Infinitely Interesting by Harriet Hill

Harriet Hill

Infinitely Interesting

Oil on wood panel

8 x 8 in (20.32 x 20.32 cm)

$175

I was so bored as a kid, but no longer. There is always something to enjoy, to observe, to interact with.

When my family lived in a village in Côte d’Ivoire, there were challenges of malaria, parasites, and tropical ulcers. We had water and electricity cuts for days at a time without explanation–or with an assortment of explanations to choose from, all conjecture.

We did home school. We baked for entertainment and made endless crafts and read books out loud as a family every evening.

My kids tromped around the village and had adventures I know not of.

We observed life, made friends, and attended long hot church services we barely understood.
We listened to folk tales and sang along.
We took part in rituals in our courtyard, libations honoring the ancestors, girls coming of age, boys being initiated, rites to protect children from malicious forces, funerals.

We observed loud marital squabbles intentionally carried out in public. I watched food-preparation that took many women three days to complete.

There’s so very much to be curious about!