Do You Have Any More Seeds?

January 25, 2014

  

We are now in the final days of training in Dubreka before leaving for our sites in early February.  This also means that we are leaving our host families in Dubreka.  Like I mentioned before, living with a host family gives the volunteer a good representation of what life is like for the average Guinean, and introduces us to many of the customs in Guinean culture.  For the most part, there have been no surprises.  Although there are many things we have seen that need improvement for the city and for our families, it is difficult to be too ambitious when we know our stay is only ten weeks.

Before I came to Guinea, I made up my mind to try to give my family something in addition to the small gift that is usually given when a volunteer leaves.  One of the things I noticed when I moved in last month was the lack of a family garden, even though there was a space in the compound that was perfect for such a use.  I also noticed a flock of free range chickens.  Apparently, the family had tried to grow vegetables on a number of occasions, but the chickens had always destroyed it.   Fencing for gardens actually is a concern for everyone, as chickens are not the only animal that are allowed to free range in Guinea.

So over the course of my first six weeks, I was able to establish a small garden that generally was protected from the chickens.  I found that my design using fish net was effective at discouraging the chickens, though often they were persistent enough to find (or create a hole) in the net.

When I returned from my site visit on January 19^th, I decided to rebuild the fence one last time, with extra fish net, so that the garden would be as maintenance free as possible.  However, my mother having seen the possibilities of having a garden again, asked if I had more seeds.  It was a question I was not really expecting, as I believed that my mother had given up growing a garden forever.  But nothing is forever, not even in Guinea. 

My mother decided to enlarge the garden and build a much stronger fence.  I could not have been happier. I had already decided, though, that I was not going to build the fence for them.  I needed their (my two teenage brothers) help and involvement, as they were going to be in charge of maintaining it when I left.  In typical Guinean fashion, it took several days for the fence to be constructed.  However, it wasn’t because the family was lazy.  On the contrary, the children were attending Koranic school in the evening, and thus had little time free time for fence building.  Although this interruption or delay was a bit inconvenient FOR ME (as someone who likes to complete projects in a timely fashion), this delay showed me the difference in my values with respect to the Guineans.

Hence it was a pleasant surprise to come home on a recent Saturday after a field trip with my classmates to find a solid and well built palm frond fence.  Shortly afterwards, (well somewhat), I spent some time preparing the garden beds and planting additional vegetables.  The final task I have to complete before saying goodbye is to instruct my brothers and mother in my best French on proper harvesting techniques for their new vegetables (sweet corn, cauliflower, and butternut squash).  If possible, I might have one of my instructors check in on the garden since I will be 12 hours away.

If all goes well, I can bring by some new seeds when I visit next year and be greeted by Guineans excited to try something new!