In Service Training

I'm half way through in service training. We're back to the training site in Hamdy, which is nice. They have good food, and lots of it, and real showers. They also have laundry service once a week :-). The training is more fun this time too. We have had more demonstrations and hands on stuff that is applicable to our job, instead of just lots of language and culture. Wednesday we got to go to ICRISAT, a research institute trying to develop better crop varieties and farming methods suited to dry climates. There is a PCV there working with them, actually the same PCV that was in my village before me. I may try to move there when she leaves and work with them to promote their methods and such throughout the country. It would be great experience if I decide to go into the green industry in the states. I don't imagine that a year with an international horticultural research facility would be anything to scoff at. Nothing is definite and it's a long ways away.

Village life is good, if boring. We've had a few sprinkles, but no real rains yet. I think I'm going to farm this season, if I get back in time to plant. I'll be there in a week or so, so there should be plenty of time. I will probably plant millet and beans. I'll also be planting a lot of vegetables in my concession. They don't garden during the rainy season, and I may have to try to encourage that. They have little time, what with the working in the fields and all, but could make some serious cash (by nigerian standards anyway) in the market if they grew some veggies too. Still working on the rabbit thing, talking to lots of folks to figure out how best to go about it. I also don't have a camel yet, but I'm getting closer to it. I should really wait until after rainy season so I don't have to keep it tied up and bring it food.

In general, all is well, I haven't lost any more weight, thank goodness, and I'm going on two weeks illness free (knock on wood). I've been getting lots of goodies :-), Thank you all for the packages! I'll try to get another round of letters ready to send your way soon. I'll be back in Niamey next weekend, so keep an eye out for me fri/sat/sun online.

P.S. It seems I've started a trend :-)

Arg! Sick again!

I had a viral upper respiratory infection for about a week.  That was no fun, lemme tell ya! 103.5 in 110 weather is pretty miserable, but all is well now.  I came into Niamey to see the doctor and recouperate a bit.  I've been in every 2 weeks now.  I'm not complaining, but I should try to stay at my post more.  I was sick, so I had reasons, but still.  Now I'll go out to post and spend a week before I have to come back in for more two more weeks of training.  Oh well, I'm pretty integrated, so I don't think it's that big of a deal.

My village wants a grain bank and a school, and I want to start rabbits, so I think I have enough projects to keep me busy for a while.  Tomorrow I'll have been in Niger for 4 months.  Seems like it's gone fast, yet I feel like I've been here forever, wierd. Wednesday will be the 2 month mark as a PCV, only 22 months to go! 

 

It's hard to believe that soon we'll have a new group of trainees in a couple of months, then we won't be the newbies anymore.  That will be kind of nice, but they'll also expect us to know what we're doing.  It will be nice to have new english speakers to talk to though :-) 

 

We're almost done with hot season, and I think one is enough.  My friends and I are planning to head to Ghana next year when it gets hot.  I can say I survived hot season in the Sahel, at over 110 degrees, I don't need to do it twice!  It should rain any time now, though the forcast is pretty flaky here.  Last year I hear it rained last week in April, but we're still waiting.  I can't wait to see it start to get green here!  I'll be sure to post pics of before & after rain :-)

 

Well, not really sure what else I have exciting, I appreciate all the mail I've been getting, It really is like christmas when I go to the post office :-).  I hope to get some more responses in the mail soon, so keep an eye out.

I survived an entire month at post! I got to come into Niamey to see all my friends. It's really good to be around them and see what their first months have been like, and realize I'm not the only one who's hot and bored. My boss came out to visit this yesterday, and we rode into Niamey with him to avoid
bush taxis. He was impressed with my integration. I've become a kwara-ize, or member of the village. He was impressed with how much I've helped them work around the village, not that I've done anything huge, but if someone's working, I pitch in and lend a hand. I've helped roof a house, make bricks, dig mud, water gardens, etc... It's definitely a good deal of work, but nothing too mentally taxing.
I've leaned up quite a bit, I'm down to about 168 or so, and I think I need to start including some peanut butter or tuna into my diet so I don't lose anymore. Don't worry, I've still got plenty of energy, and I'm eating plenty, just dropping some stored fat. The pics here are of my house and concession, I'll also try to find one of my bald head. It's a bit different. I'm going to let it grow out
now I think. By the time it get's long enough to be hot, hot season will be over, and I think I want to go on vacation next year around hot season, so we'll see how long it gets. On the subject of care packages, I love to get them, it's like christmas, or maybe even better. I've come up with a list of things that are always welcome:

• Beef Jerky
• Drink Mixes (preferably sugarfree)
• Ground coffee
• Granola bars and the like (chocolate will melt)

• AA Batteries (the rechargeables don't like the heat)
• Sunflower seeds & such snacks
• Pictures
• Anything Instant (just add water)

If I come up with other things, I'll add them later, but those are things that I'm sure to use and enjoy. Do pace yourselves though, packages are expensive and I'll be here for another 23 months :-) Well, I'm going to close for now, but I'm in Niamey for another few days, so I'm going to try to be online from time to time for chat.

