September 2006

September 14, 2006

It was a pretty uneventful birthday. Since the days usually blend together I often forgot that it was my special day. It was somewhat symbolic of my time spent in between trips to Niamey. School was still out of session. Based on the French system all the government employees have a full month of vacation. They school system workers take September as this month. With soap making finished and nobody in the offices it was a lot of time spent sitting at home reading. Fortunately, I still have my radio show so I had some work-related task to do. While I was gone they aired one of the two tapes I made. A Benin volunteer did an extra show, which means I now have the option to travel a week without worrying of black airwaves.

September 11 was interesting here. Everyone knew it was an important day. Many people approached me and recounted the events. They were concerned for me since they knew I was from New York. I was surprised with how much they knew, especially since most have never seen an airplane or a building over two stories. They expressed surprise and dismay that Bin Laden was not imprisoned or killed yet.

Yesterday I traveled to Dosso to see the new volunteers. Training is almost over. The volunteers have learned of their new post and will spend a week there before returning to the training site for their final week. I was to spend time with one volunteer during her first night in case anything went wrong (which it did). They spent hours in the Dosso market thwarting our plan to make it out there that night.

This morning we headed out arriving at her new home by 9 A.M. We were greeted by a curious kid and someone who worked for the local school system. The kid swept the concession while the man tried to set up her utilities. The electricity instillation met with success but the water required some patience. It would not be ready for a few days. After they left a young woman came by. She was best friends with the previous volunteer and offered to show us the town. We walked to the market, which turned out to be a nice hike. I was surprised how comparatively quiet the market was after being in several other larger town�s markets. We purchased a large clay jug to hold water and hauled it back. The trek was tough in the increasing heat, causing us to take a break at a shop that served cold Coca Cola.

Refreshed, we returned to her house around noon. Our tour guide invited us to lunch at her parents� house. The new volunteer declined, citing fatigue. I had a long night yesterday so I welcomed the opportunity for a power nap. After an hour's rest the woman came back with a plate of food for us. Unfortunately, the new volunteer wanted some more rest so I ate alone. A few hours later she arose feeling sick. She exhibited all the signs of stomach parasites. We decided to go back to the regional house for medicine. Luckily she made the ride without getting sick inside the car.

After a miserable night the medicine will kick in and she should be able to return to the village tomorrow. It would be in poor taste to describe what she went through, but it is all too familiar to the volunteers here.

September 16, 2006

I had a few days before I needed to head to Niamey. Because not much was going on work wise I decided to cash in the cassette for a week free of radio responsibilities. I chose to head out to Zinder to see my friend who visited me in June. It's a twelve-hour bus ride from Dosso. I had to take the trip at least once during my service. When school starts up again I imagine myself quite busy until I go home, so now was the ideal time.

The bus left at 6A.M. Another volunteer was heading out to Maradi so I had company for most of the journey. This volunteer gained much notoriety here a few months ago for a rare stomach ailment. During the long ride I got to hear the full story. He had a pet cat that used to dine on his neighbor's poultry, especially their guinea fowl. Attempts to train the cat failed and the neighbors were growing upset. They were poor enough as it is, they could not handle the theft of a major source of income by the feline. Since keeping pets is a foreign concept here there are no animal shelters. The only choice to protect the birds was to kill the cat. Very little goes to waste in Niger, especially food (or potential food). After its death (a proper Muslim one), the body was cleaned, shaved, and cooked. It was to be dinner that night for the neighbors to compensate for the lost fowl. Since the people are overly generous my friend was offered some meat. It is extremely rude to turn down food so he accepted and ate his own cat. The former pet got its revenge. Apparently it was not grilled long enough. As a result of eating cat meat cooked rare my friend got a new pet � a tapeworm!

My travel companion disembarked in Maradi leaving me with a few hours of solitude. I stared out the window for the town Takieta, my destination. I did not look at a map so I had no idea how far it would be from Maradi. When I asked the driver he said he never heard of the place (I tried three different pronunciations, none with success). I kept a vigilant watch for two hours until we entered a town whose name had faded from the sign. My instincts were correct and it was the place.

I exited the bus, eventually found my bag from underneath the transport, and headed off. I stopped at a general store to ask of my friend. Being the only foreigner in a small town of 8,000 I was sure everyone knew of him. The assumption was right. Fortunately the first person I asked spoke French (my Zarma became worthless after a point 500 miles back west). The owner had a kid show me to my friend's abode. It was not a far walk, which was fortunate because it was getting late. As the sun was setting we arrived.

My friend was happy to see me, and I, him. However, at that moment I was more enthused about being off that bus.

