Dinner is Hard Work

Pound. Blister. Heave. Ho. Pass. Next.  Again.  Pound.
I'm looking at blisters on my fingers from making dinner.   I don't
cook a whole lot in the states, but I'm pretty sure that blisters
don't usually happen.   We pounded rice for like an hour.   Running
in the wind while pouring the mixture of rice and sheaths in one hand
to the bowl in your bottom hand.   The wind carries away the sheaths
and the rice remains.  Then all the cooking!   But with these girls
it is just so fun.   Their hands are SO tough.   I am always jumping
in pain because the pot is too hot to hold.   When we finally sit
down to eat that meal...wow....it was a good feeling.
Today, since I work nights, I was able to go to the rice fields and
work for the morning.   Esther put a basin of water to carry on her
head, Jolie (my mother here) strapped little (not really that little
at all!) Armelle to her back and put some food for later on her head,
and I carried the tarp and cutting knife.   Off we went.   We
"tapped" rice for a long time, shaking all the rice off the
stalks.   Then I napped under the tree for a while.   Then we carried
bundles of rice to a central location in the middle of the
field.  They don't sell any of this rice...its purpose is just to
feed the family for the whole year.   I start work at 3 so I decided
to head back to the house.  Armelle was tired and so I strapped her
to my back like an African!   :)  We started walking back to the town
of Bere and Armelle had fallen asleep in the first 15 minutes.   So SWEET.
I was thinking about things that I want to take back to the states
with me.  A few come right to mind right now.  Eating off the same
plates.   AWESOME.  Strapping babies to your back.   It will be a
while. :)   Not worrying about getting a little dirty.
I am sure the list will be completed maybe a week before I come home.