Story: Fote gets water from the well

Since the well in my courtyard dried up in...November? I've been paying two younger boys in my compound to fill my water at the well. Recently, my neighbor lady showed me where the further well is, and I've been meaning to try to do it myself, but using only the 10L bidon, not the 20L bidon. Only girls under 10 carry the 10L, everyone else uses the 20, but as I'm not accustomed to carrying anything on my head, much less 20 liters of water, I'm sticking with the tiny bidon.

So one day last week, I decided to go to the well. As I walked through the compound across the street, I collected a parade of small children all shouting that Mari Fofana was going to fetch water!!!!! eventually one of the older boys, Alpha, told them to go away, but he and his friend decided to accompany me, which was good because I had forgotten the paths. Through our Susu/French mix, Alpha told me that the well I was planning on going to was no longer good for drinking, so I should go to a different, further well. So we hiked about five minutes further through a grassy field covered in pits which I can only assume were used as wells once, but don't understand, as they were only about 3 feet deep. Finally we arrived at the well, guarded over by an old woman with a stick, who started yelling "Cobiri" at me, which means money. Money? Last time I went I didn't have to pay? I didn't bring any money with me, and I sure didn't feel like hiking back and forth to my house again! So I searched in my pocket and found a Pep-o-mint, which another PCV gave me from her care package. Since the woman was only asking for 100 francs, a denomination which barely exists, and candies here cost 500, I figured she was getting a good deal. She looked skeptical, opened the candy immediately and popped it in her mouth, and finally indicated that I could get my water. By this point, the professionals were lining up behind me. And by professionals, I mean girls between the ages of 8 and 19, who had buckets, large bidons, and small bidons. So I had quite the audience as I stuck the water-lifting bidon the 6 or so feet down into the well and pulled up two loads of water to fill my little bidon. Then I stuck my wet bandana, which had served as a filter while I poured in the water, onto my head as a bit of a cushion, stuck the bidon on my head, and started back, led again by Alpha and his friend. Alpha kept gesturing at me to give him the bidon, but I refused and just laughed at him, trying to say in susu that I can do it myself and let me carry it. We finally got back to the neighboring compound, where the parade of children was having an impromptu drumming party, which was interrupted to cheer for me and my success. Any of those kids over the age of 5 was totally capable of doing what I had just done, but they sure made me feel like I had done something great!