These Are Fruits, or, This is Why I Love These People So Much

In order to follow this reflection, you must first get a certain children’s song on your brain. It’s a must. The song is known by two titles, the first one French. It is called Frére Jacques. The English version is called Are You Sleeping? and it goes like this:Are you sleeping?            Are you sleeping?            Brother John.            Brother John.            Morning bells are ringing,            Morning bells are ringing,            Ding, ding, dong.            Ding, ding, dong.Sing that song a couple of times and then read on.It is Saturday. We have been in Kenya for three weeks. The interns are restless, and I don’t blame them. They have been in the bush working and they need a breath of city life. They have gone in to Mombasa for the day. They’ll shop for African carvings and go to the beach.Meantime, Brent and I will be in an all-day meeting with our Board of Directors. We know it will be an all day meeting, because all meetings in Africa seem to be very, very long meetings. It’s a different world. No one has to be somewhere. No one is checking watches.  No one is wishing they were somewhere else. They are there to enjoy the moment and each other’s company. They are there, in this case, to enjoy the excitement of talking about projects, scholarships, and possibilities that will affect countless students in their area. It is a big day.They come from far and wide, community leaders, a pastor and a priest, the head of the School Management Committee, teachers, a member of the Board of Governors, the Chairman, who works for the UN agency for peace keeping. We even have two women on our Board, certainly a stretch for them in this neck of the woods where illiteracy for women runs at about 95%. It’s hard to get Nyumvula and Umazi to speak up, but they are at least there, representing the women in our service area. Not all have been able to attend this particular meeting, but the ones that are there are in good spirits, as always.As for me? I’ve now sat in this meeting for 5 hours. Brent and I have been sitting on one of the wooden student desks that have a built in bench. It is not a comfortable thing to sit on. It is very hot and muggy. The oatmeal I ate 7 hours ago before riding our bikes 6 miles to this meeting just isn’t cutting it. No one else seems to notice that it’s been a long, long time since we’ve moved, let alone eaten anything. True, I’ve been snitching pieces of beef jerky and some gummy bears that I hid in my desk, but I’m still starting to feel rather restless and grumpy.I finally speak up. “Hey, would it be okay with everyone if we stood up and stretched for a minute?” They chuckle, in their warm-hearted way, always ready to indulge me in my weaknesses. They all stand, and Raphael, a teacher that I love and respect tremendously, starts them in a song. Hands on hips they laugh, sway back and forth and sing the melody I have told you to practice.  You might now need to review the melody to Are You Sleeping?Their words are new to me:Av a ca do,Av a ca do,Pa pi ya,Pa pi ya,Ya dee ya dee ya deeYa dee ya dee ya deeThese are fruits.These are fruits.Brent and I look at each other and smile. It is one of those moments, one of those priceless, unforgettable moments where you just know you are on a different planet. And you know it is a good, good place to be. Can you imagine such a thing happening at a Board meeting in the States? Their warmth, their laughter, and their enjoyment of a simple song and a simple moment, united in their need for relief from the pressure of making big decisions. No need to look sophisticated here. No need to impress. It is their gentle outbursts of joy in living. It is their dedicated commitment to the community they hope to improve. In a world where food is scarce as can be, it is their ability to identify and celebrate two of the fruits they enjoy.This is why I love these people. Brent and I sing the song when we find ourselves taking things too seriously.