Sitting Under a Baobob: November 2009

The past few weeks have been a busy time in village. The rainy season is over and harvesting is in full bloom, so everyone has been out in the rice, peanut, millet, and findo farms collecting their crops. It's tiring, but more rewarding than plowing and weeding because you can see you're labor actually paying off!!! My host, Fatoumata and I go out to her fields and have such interesting conversations while cutting handfuls of rice. I thought they would be fun to share with you all.

1. Nursing homes:

Me: "In America, people are often too busy to take care of their parents, so there are homes that only old people live in."

Fatou: "(Shocked facial expression) But you're parents take care of you for so many years, they feed you, cloth you, pay for your school fees, and help you get married! How can you just leave them alone?

Me: "True, but you know, people work outside their own villages, so if they're parents need help, they would have to wait all day for their kids to get home."

Fatou: "What does the village chief think of this?"

Me: "America is different."

2. Disciplining Children

Fatou: "Why don't you go to the school anymore?"

Me: "Going to school makes me sad because the teacher's hit the kids. If the kids are afraid to go to school, then they can't learn. It's not fair to them."

Fatou: "If they don't hit the kids, they won't listen and then won't learn anyways."

Me: "When I was little, and did something wrong, my parents or teachers would just make me feel bad. Maybe they would say they were unhappy with me, then I would feel sad and learn my lesson."

Fatou: "Can you teach Jali kids to do that?"

3. Remarriage

Me: "Binki had to remarry after her husband died, but she doesn't live with him or talk to him at all. Why did she have to get married again?"

Fatou: "Binki didn't want to get married, really... but it's not her decision. It's the elders."

Me: "That's not fair! She shouldn't have to get married if she doesn't want to."

Fatou: "Gambia is different."

4. Sunburn

Me: "Fatoumata, you are so strong, out in the fields for hours, how can you take the heat?! It truly hurts my skin it's so hot"

Fatou: "The heat, yes, it's big. (She feels my arm). WOW! You're skin really is hotter than mine! Where is your sun oil (lotion)? Go sit in the shade."

Me: "If the sun is too strong, it can burn my skin, it hurts!"

Fatou: "Like when you pick up hot coals and your fingers hurt for a few days?"

Me: "Sort of..."

5. Over-population

Fatou: "Here in Gambia, people want to have 20 kids, it's a blessing, and then you have more help on the farm."

Me: "But if everyone has 20 kids, how will they feed them all? Then, you'll need to build more houses and will have less land to farm on, so growing enough food for everyone will be difficult."

Fatou: "No, it doesn't work like that..."

Me: "Oh?"

Fatou: "Lamin says we're out of rice." (PS- they have 6 kids)

I'm sure there will be more to come! The rainy season has ended so can finally sleep outside again. We're starting nursery beds for the dry season garden! And planning a field day for World Aids Day at my school! Keep in touch! Thank you for all the letters and packages, I am so blessed to have so much support, thank you.