Here!

Hello there! I’ve been in Niger for two and a half weeks now; we have been staying in Hamdallaye, a small village of 4,000 about 30k from Niamey (the capital). I am staying with a host family and learning the local dialect Hausa for most of my day. Hausa is an interesting language… it is very different from other languages I have learned and I am really enjoying it. My classes are in Hausa and French so my French is improving, as well. We are also learning about the history of Niger, government and politics, and how to take care of ourselves in the bush. I can now take my own blood and prepare a slide for malaria testing!

The contrast between Niger and the US is extremely startling. I am with one of the poorest homestay families. We have no livestock, no mud structures, and we are slowly dismantling our fence for firewood in cooking. But the people are very friendly and happy; no one is going hungry but the diet is poor. I eat with my family outside on the ground from a communal plate with my hands. We eat rice with sauce or spices for nearly all meals. No protein or produce (in case anyone is jonesing to send a care package – dried fruit, beef jerky, and M&Ms!). I eat street food for breakfast, which I love! I get a delicious coffee drink and yogurt or millet pancakes. I live in a grass hut in my family’s plot (they have their own grass hut). Most volunteers have mud or concrete huts, which are better for the monsoons. But I do get a huge kick out of the neighbor’s goat who likes to eat my hut, so I don’t mind the grass. My bathroom area is divided into my toilet, which is a hole in the ground, and my shower area, which is a fenced off area where I give myself bucket baths. Bucket baths in the morning and falling asleep under an amazing view of stars and my mosquito net are my favorite times of the day.

This weekend I was in the Gaya region near the Nigerian border to visit a volunteer. I have some unexpected internet access so that has been great. We haven’t been out of Hamdallaye since we arrived and it is so exciting to have electricity and a connection to the outside world! We go to Niamey in two weeks and I will be getting a cell phone around that time. I have really been enjoying myself here and there are a lot of folks that make me laugh like crazy. There have been many adjustments over the past few weeks. I do miss my family and friends, rollerskating, Voodoo donuts, IPAs (turns out Niger is actually a very conservative Muslim culture so there is really no drinking for a while), and the boyish good looks of Rudy Fernandez but I am very happy to be here.

PS: And as expected, it’s really hot here. Really really hot!

Orientation

Hello from Philadelphia!  I’ve spent the last two days here learning about our travel logistics and meeting my group.  There are 32 of us and I am really enjoying it so far.  We were told that in Peace Corps, some countries have more street cred than others and that Niger is at the top of that list.  Wow!  Who looked at my application and thought, “this girl is hardcore enough for some place really really tough!”?  But I’m excited to get there and see how it really is.  I leave tonight and I probably won’t post again for a while so bye for now!