4.16.2008

Missed My Bus

If it left on time, it left about the time my alarm went off at 4:30. Not sure why I set my alarm wrong. So, now I'm in Niamey for another day.

I really want to get back out to my village. I have a soccer game on Friday, but this time on the internet allowed me to do a bit of tinkering to the blog.

You'll notice I changed the banner. It's a lot less boring now, thanks Jermey for the help with that.

Underneath the archive I've created a list of the 5 posts that have been viewed the most times. This way, if you are new to the site and don't have much time you can see what people have read the most. I will update it every chance I get, so that I can keep it as up-to-date as possible. All I ask is for your patience.

I've also added a list of my PC Niger friends blogs that automatically updates itself and keeps the most recent updates on top. So, if I haven't updated in a while you can read what is going on in their lives.

At the bottom of the left hand bar I've added a search box. It will allow you to search everything on my blog and all the links I've included. Could be handy if you forgot where you found something.

I'm still having trouble getting Facebook to import my blog, no fun. So, if you used to read an imported note on Facebook, stop being lazy and just visit the site.

I also helped Jeremy add some features to his blog. With our powers combined true nerddom can be achieved.

4.14.2008

Ghana Comes to Play


Yesterday I went to see Niger and Ghana play for their second meeting for the African Nations Championship (CHAN). This tournament is being used to showcase new local talent. No players that play on foreign soil are allowed to represent their country.

I was amazed at the hostility the fans showed for Niger's coach and the praise they had for Ghana's coach. Niger's coach had to be escorted by security forces when moving about. The pictures I took don't really show much but there were many bags of water and plastic bottles being thrown down from the stands. When he exited the field, people ran around the stadium to get a better angle to taunt and throw. I was impressed with their effort.

Niger lost 1-2 and combined with the 0-2 loss received when they traveled to Ghana two weeks ago, they are not in a good position to continue in the tournament.

April Fools

First of all, I want to thank everyone for reading. I know I don't get to post very often and your patience is very much appreciated. I want to clear up some things about the post March 31st. Actually, I want to clear up the whole thing. It was all an April Fools joke.

So, there has been sickness. No camel polo league. No electricity/running water.

Sorry for any inconveniences.

Wishing you all well.

Click here for pictures of camel polo. Not mine.

4.12.2008

Changes


With a great deal of satisfaction, I'm looking at a clothesline of freshly washed clothes. I still don't have clothespins, but my carabineers have been working just fine. (Note to self: go buy some clothespins in Maradi!). I’ve recently learned that I really enjoy washing my clothes by hand. Although I’m not entirely sure why I enjoy it so much, because those who have lived with me can attest, I’ve never been a huge fan of washing my own clothes back home in America, even with the modern “convenience” of the washing machine. Granted the amount of clothes I can wash at any given time are limited by several factors: I have much fewer clothes here and I wear each article much longer than I would in America which tend to make each load rather small.

But, I think, at least in part, some of it is because I can see the fruits of my labor. Right now, with my work in the Peace Corps, I feel that it is going so slow that I will never see the effects of any of my work. I know that this isn’t true, but things move slowly here and people are often slow to change.

After discovering this bizarre change in my life, I began noticing many other changes going on around me.

One example is how my perception of some people has changed. Shortly after arriving in my village I met a man on my way back from work on day who I thought would be someone who would be great to help me with language and to teach me about the village. At first, things went well. He taught me several words. He invited me over during the Ramadan celebration where we shared macaroni, sauce, and sheep stomach. The meat was very chewy! The he started inviting me to help pick peanuts in his field. After we were done picking peanuts, he would give me the bag I picked. It was a lot of peanuts. I had to give them away to my kids.

Sometimes I wouldn’t be able to stop by to visit him because I was traveling, busy, or ill and every time I’d return he’d ask if I was trying to sever the friendship. It got old really fast.

Now, I get a barrage of the same question over and over. Where is your wife? The other white girl, she’s your wife. Do you sleep alone? Do you eat meat? Do you drink hura (millet drink)? This is just a sampling of the questions he throws out each time and each of these questions he asks over and over and over but he already knows the answers to them all. I thought he was going to be really helpful in my work and integration and now he just annoys me.

Then, on the flip-side are Koursiya and Sarrey. Both are middle school girls in the early teens who I only recently realized aren’t part of the family I live with. They live there so that they can attend school because their villages are too far away. This is a fairly typical set-up when people choose to/are allowed to continue their education. Anyways, these two girls are like “typical” middle school age girls everywhere, inquisitive, energetic, excited, and talkative (and boy do they talk fast). The difference is that I can barely understand them. But, it was a great day when I realized they were talking something like the equivalent of Pig Latin or Double Talk. It took me several weeks to make the connection. I’ve learned a lot from them about Niger and now I’m able to double talk a little now. My villagers cheer me on shouting “He can! He can!”

After nearly 7 months in my village my house is almost finished. I spent the last four days essentially hoemless under my shade hangar while my house work was being done. I missed a trip to do radio but my coworkers greeted me on my new house. After they found out that is what you say to someone who is getting married, they decided to go ahead and greet me anyway. The back wall of my house was torn down and re-errected. I was certain it was going to fall on its own with enough time and would have leaked once the rains came. The wall around my latrine was raised so that I don't have to greet the entire village every time I enter. Best of all, my two room house is finally a two room house with a door inside connecting each room. Previously I was only able to live in one of the ten foot by ten foot rooms.

Cold season has come and gone. Hot season is here and now we are waiting on the rains. The only redeeming thing about hot season is MANGOES! When the heat of the morning air doesn’t get me out of bed, the thought of sinking my teeth into a delicious mango usually does the trick. Some days I’ll eat 4 or 5 mangoes in a sitting. I fear the day when I say, “Another mango? I don’t know, maybe later.” I can’t even describe how good these things are.

With the change in seasons, I’m sure there will be many more changes to my life. I’m not looking forward to traveling in this country during the rainy season. Also, I’m not looking forward to the constant moving of my bed to avoid the heat or the rain. Maybe I’ll find something about rainy season that I do like. I’ll let you know then.

Well, until next time I hope that everyone is doing well and again, thanks for reading.

Pics from house work