In perfect health

No worries, I just got a full checkup and I'm all great.  I told myself I'd go see the doctor when I hit 150 lbs, and I hit it on the nose, but all is good, he just says to eat more and avoid diahrea, LOL.  I feel fine, just wanted to check, haven't been this light since middle school, or maybe even grade school! 

 

Still no news on the camel, and I must appologize, still no pictures.  I really haven't been just hanging out in the village much, with all the stuff going on this month.  I had lots of visitors for my birthday, which was way fun.  We climbed the mesas, and there was a partial lunar eclipse right at dusk.  I had Djibo's wife make some food for us, and in return, they all got to eat good food for free too. 

 

Tomorrow live in starts, the newbies get to their villages for the first time.  They'll spend a week, then go back for a week of training before swearing in.  I'll have to take them out to the village, and probably go check on them a time or two just to make sure everything is going okay.  Then only a week until swear in, and I'll be coming in for that. Then in October, I want to go to Gotheye and visit my friends out there, so that will take a week or so.  There's not much to do in the village though until we get funding for the Grain Bank, so it's not a big deal.  I do need to start my bedding plants for the garden though, and find someone to water them.  Shouldn't be a big deal.

 

April and Anna just got back from Ghana and brought presents :-)  I got a bracelet and a necklace that are both really cool.  It sounds like a blast.  They have great street food there, and the ocean.  I definitely want to check it out one of these days.  Maybe next hot season.

 

Lefty had two kittens, which are about 6 weeks old now.  I think I'll give them to some of the new folks, they'll need pets.  We're also thinking about getting a horse.  Natalie is actioning hers off for the Gender and Development fundraiser and Cathy and I may split the cost.  We'll have to see how high it goes. 

 

My millet is probably ready to harvest, hopefully my villagers haven't pillaged it while I was away.  I need to weigh it to give proper records.  Not much I can do if they did though.  Most of the country is having it pretty hard with the farming season, but my village has been pretty lucky with the rain, and our millet is looking good. 

 

Well, I guess that updates you all for now.  I'll be back in a couple of weeks for swear in, so I look forward to chatting and blogging then. Keep the letters coming! :-)

Mmmm.... Coffee

I'm not sure why I always wait until the night before I leave to make a blog post...

 

It's been a hectic few weeks.  I haven't been in my village much though.  I only spent about a week there, so I didn't get to ride the camel much, and they won't let me drive yet.  Sometimes they can be a bit overprotective.  I also worry that Djibo thinks he's going to get the camel when I leave, he's in for a few surprises there.  They are unaware that I am planning to move in the next six months, and that I'm taking the camel with me!  I'm hoping to ride it down to icrisat, it's only about 100km, so I think I can do it in three days or so.  I went down there last tuesday to visit the place and see if it would be a good fit.  I love it and can't wait to move.  I'm trying to convince the boss that I should move there as soon as my grain bank is done, if not sooner.   We'll see how that turns out.  I stayed the night with Anna and then went to visit Seabass in his village for a night before we came into Niamey on Thursday morning.  We got a ride from some rich fellow in an awesome car right to the bureau, yay! no bush taxis!  Everyone was here from the region as we had a bicycle maintenance training yesterday and today, and we're all going home again tomorrow.  We also had to say goodbye to a couple of friends who were going home, some were done, and some who decided they were done.  Every time someone goes home early, it makes it more tempting to quit, but we're almost done with the miserable weather, and I don't want to give up just yet.  I do have that new post to look forward to as well.  I'm hoping to spend a month or so in the bush before coming back, so it might be a while before I post again.  In the mean time, wish me luck on the camel, I want to ride it into market in a week and a half, without my villagers pulling it.  I just need to stand up to them and say "Damnit, it's my camel and I'm going to ride it!"  He still doesn't have a name yet, but I promise to have one next time I come in. 

Productive week in Niamey

I didn't come in under the best of circumstances, but it's been a good week nonetheless.  I had planned to come in Wed. because Seabass's birthday was thurs.  But my wallet got stolen in the Balleyara Market on Sunday, so I came in to deal with the bank and police.  It's all taken care of, and I didn't lose much.  I now have a hefty leather wallet with a chain that ties to my belt.  Anyway, I was glad that it didn't get stolen earlier that morning because I had a large sum on my way to pay Djibo for my camel. 

 

Yes, I bought a camel, finally.  He is 2 or 3 years old and not fully grown, but mild mannered and rideable.  He doesn't have a name yet, I bought him on Saturday in Bonkoukou (they wanted way too much in Balleyara) and have been in Niamey pretty much since then, so I haven't talked to him about a name yet, much less ridden him.  I'm hoping to learn this week and be able to ride to market next Sunday. 

