Flora and Fauna

Matenwa, from the French La Terre Noire is a recovering rainforest on the island of laGonav, (wiki) It is impressively biodiverse. When we came here last, six years ago I remember the children writing stories about the rocks growing, what we call observational science. The teachers couldn't convince their students otherwise, they had no experiential proof, that trees grow, rather than rocks.

Well, that is the first thing that struck us upon arrival. We had to pull our feet into the pickup bed because the road way (term used loosely) had so many shrubs (albeit thorny ones) and trees along it. As we approached the Matenwa Community School the road was even shaded in places by flame colored flowered, lacy leaved flanbwoen trees. These trees have a lovely habit and are a gorgeous gauntlet as you come up the mountain. The school grounds have about ten different varieties of trees, including almond. On our way to market we pass the folowing trees, mango, avocado, canape (small, green fruit that look and taste a bit like peeled grapes inside), citwon, apwiko (a distant relative of apricot perhaps?), coconut, banyan, breadfruit, gren (with a green, slimy pomengranate like fruit), banana and cherry mango. You pick fruit by hurling rocks and catching the fruit or if you're lucky, having Max around. He may not put his all into being a center playing basketball but you should see him shoot up for a ripe mango!

The school here, as well as local agronomists, have been intentional in educating children and their families about erosion control and self-sufficiency that fruit trees provide. They give students trees to plant at home. The have also designed and gardened here with beauty in mind as well as practicality. There is colorful foliage here I haven't seen anywhere else (outside of the indoor plant department of Fred Meyers).

I find myself drawing unusual seeds, roots, blossoms and nuts more than anything else.

Hmmm...the animals, where to start? Humans seem the ultimate predator, as usual. The largest animal is an occasional cow. Most families have a donkey, couple of goats, and chickens. Some may have a small pig. There are many scrawny, flea-bitten dogs, but they aren't kept as pets. Our family has an adorable partly lame one that hangs around, comes when whistled for, barks when someone unfamiliar or a rooster comes into the yard. Our host mother even plays with it but the kids will kick it and it doesn't have a name. This has been probably the most difficult thing to deal with here. We try not to judge, realizing it is a different culture, but to watch kids throw rocks at dogs, hawks, birds and cats... often breaking a wing or leg, then tying them up to 'play' with or taunt before eating or killing them days later. When we found our dental floss used to hold the leg of a juvenile black bird, Genevieve and Max had it. They went out at night, using their scissors on their Swiss army knife to cut the strings attached to birds, kittens and helped to feed an injured hawk lizards until it could fly again.

The best part of the day, the cool wind gusts through our windows bringing the sounds of birds, roosters, and donkeys to awake us.