This is what I pulled up from the ground.
Yes readers, The Who once did a parody commercial called Heinz Baked Beans. I will never think of beans the same again.
Matthews is staying in Kamuli until Sunday. Last week, he had mentioned it was time to harvest the beans on Adams’ land. He was very concerned about that. Obviously harvesting can’t wait. I had told him I would help, so I made the same offer to Adams. I felt I needed some exercise anyway, and it would be interesting and educational. Part of the Adventure! So yesterday I was out there in the field with three young men (including Matthews’ nephew) and a woman picking beans.
I joked to Adams, if a gypsy fortuneteller told me three years ago I would be picking beans in equatorial Africa, I would have demanded a refund.
Beans in the pod.
This is the same field Matthews is growing passion fruits. You saw a photo of it here. The beans were brown, on now-dead stalks close to the ground. You had to find them among the lush green foliage. Reminded me of hunting Easter eggs. I asked about the other plants, and was told by the other workers they were “greens” a general term that seemed non-responsive to me. The bean plants were easy to pull out, gather, and throw into about 30 piles we made across the field. Then we carried the piles to make big piles on the side of the road, and then threw them up onto the bed of a large truck.
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This was stoop labor and the sun was hot. Since I’m not Ugandan, I was a migrant worker! It certainly educated me about the harshness of the work migrants often do all over the world. I was thoroughly exhausted, looked at my watch, and laughed. I had only worked for one hour. I was so happy when it was time for a water break. I wore my work gloves I hadn’t worn since digging the permagarden (I need to update about that). I had on long sleeves and sweat pants and came home covered in burrs and other stickers. The other workers used their bare hands and wore sandals.
I’m with one of my fellow harvesters.
A female oil and gas engineer named Maria had driven us to the field and then stayed chatting with Adams. She had met Adams many years ago in her village and now had her own car. An empowered woman! I want to know more about her story and will ask Adams. On the way home, she chided Adams for not working and letting himself get fat and out of shape. “This older man is in better shape than both of us”. Cue my diabetes story, which Adams already knows. Like others I have told, it is inspiring but apparently not motivating.
I have plans today, New Years Eve, to visit a Danish businessman named Henning in Jinja who has invited me to meet his family. He does work with my ATEFO org and we’ve had some great chats. His wife is a doctor. He sends his kids back to Denmark frequently so they can stay acquainted with their friends and Danish roots. He says their place is on the water (Lake Victoria). Later tonight I will meet a bunch of PCVs at a place called Bourbon, also on the water, and there will be fireworks over the lake to bring in the new year. Vickie, a PCV, has lined up a place for me to crash tonight. I’ll leave a large bowl of silverfish for Meowri.
The beans drying in the sun. Adams says this filled a sack weighing about 80kg and will yield around 200,000UGX. He paid the other three workers 10,000UGX each for working on the harvest and then separating the beans from the pods by beating on them. That’s about $3.00US each for a lot of work!