September 19, 2006

Takieta is a small town situated at the crossroads of the national highway and the main road to Kanu, Northern Nigeria's biggest city. Because of its location there is a lot of people passing through creating much commerce on the main street, particularly food vendors. The town is known for its abundance of guinea fowl so eggs and poultry are plentiful and cheap. During my two days there we ate out or had food delivered all but once. Delivery consists of walking to the vendor, ordering food, then returning home to wait for a kid to bring the prepared meal.

My friend had a small house but a nice yard where he spent most of his time. There was a group of young men always hanging out in front drinking tea. He had been too lenient with them in the past. When I was there one entered his bathroom to take a shower without even asking. The spiders were a bit scarier in appearance than back west, but I escaped without being bit. The highlight of his house was his masonry in the bathroom. He had constructed a toilet made entirely of cement over his latrine. Though impressive, the fear of roaches and other bugs crawling out while someone is using it left me satisfied with my simple hole.

Early Sunday morning we took a walk through a forest that had been deemed protected land by the government. The entrance was quite surprising since the trees, bushes, and grass made it similar to a kind of forest I am familiar with. However as we ventured further It became more desert-like: sandy and sparsely scattered trees. Herders brought their animals through. The grazing on fledgling shrubs seemed to contradict the so-called protected status of the land.

I met a few of his friends. The language barrier was difficult to overcome. Only a few people spoke Zarma, all of who were women who followed their husbands here. My friend inquired of their language skills after each encounter. However, the greetings are extensive here, so our few minutes of banter were nothing more than the usual exchange of pleasantries. We visited his friend who taught English at the middle school. Surprisingly he said I was easier to understand than my friend. He did not believe my perturbed comrade's assertion that I had a strong accent. One last group we met was the family that adopted him. They fed us dinner. Unfortunately, the mother was absent. She went to the hospital and was diagnosed with cancer, which is pretty rare for here. Irikoy ma kande daama. (My God bring her back to health).

Yesterday we went to Zinder. A former capital of a major slave trading empire, the city exhibited some elements of luxury. Examples of this were an internet caf� and a swimming pool, both of which I utilized. It happened to be International Pirate day. One of the volunteers planned a pirate themed party and decorated the American house accordingly. He prepared food, mixed grog, and designed a treasure hunt around the city. It may be safe to assume that Niger was the only land-locked, desert country to throw a pirate party on this declared holiday.

September 30, 2006

We boarded a bus early last Wednesday. By early I mean 5A.M. our destination was Niamey situated over 1000 kilometers away. The trip normally takes 10-12 hours. This unpleasant ride was even more painful because of a recently formed boil on my backside burst. It hurt to sit still to say the least. Somehow I managed to keep my weight off of it. At each rest stop I drained and cleaned the wound to prevent infection. The rest stops here are latrines with buckets of water for washing. Although more primitive, I doubt the rest stops along the highways in America are any more sanitary.

It seems as if my health is never quite right here. My stomach is never settled. Skin rash occurs rather frequently, as do mosquito bites. Fortunately, I guess, one of the side effects of my malaria medication is preventing my skin from changing color. Therefore, sunburn is not a concern. And now I'm plagued with this latest malady reminiscent of the Old Testament.

I planned on spending over a week in Niamey. We have an event next week to generate funds for our projects. We hold two events each year. They money raised is our sole source of funding for our projects. I utilized this resource for my soap-making project. An important part of the planning is soliciting donations from local businesses. I agreed to help knowing I would be put to use a bit as the only Zarma speaker assisting. I did not realize I would be the only French speaking volunteer as well, which greatly increased my responsibilities. (Many of the businessmen here are Lebanese and speak only French). I repeatedly hounded stores and restaurants with some success.

One of my stops was the headquarters of Niger's bank. Standing four stories tall it is one of the biggest structures in Niger. I worked my way through the bank itself inquiring from various tellers who I might be able to talk to. I received a name and was pointed to the elevator. Before I reached the lift security stopped me, saying it was a restricted area. I told them the name of the man I wanted to see and they gave me a security badge to wear. I am still amazed with the abundance of thrust here. Though I have a badge giving me clearance, I neither told the officer my name nor showed him my identification card. My efforts at the financial institution were somewhat disappointing -- No money but a handful of pens and a shirt.

Our fundraiser went well. We had a national renowned singer perform for us for free. We raised 1.7 million CFA (over $3,000), which is a record for us. The meal was Mexican enchiladas ordered through the American school (a school in Niamey for Children of embassy staff, ex-patriots, and wealthy Nigeriens). Unfortunately it is Ramadan. Because of the fast no host country nationals were able to come. We had hoped to hit them up for even more money by selling concert tickets. Maybe next time.

Yesterday we swore in the new volunteers. It was a nice ceremony. Although the participants change, the speeches stay the same every year. Once again Ramadan limited the audience to foreigners only. After repeating an oath of loyalty the new ones officially became volunteers and we had a little party.