A Morning in the Village

While I have spent many mornings in a village, it still is an amazing opportunity to take in every time I am in Senegal.
Why are you in the village you ask? The local NGO we are working with has an adopt a village program and our family has adopted a small village. My family was the first ones to spend a night in the village. What an amazing snapshot of life that is so different than ours. it really has shaken the foundation of our family.
I still remember my first morning in the village. After not sleeping very well, I was awakened by what almost seemed like a earthquake. The ground was shaking well before sunrise. The sound of loud thumps were all over the area. What was going on?
Well, the women get up way before dawn to start there daily work. Part of their day is to grind millet.
What they do is take large stalks of millet, put them in a large wooden container and start pounding. And these large pounders are not light. Made from dense wood, these women swing these things like they are toothpicks. And the ground shakes literally. The women get a start on the day before it gets too hot and the rest of their day unfolds. During the day the women will also pound millet , but this appears to be the most popular time. (see video)
When you get up it's usually because you can't sleep anymore because of all the noise. As we sleep in tents , we are in the middle of a barn yard. The roosters, which I have often thought about how well they would taste for breakfast, are obsessed with waking up not only the village, but the whole country of Senegal. and then you have the donkeys and the sheep and the goats and the chickens...I think you get my point.
Well at home, it's normal to got to the restroom when you get up, here in the village there is no latrine in this particular village. That means where ever you feel comfortable relieving yourself will do. The next thing I usually do is go wash up and brush the teeth. Well, with no running water, this is a bit more complicated than turning on the faucet. Next it's to the fridge for some cold juice and a piece of fruit and maybe some cereal. Not so in the village. No fridge here my friends. A normal breakfast in the village is usually some bread. That's it.
Ok...back to a morning in the village. Next the woman are busy taking care of the children and the next big chore is on hand. Getting water. Now in this particular village, in the compound I stay in, the well is about a half mile away. The woman meet at the well and start the long process of drawing water up from this hand dug well. On a pulley they throw down this little pail that, usually has holes in it, down about 50-70 feet and draw up a bucket at a time. Then they pour it into a large bucket that most likely hold about 20 gallons of water. Then they hoist it on a woman's head to carry it back to the compound. then they pour it in a large container for the days use. They can make as many as 2-3 trips in the morning. This is all done before 9 am. Then the woman will start with daily chores. They will sweep the sand to keep things tidy in the compound. The amazing thing is this, this is everyday. No time off...no vacations...you don't get water or pound millet...you don't drink or you don't eat.
Where are the men in this morning? Well, because I have been there only in the dry season, the men don't have much to do. Some will tend to the cattle, some meet under a shade tree to talk about 'important' things. All the while, the women work incredibly hard.
For me, in as little as three hours...my life is changed and I need to adapt to make it the rest of the day.