You are my Pikin and I am your Wan Hati Mom

It's been hard work in Wan Hati lately. The head of the women's organization visted my house and asked me why I never come and sit with her. I felt awful and said I would visit tomorrow. That next morning I heard 'Wakie, Mariah wakie!' she was outside my window holding her machete and hoe.

We went to ground together.

Ground - it takes a good walk to get to ground, as it's in the middle of the bush. Ground is massive Sa Mongoeanla's is 4 acres. Each family get's a 'plot' if you will...some close together some a good distance down the trail.

I thought how hard can this be - Sa Mongoeanla is 76 yrs old. I will be able to keep up. That lady is amazing - I've never seen anything like it! (Mom she is to me - you're Ruby Homequest) She had me bending, squating, pulling, carrying, digging. They only tools they use at ground are a machete and a hoe. ALL DAY LONG. We worked until 5:30 that evening. I walked back to my house swaggering like Captian Jack Sparrow. I stopped by Basi Amiso to say good evening - he slapped his leg laughing -- you BLACKA Mariah, you blacka!!! You one of us! (I was cover in mud, sweat and a few new battle scars.) A bath in the river and I fell fast asleep.

We go together everyday now - I've adjusted to the heat and the intense phyical labor. I've also learned to keep an eye on where Sa Mongoeanla puts things ;) sometimes as we work, she leaves the bag of ginger here, the hoe there....the machete. You get the point. She and I make a good team and I'm learning so much from her out there in ground. We share stories about our family, the history of Wan Hati...the things that we have in the states. She tells me to call her moma - and it's an honor to do so..

The kids are back in school now so I don't see them as much as I did before. Now it's nightime or the weekends when they visit. (I go to ground on Saturday) Sunday I have taken-up going to the church. I don't understand fully what's being said, but I enjoy singing along with everyone. And doing this helps me intergreate into the community.

Since I don't see the kids as often I have started two youth groups. One ages 7-11 and the other 12-16. We'll see how long they remain seperate as the kids have to work hard during their free time. But I am hoping to teach English and Life Skills (hiv/aids, working together, conflict resolution...etc) as well as use them as a tool to start cleaning Wan Hati. I think the first project I will interduce when I go back tomorrow is composting. WE ALL CAN BENEFIT frm composting and this is something that you can do in your apartment, house...anywhere. It's great for the enviroment and I definitely encourage you all to look into it. If you can get the kids interested and motived to learn something it's the key to getting to the adults.

I've learned some really cool things lately...if your ankle or wrist cramps up, you can rub the juice of an orange on it and it will relieve the pain. I've finally learned to clean fish! I've learned to 'clean' tire, ginger, kasaba. The women at ground eat watermelon not just because it's delisious but also to rehydrate themsleves because there is such a lack of clean water. (I've also learned to eat watermelon like a native...slurp, suck, then bite)

Bringing up lack of clean water - one of the bigger projects I'm doing is helping to get the pump fixed. They have a pump in WH that takes from the river and stores in Durotanks -- then when you turn the spiket on, boom water. This doesn't mean there will be running water in houses, but accessable water from the spicket outside and around the village.

The village is revved up and very motivated to build a market. I'm doing research and starting the motions to get the market materials priced out. Also figure out the land area and who will be the key players on the 'board'. It's interesting the way things are working so far....I offered my idea on where I thought the market should be located and the reply 'we love what you love'.

So we're keeping it busy in the WH.

Unfortunately we haven't been playing a lot of slogball. I think I'll try to get that back in motion. I really liked playing!! (but not sure how much energy I'll have for it after my all day long ground time!)

I feel I'm really ineregreating as just the day before I left I got a knock on the door. There was a lady standing there with a really sick baby. The baby was struggling to breathe. It looked to me like a bad case of ashma. She asked me what to do. (I had no idea!) I referenced a book, and it seems it could be ashma or bronchisitc. We descided to take the baby up river three villages to where a missionary nurse stays. The baby had bronchitis and was treated and is I'm sure just fine now.

Things are moving right along at site, and I'm enjoying my time and really working hard! Not even that big tralancula that visits at nite scares me anymore!

Hope all of you are well and I look forward to letters!:) Next post I'll show you some pictures, I forgot my camera this go around.

xoxoxo - mk