So Cliche

This will be short. About two weeks ago I had one of those truly nauseating “this scene would be in the Lifetime movie of my Peace Corps experience” experiences, but actually it was great. A Spanish NGO that works in Sare Sara (and built the pre-school and I’ve covered in murals) gave the women’s group a large quantity of follere (hibiscus) seeds. Not quite knowing what to expect, I followed the women out to a nearby field and ended up helping about 35 of them plant a huge plot of land. I had thought the NGO was returning to do a training session, but these women knew exactly what they were doing and had a whole team-oriented system in place. About 20 women lined up in a row and started walking across the field with their hand hoes chopping the ground every 6 inches or so. Then a second row of women (me included, this is the low skill part) followed in their footsteps to scatter the seeds and tamp down the ground with our bare feet – I got reprimanded for my shoes fairly quickly, Koumba no one else is wearing shoes, don’t you see that? Even though I was a bit slower with my scattering, the women seemed genuinely pleased with my technique and presence. By the end of an hour they were all saying that I “waawi awde” – can plant – with the subtext meaning I’m a somewhat competent human being (this has been doubted for a while now since I can’t cook, clean or dress myself properly). Lots of laughing ensued, usually at my expense, but fun nonetheless.

That night I got home and heard from Oumar how happy of the women were with my willingness to help out, especially the president of the women’s group (who is a bit of a hardass and likes to give me a tough time). Then he went on to say essentially what I’d been thinking all day - how it was such a cliché scene of African community and I should have taken a picture to send my mom in America. It was, and I should have.

While drinking tea and shooting the breeze is a fine way to bond with the men of Sare Sara, this outing proved yet again that the women aren’t going to give me anything until I break a sweat and prove I’m willing to get my hands dirty.