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Published: January 5th 2006
Today I was walking out in the African cornfield with Ghislain, in search of monkeys preparing ears of corn to eat. The combination of the smells of hot vegetation, the corn and grass taller than my head on either side of me, the rustling of the leaves and the feel of the wind on my face that also made my already sweaty t-shirt press up against me, reminded me of home. I told Ghislain that if I closed my eyes, I could see my sisters and brother and dogs with me, all out in the yard, maybe getting ready to play catch or something. Once, Ghislain told me that if I want to, if I really need to see my family, I could go to the States and back in a minutes' time, just by closing my eyes. I told him I did that. He asked how everyone was doing; luckily I was able to tell him that everyone was doing well. I never would have guessed Africa could remind me so much of Kansas.
So, yeah, that was astonishing news to me, too. Monkeys preparing corn? Actually cooking corn to eat? The crazy-smart monkeys will pick the ears, then place them in a brush-pile fire to roast, then eat it like a human does (that is, typewriter style, not spirals.) Only early in the morning and around noon. I didn’t get to see them this time out, but maybe next time. Crazy monkeys.
I made cookies today (surprise!). I made them because I wanted to eat them, but I did give away more than I ate. As I gave them away, I realized how generous people are. I watched how one of the boys I gave a cookie to took a bite and then immediately offered the other bite to his brother (to whom I had already given a cookie earlier). A couple of girls who were drawing water at the well stopped for a bit to play with the boys’ bikes. Instead of telling them to leave their stuff alone, like I would have done, the boys just watched the girls try to get on the bikes, ad then move on. On my hike in the corn field-jungle, I didn’t leave with only the dirt between my toes, but also with corn. After bathing, after the hike, I asked my neighbors for a cold drink, since they have a refrigerator, fully intending, but was not allowed, to pay. So, I gave them some cookies with the bottle in return. I am learning, and sometimes take advantage of the fact, that if I want to visit friends in the evening, say, oh, near dinner time, I will be fed. If my bike is dirty, someone wants to wash it. If my grass is too tall to see all those hidden animals, someone wants to cut it for me. If I want to buy five peanutty-rings, the woman wants to give me five more. If I am eating at the rice and beans place and a friend is there to eat too, I don’t usually end up paying for myself.
At first I thought, “ Gosh, these people really treat guests well!” Which I true, but everyone is generous with everyone else. I am not very good at the giving yet, because I keep thinking I need things. Silly me. But I am practicing!!
Funny thing about December in Africa: Not only does it remind me of summer in Kansas, but because it is the dry season, all the brush fires to clear the fields remind me of the woods stove at home, and I almost think I should at least see frost on the ground in the morning. Today after mass I ate with the Sisters, one of whom started singing “Jingle Bells” in English. I told her it was too bizarre for me to sing Jingle Bells while sweating out-of-doors in December. Good food, good times.
Since writing the above, the Internet went out in Lokossa, so I have written again, and will attach the second here. I also want to say that since my last trip to Internet, and the previous blog, I have helped organize the books at CLAC, that is, place them by number and alphabet in proper order. So much fun. AND, CLAC now has a satellite, so I can watch TV5 and even BBC Worldwide. Ahh! (That is the cone of light shining down on my blessed soul.)
I go back and forth in deciding if I like the convenience of grocery stores more than fresh bananas, pineapples, oranges, lemons, chicken, fish, mangoes, roasted peanuts… Sometimes when I really want to split some kind of pint of ice cream with a sister, I lean toward convenience of grocery stores. Then, when I go meet with people who simply need help getting organized, getting started, and they give me about one million fresh bananas, I lean toward freshness. The best is when the bananas are actually bananas and not plantains. Plantains have an annoying seed-like string in the center, though they still make a good loaf of banana bread.
I had a bout of frustrating days. Possibly because of myself, in not understanding the situations I was in, or possibly just because I hadn’t been frustrated in a while and it was past due. I re-read my journal entry from one of those days and would like to share a bit, because that’s what I do.
“ and I have no safety net, unless I hole myself up in my home, where I can understand all of the goings-on. It’s amazing how much of my life is a guessing game here. What are we doing here? Where are we going next? What did they just say? What kind of meat is this? J… It is work to be a volunteer. Not in the joking, “work is living here,” sense, wherein living here is reading books, cooking food, and drinking beer, but in the sense that living here is being able express yourself in a foreign language, being able to meet the demands the community puts on you, such as students and young people who want to play, people who want you to teach them English, people who want you to work with them so that they are viewed like a good brand name shoe, as in the brand name, “Yovo works with me,” or, “Yovo is my friend.” Work as in trying to make those people happy, plus doing what people actually classify as work, such as the garden, or planning and attending meetings, etc. Plus, having enough time to do things that let you remember you are American, such as cooking American food, speaking English, knowing what the hell is going on… But what’s life without a challenge? A hole, I believe…”
On second thought, if I knew that I was living in a hole and wanted out, that would be quite a challenge.
I did snap out of the mood. I really do get along well here, but there are times when I really appreciate the idea of things always happening the way I thought they would. Even just being able to have any kind of idea of how things are going to happen would be nice. My life, expecting nothing but to follow, watch, and learn, is pretty interesting.
I got to talk to my grandparents Stuart yesterday. They told me it was 37 degrees Fahrenheit at home. I about fell off my chair laughing in amazement. Merry Christmas! I will let you know how mine goes, as soon as I find out… 😊
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gma and gpa stuart
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Just finished reading and copying your most recent entries. Really glad to have them. Hope your packages arrived okay. Another letter and calander coming soon. Love!!!