Tuesday, February 19, 2013

How we work and play in Nyariga

The winter time things slow down around here except for our farmers.  We are on a dam called Vea and the irrigation is in farm lands just before you get to our junction.  Rice and tomatoes are what are grown – my friend has got her farm up on a pumping system with a generator here in town.  They had to dig down in the hole to get water to pump to the seedlings then the other day I watched them dig it out further so they could get more water.  Hard work but the tomatoes have lasted a whole week in my refrigerator so I am thrilled.  Even in my special bags 3 days is all I get when I buy in the market, guess because of the heat getting to my house.

P1040135Paul and Frances play in the area where the seedlings were grown until they were strong enough to go to the fields.  Every night they watered from the bore whole with buckets.  The small boys watched and now they put water in and make mud.  What a deal.

 

P1040121This is one of the beautiful Baobab Trees I can see right out my door.  When I came out I saw this young man sitting at the top – Can you see him?  He has a LONG stick in his hand with a nail made into a hook.

Now can you see him.  Well he is the neighborhood “delivery boy”.  He is knocking down as many of the fruit as he can.

P1040119He is so high up there I used my telephoto on the highest mark to get his picture while he worked.. Yes like all the kids when he saw the camera he stopped and posed.  I told him no I wanted to see him working.

P1040128Here he is with his “catch” of the day.  Grandma (Peter’s Grandma) is dividing it all up for all the neighbors in our area.

The inside comes apart in chalky like pieces that are little sweet and has a seed in it.

P1040130The ladies will put in water to dissolve the fruit and strain out the seeds.They make a dish call sagebo similar to tizet. Once it is cooked with flour it make a much more firm “Jell-O” and this is how they will scoop their stew up.  They also can make a porridge out of it.  The take the water they dissolved the fruit in and mix it with oats, or tom brown.  I have tried the tom brown, at training and at an IST, and do not like even when I put sugar in it just not for me.   This porridge is sold on the street in plastic bags.  They tear a hole in it like we do water sachets and drink it most of the time with pano (bread).

 

 

P1040137The Grandma, in blue, is Tahiru’s mother and she has gather their

portion of the pods to cook here.

P1040140Of course when you play this hard it does not matter if there is food being collected, someone is washing clothes, or cows are getting a drink you sit down in the curve of the trunk of a Baobab Tree and take your nap.  He slept for at least an hour never noticing any of us.   Notice he has on a down like vest – Cold I don’t think so!!!!

Another afternoon in the “hard working” Peace Corps Volunteers day.

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