Sounds of Gossi (Bess Post)

Sounds of Gossi

by Bess

Most people in Gossi live in mud houses or bogu’s (straw huts). But everyone really lives outside. Life takes place outside. There are walls to divide families’ concessions but it doesn’t really separate anyone from their neighbors. Because life takes place outside and people really only go into their houses to sleep during the cold season, the ebb and flow of life lifts above the entire community in a chorus that one can tune into at any time.

As I lay down to sleep at night (Jared and I still sleep outside) I can hear a community getting ready to rest after a day of hard work. The gently hum of voices, dogs barking as they form into their wild packs, cows mooing as they find their way home from the gardens where they’ve been all day. It’s quiet late at night though when the sky is so big and the stars so bright. It’s like peoples’ voices and actions are hushed by the incredible stars and the deep blackness.

Sometimes the roosters get a little confused and start cock-a-doodle-doo-ing at 3 or 4 in the morning. Of course when one starts, the others inevitably join in. The roosters alert the cows who alert the goats and sheep and pretty soon the animal kingdom of Gossi is singing welcome to the sun that won’t actually come up for another 3 hours. Often when the animals make this mistake they realize it and quiet down again. Most often though, they are right on time and when the sun shines it’s first rays of the day the animals’ chorus is replaced with clinking pots, children’s cries and voices and adult voices.

This is about when I get up. I guess then I begin to make sounds too, that contribute to the chorus of Gossi. One of my favorite sounds happens during the day, usually late afternoon. The children gather outside our house on the street everyday to play soccer. They talk and laugh and play. The sound of their happy, young voices and laughter is a blessing everyday. Often I go out to watch and hold a really little one. All these sounds correspond to the life happening all around our village. I’ve wanted to share what life is like in Gossi, but there’s just so much! I started with this. Often we rely on our eyes to tell us what is going on around us. Try it sometime, to learn the sounds of your life and the life around you. It’s a beautiful song.