August 7, 2006 (July update)

See pictures of Eric and Suzanne's visit and other July pics!!

Greetings! I hear it’s hot at home … at least it is in Atlanta. I feel no sympathy! I’m sure my Georgia Power/Southern Company colleagues are happy. Keep those air conditioners on full blast!! Seriously, I hope you’re enjoying your summer wherever you are and whatever you’re doing.

My brother and sister-in-law came to visit me for two weeks at the end of June. They had a great time – Eric called it an “experience”, not a “vacation”. I certainly enjoyed having them here and just spending some time with family. What I also learned was how much I’ve adapted to a completely different culture and lifestyle. I will have culture shock (literally) when I come back. See pictures from their trip HERE!!

Students had final exams last week of July. Now we’re on break until middle of September. I will spend the next month writing lesson plans, planning project(s), and possibly an excursion for the students. At the end of SS, every student takes an exam in each subject – this test (similar to our SAT, I guess) determines their next step – university, technical or vocational school, or no additional school which means they will likely farm. I’ve been tutoring several of my students as well as some other young adults in Math and English.

I have a big event coming up this Saturday (Aug. 12 th). We are celebrating International Youth Day ( http://www.un.org/youth)!! Some of the young adults in Binaba and I have planned a Field Day (just like we had in middle school) for youth, ages 12-17. I’ll give more details in my next update, but you can be praying for no rain that day!

I love how green everything is this time of year – it’s beautiful!! Everyone is busy farming. Someone asked me the other day if I enjoyed farming. They were impressed with how nice my farm and garden look. I take absolutely zero credit – my neighbors and friends tell me what to do and then help me do the work. Until I came here, I had no clue what I was doing. My experience was limited to helping my mom in the rose garden growing up. I decided to farm and garden here because I had the time and that’s what everyone else does this time of year. What I’ve learned, however, is that farming has been one of the best ways for me to integrate into and connect with my community. People see me as one of them. I’m concerned about the same things they are – the weather, roaming goats who eat the crops, etc… – and I am the student!!

The other day, my friend Alfred came over to visit (and to tell me what to do in my garden next). I went inside to pour us a couple glasses of water and a few minutes later he came in to tell me to come outside. He wanted to show me that my cucumber was doing well and that I had several 3-4 inch cucumbers right now. He was so excited – it was his first time to see cucumber. That was a neat experience for me. He will be the first person to get one!!

Work at BWFA is picking up. I organized a training on processing shea butter for the women. A British man who has spent his life learning about shea trees and extraction came to Binaba to talk to the women about how to improve the quality of the butter they are producing. His business is exporting and we’re moving forward in getting export ready. Since that training, other women in Binaba and surrounding villages have asked me to give them the same training. Shea butter is a growing industry and they say there is a lot of potential so that is where my efforts are focused right now.

I’ve also started meeting with the women in smaller groups. If you remember, BWFA (75 women) is broken up into 4 areas or communities. I go to each one and meet with them every other week or so. They’ve asked for health education – afterall, if you aren’t healthy, you can’t work and make money!! So, I’m giving them classes (so to speak) on health, business, and other topics. Examples of these topics include bird flu education, malaria prevention and treatment, HIV/AIDS, importance of saving and then starting a savings group, record keeping, planting and/or protecting shea trees, or building mud stoves. Right now, I’m meeting with each community twice a month, but this could change as the season changes and as my work load builds. It’s fun to meet with them in their communities – I think it builds camaraderie and I get to know them better.

Other news on the homefront … my cat is pregnant. We aren’t sure who the father is. She roams at night and we’ve been getting several feline visitors at night lately. Not sure when to expect kittens, but I’ll let you know when it happens. :)

Enjoy the rest of your summer … keep that A/C cranked down (enjoy it for me too)!
~ Mary Jayne

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