I have a house!

... with no electricity!  ARG!!!!!!!!!    I got the house monday.  I got furniture and a refridgerator moved in, along with all my things.  But here's the catch:  The electric meter in the house is a prepayed meter that only the government is allowed to use.  Therefore the meter must be changed.  In order to change the meter, Peace Corps had to write a letter to the Ministry of Health (who I believe own or rent the house), who then have to write a letter to Nigelec (the electric company) who then have to change the meter and turn on the power.  We're stuck somewhere in the Minstry of Health right now, and I'm told it could be next thursday or so before I get power.  Now, I normally wouldn't mind, I lived in the bush without power for a year, no biggie.  But i don't have a bed outside here, and it's impossible to spend much time inside without cieling fans going, which requires power.  So essentially, I can't live there until next week.  I know it's not that big a deal, I should be thankful for my health and blah blah blah, but someone is keeping me from living in my house because they can't take 5 minutes to right a freakin' letter!

 

Nothing much new happening, really.  I've been pretty focused on getting the house stuff done.  I do finally have a pairing for the World Wise School program, (Hi Mandy) which is sort of a pen pal program so that students can learn about the world from PCVs in the field.  I'm very excited to start, but I have to wait until school starts there next month.

 

I guess that's all I have for now.  The podcast site is being stupid again, so I'll get one up as soon as it straightens up and starts acting right. 

Might be getting a house! WOOT!

It's true! I might be getting a house in a matter of weeks, or even days!  No guarantees, but it could happen.  Not that I mind living with Genghis, it would just be nice to have my own place.  I do worry about living alone though.  I like having people around.  At least the "dream team" (seabass, kurt, alex, alison, and myself) will probably end up using it as a hostel.  I hear that there are two places their looking at for me. 

 

One is called the village francophonie, and is 4k from the bureau on paved streets, so that's kind of nice.  Alex and I rode our bikes up there yesterday to check it out.  At first it looks like a little chunk of american suburbia.  The streets are all paved and all the houses are nice but look the same.  It really looks like a suburb of Pheonix or something.  Then you get there and realize that over 90% of the houses are empty.  It's really creapy, it's like everyone just packed up and ran away.  There are restaurants out there that are really nice, but have been closed for years.  The wierd thing is that the development is only about 2 or 3 years old!  It would be nice and quiet out there, but there wouldn't be anything to do, I worry I'd go crazy.  The houses are really nice though, and I'm not completely ruling it out. 

 

The second place is near the hostel in a neighborhood where some of the bureau folk live.  That would be a much better location, but I've never been there and don't know what the houses are like or anything.  Hopefully they'll show me both houses and let me pick, but I think that's me being optimistic.  I'll probably just get assigned something.  Hopefully I'll know soon though, either way. 

 

In other news, I've been fairly busy with the new Regional Rep. job, which is finally into full swing.  It's really nice to have things to do, it just took me a bit to get back into productive mode.  Things are generally good, and there's only 8 months 19 days till COS.  We've been trying to revise the COS trip plans to be more flexible, in case one of us doesn't go for some reason.  I think we've decided to "couchsurf" around europe, and go on some winery/brewery/pub tours.  We've added the couchsurfing to give us more to do while we're there.  It's a website/club type thing where you can look up people who live where you're going and are willing to let you stay on their couch for free.  You have to contact them and ask, and they can say yes/no if they think you sound normal or like a serial killer.  It would introduce us to lots of local people who can show us around the regions and know where all the cheep food is :-).   I was worried about the trip because Kurt is the driving force behind the breweries, I'm the one psyched about the cruise, and seabass is into both.  If one of us backed out, the other two would probably not be as keen to do the whole trip, and would probably just cancel it.  I don't want that to happen.  I'm not backing out, and if I'm staying here for the full tour, I want to go on the cruse dammit!  So this way we'll cut lodging costs and have something exciting to do for the whole trip, even if it's just hang out with random new people for a day. 

 

Well, that's long enough for now, I think.  I will try to get a new podcast up soon, I promise!

