Safiata

カボレの娘、サフィアタは1日に何人もに抱っこされる。おっぱいはママがあげるけど、そうじゃなければみんなに抱っこされて、面倒を見られている。それは別に、彼女が特別のことではなくて、みんながみんなで子供を育てるっていうか。もしかしたら日本も昔はそうだったのかな。自分の子供の面倒を他人に見てもらうのに、ママは別に特別感謝なんてしない。みんなきっと、そうやって育ったから。みんなで大事にして、みんなで育てるの。

You find Kabore's baby Safiata in everyone's arms. Except that it's her mom who feeds her, she is everywhere being taken care of by everybody including other kids from neighbors. But this isn't a special case only for her, but this is how babies are often treated here in this community. Maybe it's how it used to be in Japan, too. A mom would never hesitate to have her kids to be taken care of by others, maybe because that's how everyone has grown up. Being loved by everyone, and raised with everyone.

今は隣人の名前も知らない人がいる、なんて日本でよく聞くけど、それは私のことだ。実家の両隣とも、知らない。ニューヨークのときも、アパートの隣なんて、挨拶にも行ってないや。ここでは隣人の家に普通に入って、飯食って、話しして、子供預けて預かって。みーんな、一緒っていうか。

I hear often in Japan people saying that now many don't even know the names of one's neighbors, and I'm one of the many. I don't know the people who are next to our house in Tokyo. Even in NY, I didn't even bother to go greet them. Here, neighbor come and stay as if is a family member, eat, talk, take care of kids, and it feels we all are just living together.

隣人のことも知らずとも生きてこれた私としては、それがどうした、そんな人間関係あつくるしい。と思うこともまああるんだけど、でもやっぱり、結構最高かも。こんな風に子供を育てられたら、素敵だよな〜って思うんだよね。

Me, who has always been okay not knowing the neighbors sometimes feel "so what? I need my own time." Haha, but at the end of the day, I am appreciating the way here, and finding it great. And start dreaming if I would ever be able to raise my kids in such environments, how wonderful it would be.