I've survived over two weeks at post

I'm not suposed to be coming into Niamey my first month.  They want me to be integrating well into my village and all.  But yesterday I came down with a fever and aches, so I came in for the standard malaria test protocol, which was negative, of course.  I've been taking my pills religiously, but they had to be sure.  I'm not complaining, I got to come in to use the internet and noone can holler at me about it. :-)

Post is good, the awkwardness has died down a lot, and I know the important people around me.  I've been working a lot and have lost about 25 lbs. since I came.  I'm eating plenty, just it's hot and I've been doing physical labor, like digging clay, making bricks and such.  For the most part I'm healthy, don't worry about the fever, it was less than a 24hr bug.  The medical coverage for us is awesome, so no worries.  I haven't got a camel yet, that's on the back burner right now, I just got my bike today.  I do want to start rabbits here if they'll work.  They could use the easy meat, and could sell the pelts.  And I like rabbits.  My cat's name is Lefty, the name it came with, and the donkey's name is Don Quixote.  The Kitten doesn't have a name yet, but it's going to a friend, so I'll let them name it.

I guess that's all I've got for now, I might add tomorrow, if I get the chance.

Time to swear in!!!!!

Well, I've survived training.  It has been two months of gruelling language and culture classes with a skosh of agriculture thrown in.  I've been amazed at how fast one can learn a language when it's all you speak!  It's been a lot of fun though.  I've made a lot of friends, we started with 27 people and are down to 22 now.  The only real problem I may have here is the hot dry climate.  So far all but my feet have adjusted well, and they like to dry out and  crack every summer anyway.  I'll be swearing in tonight, then a big shindig. 

 

On tuesday I'll move out to my new village, HollaBella.  It's a Bella village (Bellas are black tuaregs that used to be slaves to the white tuaregs, but are now free).  I really like it. I've got a nice big concession with a large tree, so there is shade :-).  My house is a round mud hut with a grass roof, it's probably 14-16' in diameter.  The bathroom is a hole in the ground surounded by grass mats.  I bath from a bucket, which is actually quite nice.  I have a gas stove to cook on, as well as an outdoor fire stove thing made of mud and a pot.  I have a cat that the previous volunteer left me, it has a very small kitten.  I also have a donkey she gave me (she's really awesome).  I think I'm fixing to buy a camel as well, which will give me something to talk about with the guys in the village.  

 

Food is actually very easy to get used to for the most part.  Most dishes are very starch heavy, and light on the meat, if it's there at all.  Rice and Millet are the staples, usually accompanied by some sort of sauce.  Everything gets pounded into sauce here, I think they just like to pound things.  The most interesting is Lafoy, or okra sauce. It has a nice flavor and the consistency of snot.  After you get used to that it's all great. 

 

The people here are extremely friendly and generous, but they do like to ask for things all the time... "I like that" and "I want that" are the same phrase, "Ay ga ba wone."  They are also obsessed with marriage, they joke about it and constantly ask why you're not married and if you'd like to marry them.  It will be at least a month before I get back in to post a blog entry, but I will be getting mail every week, so feel free to send me a letter.  The address from before will always work, but this new one will be faster.

 

Jimmie Klein, PCV

Corps de la Paix

Balleyara

Niger, West Africa

 

I look forward to hearing from you all, and will try to be good about responding, but be patient, postage is expensive here.

This is it...

I take off from Wichita in less than 12 hours.  I'm not even really nervous right now, which surprises me.  I guess it's because there's not much I can do.  I've packed, and anything I don't have, I'll do without.  There's nothing I need to do before I leave, just get up and go. 

It will probably hit me on the plane, maybe not even until I'm flying over the ocean.  It's just kind of wierd, this has been something I've talked about for over a year now, and I'm actually going through with it.  It's not just one of those hairbrained schemes I have that never amount to anything.  I'm actually going to Africa to live for two years, HOLY CRAP!!!

I won't be able to post while I'm in training, so there will definitely be a gap of about three months, but no worries, I'll be back on asap.  I'm not sure I'll get to post again before then, so goodbye all, I'll miss you!

I got an awesome hat!

I found it when I was shopping with my brother in Wichita. Isn't it awesome?! For the most part, I'm ready, just a couple of things to pick up yet, and then fitting everything into the suitcases. I've been fiddling with it, and I think all those hours of tetris are going to come in handy ;-).

FYI, here is my address while I'm at training. It will change in about three months, but I'll let you all know. When I'm there I'll know more about what can be safely mailed, but only letters for now (though it's good to know you all will send me things if I need them).

Jimmie Klein, PCT
Corps de la Paix
B. P. 10537
Niamey, Niger
West Africa

Only 3 days to go.... holy crap!

Well, I'm leaving home Monday morning. As time gets nearer, I'm more and more aprehensive about going, but I would kick myself forever if I didn't at least give it a go. I can always come back early, though I'm hoping not to have to. I'm starting to finalize my packing list, and figure out how everything will fit together. I won't have email for quite a while, not until after training, so updates will be sparadic at best, but I'll try. My phone is being shut off on Sunday, so that's the last day to call. I will find out what my address is and post it on here before I leave. I'm going to try to send a link to this blog to everyone I can think of, but feel free to share with anyone who might be interested.

Well, back to packing.