Some moments in December

clop-clop
CLop-CLop
CLOP-CLOP!!!!

It's Bella....BELLA! I want to come in. I know your in there. CLOP-CLOP!!!! Moraya! (Bella speak for Mariah) Mona just hit me...lllllet me in! (giggling, those two little squirts)

No afternoon nap for me today. Once that door opens is a titlewave of kids. It's mango season and I live under the mango tree.

Dec. 7th
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Due in Febuary

Me: Who is bigger? Jenni, Eva or Olivia?
Kendila: Eva
Me: Maybe she'll have twins
Kendila: She can't, she's a twin and twins don't have twins
Me: Huh, Maybe she'll have triplets (smiling)
Kendila: My god! (look of horror)

Dec 8th
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Lost your Hammer

Around 9am -Basi Amsoi just came by to tell me that he has looked all over, but doesn't know where he put the hammer that he borrowed from me. He has lost it. He's slightly distraunt looking about this, I tell him not to worry - it's okay. I didn't use it to much anyways. He again says how sorry he is, just feels awful.

Around 4pm Basi's wife is coming back from ground. She swing by my house and tells me that she forgot to stop by this morning on her way out. 'Here's your hammer' she says. 'I grabbed it on my way out this morning to return to you, then forgot til I was heading back.'

Someone should tell Basi ;)

Dec 8th
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Lend Me Your Shoes

'O Weki Mariah!' I hear through my closed windows and shut door. It's 6:30am.
'O Weki O' - I reply to the voice I know belongs to Olivia.

Before she can even ask I call out - 'you come for water?' Even though the pump is working and it rained all nite, my sweet neighbor Olivia would like to fill her bucket from my durotank. ' It's open' I say, I don't even lift my head off my pillow.

Rainy Season is back.

I haven't been sleeping as soundly as usual. It's my own fault. When I was in the city Ula and I watched the moive'Paranormal Activity'. It didn't scare me there (I do admit I sleep with a nite lite in the bedroom -- a habit I've had since as long as I can remember) But here in good old Wan Hati - without electricity as usual I'm freaked out of my mind and quickly running out of candles!!

My morning is slow moving.
I rolled out of bed around 8. The village was already at full throttle. Kids off to school, men chatting and swinging their machetes at the weeds, women gathering and waiting for friends to head of to ground. Me. Just heading outside to greet the day with my first cup of coffee. Who do I see heading over? Olivia. Luckily she assumes I was up at 6:30am, that I've washed and cooked for the day and that I am now resting for a minute. She heads into my house, takes a seat.

She's 7 months pregnant and just getting round and adorable! (She's the mother of the infamous crew: Gabbie, Bella, Jenni and Patrick) She's 24. Olivia loves red licorice (a girl after my own heart), getting her photo taken, bright colors and she has the ability to make you feel good. Today she would like me to go to ground with her. To pull and clean ginger. Let's do it. I slam my now lukewarm coffee-eat a spoonful of peanut butter and grab my 'ground gear' bag. We're off.

She like almost everyone here has multipule grounds. Today, of course, we're heading to the one furtest away. We chat during the 45 minute walk. She and I are obviously confortable with each other and have been good friends for awhile now. As we walk we talk about the holidays. She wants to pull her ginger today and take it to the city tomorrow or Friday to sell so she can get money to take the family into visit relatives in the city for the holidays. 2 kilos of gingers gets her around 15-20 srd. We walk pass the ground that she just cleared ths season and she points out where Gabbie planted tayer. We both laugh. I ask her how old before you teach your kids to work ground? She says around 11 is when they usually drop out of school to help all day at ground. (Gabbie turned 8 this month) Then she looked over her shoulder at me - we're walking single file..and she says ' Gabbie told me she wats to go to school and learn how to make pretty pictures to sell for a living. But on the weekends she said she'll help at ground.'
Go Gabbie!!

We arrive at the final destination and start our work. During a water break as we are sitting to clean ginger Olivia asks witch place is bigger Suriname or America. We talk about cities and what we eat on the holidays. Yes, I even said gobble, gobble while trying to explain what a turkey is...she taught me the Alcun work for it.

As we're chatting we hear something come crashing through the bush. It's Kendila. Quite the wirlwind as always. She greets Olivia, then looks at me and says - I thought we were going to have lessons this morning. Smarty Pants. I correct her that it's Wendsday, the day she goes to ground. She laughs- I'm onto her tricks! Last time I fell for her telling me that Shannon had twin boys - I took my camera to Shannon's house (a little sad that she never told me she was pregnant...) to find Kendila was playing a joke on me. I got back to confront Kendila and she just laughed so much that I started laughing. Then she said - 'Well Shannon did get pretty fat!'

She sits and conplains about how far Olivia's ground is - and starts scolding Olivia that she (Olivia) shouldn't be at ground so much, being 7 months pregnant. I admit, she's got a point. Olivia is a workhorse though and you just can not stop that lady! You can help carry things and such, but she wants to work.

2 hoes and three of us now.
'Mariah, lend me your shoes.'

Kendila didn't bring her boots. LUCKY ME! I'm going to be the cleaner of ginger, they are going to pull it. I will be safe in my flip-flops sitting under the banana tree while it rains.

As I'm cleaning I think back to when I would ask someone to borrow their shoes. Usually it was for a dressy nite out on the town. Now it's so that you don't wack your toe off or get scratchs up and down your legs from high grass and weeds.