 

I'm going back to the bush tomorrow morning, and Anna (Yasmina) the previous volunteer is coming to visit.  That will be a lot of fun, and the villagers will be ecstatic.  In a couple of weeks I'm going to visit her at her new post in the Say region to see what work she's doing in Icrisat and what I want to do when I move there.  We've talked to the boss and it seems very likely that I'll move down there early next year.  I will continue to work with HollaBella, as I love the village and will be doing the same thing at Icrisat that I want to do in Hollabella.  I'm hoping to move into the Bella village near the facility, as they are more rural and less pampered by Icrisat, plus I like Bella culture and am starting to learn their language in addition to Zarma.  Nothing is concrete yet, so wish me luck.

 

Anyway, I've gotten lots of stuff done, preparing for new volunteers, dealing with paperwork, shopping, laying plans for a grain bank, and laying plans for the new post.  It's been a fun and crazy week, It will be nice to spend a few days in the bush before going travelling again.

 

I'll try to get pics of the new camel, and I'll let you know as soon as he picks a name.  I'll be back in a couple of weeks.  Love and miss you all!

 

No english and no cheesburgers makes jimmie something something...

GO CRAZY!!!! 

But all is well, I spent over a month in the bush.  Of course I went to market every week and visited with other PCV's, but stayed out of Niamey.  I think 2-3 weeks is my limit.  I went over a week without seeing any Americans at one point and was about to go nuts.  Luckily Cathy is only 15 Km up the road, which is no biggy on the bike (as long as the wind is kind).  I did flip the bike though, that was fun.  The road past Damana is crap and I was looking off to the side and ran into a hole.  Both the bike and I were unscathed, thankfully, and I went on about my way.

 

I came into Niamey on Sunday on the post car, have had a good time.  A lot of PCV's were here 'cause some were leaving for the states, some for vacation, some were done here, etc.  Most have filtered back out now.  I got to do some shopping in the Grand Marche, I got some incense and an incense pot, as well as a new bubu.  I'll try to get some pics soon.  I did find out that I had Giardia, so now I've had that, amoebas, and bacteria, the big three common causes of the runs.  I think we need to make up some merit badges for that sort of thing.  I'm going back out to the bush on friday, and have a lot to do tomorrow.  I have to get a sink, exchange some gas cylinders, maybe buy some cases of canned goods, and write a report.  I'm the new Balleyara hostel manager, which may turn out to be a headache,  I think I've got most things straightened out, or will have soon.

 

The rains have started, but the heat hasn't gone down much, still gets to 100 degrees pretty regularly, and now it's muggier.  The millet is planted in the village, and we've intercropped it with beans.  Now we're in the middle of cultivating.  All the men spend all day hoeing the fields by hand in the heat.  I can only do it for a few hours in the morning, but I'm able to do more every day.

 

I'm probably going to be back in Niamey around August 3, that's SeaBass's Birthday.  Then we have newbies visiting about a week after, so that will be fun.  They come in in a few weeks, so I won't be one of the new people anymore, they'll actually think I know what's going on around here, HA!

 

I'm taking money back to the bush to buy a camel, finally.  Djibo says I can go 40+ Km/day on it, which will be decent for trekking about.  Probably just to market and visiting for a while, but eventually I'd like to do some long distance treks.  Hopefully I can get some other PCV's to caravan with me.  That's a ways off though, and first I have to learn how to drive the thing.

 

Well, that's all I can come up with for now, I might add some tomorrow night, so check back.

IST is over

It was sad to leave the training site again. IST was good, very interesting and informative. It's nice not having to worry about food or laundry.  I'll also miss the teachers, they're a lot of fun.  I've been in Niamey for a couple of days, and am ready to get out of here.  I'm not really ready to go back to my post yet, but I never am.  It's not that I don't like it, it's just like going home after a vacation; you don't want to, but once you're there, it's good to be back.  I came down with bacteria last night, right on schedule.  Stupid fever.  The doctors are great here though (and free) so no worries. 
 

I'll probably try to stay out in the bush for a month or so.  I need to start organizing people so we can build a grain bank, and I want to do a demo farm with some improved seeds from ICRISAT.  I also want to start a tree nursery this fall for some nitrogen-fixing Acacia trees.  I was amazed at how much they can improve the fertility of a field over just a couple of years.  It would be an awesome project, but I have to get the villagers to understand instead of just smiling and nodding. 

 

Well, that's all I've got for now, hopefully I'll see some of you online before I take off to the bush tomorrow.  And don't forget to save up for your plane tickets to come visit ;-)

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.