More Time with Matrone

NOTE: Sorry, my photos and videos are out of order. The Ani bugs are from H’s Aunt and Uncle’s house. The flag and video of M (H’s baby) learning to crawl are at her cousin s house. I will post photo of the tower garden another time.

Part 1. I’ve been pondering creating a vegetable/herb garden and composting. I finally found an idea that I acted upon, a Bottle Tower Garden by Willem Van Cotthem (check it out on YouTube). I talked to H (matrone) about it and she helped me figure out a good place. Initially I thought to use the fence by my house, but it is near a sidewalk outside the property and H said, “People can be so naughty”, meaning they would steal my produce. H suggested the fence we share with the primary school hostel so that’s where I put it. H helped me collect more ‘cool drink’ (soda) plastic bottles, showed me the hostel’s manure pile, and the lawn tools I could borrow. She may be a little doubtful that there will be a harvest, but she is extremely supportive! By the end of the week I had soil prepped, 2 columns of bottles with irrigation funnels, and some seedlings and seeds planted. I planted cucumber, bell pepper, and green beans. I will buy more seeds and set up more towers.

Part 2. H said we had to vacate our houses for 6 hours the next day after the exterminators treated our houses and the hostel. She invited me to come meet her family in the location. When I met her the next day, she handed me a plastic grocery bag, saying we would cook these at her aunt and uncle’s house. I looked in the bag and it was filled with live flying insects! She called them ani bugs. The wings get pulled off, they are cooked with a little water in a cast iron kettle over an open fire, then spread out on paper to cool off. They are ‘cleaned’ again to get any wing remnants off and then set out to dry for several hours. Finally, they are seasoned with salt and eaten. They were crispy and tasty, a nice little snack.

While the ani were drying, we went to H’s cousin’s house. She died the day after Christmas after suffering with cancer. The funeral will be January 12 and this period is like a long wake with lots of family and friends coming and going. It is not morbid and depressing but simply hanging out, telling stories, children playing, and lots of food. I was embraced as one of the family since I was with H and felt very welcomed. I did not understand too much because they are Damara and speak one of the ‘click’ languages, Khoekhoegowab. H pointed out the white flag on the house which indicates a death in the family. I saw this during my site-based training in Omaruru along with the bones that get hung after a wedding. I asked if they also had bones from weddings and she was so excited that I knew about that. They have them too.

I hope you can get a feel of the day with my photos.

All for now with all my love