I love beans

Here is a funny picture of some Agriculture Volunteers, with a sign exemplifying our raison d'etre ici.

I've spent some very nice afternoons in the village, picking and shelling beans. There's beans all over the place! Black ones, red ones, speckled ones, white ones (which are the kind I distribute) and they all need to be shelled. It's easier to shell them if they're a little dry, but not TOO crunchy, and the beans inside are still moist but starting to harden. But, you get everything from shriveled, bone-dry pods to plump wet ones, and I love shelling them all. Finally, again, there is work to do with my hands! It's a fantastic feeling, to have a pile of beans before you, and work at it gradually until the job is done. The feeling of absolute finality is the reward, and it is wonderful. The beans themselves are tasty and now appearing more often in our meals, which I am delighted about. Perhaps the tastiest meal I've had with my village family was rice, lightly oiled, cooked with dried fish, beans, and a few vegetables. So yummy! And much healthier than plain rice.