Things are looking up a bit

I'm finally starting as RR.  I don't think there's an official start date yet, but i'm just doing it.  I think right now we're just clearing it through washington anyway.  Tomorrow I'm going up to Ayarou with Sangare to do site development.  It's almost all the way to Mali, and I hear they have a fun market on sundays.  I'm also moving in with Michael.  The hostel is driving me crazy, especially when there are so many people in town.  They newest group just got done with a training and are lingering around, and the oldest group is about to have a Close of Service conference, so their here early, and the place can't handle that many people without me going insane, so I will stay at Michael's.  It's nice there.  I moved my stuff out of Sadore the other day on the shuttle.  The hardest part was the cats (she had kittens again) we got the kittens boxed up, but Lefty wouldn't stand for it, so I had to hold her the whole time.  We got there and she wigged out.  She's still around, but I don't think she likes me very much right now.  She'll cope.  I also got the iBook up and running the other day, its nice to have my own machine again.  Turns out I spent two months trying to get a cd that I didn't even need to fix it, it just needed the date set... ARG! Stupid Apple! But it's all better now. 

 

That's about all I know for now. 

Vacation and work

Well, I'll be honest with you, it's good to be back in Niger. I never really thought I'd here myself say that, but it's true. (not that it wouldn't be better to be back home, mind you) Vacation had it's high points and it's low points, just like any other part of Peace Corps. I definitely learned that the gender count has to balance for a successful trip, and one must be willing to go on one's own if the need arises. I spent the first week with just Alison and Rachel. They are very nice girls and good friends, but I felt like a third wheel. They also tended to get plenty of attention from the local males, and didn't seem to mind. That left me to either tag along and be bored, or go out on my own, which was difficult as my french was horrid, and the Beninese weren't so great with the English. It was still a pretty relaxing trip, and it was very nice when Seabass came and met us there 1 week in. It gave me someone to talk to as well, and it was easier to break into groups. Unfortunately, I ran short of cash a few days early and ended up going home by myself, which is a long story you don't want to hear, and I don't want to rehash. If I were doing it again, I would ditch the girls, stay in the cheap rasta hotel on the beach for half the price, and eat street food. On that plan I could have stayed there a month! maybe next time...

I seem to have that problem a lot on vacations, though. I tend to not like to spend exorbitant amounts of money on vacation, and like to go with the cheapest accommodations and food around. Often that's the only way I can afford to go in the first place. I'm perfectly happy to slum around and just enjoy a new backdrop. I must not be very good at explaining that ahead of time to other travelers, though. Either that or I just end up going with the group, even if I can't really afford it. I'm starting to think I should just get a trusty hound to bum around with and call it good.

Work wise, I'm still waiting to start the RR position. I know the bureau has plenty to deal with right now, but I really would like a satisfying job, something I can do that will make me feel useful. I'm hoping to find something out tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. The frustration really gets to me sometimes. Not just with the job, but with pcv's in general. I would have thought they would, as a group, have more respect for others than they show here. Don't get me wrong, the vast majority are great people, especially on an individual basis. It's when there is anything unmarked siting around and people take before asking, or you get a large group and they get carried away with the partying. Arg. I really need to get a different house, the hostel is nice and all, but I don't think I can take living there for another 10 months. I am supposed to get a house as the RR, but as with any bureaucracy, I don't think it's gonna be this week... Micheal did offer to let me crash with him for a while. It would be a nice break, a mini vacation at the very least.

I'm not really complaining, well I am, but not for sympathy or anything. I pretty much have my own self to thank for this situation. It's amazing sometimes how lots of little things and decisions end up together and you just stop one day and think, " How on earth did this happen?!" It's not always a bad thing, but sometimes it's just one of those things and you just have to step back and figure out what to do next so you don't end up worse off than before. Overall, I'm doing okay, and don't worry, if things go wonky, I've always got the option to wash my hands of the whole thing.

WooHoo!!!!!

Well, I got the RR position in Niamey, after much negotiating with my program director.  I'll be living in Niamey, eventually in my own house, and keeping track of 25 or so volunteers.  I'll also have a big hand in selecting new villages for volunteers.  It should be fun, and I'm excited about it.  It will have it's headaches, but what job doesn't?  I'll still be working with ICRISAT from Niamey and communting down there once a week to meet with folks.  It's nice to have that decided, since I'm going to Benin on tuesday and don't want to have to worry about it.  That's right... I said Benin! where they have oceans, food, and NO WORK!  It will be wonderful!  We got our visas applied for the other day, and pick them up tomorrow.  I'll be off the radar while I'm down there though, so don't expect updates or emails... I'll try to find the odd cybercafe to give an update, but no guarantees.

