As I was walking around village I came across a mother, Delphine, who I see at our monthly baby weighing sessions. She was in the middle of bathing her eldest, a 5 year old standing in a basin of water, when she stopped me. Her arms were still covered in suds as she beckoned me over, wanting me to see that she was getting the ingredients ready to make the enriched bouille, or porridge, that I had demonstrated the week before.
In preparation for the cooking demonstration I went around collecting the ingredients needed. The tasks involved me going to the neighboring town with one of the apprentices, Gaston, on their market day. The market was so vibrate, by no means large, only larger than my own, therefore having a bit more of a selection. Women were perched under trees or where ever they could find shade to sell their produce; tomatoes that we can’t find in my village, palm oil a deep color of red, and various other goods. When buying the corn, millet, peanuts, and soybeans needed, women would fill the basins until a pyramid is formed and anything added falls off the sides. And as always there is the joy of discuteing or bargaining for prices. Gaston, being a man and never having to purchase food at the market, helped by finding a female relative nearby to discuté for us.
After purchasing the necessities we had to grill them before the demonstration, nothing here is a simple task. So the mid wife of the health center, Mireille, helped me grill. We got all set up when a woman in labor came in. But that didn’t stop Mireille. She helped me grill while checking up her patient and halfway through she left to deliver the baby, talk about multi tasking.
The ingredients were bought, grilled, mixed and taken to the mill; we were ready. When the scheduled baby weighing day arrived, we waited for about 2 hours, only 3 women came. Not being enough to make a pot of bouille we sent the mothers away with a task; bring back other mothers. The next day after waiting about an hour, in other words on time, a wave of two dozen mothers came with their babies strapped to their backs.
Merielle and I weighed the babies. With no proper scale, Mamas mount an adult scale holding their baby, then give me their baby and we calculate the weight of the baby. (I love weighing babies this way, they’re usually sleeping and so cute! However it’s very inaccurate, but I’m working on getting a proper one.) Then we let the mothers to making the bouille. Two left to fetch water, a few started the fire, and when the fire was started and the water arrived, that’s when we discovered it, a hole in the cauldron. Yikes! So much for being prepared. Immediately heads turned towards Maman Chabelle, a regular who makes large quantities of food to sell and therefore had a cauldron large enough.
With an intact cauldron the rest of the session went well. Mothers had a chance to socialize a bit, take a break from their normal routine of going to the fields. I revised some of the topics that we previously mentioned and explained what the preparation went into making the bouille. They all turned their noses when I mentioned soybeans, even though their nutritious, they had a bad rep for a bitter taste. Luckily, we had sugar.
Babies got fed, Mamas ate too and the left overs were partitioned. Free food is always a favorite no matter what the culture. Overall the session was a success, and the session the following week went well too; but I can’t help to wonder if the Mamas listened or if they took away the importance of proper nutrition for their children or if they just left with free food. I’m sure it was that way for many. So when I saw Delphine preparing the bouille I was touched, she became an instant favorite. I even shrugged the fact that her twins who are only 4 months should be breastfed exclusively until 6 months, at least they were getting an enriched bouille.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Safari Benin Style
Back around March, right after my last entry, I went on a little safari with 6 other volunteers. We hired a guide to drive us through Park Penjari, we sat four people on the roof while three others sat in the SUV. Our guide made it the responsibility of those sitting on the roof to be on the look out for animals, of course that’s what we were doing, but after some time would pass and we wouldn’t have spotting anything he would open the driver door and stand up to get a better look. Yes the car was still in motion, yes we were a little frightening sitting on top of a SUV notorious for rolling over while our driver had one foot stretched to reach the gas peddle (and he would occasionally hit the accelerator), one hand on the steeling wheel and the rest of his body hanging out the door. He would even turn to speak to us, leaving his eyes off of the winding and bending dirt road. Over all it made for a good time.
We spent the repos or breaks between noon and 3 and the nights at the hotel located in the park. Most of the people who come are French tourist so the personnel laughed as we crammed all 7 of us into a room with one double bed and looked with puzzlement as we ate our packed lunches and dinners- something the guides would do, not the guests.
By the end of the second day we had seen plenty of baboons, deer, antelope, hippos, but we were still on the search for elephants and lions (there are no giraffes in Benin, oh well). Then, unexpectedly while at a watering hole we heard an elephant in the distance, so we rushed back into the car and drove out like madmen. There was a family, about 3 big elephants and 3 babies. Sitting on top of the SUV our presence made the elephants defensive and protective of their young. And when the engine made a noise to move forward the elephant made a charge at us, stopping maybe 20 yards away making her intentions aware. So we sat in idle watching the family graze and wonder, each foot step taken was leisurely, never leaving us out of their sight until they were well enough away.
The next morning, our anxieties had dwindled a bit, being satisfied with the elephant sighting that it took a second or two to recognize the two lions that we before us as we drove. They’re much bigger than I was expecting, but being startled then soon dispersed into the forage before getting a good picture. Our guide blamed us for making too much noise when we spotted them, even though it was him who screamed “where?”
Even as we were about to leave the Park and send some time at the waterfalls that are a bit south, we came across another elephant. I could watch them all day long with their slow motion and their tusks moving every which way. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.
We spent the repos or breaks between noon and 3 and the nights at the hotel located in the park. Most of the people who come are French tourist so the personnel laughed as we crammed all 7 of us into a room with one double bed and looked with puzzlement as we ate our packed lunches and dinners- something the guides would do, not the guests.
By the end of the second day we had seen plenty of baboons, deer, antelope, hippos, but we were still on the search for elephants and lions (there are no giraffes in Benin, oh well). Then, unexpectedly while at a watering hole we heard an elephant in the distance, so we rushed back into the car and drove out like madmen. There was a family, about 3 big elephants and 3 babies. Sitting on top of the SUV our presence made the elephants defensive and protective of their young. And when the engine made a noise to move forward the elephant made a charge at us, stopping maybe 20 yards away making her intentions aware. So we sat in idle watching the family graze and wonder, each foot step taken was leisurely, never leaving us out of their sight until they were well enough away.
The next morning, our anxieties had dwindled a bit, being satisfied with the elephant sighting that it took a second or two to recognize the two lions that we before us as we drove. They’re much bigger than I was expecting, but being startled then soon dispersed into the forage before getting a good picture. Our guide blamed us for making too much noise when we spotted them, even though it was him who screamed “where?”
Even as we were about to leave the Park and send some time at the waterfalls that are a bit south, we came across another elephant. I could watch them all day long with their slow motion and their tusks moving every which way. It was the perfect way to end the weekend.
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