The Bash

Today was our last day working with our interviewing, surveying madmen (and women). And upon request, we decided to throw them a good-bye "bash" (wondering where they picked up the term "bash" - which seems to refer to any celebratory activity), at the ritzy / corporate establishment in town (basically the only place that would remotely resemble an actual restaurant as we Americans know it). As an aside, this place has seemed to me such an odd out-of-place haven of quiet and order amidst this crazy, dirty, bustling little town of market stalls, kiosks of veggies and fruits everywhere you look, random stuff on the street, random and sometimes troubling people on the street, motorbikes, screaming kids, etc. Interestingly enough, for several of our interviewers, it was the 1st time they'd ever been. I couldn't decide if I liked that -- that we made them feel special by taking them to the high-end place -- or if I'd rather have let them know that us mzungus don't need to go to such a place -- we like theirs too.

So I'm too tired to write out the full bash-tastic story, so here are some bullet points of poignant and/or funny memories:

• The way they all (even the skinny little girls) filled their plates with fried food as if they were storing up for a winter hibernation. And then went back for seconds. Keep in mind the bash was NOT at meal time. But I doubt any of them had eaten lunch.
  
• The ease with which many of them expressed their feelings about what we've accomplished and what we've learned about the community.
• That Peter Sabora said that if he ever tries again for an interviewer job, he'll be the best trained person in the pool.
• Okoth giving a Barack Obama speech when accepting his certificate. Note: Okoth thinks that an Obama speech goes as such: "Thank you California! Thank you Ohio! Thank you North Carolina! Thank you Chicago! ..." (...and on and on)
• The boys talking about gender inequality in the community (Crystal will have them preaching women's rights yet!) and the need to educate and empower/create women leaders and role models.
  
• The strange look that some of the guys gave Crystal when she told them "ladies first".
• Okoth, in recollecting his earlier impressions of us: "Crystal, well, she has been around Africa. Sarah, well, she was SO mzungu!"
• Peter Sabora calling me a conservationist because yesterday I wouldn't let him drop the almonds wrapper on a farm. (littering around here is awful - people have so little respect for the beauty of their surroundings. I think it's because they don't know how different it could be.)
• The last performance of our own interviewer choir! Their singing gives me chills. I get chills sometimes when I'm in, like, a really fabulous B'way play with amazingly moving music. It was those kind of chills. And again - I don't even understand the words.
• My troublemakers being late. I was so mad at them today. We've come full circle. At least the work in between their trouble-making was really good.
• The genuine appreciation. The connections with us and with each other. We taught them a new skill set, gave them a challenge, kept them on their toes, and for some, gave them new friends. When Crystal and I first wrote our "desired interviewer characteristics", I never expected that we would also have the benefit of having such a fun and upbeat crew.
• Crystal again pointing out what a good match we are for this job. Our talents are totally different and that's why this has worked.