work?

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!