Five days a week our host mom
exercises with neighbors. They gather at
7 in the morning to walk ten laps around a small cement court in the middle of
the nieghborhood, then do various exercises.
The last set is referred to as beautifying exercises. I (Erin) join these ladies, most of whom are
grandmothers, once a week. They are
always glad to see me and have invited me to various events. After exercising they often take part in
refreshments or a full breakfast at one of their homes.
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| The Ladies nieghborhood exercise group |
This morning, with Caedmon
accompanying me, we enjoyed fried bananas, fried tubers (similar to potatoes),
and meatball soup (yes for breakfast) at the home of one of the ladies.
Our host mom brought along her grandson too. Here were two boys, one 6 and the other 4,
sitting among a group of chit-chatting women.
The grandson’s school did not start for another hour so it was only
natural for him to accompany his grandmother as he was in her care. As for Ceadmon, they always enjoy seeing a little white boy.
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| The boys love the meatballs sold by street sellers, just like those we ate for breakfast with the ladies. |
Our host mom has three grandsons
that live with her during the school year.
This is quite common as education is seen as being better in the
city. So if there is extended family in the city,
children live with aunts, uncles, cousins and/or grandparents to attend
school.
It is not uncommon for adult
children to live with their parents either, even after getting married. Our nieghbors for example have a three or four bedroom house, yet there are at
least 16 people living there. There are
five siblings, four of whom are married with children, all living in one home. John is one of five, and we have seven
nephews and one niece on his side. So for
me it would be like living with John’s parents, all of his siblings and their families. While I have really enjoyed
holidays when we are all able to get together, and we have even lived with John’s
parents for extended periods, I can't imagine living together, all 21 of us, in one house. I have a hard time imagining this because it
is so uncommon in our culture. Why the
whole family lives together next door I am still learning. It makes sense to me to offset living
expenses, and for live-in childcare help. Yet a desire to be ‘out on our
own’ or ‘have privacy’ in our own culture would often trump any potential
financial strain, right? As a whole the culture
here is much more relationship and group oriented. Learning these differences amazes me at times,
and yet I know we appear just as strange at times too.