'Mariah - COME, come look!' They are giggling like naughty school girls. I'm expecting a dance off of some sort. Not the case. Olivia just sliced the head off of a HUGE like, 6 foot long snake. They work together to bury it. I look under and around and up above before I sit back down on my log.

I like when the three of us go to ground. Lots of gossip, girl talk, and Kendila always keeping an eye out for me. (even though today, she borrowed MY boots!) Sister Anna is visiting the States and is coming back next month. The three of us talk about what would happen if she's not there when Olivia goes into labor. I tell them I have a great book--full of photos explaining what to do to deliver a baby, and say that Olivia's already had three so she's an old pro -- Kendila and I could totally deliver the baby no sweat ;) Honestly though. Moengo or the city is really the only other options. Although Olivia mentioned that if she had the baby in French Guyana she could get some money from the government (I think they offer welfare there, Suriname's government doesn't not give any money for things like welfare) We all really hope Sister Anna is back in time.

We talk for a long time about Kendila's fight. Last Sunday there was a soccer game in Moengo. Botja her man is the captian of the team. Wan Hati lost. Kendila is sassy and has a bit of a mouth on her. Rosa (she lives in Wan Hati) told Kendila to shut up (or something to that affect). Kendila is a fighter. She has words back with Rosa. Next thing you know Rosa is throwing her pepper water from the food she was eating at Kendila's face. Kendila saw it coming and was able to move out of the way in time. But then all hell broke loose. She grabbed Rosa and threw her on the ground, sat on her stomach and just started swinging at her! People had to pull her off Rosa. I just kept thinking 'thank GOD she is my friend and not my enemy!' She had to go straight to Captian's house and explain and then appolize to Rosa. I've seen her get mad and instigate fights with guys three times her size. She is fearless my Wan Hati Sister.

We then talk about my family and if they will visit/come back to visit. If I miss home and what my sisters, brother and mom and dad are doing for the holidays. We talk about Santa Claus and if we could get something from him what we would want. Olivia - clothes for her kids for when they go to Moengo or the city and red licorice, Kendila - to get a job working for the government so she doesn't have to work ground--ha haa! Me-I don't want or desire anything. I miss my friends and family but I'm loving this moment and time in my life. There is nothing that could make it better.

Dec 9th
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The Porch

I never knew my mom's parents. My grandmother on my dads side I have fond, but few, slight memories. Taking a borrowed van on a family trip, with parents, kids, and two dogs in crates up to visit her in PA. I remember crying in all the photos. (I must have been a brat that trip!)

Her kitchen smelled of sugar cookies. She was kind and gentle. Her house was warm and full of people bussling around.

It's been a year and almost 8 months for me now living in Suriname. I met - a little over a year and 2 months agao - Raoul and was instantly consumed in the love and graciousness of his family.

They are a traditional family. They have a large area of land with two houses on the property. One housing his mom, dad and sister. A stones throw away, in the other - his grandma and grandpa.

Not long after I started dating Ula, he wanted to drop something off for his mom. I was going to meet the family! I remember being nervous, what do they think of him dating a white American? I don't understand Dutch - how will we communicate? What if I do something or say something that offends them? I'm not wearing clean clothes and my hair is a mess. I was scared!

But this family - oh this family!

His dad marched right up and greeted me hello in English. He shook my hand and told me he used to manage a fishing fleet and that he spoke English with the Koreans. Of course this confused me so I laughed and smiled.

His sister lookat at me with curious eyes and a sly smile. She said hello and then was off to school.

Raoul's mom appeared and all the nervousness vanished. She made some jokes about Raoul, his facial hair I agreed was a little out of control. We sat and talked, converstation was easy.

As we were getting into the car to leave - the cutest thing happened. An old Javanese nam - tall and lanky, wearing a hat to go to the mosque was peddling a big Dutch style bicycle passed the car. He lifted his hand and gave a wave.

Raoul told me that was his grandpa, coming back from the mosque. As I looked in front of me - at the porch of his grandparents house his grandma was sitting outside. She threw me a huge grin and waved at me with as much excitement as 5yr old Bella does when I come back to site.

Time flies and now Abby (his sister) lends me her dresses when I need to look pretty, and we gossip about t.v shows and celebrities. Raoul's mom shares stories about traditional culture and spirits, and we chatter on like hens in a henhouse.

Opa - Raoul's grandfather. I think is the most adorable person. He loves working in his garden and wears a big Indonisian style hat, slashing stuff with his machete and alwasy happy to let me eat all the sugar cane. He and Oma (Grandmom) sit on the porch most late afternoons and evenings. Sitting with them we talk in Saran Tongo and I don't know who laughs harder! Oma always has trouble pronouncing my name. Opa corrects her. Raoul corrects him! They like to talk about what life is like in the bush. Mostly - bush meat and if I eat it. Did I eat any monkey is the first question they usually ask on my returns in. Oma is always quick to offer me something to drink and a smile never, ever leaves her face. She has a calming relaxed nature. Always a smile. Ula's mom and sister almost always spend the evening on the porch visiting and sharing stories. Some evenings we just sit quietly. There is never a rush or something more important to do. It's a special time of the day.

Today Oma passed away, she was battling breast cancer and chose to end treatments. She wanted to be at home with her family, not in a hospital. I wish I could there for all of them, bu it's impossible to get out of Wan Hati. I'm so grateful that Oma entered my life and that I got to spend some special evenings on the porch with her.

Dec 5th