A day of learning and working in the rice fields

Witnessing malnutrition among extended family members, friends, and my students is the reality of living in Timor-Leste. However, as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a municipality in the northwest part of the country, I am extremely lucky to live in an area rich in agriculture. Over 75% of the food my family and I eat is produced, if not on our own land, then somewhere in the village or municipality.

Rice, a staple of life in Timor-Leste

A staple food in Timorese culture is rice, and over the months of living with my host family I have learned to tell the difference between the high-quality rice we produce locally and the lower quality rice that is typically imported into the country and available for purchase at the market. As a family, we collectively grumble when we see the market-bought rice on the dinner table because the taste and the texture is nowhere near as good as that of the rice grown locally.

Planting season

It is currently the middle of January, which is the middle of Timor's wet season, which also happens to be rice planting season. I have learned that farming is hard work and it is a full-family affair. After work and school, my host father and brother, along with uncles, cousins, and neighbors, typically head to the fields to do farm work. As an English teacher, I occasionally have opportunities to get involved in the action.

An opportunity

On Friday afternoon I was eating lunch with my host father discussing the upcoming weekend. He mentioned that on Sunday the family would plant their paddies. I immediately offered to help. What could be more quintessential Peace Corps than getting knee-deep in mud and planting rice with my host family? Just after I committed myself to helping he let me know we needed to plant 11 paddies in one day! And to make matters more challenging, heavy rains from about 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. prevent any work. Sensing we might need backup, I put out a call to the local Volunteers in my municipality, inviting them to join and promising them lunch in return.

All hands on deck

On Sunday morning, I, my host father, and a few other male family members all woke early to eat our breakfast of bread and coffee and headed out to the rice fields, or natar, around 8:30 a.m. We worked for a few hours preparing the paddies and the seedlings, just the five of us, until the extended family showed up to start the planting. I was in awe of the speed at which they planted, moving in a coordinated line each time they planted a seedling. I opted to stay out of their way, especially since the fields needed to be prepared before planting.

Around noon two more Peace Corps Volunteers from the municipality arrived to help, and they also brought a Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer with them. At this point we decided to join in. My host dad showed us how to plant, and we quickly realized it was a lot harder than it looked. While we worked, my host dad told stories of his youth and talked about the difficulties of finding food while living under occupation. I translated for the Farmer-to-Farmer volunteer who had not previously had the opportunity to speak to a Timorese person about their experiences at this level. In the end, with the help of friends and family, we managed to get all 11 fields planted, had a lot of fun, and gained valuable insight into Timorese culture while doing so.

A town transformed

In one weekend our town went from the drab browns of muddy rice paddies to the verdant green hues of the newly planted rice seedlings. I was happy to be able to participate in this all-hands-on-deck activity, where everyone from the ages of 12 to 60 got involved!

The rice we planted will be ready to harvest in June, several months after I finish my two-year service. Although I'll never get to taste the fruits of our labor, it is so meaningful to know that my siblings' bellies will be full in small part due to my help and to the generosity of fellow volunteers.