Berberati

Tonight is my last night in Berberati. We leave for Bangui at 6:00 am....for those of you who know my sleeping habits. That is a bit early for me...I think I might even beat the Roosters up since I have to pack all the last minute small things and be in the car at 6:00 am. I told my traveling companions not to expect too much in the way of intelligent conversations at that time of the morning.

I have enjoyed by experience here. The two main programs that exist in Berberati are the well drilling/repair and the agriculture. The well drilling/repair largely occurs during the dry season which is getting ready to start at the beginning on November. They can't drill during the wet season as the roads are horrible and it provides false indications as to where the water line is at...so if they drilled in the rainy season it may go dry in the dry season b/c of a false water line. In the rainy season, they work on fixing and preparing all the vehicles.

I was told a story about a village that dug a large hole that was just deep enough that water would seep into the hole. The villagers would wait for hours next to the hole waiting for their chance to fill up on the water. The problem is it was basically very wet mud. Dirty water...red or brown and that is what they drank, washed, and lived from. Another village has to hike a day to the closest stream, wash clothes on the second day, and then hall as much water as they can home on the third day...three days just to get water for the family. We forget how difficult some people have it to just get a clean cup of water. The water that is drilled by the well teams is clean enough for me to drink without getting sick. Actually, I have drank it every single day I have been in Berberati....it is probably cleaner than the water back home. The sad part is that drilling a well in Central African Republic is more expensive than most countries b/c of the harsh conditions and depth needed to reach the water.

The agriculture program is really neat and way above my skill level. They have about a half hectar of land (1 acre) that they use to test out various different types of fruit trees and vegetable plants. They get them shipped in and see how they prosper in Africa. The ones that appear to be conducive to this land are then sold or given to Africans. They also work on grafting and multiplication techniques. Seminars are held to teach Africans how to grow healthy gardens. They also have taste testing times to let the Africans experience the different types of fruits and veggies. We are partnering with a man named Roy Danforth who the African government donated 500 Hectars of land (1000 acres) in Gomboula (about 3 hour drive from here). He is going to set up a mega center to test vast number of agriculture techniques including starting a program for animals. Since most of the people in this culture live and die off of their gardens, this is a great program to truly meet the needs of the local people. The paper work for the land has not been finished yet; but when the work begins they will have to clear all the growth on the land. We drove to the property (on basically a foot path) and the grass was higher than the car. There is even a protected rain forest next to the property...it is beautiful but will be alot of work. A great adventure for those who love to work with the earth.

It has been neat learning about this and seeing how it works. It can be crazy at times. I find myself slightly sad to leave but I am ready. I have a trend that after two weeks of traveling I am ready to be home...it has been over two weeks and I am ready to get home. I will be in Bangui for another week (getting home next Friday). The nice thing about Bangui is that usually power is on all night so I get a fan to circulate the air...ahh!

It is also hard to develop relationships when you don't speak the language...you can only go so deep. My heart is yearning for good friends and family to just be with and talk with...to be able to meet random people and just strike up a conversation.