The Compost Pit

Written on April 5th, 2010

About a week ago Wells was visiting me. Inspired by al of his Ag-Fo-ness while we were biking to Kuntair I stopped and with the help of my tall friend collected some moringa seeds. Since I now have seeds sitting on my table waiting to be sown I decided that I should probably get to digging that compost pit I've been meaning to dig since about my first day here. On Sunday I was able to spend the morning on some preliminary digging/hacking at the ground with my machete but blisters, lunch, attaya and dancing at a wedding ceremony forced me to postpone pit completion until today. After a morning of weighing screaming babies and stuffing my face with rice and greasy fish I started finishing what I started. As usual everything I do here attracts a crowd. Pretty soon I had Bakar Jeng perched on my plastic lawn chair overseeing the work and Alieu my five year old, three foot tall shadow friend/host brother wielding a shovel because whenever I touched it he exclaimed, "Ramatoulie, you don't know and I do."

So we shuttled piles of dirt from by the compost pit around the dividing fence to a sunken in spot by my bathing area. Next we swept all the dead leaves and grass which I had been avoiding cleaning up from my backyard into the pit, next went in all of the food scraps I had saved in a tomato can and finally a bowl of foamy kidney beans from a failed attempt at chili. On top was some top soil I saved from Alieu's shovel wielding. As all this was going on Alieu kept reminding me that when we were done I should say thank you to him. So after top soil were we done?

Of course not--we were left with the piece de resistance--animal poop. Something that cannot be found in my backyard but abounds everywhere else in my compound. I went outside to consult Yaay Amie and Baay Waly and was told that everyday Yaay Amie sweeps goat and chicken poop out of the kitchen so if I just give her a tomato can she'll fill it for me--everyday. Judging my work complete I turned to Alieu to say thank you when Alieu asked--"Ramatoulie can I bring you cow poop?"

Never one to pass up that offer I agreed and Alieu and my other host brother Ous scampered off with my shovel and a big tray to collect it. I sat on my stool in the shade waiting and soon enough they were back with Alieu balancing a heaping tray of dried cow poop on his head. Just picture a three foot tall person with a 6 inch circumference tray plate heaped with cow poop on their head, wearing pink stripped saggy gym shorts that were once probably owned by a Florida retiree and an enormous proud smile. We carefully transported the tray through my house and into my backyard and dumped it into the pit. Then I turned to Alieu and Ous and said thank you.
Let the composting begin!