In minor news... we went to a fashion show last night that Alex and Alison were modeling in, it was quite fun.  It was a local designer named Kadi, who is probably the biggest designer in Niamey, maybe Niger.  She had an awesome place, felt like we were in a rainforest or something it was so green.  I'd like to go back and check out the guys clothes, I could use something apropriate for lounging on the beach :-).  This afternoon we're going to an embassy guy's house for a pool party, those are always fun!  Hopefully will get a new podcast up soon...

Friday!! Woohoo!

I've not felt this way about a friday in quite a while.  But that's what I get for changing posts.  The grass is always greener...  It's still hot, so I'm hiding inside in the a/c.  My new project is to learn dvorak.  It's a keyboard layout that is said to be more efficient than qwerty.  Right now I'm pretty slow at it (12 wpm), but I'm getting faster. 

Okay, that took way too long to type, back to qwerty for now.  I went to a cybercafe last night.  It looked like a nice place, but the computers were very slow, which was sad as the internet seemed very quick, and they were all set to french.  They had them so locked down that I couldn't change it.  ARG! I will not be going back.  It is interesting though that I'll intentionally learn dvorak, but I refuse to switch to french when it is all there is.  I think that's part of it, I'm not against learning something new, especially if it's more efficient, but I'll be damned if you're going to force me to learn something when there's no good reason they can't accomodate all languages!  Sorry about the rant, it's probably not the last time you'll hear about this one!  We've been planning to go around and rate all the cybercafe's in Niamey, I guess we should get on that soon.  Right now there is only one computer on the internet at the bureau, so I'll be going out to cafes more often until it gets fixed.

I'll be in niamey for a week now, doing some training seminar thing.  Hopefully by the time I come back out here to ICRISAT I'll know about the RR thing, hopefully I'll be the RR.  Wish me luck!

I've turned in my application, and it should be less than a week now until I find out about the RR position. I worry though that it will be delayed because of a training workshop we have next week. The regional trainer is coming in and they want a few pcvs, including me, to participate. It has something to do with improving our new volunteer training and also staff development. Who knows. It will be a nice change though, I'll actually get to sleep in until 7ish or so. This getting up at 6 to catch the ICRISAT bus is getting old.

Dad made a comment the other day. He said that I'm not happy unless I have something to look forward to, some event or change. I guess I never paid attention before, but he's right. I do enjoy the anticipation of events, changes, etc. It's true that when there's nothing to be excited about, or I don't know what's going on in the future, I get very frustrated. As long as I know what's going to happen, and I have some input or control, I'm happy. I enjoy setup and planning, but long term maintainance (read monotonous boredom) doesn't thrill me at all. Take the Hostel for example, it was a challenge, it needed reorganized and updated. I very much enjoyed whipping it into shape and developing a management system, but now I could be happy to give it to someone else. I did all the setup, I just don't want to maintain it. Once something becomes too easy, monotonous, etc, I get bored with it. I don't know why I'm rambling about it, just an insight I've come across.

I think at this point most of my friends are out in the bush and not planning to come in until our meeting in a couple weeks. Michael did move to Niamey though, and is about as bored as I am in the evenings. We've been eating a lot of meat and fry sandwiches and surfing the net a lot. That's my day really; work, bus, meat & fry sandwich, and the internet. If only i could get rid of the first two and turn down the heat!

Update (Long overdue...)

I must apologize for not updating sooner.  I do keep fairly up to date on the audio blog though.  Right now I am working at ICRISAT, the International Crop Research Institue for the Semi-Arid Tropics.  They do research on how to improve crops, introduce new foods, regenerate land, etc.  They try all sorts of crazy ideas, and most of them flop, but every once in a while something comes up that can really make a difference.  I'm working with the sahelian eco-farm project.  It uses a nitrogen fixing tree to improve the nutrients available in the soil and can drastically improve millet yields.  I am also working with a millet breeding program that is trying to select varieties that are more appropriate for the growing season here and will produce more food.  For the time being, I am living in the hostel in Niamey and commuting to work on the daily bus.  It's working out okay, but is only temporary until either ICRISAT builds another house, or until I get a different job in Niamey.

