November 7th, 2007
Portrait of Irene
She is not just a notable, she is notable, remarkable. As she hosts Yune and I, she is also cooking chicken, baking a cake for her son’s birthday, and lecturing her student teacher. She is married to the sous-prefet (a representative of the president to the community), but she is much more than his wife. She is earning her doctorate, having already obtained her Masters in Law. She married at 25, and tells me that I am too young to even think about marriage. I have heard the opposite from other women in village. She is a mother, but of three children- not the traditional 5 or 6- that she has taken the time and effort to raise well, I can already tell from their behavior. It’s nice to see that their shoes fit. I am impressed with her so much that I would paint a portrait of Irene in her honor if I were an artist. I would paint her as she juggled all of these things at that moment, for all women to see. She is not just a notable, she is notable, remarkable.