Life is Like Fruit

You know you’ve worked on a farm too long when…this is not some stupid joke. I started to think about my time here in fruit metaphors and compare the kids to the chickens. I will explain. I love fruit and I consume lots of fruit in Rwanda. It’s all so delicious and cheap. The only sad part is that the fruit goes in and out of season. When I arrived, one of my favorite fruits was in season…the mango! I would go on walks to find all the mango trees above the farm and consume many of these delicious fruits. That being said, my arrival and being of my time here is the mango period. In the beginning my time here was very sweet and exciting. The next and current phase would be the guava (I’m actually eating one as I write this). I never had a guava until coming here. It’s definitely something that’s still new and exciting with some buts. The first time I had it was when I went a walk with the cows around the village. One of the farm workers introduced me. When I was first trying it, I had no idea what this fruit could be but was told to pick the large green ones. I was then told to use my teeth to take of the green outside and then just to eat the inside. The outside was very bitter but I enjoyed the inside. I later learned that if you wait, then the outside turns yellow and edible….and so delicious! With this fruit I’m learning patience and with time you can learn all how and where to get what you need. It has taken me these 4 months to get a better understanding about life here. There are also many bitter and sweet moments that take me on a roller coaster of many emotions. With time I’m even learning from those bitter moments. I wonder which fruit will be next!