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| Being kissed by a giraffe... really he just wants the food pellets in my hand |
I couldn’t wait for the third day. Anthony was digging in the corn and I was eager to help him. To say Anthony is the gardener at the convent is a bit of an… but wait a minute. I don’t think I’ve mentioned how it is that I find myself spending a month at a convent in Kenya.
The Sisters here are affiliated with NDNU, where I teach. I
met Sister Joan when she was a visiting scholar on my campus and decided then
that I would visit her in Kenya if I could. It’s always nice to know someone
local when you’re traveling – especially in a place like Kenya, which is so
different from the US and where a cultural faux pas can have serious
consequences. I am also working on a book about our Sisters and I wanted to
experience the way they live in community here in Africa. Joan is mid-way
through a 3-year teaching and program development commitment at Tangaza College
and is currently one of 22 Sisters of Notre Dame in Kenya.
The convent is very close to the Karen Blixen home (Out of
Africa) and the property is large enough that they can grow a significant
portion of their own food – corn, beans, papayas, bananas, passion fruit,
cabbage, squash, onions, carrots, chard, and of course sukuma wiki – Kenyan
kale. Anthony is in charge of the farm. The fact that the Sisters live on a
subsistence farm managed by an African farmer is an unexpected gift. I ask if
it would be OK for me to help him.
“That’s fine, Patti,” Joan replies, “I’m sure he’ll
appreciate it, but we normally don’t put visitors to work so soon.”
“On the third day we give them a hoe,” Sister Judy chimes
in.
Joan laughs. “That’s right – for the first two days, you’re
a guest… but on the third day we give you a hoe.”
“But didn’t you say Anthony’s leaving for the holidays on
Monday?”
“Oh that’s right,” Joan says. “It might be useful for him to
show you a few things before he goes.”
It’s settled, then. I’d wanted to find something useful to
do to earn my keep, and this will be it. I am happy. Anthony graciously lets me
be his “helper.” He shows me how to do weeding in the corn plot, which is not
at all like weeding in the States. Back home we pull weeds and throw them away.
If we’re really committed, we toss them into a compost pile. Here they turn
them under with a hoe and leave them there to compost in place. Anthony shows
me how to do it. As we work the rows, we also make a little heap of earth around
the stalk of each corn plant to help stabilize it.
What a patient teacher Anthony is. He shows me how to do it
then works silently beside me for a few minutes while I give it an awkward try.
He’s not picky about holding the handle just right like many people can be when they're trying to teach something, doesn’t grab it from me and
snarl – “do it this way!” His blood pressure doesn’t go up if I’m not standing
just so. He seems to understand that I need a few minutes to observe and mimic…
to get a feel for this new task. Eventually he says “Please – ” to get my
attention. “Like this.” Thuk, thuk, thuk goes his hoe in the rich red earth.
“It is easier to go forward.” And he’s right. We weed in the big corn plot
until it starts to rain. What a pleasure it is to learn from someone who is on
Kenya time.
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| Feeding time at the baby elephant rescue |
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| She doesn't look so tough, but Sister Carolyn works in South Sudan - not your easiest assignment! |
We settle in back at the convent, and I get an early night’s
sleep… I have to get up early tomorrow morning to learn how to feed the
chickens!
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