The gift of Sandias

Beginning in the middle of June until the middle of July, watermelon (sandia) are everywhere on St. Helena. I have sampled this succulent fruit (or vegetable?) from all over the East Coast of the USA and throughout Central America, and I can assure you that the melons from South Carolina are superior to their counterparts--no doubt about it.

Most of us in education have given up the notion that we will ever get rich in our field.  There are a few of us, however,  who know better. During watermelon season, we are often given a 10 -15 pound bonus from our students. If we are lucky, sometimes they will give us some "green" that has been on ice for several hours. Forget the cash, forget the big salaries. Once you've had an ice cold, South Carolin watermelon on a hot summer evening, you realize there are some things that money can't buy.

In all seriousness, I am often touched by the fact that so many migrants are so eager to give us the gift of sandias or tomates. We try to never turn down their generosity. There is always a neighbor or church or school faculty somewhere that will eagerly accept their generosity if we no longer have room for it.



Aaron receives a "gift of green" from a worker in Chisholm Camp on David Green Road. Many times after a class ends, we will cut up one of these bad boys and pass it around the circle. Even after the guys have been picking melons all day, they still seem to enjoy their taste. I know I do.

On this particular night, we were given more than our fair share of sandias. With 5 of us in a Honda Accord, sometimes we have to think vertically as demonstrated by Aaron and Melissale.