 

The hostel is coming along nicely, we've rearranged a few things, made some improvements, and things are going well.  For the most part, everything has been well recieved, now we're working on a decision making process that will turn it into more of a democratic system than a dictatorship.  (not that I mind being the dictator, lol)  The biggest problem is that it is the "national" hostel, so volunteers from other regions forget that it is the Tillaberi volunteers primary hostel and get into the "community property" mindset.  They start to think that it's noone's, therefore everyone's, and they can do whatever they want to trash it.  We're slowly chipping away at that idea.  Hopefully the establishment of a regional representative for Tillaberi (just like all the other regions have) will help legitimize us as a region in our own right, and people will start respecting us and our hostel.  That is the job I'm applying for.  I would basically coordinate support for 25 or so volunteers in the region around Niamey.  I hope to keep the millet breeding program as my primary project, and I would get a house here in Niamey.  I'll know about that in about 3 weeks.

 

In other news, we had planned a trip to Agadez, but that got cancelled when the rebels started killing folk again.  I'm hoping to go to Benin with Seabass, Alison, and Rachel at the end of May.  That's really the only vacation I've got planned so far.  We do however have elaborate COS plans to spend a month in Europe, then cruise home on the QE2.  I hope that all pans out, it's a prime motivation for staying here! 

 

I guess that's all i've got for now, I'll try to keep up with this, but the podcast will probably be updated much more often.  Ta ta for now!

To the village...

Been in Niamey for a week now.  I rode my bike in last Sunday, that was a trek.  100km, or about 60 miles, in just under 8 hours.  It was a fun ride, but I don't think I'll do it every time I come to Niamey.  I've been here working on reorganizing the Hostel in Niamey with Seabass and Alex.  We've been ridiculously busy with it for 3 or 4 days now, so I haven't had much time to chat, shop, and do other normal Niamey things.  It's enough work to keep us busy for another week, but we all have to go back to the bush today.  We're making definite headway, and have a surprising amount of support from the bureau as well as the other volunteers.  I expected more volunteers to complain about changes, but they took it vey well and are eager to see the place cleaned up.

I'm going back out to work on the grain bank in full force today.  I really want to have it done by Jan 5, but I'm not sure it will happen.  I wanted to move out of my village then, but I'm starting to realize that that's not feasible, and I will probably have to do it around the 16th or after.  That will aleviate some pressure on the bank, but I worry that it will just let them procrastinate and in 2 weeks we'll be in the same boat we are now. 

I need to get a couple things done here at the bureau then head out, so ta ta for now.

It's been forever, sorry 'bout that

I have a bad habit of forgetting to do things once I find a fun new thing to do.  Like forgetting to write blogs when I discover the wonderful world of pod casting.  I apologize.  So much has happened lately and will happen soon, I'll try to give you a rundown...

I came into Niamey a few days early and cleaned up a room in the hostel to put my folks in.  It turned out quite presentable, for Niger anyway.  I picked them up on the 4th, which was very exciting.  It didn't hit how long I'd been away till I saw them again.  I also hadn't remembered the airport correctly, I thought it was a dirty crude terminal, but nope, it's a modernish (if small) airport.  Who knew?  We went to the hostel and chatted until about 5am, then I put them to bed and went for some sleep myself.

On their first day, we went to the Grand Marche to get some fabric and took it to a tailor to have a dress made for mom.  Next day we went to the Musee (or zoo) which was interesting if kind of depressing.  The animals are in miserable digs, but still neat to see.  The artisan center is kind of neat too, though not a place I would shop regularly.  We went out to Sadore, my new village, on Wednesday and got a tour of Icrisat.  We stayed with Anna that night and just hung out the next day before catching the bus back to Niamey.  We picked up mom's dress on Saturday morning and barely caught the Post Moto before it left town.  There was much hanging out in Balleyara, then we saw the market on Sunday.  Dad rode bikes with Cathy out to my village, while Mom and I bush taxied it.  We had a party on Monday; my villagers killed a goat and made a delicious red rice.  Next day we saw the mesas and the brick making process.  Wednesday we came back to Niamey in a bush taxi.  It was a pretty mild one, not too awfully cramped, but enough to give them a taste.  We hung out in Niamey on Thursday and they went back to the airport Friday morning.  Luckily they got to ride in a Peace Corps car and have a chaperon, since Liza was also going home on that flight.

