Different Cultures – Different Holidays

and how it all mixes together

Didn’t realize how important “Thanksgiving” is to my US American family and friends. Having grown up in Germany, I had never heard about Thanksgiving. It's such a beautiful celebration about remembering how two different cultures helped each other out and shared what God provided! It's a national holiday every 4th Thursday in November in the USA.

My first Thanksgiving, I celebrated in Kenia, with a Missionary Team, when I happened to be on a short-term mission trip, many years ago. What bothered me though was, that I got a German Email on Friday from a shoe company saying: “Der schwarze Freitag hat auch bei uns zugeschlagen” 30% auf Birkenstock. ( Black Friday has also hit us) I asked myself in German: What is Black Friday please?

We were in Kong this past Thursday, Thanksgiving day, with our Coulibaly Family and enjoyed being together. They prepared delicious food for us.

The next holiday in all the Christian World is Christmas. I guess it’s also celebrated in the non-Christian World. But not in Kong. In Islam and for our muslim family and friends “Mahoudi/Mawlid” will be celebrated next, from the evening of November 30 to the evening of December 1st this year. A big celebration of Mohamed’s birth where women getting ready to buy beautiful outfits. Such as it’s true with most holidays here in Côte d’Ivoire. The whole town is organizing and doing a parade, like it’s done in the US on the 4^th July. Family and friends from all over the nation will be arriving in Kong to celebrate.

With all celebration goes delicious and special food and drinks, fellowship with family and friends and giving gifts. What’s important though is to remember why we celebrate and tell the story and always thanking God for his faithfulness and love.

A friend of mine just sent me a video where her German/American daughter is cooking a Thanksgiving meal with her German friend. So creative and good!

Clara und Carolin kochen für Thanksgiving 

The Menu

turkey	Truthahn
stuffing	Füllung
mashed potatoes	Kartoffelbrei
gravy	Soße
sweet potatoes	süße Kartoffeln
cranberry sauce	Cranberry Soße
sweet corn	süßer Mais
pumpkin pie	Kürbisquiche
grace	Tischgebet

Spring 2017 Reflections and Notes

1. Language study is a very slow process.

It takes so much repeating until I am able to remember. And even if I am remembering the word and it’s meaning that doesn’t mean that I am able to talk correctly. But it all counts.

As Emily said when she shared about the hardest part of everything: “All the work you’re doing towards that thing you’re doing, the tiny steps forward, the little bit here and there, the embarrassment of what feels like failure, the lack of recognition, the waiting and listening: it all counts. Nothing is wasted.

Talking to a friend in Berlin via WhatsApp, while having a cold coke and some chips in the shade of a tiny grocery store does wonders for a short break of language study.

2. I learned a lot about the Néré season 

The Nére tree produces beans which are harvested in March/April. I learned how the Néré seeds are processed to be a delicious spice put into a sauce. Soumbara it’s called when all cooked and dried up again. It’s hight in protein and very good for you but has a strange smell about it.

3. Food preparation in West Africa involves a lot of physical work. 

But it’s the Sport and some times even compares with Yoga. I described it here a bit. In the last several months, I’ve learned a lot from my neighbor ladies as I worked beside them. I have got a lot of respect for them. I admire their courage and their humor.

4. What it means to be a widow in Islam -

I got to know two young widows during their grieving time. They were sitting in their room with their mother and grandmother in law for 4 months; not allowed to go any where, wearing a white cloths wrapped around their bodies. It was so hard and I shared a bit more here.

5. In the light of eternity we are all the least

I was listening to Shannan Martin's book "Falling Free". As Jesus was mentioning "The Least" in Matthew 25,40, Shannan asked a very interesting question. What does that mean? If I am referring to some one as the least what does that make me? Us? Them?

The much better? The luckier? Fancier? Cleaner? What? 

Generosity is a condition of the heart not of the wallet. To losen my grip on my time, belongings, etc. To really listen and try to learn is truly following Jesus. God called us all His, it made us a family. As our circles widens our grip loosens.

Firiya - die Witwe

Als ich mich nochmal umdrehte, stand sie in der kleinen Tür ihres Hauses mit Strohdach, die sie seid über 3 Monaten nicht mehr verlassen hatte. Der dunkle Hintergrund des Innenraums brachte den leuchtenden Kontrast ihres weißen Gewandes hervor. Das Licht des Sonnenuntergangs war optimal um ein wunderschönes Foto zu machen. Doch ich konnte es in dem Moment nicht übers Herz bringen, sie in einem Foto festzuhalten ... 

Ihre Schwiegermutter und beide ihrer Omas saßen draußen im Hof mit weiteren Frauen, die ihre Kinder wuschen. Alles war vorbereitet für das Fastenbrechen um 18.35 Uhr: Eiswasser, kalter "Jamakudji" (Ingwersaft), Bissapsaft, Hirsebrei. Es war ein heißer und schwüler Tag gewesen, ich schätze mal um die 38C, der 6. Ramadan Tag. Es war mein letzter Abend in Kong.

