At the Sibi Fair
There are so many people here selling a buying resources. It is chaotic but beautiful, so many people working to sell their goods and so many people bargaining for a better price. Dadi and I have to walk a little bit to where we will set up camp. I make a border of where our tent will be and then start putting it up. After the tent is up I take the resources off the camels. When everything is set up I start to cook some lentils and curried chicken for lunch. Men start to come over to our tent to bargain a price for our camels, Dadi is a very good businessman and will not sell the camels unless he knows it is a good price. Surely Dadi will not sell Guluband and Tipu they’re our greatest camels.
Dadi is meeting with somebody who wants to buy Tipu. I see him negotiating with the man trying to make a good price for the camel. I am furious with him, Tipu is one of our greatest camels and it will be a great loss if he sells them. I see Dadi shake hands with the man and then I realize… he has sold the camel.
Every ounce of water counts
I walk along the dry sand on the way to the Toba. I feel it in between my toes as if it were a part of me. Mithoo and Sher Dil walk next to me struggling to keep up. Each one of them trying to be next to me. I get to the Toba to fill up the buckets to bring back to the hut. I fill the first one up and then I put it aside. I fill the second one up and then pick up the first one and start walking back to the hut. I can feel the weight of the buckets on my shoulder, each one of them losing a little bit of water when I take a step. Every ounce of water counts because it hardly rains here. I try to make my steps lighter so the water won’t fall out. Once I get back to the hut I drop of the buckets and get more. We need all the water we can get because who knows when it will rain again. Mithoo and Sher Dil still follow me. Mitho is still young and does not no what is going on. None of the mother camels will take him as their young to feed him. Poor Mitho, doesn’t know his family.
Shabanu… You should stop worrying about those silly camels! We need you to work around the house more! With my wedding coming soon, we need as much help as we can get!
I am sorry Phulan “I spend the most time with the camels”, I just feel like I have to look after them.