Monday, January 17, 2011

Morocco!

I'm in Morocco for my Close of Service conference. Peace Corps service is halted in Niger and we will not be going back. I will find out in the next couple of days if I will have to return to the united states or if I will be able to relocate immediately to a new country. I'll keep ya posted. In the mean time, I'm in freakin' Morocco! I will be very busy over the next few days eating fabulous food and hopefully seeing some of the sights.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

I spent 10 beautiful days in my village. The people in my village were full of kindness and generosity. I ate dinner every night with my counterpart, Maman Sani who runs the health center in the village, and his wife who is a primary school teacher. I was just getting to know some of the old ladies and I would sit by them as they pounded millet under shade trees. I held many many babies and got blessed by so many villagers who were so happy I was there. I went on runs through the bush and watched the sun set between baobab trees. I got frustrated when people were so eager to greet me that they would come into my living space at all hours without knocking or giving me privacy. I had a sweet mama, an old lady who greeted me every morning and didn’t laugh when I tried to do womens work such as cooking or pounding millet or carrying water on my head.

Now the sad news. Peace Corps is leaving Niger immediately. Due to security concerns I have left my village and will soon be leaving the country along with all my fellow volunteers. I will hopefully be relocated to a new post in a different country, but I don’t know yet. It is extremely sad to have to leave such a beautiful country after suck a short stay. I have been touched by the kindness of the people here and I have made Nigerien friends who I will miss dearly. I hold this place forever in my heart and while I am both angry and upset about having to leave my village, I am thankful for the part of Niger I did get to experience. There is so much to be learned in this country. So much potential to be changed and to make change. Not being able to recognize this potential is the hardest part about leaving.
That said, hopefully an adventure to a new PC country is waiting for me, Ill send word as soon as I know what is going on. We will soon be going to a different country while our futures are being figured out. I have no idea where ill be going or for how long or if ill be able to stay. Haha, its quite an adventure I suppose. Not to worry, everyone in PC are safe and in good health.
Niger is a beautiful place. It may be the poorest country in the world but its people truly are the most hospitable. The country has given me so much and I am just sad that I wasn’t able to help in return by continuing my service.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Zinder is bomb!

The day after tomorrow I’m going to my village! Whoop Whoop!

It’ll be challenging after living in such relative luxury in the hostel- all the pastries, showers, flush toilets and gigantic DVD collection will be missed. Also, before coming to Niger I was worried about the book situation- but there is absolutely no problem. The library at the hostel makes me giddy- it is full of fantastic books. I’m a little bit intimidate about tomorrow’s task- shopping. I’m opening up a brand new site, which means all that is there is an empty house. Tomorrow I will have to navigate Zinder’s market to buy everything from soap to a mattress to a machete (machetes are useful for digging holes and chopping big things- and for feeling like a bad-ass). We can totally do this, I’ve got some very knowdledgable volunteers who are going to help me out.

OK. This is the end of blog postings for now. I'm sure I'll have lots of stories to share after my first month in post! Take care everyone.

Laura

New Years in Niger!

Happy New Year!

I cannot think of a better way to usher in the new year than to come to Zinder for the first time. After a bumpy 14 hour bus ride from Niamey we finally arrived here around 8pm on New Year’s Eve. We then hopped on some kabukabus (motorcycle taxis) with all of our luggage and came to our new home. I had never ridden a motorcycle before, so the kabukabu experience was one of the scariest things ever. Now that the first time is over, however, I can’t wait to get back on one. The Zinder hostel is like a co-op. It is homie, big and spacious and is currently decked out in Christmas decorations. The entire Z team was here to welcome us and we had a delicious feast of burgers, fries, salad and CHOCOLATE COOKIES!

There are now 22 of us on the Z team and we are going to have so much fun! The Z team is notorious for the videos they create and I’m excited to have a creative project to think about while I’m sitting, bored at my post. I’m in paradise- the weather is perfect mild and just a bit windy during the day and chilly at night. The people are so wonderful and there is Sally! Sally is a dog, a very very sweet dog. At 12:15 last night I passed out, I just barely made it to the new year. I slept for 12 hours. Considering I haven’t slept past 8am since I’ve been here, I was happily surprised that it was noon when I woke up. Then we lazed around all day, I feel like I’m in little America. We watched a compilation of SNL Christmas skits- hilarious! I miss my other stage-mates, who are now spread out all over Niger.

New Years Resolutions:
- Live in a rural Africa village for 2 years
- Ride a camel
-Write everyday
-Not be a hermit in my hut, take the time to greet people