My village is like a big spider, with village center as the belly, and a million little surrounding towns (all within the village) dispersed on roads that spread outwards towards the mountains like each of the spider’s legs. To get to my part of town from the village center is a hilly, tiring, and often hot, 10 minute walk. Doesn’t sound like much – 10 minutes- but it gets to you when you do it everyday and you’ve lost the interest to regularly work out. Funny, I used to be healthy… Oh well, I’ll sacrifice a little physical health for some expedited mental growth for two short years.
Anyhow, I’m really close to my neighbor’s family here. I sit for a couple hours while I charge my stuff and shoot the shit with them on a regular basis. They’re good people.
I’ve had the pleasure of celebrating baptisms, famadihanas, and partake in intimate family dinners with them. Sometimes I forget I’m American Peace Corps because sometimes I forget that these people are not in any way related to me. They remind me so much of my own Vietnamese family.
It’s strange to think that I’d have never met any of these people if it weren’t for the Peace Corps. I probably wouldn’t have ever known that such a uniquely Asian-ish African country even existed. In that regard, my service has been incredible. I expected to come in and work but I never expected to see reflections of my parents, my grandparents, my cousins in a completely foreign place like Africa.
A little about my house: it used to be my downstairs neighbor, Rivah’s, grandparents’ house. They passed away a few years ago, and until I moved in, no one had occupied this place for years. In preparation for my arrival, Rivah and his friends cleaned it up, built me a balcony, a latrine, and a shower- all on their own dime. He also moved in downstairs with his wife and newborn, just so that I’d be safe and have a friend – I, a complete stranger. It’s worth mentioning that their old house had electricity and a television.
One night he asked to talk so I invited him into my home where we began discussing our latest project. After we were finished he said, “We’ve had a lot of aid come to Anjiro in the past and nothing happened, nothing changed. But you’re hardworking. We are so happy you are here living in my grandparents old house. They always wanted to welcome a foreigner and we appreciate you so much. I pray to god everyday that you are healthy because we love that you are trying to work hard.” He choked up a bit when he mentioned his grandparents.
It was the nicest thing anyone’s said to me. I do give myself credit for busting my ass as much as I can while I’m in village, and I’m glad it shows, but the slow progressing nature of development work itself and the fact that I haven’t done anything really made me feel like I didn’t deserve that kind of compliment.
I didn’t know what to say except “I know how hard you guys worked to get me here and I know your grandparents used to live here. This house is blessed. It’s my duty to your family. You guys sacrificed so much to get a volunteer here. But please, I haven’t done anything yet or helped in anyway, but thank you.”
Side story: Yesterday Rivah’s mom stopped by my house after attending a funeral for someone who just passed away on Saturday in the area of the village that I live in. She’s never been inside my home since I’ve arrived due to the fact that she’s older (about 60 years old) and she lives relatively far.
So shes walking around my house, and I’m watching her face as observes my set up. She used to probably visit all the time to see her parents when they were alive... I was thinking to myself, damn she must be thinking it must be weird to have some random young dude living here now.
Anyhow, she had this look of familial pride and happiness as she glanced at my kitchen and my windows- like she was happy with what I’ve done with it, like she was happy with me.
She didn’t go into my room, so I asked her to. I wanted to show her pictures of my family on the wall.
Her eyes went from pic to pic, from my sister, to my cousins....
Finally she asked to see a picture of my mom so I showed her and she smiled. Right after excusing hersef, she said quietly,
“Your family is wonderful.”
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