Goat and stars

I am not sure what time we finally get to eat, but the sky is very black yet it is quite light out. The moon is brilliant in her fullness and brightness, and the air is gentle and warm.

The five of us with Jasi & Dia are seated on the ground on another beautiful rug. Women come with hand towels and a container of water they pour over each of our hands while holding another bowl underneath to catch the hand-wash water.

We are to eat Senegalese style, which means we all have forks and a large chrome platter covered with a high dome, is set in the middle of us.

The goat lies in large browned pieces on top of juicey millet, potato, some elbow macaroni and lots of onion and carrots.

None of the other women or children join us. There are small fires spread out around the camp and I assume everyone is eating in front of their own homes.

I dig in with everyone else, tasting both goat and millet. I try to eat slowly and mostly millet, but Dia, my daughter's hopeful healer, notices immediately and pushes goat towards me.

I indulge in way too much goat and try to sip tea under my daughter's watchful eye!

We do not want to sleep inside the building. The night is way to gorgeous and wonderful to be shut inside. After much discussion, the women take our beds and move them several yards away under a dried grass/wood canopy that provides lots of shade during the day and a place to attach mosquito netting for us during the night.