in their village and then leave for a few days to catch up on work, good food and other volunteers. It often seems that when you leave your village, and then return all refreshed, you kind of start over there. Life is a lot different when alone in the village than it is at the regional peace corps house.
My month in the village was great. I dont have a lot of time online to type it all out orderly so, thanks to a suggestion from my bro, Ill space it out into three blogs. 1. Settling in, 2. Culture lessons and 3. Work. I will start with settling in.
Each day this month was different, yet lovely. Once you realize that you are staying there, you really start to live. I went back and forth between daily schedules all month. I stayed busy every day. I think I took maybe 2 naps the whole month. I started the month off with a fitness plan. I was worried about being in one place for a long time because I tend to get bored doing that. So, I rode my bike in the mornings before it got hot. I rode 40 kilometers for a few days then took a day off. I only did this for the first few weeks. I must say I got in great shape. I also got auite daring on the road that I took. Eventually I got daring and rode all the way to Kedougou and back. I did that twice. The second time, a day that I rode 80k, was the last day I rode my bike. That is when I started getting distracted by other things in the mornings.
Daily activities are plentiful in my life in the village. Dalanda, my sister, makes every day fun. There is just one thing about our relationship that makes every day great for the both of us. She likes to help me in any way she can, and I like to help her in any way I can. And, we both need a lot of help! My sis has a tough role in the family. She cooks 3 meals a day most days for 8 or more people. She cleans house, washes laundry and draws water for herself, her husband and her kids. She does all the dishes, and more chores that I cant think of right now. Basically she works her butt off from before sunrise to well after sunset. She is exhausted every day. I love helping her with this stuff. She teaches me everything in turn and we basically just brighten each others day. Dalanda has helped me to realize several things;
at first when I got here I was frustrated at how dirty my backyard and douche seemed. I couldnt comprehend why though. In turn I would wake up every morning and see Dalanda sweeping the common area. I sat there every day wondering why the heck anyone would sweep dirt. There is no floor to sweep, only dirt. It took me a while to realize that some dirt it good and some is bad. Anyway, after starting to see how clean the common area seemed after she swept it, I tried my hand at cleaning my back yard. Low and behold, after several hours and some crazy selective dirt sweeping , I had a spic and span back yard and douche! who knew african village life could be so clean! Its strange how the American eye has a different concept of cleanliness than the African eye. After that breakthrough I started to understand how important it is to be clean. There is a way to clean your hutt every day to keep it clean, even if the floor is made with cow poop mixed with water. There is a way to clean your feet even if they do get filthy 5 minutes later. And yes, there is a proper way to take a bucket bath. I now find a super yet simple pleasure in deep cleaning my feet ans scrubbing my flip flops every day. It just makes me feel so clean!
I am learning how darn hard it is to cook here. The most complicated dish is called Laciri and some day I will make a blog about how to prepare it, complete with photos. It takes two days to make it. There are several other dishes too. They are all hard too. I had no idea you could do so much with corn, really. My main jobs with cooking are the same jobs that kids can do. I unugol a lot, which is pounding. I make peanut butter, I take the corn to the machine, I sift, I stir, I mix. I have tried pretty much everything though. And remember, all food here is made completely from scratch! Every time I cook with my sis I learn new ingrediants. Breakfast is the same every day for example, yet different. Its a porridge called Mbuiri. It always has corn in it, and water. The rest is up to what is available. It can have either all or none of: sugar, tamarin, baobab fruit, sour milk, or salt. Oh and the way the corn is prepared also depends on the day. Its best with everything and a double dose of sugar. Breakfast in my home is great!
I have a home garden. My brother and I made it with some help from some of his friends. We started with a pepeniere but now we have several plots that include, lots of carrots, turnips, cucumbers, tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, eggplant, zuccini and onions. My main motivation in making this garden was to learn about gardening. And learn I did. It was slow and sketchy making it because I didnt know much of what I was doing. I bought a pick, shovel, rake and watering can. We made a large fenced in area. Dalanda and I went to the fields and found some amazing fertalizer. We gathered it with out bare hands and walked it back home half a mile on our heads, singing the numa numa song and laughing to hard we almost fell over. Ever since the garden was planted my brother, Omar and I have had a deal. He waters every morning and I water every evening.
This brings me to my next settling in experience. Drawing water. This is something you definitely dont have to deal with in the states. Want to water your garden? Do Laundry? Wash dished? Drink? turn on the fauct or the hose! Here? Walk a block to the water pump, wait 30 minutes amongst 20 screaming kids fighting over whos turn it is to fill their basines, and then, when you finally get your turn, carry the water back on your head! I carry Between 100 and 120 liters of water on my head every day for that damn garden. My record is 160 liters in one day. Ive gotten pretty good at checking out people water carrying devices. You think you are good and recognizing brands of clothing or types of cars? I can glance at any bucket or basine and tell you what brand it is and how many liters it is! Beat that! I usually carry 20 liters on my head. I had to work up to that and on my last week in the village I upped my capacity to 30 liters. My sister saw me bring that 30 liter basine home and looked me straight in the eye and told me I was going to die. Sure enough, Three days later I couldnt move my damn neck and my back was killing me. Im back to the 20 liter basine.
Going to the forage is crazy. I cant even explain it. Water fights everywhere. Cows surrounding it begging like starving dogs for a drink. Cows fighting over the best spill-over spots. Dogs getting kicked, dead frogs floating about. Kids surrounding the area washing dishes, corn and younger sibling and themselves. And here I am, a toubab in my khaki pants.
This month I have gotten to know a lot of people. Luckily for me, most meetings have been good. I have gotten to know a lot of Dalandas family finally. The first two months I got to know most of Omars family. It turns out that I already met most of her family and just forgot. She has several sisters and brothers, and the wives of her brothers are out and about too. Ive gotten to know a lot of them. I have fun hanging out at the local doctors office. My brother works there as the doctor's assistant. THe doctor's brother is one of my best friends there. We have made gardens there. That will be in the work section of the blog, as will more stories on getting to know people.
Language! All I can say about it is that Im learning a lot! The problem with it though is I am not getting gvery good explanations on how to say things or what im doing wrong. If people understand me they just nod, whether I say it correctly or not. Im getting tutoring sessions from my bro though; which helps a lot.
Kids! Ive never lived with kids before and now I have a ton. I love havings kids as a part of my daily life. I love getting to know each one good and bad. Ill say more about them later.
I am running out of time. cant correct it. sorry! expect the next blog soon!
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