It took a while to understand the pattern and method to doing it, but I caught on pretty quickly. They were able to see my mistakes and correct them pretty easily for me. The hardest parts were starting out and transitioning from the bottom to the sides. It looked like we had finished, but Pauline was saying something about me coming back the next day (Monday). So, I left the basket and agreed to come back the next day. Well, Monday I went back and she said, "You left your basket." Yes, I had. And we promptly started making ANOTHER basket. I asked, "Oh, what kind of basket are we making today?" And the response was a laugh with "She asked what kind we were making today." And we started again, just as we had done yesterday. Nice, so I guess she was making sure I had retained it all over night. But it was good to have that immediate refresher, and I noticed that this basket was coming along more quickly. We didn't quite finish this one when she said, "Are you done? You can come back tomorrow to finish." I have yet to go back, there have been too many things this week keeping me from another afternoon of basket weaving. I'm also a little intimidated because Nathan heard the ladies saying that they wanted me to learn how to make a BIG basket like they use for hauling all their forest findings in. We'll see. Tomorrow, after school with the kids, I'll go back and see what's in store for our next basket making session.
Life here is still so confusing to me. I'm still in a fog most of the time with the Baka language, which I know attributes to my confusion...but a lot of things are cultural on my side and their side, and how we each have expectations that the other doesn't understand. I gifted her both days before we started basket making with clothes and food, thinking how nice and generous I was...but it still seemed like they expected me to pay them for teaching me. The second day, she mentioned that she could buy salt across the road at her neighbor's house, but it would cost her 200 francs. I thought it was just a random comment and said, "wow, 200 francs, really?" Then as I was going home, she sent 3 of her little kids/grandkids following me. I asked them if they were coming to see Jennifer (the nurse) and they said no. I asked if they were coming to see me and they said yes. I asked why, and they answered that their mother was sending them. I asked for what, and they didn't answer. I asked if their mother wanted money, they said no. Wondering what in the world I had missed, they finally said their mother wanted salt. Oh, so that was what the 200 franc salt comment was about. I had no salt to give them...if only these things could be talked through more clearly. I'm not even sure that a thorough understanding of the language would have helped me out there. I ended up sending them back with 200 francs. At least she could buy salt from her neighbor, maybe?
Anyway, she's waiting for me to come back tomorrow, and I will, to finish my #2 basket, and possibly start "the big one". Who knows? Anyway, for the most part, I'm enjoying myself and getting to spend time with the ladies while we are actually doing something and I don't feel like I'm just a bump on a log.
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