Saturday, November 28, 2009

My foulbe ladde friends come to visit me at the house


What a beautiful surprise...when 9 girls and 2 boys come knocking on your gate and traipsing on in with singsong voices, talking to the dog, asking for your papayas, walking in your house, asking for more photos more photos more photos, crowding around to look at the screen, pushing, shoving, laughing, giggling, scolding, etc. Always brings me such joy!



Monday, November 2, 2009

The Schoolchildren helping me to protect my trees

On a Friday when the students have manual labor in the morning (yes this is a weekly "class", and usually they sweep up the school grounds, protect trees, etc) the older students, school director and a couple teachers came with me to my field to help me protect my trees. With 50 students working the job was done in record time, and it was fun to all be together, on an "outing". They especially loved the camera with pictures! Altogether about 50 trees of my 120 were protected, a necessary chore as the goats are being let loose soon. They are staked through the farming season but once the rains stop and most people have harvested they are let loose to roam again. And they will eat everything, everything in their path.


Cassia siamea trees in the foreground

searching for more stalks in the neighboring cornfield, already harvested







These boys are protecting a Leucaena tree. The one on the right is my neighbor.




The whole group photo! I wish you could see closer up to their faces, but it was a large group! The school director is on the right in the tan suit.