Hello;
It has been another 2 weeks since I have last arrived
in the 'big' city to read emails and to just get out of the
village for a change of scenery. But of course during the
2 weeks there is always something going on. So, here are
some of the stories or mini-adventures, I guess it is one
of those half full/half empty things.
***** Don't worry ... be happy*****
After the last time that I came into the 'big' city
(Kolda in the region of Kolda - just below The Gambia)
we hit the road to return to the village on a tuesday
morning. I was in town with another Peace Corps
volunteer from the village over from my village 'Goundaga'.
So at about noon after filling up on some decent chow
we go to the gare (that's what they call the garages
where you catch the bus ... 7 palaas to your destination).
It was interesting that day because actually the gare is
pretty hectic and not so aesthetic place. But as we
are sitting there waiting we see this bird or should I
say more like one of the birds that ones sees on an
exotic travel brochure ... it was between 2 and 3 ft.
tall ... black with a red plume on top of the head. I
know that we have all seen this bird on TV or in the
zoo and it sure seemed like a wacky scenario seeing it
scrounge around the gare (though walking as graceful
and proud as could be).
So after watching an example of Wild Life Africa
in the oddest place we wedged ourselves into the 7-palaas
(which is an old Peugeot 505 station wagon usually
with no shocks and a broken windshield, but with a
fire extinguisher) ... (also I don't why know they call it a
7-palass because it actually sits 8 counting the
driver ... 2 in the front ... 3 in the middle seats
... and 3 in the back seats ... all in a car smaller than
a mid sized) ... oh yeah ... then there is baggage,
goats, buckets ... and today 3 - 10 liter plastic
gas cans filled with gas ( I figured what ta hell
... this could be as good a day as any to die).
OK ... back to the return trip to the village ...
after wedging ourselves in the 7-palaas ( me and
Pat (Peace Corps volunteer from the other village)
and 5 good sized Wolof women) ... I live in a region
of Senegal that is predominately 'Pulaar-Fulakunda'
and the Wolofs live up above 'The Gambia' near
Thies and Dakar ... so there is this language
difference as we have learned Pulaar and it isn't
all that similar to Wolof.
So off we go and it was a good day as they didn't
have to push start the car (which is about 80%
of the time). After about 20 minutes Pat (who is
probably pretty renowned for being able to sleep
in anything that moves at any time) konks out and
all of a sudden from the radio comes Bobby McFarren's
'Don't worry ... be happy' ... it was something to sit
there thinking about the problems of the village
and what can we do about it ... and then listening
to " Here's a little song I wrote ... etc. ... nah,nah,nah
... don't worry be happy". It was one of those moments
that all of a sudden the thought comes ... look at where
I am. In a 7-palaas with 5 wolof women and each one
is as colorfully dressed as one could be ... they all have
head wraps with colors of orange and black ... brilliant blue
... chocolate brown ... red and yellow with some day-glow
pink (sounds like it wouldn't work but it was striking) and
a gray and cream color melange. Also I looked over and there
was Pat zonked out and here we are bombing down the
road with don't worry be happy on the radio ... Wolof women
in colorful dress and speaking Wolof ... and Pat sleeping and
me trying to figure out how to solve problems that I have
no clue where to start. I can tell what I learned from that
surreal ride ... don't worry be happy as I was there then
and had all this happening and was caught up in problems
that will be solved in it's own time. I have to thank ole
Bobby ... I think I am going to enjoy the ride a little more
from now on.
***** The Tomato *****
I arrived in the village on the 12th of June which
is right at the beginning of the planting season or when
the rainy season starts and it is when there are people
going out to the fields all the time and it is also the time
of the year where the food supply starts dwindling down.
Especially where last year was a drought year and the yield
from the harvest was down considerably. What happened
is that we are to the point where we eat nothing but 'follere
and rice or follere and millet' all the time. Follere is a pasty
green sauce made out of weeds, water, salt and on a good
day 'jimbo' which is like a salty bouillon cube. Of course the
question would be ... why don't they go out and buy some
food ... the reason is that they have no money and I literally
mean 'no money'. I had it better than the people in the
village as I had some money and could go into town and
get something ... but I did that twice as I was starving and
for me to get that way takes a bit. I lost 16 lbs in four weeks
and that was with eating 3 times a day. I refused to go into
to town everyday because I wanted to know and experience
what the people where going through. This way I can
understand what their lives are about.
So after seeing and feeling the hunger daily I asked
my village counterpart "why don't we start a vegetable
garden?". Or more like why wasn't there any vegetable
gardens. He said it was because of money ... problems
with having to haul water over distances ... and a few
others with some being human related ... like it just
isn't done in the wet season. So, I go out
buy a bunch of seeds and off we go starting an example
'wet season garden'. When you live by sustenance farming
you have to learn patience as if you plant the plants
today it is going to take 3 months or so to eat. But,
we planted tomato plants and immediately there was
this big village interest as a whole bunch of people
came out to see these seedlings in our garden next
to the well. As the time goes by I stake the plants
and the torrential rains and winds (hendu in Pulaar)
batter these plants and to their credit the wouldn't
accept defeat. Well, finally, though the food situation
has started getting better as some of the early crops
started coming in (this has been a big year for rain) ...
here comes the tomatoes. Well, actually it started
pretty slow and there is one tomato that is pretty
close to ripening and man ... I got my peepers on
that one. It was really small for USA standards but
for here it was big and again the people come out
to see this tomato. Well, my counterpart warns me
that we should take it off the plant before it ripens.
Any true tomato aficionado would blanch at the
thought. So ... of course I said
"why don't we wait till it is a little more ripe" which
actually turned out to be ... let's leave it there
till something comes by and eat it. So there goes
tomato #1 ... a frustration in sustenance farming.
But of course others are coming and this time we
pull them off the plant. It was like an event as there
were about 40 people (about 30 of them kids)
whom came over to witness the harvesting of tomatoes
in the rainy season. All the people wanted to hold
the tomatoes and each one had some remark about
how great these 4 tomatoes were. One guy had this
dumbstruck look on his face and couldn't say anything.
So, we take the tomatoes to my hut for the
finishing touches of the ripening process. 3 days
later ... 2 tomatoes are ready and the anticipation is
building as after eating follere and rice for a while
this tomato is going to be a culinary treat. All day
we had debates on the best way to eat the tomatoes
and there was about 8 different ways and for me it
is straight up with some lamdam (salt in Pulaar). So,
as darkness falls and I light up my kerosene lantern
the air is electric with the thought that we are going
eat these tomatoes.
Let me tell you something ... biting into that tomato
was spiritual. It was something to come from having
everything at a moments whim and taking things for
granted and not seeing the significance of a tomato
to the hungry and poor people of the world.
As the tomato and I have become one ... as
we are what we eat ... and I will carry it with me
the rest of my days. Not the physical part ... but the
significance, the not taking things for granted and
seeing the importance of all things. As maybe for
those who have, it is only a tomato ... but for those
who don't ... it is life.
Till Later
Paul
Senegal
West Africa
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