Ich bin so froh, dass ich sie in den letzten Wochen etwas näher kennenlernen konnte. Sie sagte, sie hätte mich auf Ami's Hochzeit im Dezember gesehen. Damals war sie hochschwanger gewesen. Ich konnte mich nicht mehr erinnern. Ihr Mann war bereits krank, sagte sie, und verstarb kurz nach der Geburt ihres Sohnes, der nun 4 Monate alt ist. Vier ganze Monate und 10 Tage bleibt eine Witwe im Haus und geht nur zur Toilette oder zum Duschen nach draußen, oder wenn sie wegen Krankheit zum Doktor muss. Sie hat keine Aufgaben. Das Essen wird ihr gekocht und gebracht. Sie sitzt oder liegt den ganzen Tag im Haus in einem Raum. So ist es im Islam vorgeschrieben. 

http://muslima.dwih.info/fataawa/103-was-muss-eine-trauernde-witwe-im-islam-einhalten

Ihre beiden Omas saßen bei ihr und spinnten Baumwolle. Sie hatte es selbst mit dem Spinnen versucht, eine der einzigsten Arbeiten die sie tun darf, doch es klappte nicht so recht. Die alten Frauen, die jahrelange Praxis haben sind da geschickter. Ich wollte ihr das Häkeln beibringen, doch dazu kam es leider nicht mehr.

Wir brachen von Kong bei Sonnenaufgang heute morgen auf und waren drei Stunden später in Korhogo. Als ich meine Gastfamilie anrief, dass wir gut angekommen sind, sagte T., dass die kleine Madjara an meiner verschlossenen Tür stand. Madjara ist 2 Jahre alt und hat ihren Vater, der ein Djembespieler war, nie kennengelernt. Er verstarb, als ihre Mutter mit ihr schwanger war.

Wärend meiner 4 Monate in Kong wurde ich reich beschenkt mit Beziehungen, die zu Freundschaften wurden mit Frauen, die ich schätze. Die Witwen liegen mir besonders am Herzen.

Preparations before the Month of Ramadan starts

We were all sitting in a cool shady spot at home in Kong as the sun was beating that Friday afternoon. It was the last Friday before the Month of Ramadan starts. We would have missed it if we wouldn't have been sitting there, when all of a sudden a long line of women loaded with wood on their heads, walked by. It was impressive! 
It's hard work getting wood walking a few miles into the bush, cutting trees, and carrying the load back home. That's not some thing women plan to do during the month of fasting. Weeks before Ramadan the women went to carry as much wood as they could to have enough for the next 4 weeks of Ramadan.
Cooking here in West Africa involves a lot of physical work. In the video the women from our neighborhood brought each a share of wood to the Imam of this part of town. If you watch it to the end, you'll see some cuties.

The Washing of the Néré Seeds or Doing some Yoga in West Africa

Today I accompanied Mariam, my neighbor friend to the “marigot". In West Africa, a “marigot" is a water source fed by rains, over flows from a river or from underground. It’s free water and the ladies from Kong come here to wash anything what takes a lot of water, but nothing with soap as the water washes into the fields. Mariam had two big bowls filled with néré seeds still covered with the yellow powder. 

Click here to find out more about the fruit of the néré tree.

I helped her carry the utensils while she had the heavy stuff on her head. There was a big old well at the marigot where she immediately got water to fill the bowels soaking the powdered néré seeds. I started washing the seeds with her by hand.

The position we were doing it reminded me of my first yoga lesson for complete beginners which I had followed on YouTube. It was great being outside working alongside a friend, who was explaining me everything in Dioula I wanted to learn. It helped me to make progress in understanding the Dioula language better. 

Once the soaking was done, the yellow mud then needed to be sifted off the seeds. 

We finished just before noon and carried everything back home. It’s amazing how strong the women are and how hard they can work. There we put the wet seeds right in front of her court yard to dry on the asphalt. 

Natural solar energy is used here all the time to dry plants, piment (hot pepper), millet and corn powder, cloths, etc.

It’s the season

Kong, Thursday, 30^th March 2017

Everywhere I go here in Kong I see women going or coming back from the bush loaded with big bowls on their heads filled with the fruit or better said, beans from the Néré tree. 

Last Saturday, I accompanied Mantènné, a neighbor lady to pick Néré. “An ka taga kongo ra ka néré tigé.” We went into the bush to pick Néré. Mantènné carried a big bowl with bottles of water and some food and I pulled a long picking stick along. It was a beautiful walk through mango and cashew fields until we found some big Néré trees further on and started picking the beans. It was harder then I thought. I had a hard time balancing the long picking stick aiming to catch a batch of beans. My arms tired quickly. But Mantènne and Aminata, who we met there, were amazingly strong in my eyes. In the end I picked up all the fruit from the ground.

Last night we cracked the Néré shells open to get the seeds out which are bedded in a yellow powder. The powder is sweet and delicious. The kids here love it. But for you it may be kinda chalky and strange tasting.

This morning we processed the beans; first washing off the yellow powder, then boiling them for quite a while. After they were drained we pounded them with sand to get the black peal off the tiny beans. Then the sand needed to be washed off and the clean white pealed beans needed to be cooked again.

isn't it a little bit like gold washing?

Monday, 3^rd April 2017

Walking through Kong, I see nearly in every courtyard women pealing and pounding Néré. Mantènné since went twice or more back to the bush to pick more Néré. Her whole living room is filled with Néré which need to be pealed by hand. Guess what I was doing the past few days. It’s a great way to listen to Dioula and learn some more new words and trying to take part in a conversation as we sit together around a big bowl which slowly is filling up with the yellow beans.

Why all this hard work you are asking? It’s to make Sumbara. After the cooked beans are all dried in the sun, you make little balls out of them and dry them again. These are sold in the market like bullion cubs which make a delicious sauce which is rich in protein to put over rice or to eat with “Kabato”.