Peanuts, parties, and prevention

Peanut harvest season is upon us, and the people of Doundodji are busy in their fields. Personally, I spent half a day in the field separating nuts from plants and let's say I have yet to achieve proficiency. The process goes like this: The men pull up all the peanut plants and rake them into huge piles. Once they're dry, they smack the piles with a rake to break apart nuts from plants. Next, the women come out and spend day after day pouring bowl after bowl of peanuts from over their head to the ground. If the wind is just right, it blows the lighter plant matter away from the heaver nuts. The nuts are brought in to the house, then the broken plant pieces and few remaining nuts, which are fed to the horse and donkey. 

Muslim new year, Tamkharite, broke up the endless field work. I spent the day at my neighbor Ami's house learning to cook the traditional meal: millet couscous with beef and vegetable sauce. After dinner came the part that has made me deem Tamkharite the best of all Senegalese holidays: trick-or-treating. The kids cross-dress and carry buckets around the neighborhood singing and dancing, asking for donations of rice, beans, millet, peanuts, or money. Ami and I went around our neighborhood together. She sang the trick-or-treating "Taajeboon" song, I sang the refrain "Woolaay". Even though we weren't dressed like boys, everyone got a real kick out of me coming and we made out pretty well. The next morning was just like the day after halloween: all the kids separated and compared their winnings. Ami took our rice and beans to the market, sold them, and bought the ingredients for beignets- less practical, more delicious. We made a lovely batch of beignets that evening. 

All of team Linguere has been real busy these days. December 1st was World Aids Day- we showed a series of short films in Linguere about AIDS in Africa. About 200 people showed up, and Linguere's doctors and hospital staff did a great job involving the audience with the films. The next week, a few 2nd-year volunteers held a 4-day AIDS training for area health workers; I played outfield. 

Enthusiastically painting a mural for the Linguere AIDS training with Abby

Emily got real excited about the training; I hadn't had any coffee yet. 

Health workers from 13 local villages getting ready for training day 1

Thanks to a fire at the St. Louis power station, Linguere had lots of power cuts, which meant no water. It seemed like a miracle when we could all finally shower. Ann Marie was really dirty, and thus really happy when the spigot finally started to trickle. 

After the first couple days of the AIDS training, Mac and I went back to Doundodji for yet another festival, Gamou. My dad was president, so our compound was the center of the day's events. There was media, officials, guests, meetings, eating, and extremely loud all-night dancing/singing/chanting/learning.

Papa Talla being interviewed by the local radio station

Gamou party at the compound

Mac and I all decked out for the festivities

With my neighbor Ami and some of her guests

Leftover dinner for breakfast; somehow we were still compelled to eat it. 

Death thorn- it stabbed through my bike tire, tire liner, and tube. 

Now that most people are done in the fields, I've been doing a lot of work with women's groups getting vegetables and moringa trees growing. The school's environmental club is also planting, and I'm helping my wonderful neighbor Seyni, who cooks for the teachers, start a kitchen garden at the school.