I'm here in Niamey still, going home on bush taxi in a couple of hours probably, might stay till morning.  The next few weeks in the bush will be crazy.  I have to get the grain bank finished by Jan 5 if I want to move out then.  I will be there a week, then come back to Niamey for Christmas and Hostel business (Alex, Seabass, and I are the new Niamey Hostel managers).  It is really crunch time and I need to be there to motivate the villagers to get the darn thing done.  After move out, I'll spend a week at a "training of trainers" session then in Feb I get to help train the newbies for two weeks, then stay for a week of mid service training while they're checking out their new posts.  It's going to be nuts, with lots of time out of the bush.  It's crazy, but at least it's not boring, right?

I have changed the address to the left there, and that is where I'll be getting my mail from now on.  I would like to send a heartfelt "Thank You" to all who have written me and sent me things.  I very much appreciate it.  I'm pretty well stocked on things for now.  I will let you know if I need anything.  I'm good on coffee, tea, batteries, sunflower seeds, and drink mixes.  I would love to get some photos though, you can never have too many of those, and they're cheep to send! I do appologize for not writing more letters.  I have tried to sit down and write a few, but then I realize they're mostly the same, and the same as what I write here.  I'll try to send some in the coming weeks, though.

I guess I'll cut this off for now, and maybe throw up a new podcast :-)

Happy Yesterday!

I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving.  We did here.  We had a lot of good food, including mashed taters, chicken noodle soup, green beans, salad, stuffed mushrooms, filet mignon, and squash soup.  There were a couple of groups that got together for dinners, then we all met at a pcv's place to play cranium. (my team won)  Got to talk to most of the family on the phone, which was very nice.  I hadn't talked to many of them in months.  We killed 2 chickens to make the soup, which was a new experience for many, very educational. 

I got a new blackboard and chalk for the school in my village.  It's new this year and they don't have much in the way of supplies.  I'll take it out next week on the shuttle, they'll be delighted.  We've got over 50 kids that attend school every day, hopefully the next generation in Holoballe will be able to read and write! 

I get to be a trainer for the new group in february.  Two weeks on the training site eating great food and chatting with a whole new group of pcvs.  It will be a lot of fun.  I'll probably move villages before hand, which will be nice - less to worry about after the training.

I got a new donkey.  It's all white with blue eyes.  It's not very good with riding yet, but it can pull a cart.  It came with the pcv's who were moving the horse across country and doing educational sessions in villages as they went.  They couldn't get it to pull their cart, so they got another and couldn't sell this one.  They were broke, so I bought it from them when they got to Balleyara.  It's turning out to be an okay donkey though.  Might sell it to the villagers when I move.  I'm not sure I want to walk to Sadore with the donkey, and I doubt they'll put it in the land cruiser.

Going back out to HB tomorrow morning bright and early, then will be back in a week to pick up the folks, WooHoo!  I hope they have a good journey here, and I'll do my best to keep them entertained once they arrive.  I've got plenty planned, and my villagers are excited to meet them.

There's a whole bunch of new audio posts up, so enjoy those until I get back into town.  That's all for now!

Here goes nothing...

I got the audio loaded. There's even a nifty player on the left side of the page there for you. For those of you who listen to podcasts, you can subscribe with the button underneath, and for the rest of you you can just listen on the site. I know they are a bit out of date, but it's a start. I will try to start recording every day or so, and publish them when I get into town. Probably whenever you see a new entry here, there will be new audio. but, on with the news...

I got back from Zinder today, that was a long bus trip! 12 hours is a long time, even when you have three seats to yourself. Today I got to ride in the newest bus that had tv's and speakers over each seat. That just means it's more annoying when they play the local music. There's no escape! If I hear that song with the laughing/crying/pooping baby again I might go balistic!

Zinder was really nice though, kind of a smaller version of Niamey. They have restaurants and such, artisans, etc. They just don't have grocery stores and nice western style restaurants. The transit house there is really nice as well. I'm jealous every time I go visiting. Balleyara's hostel is nice, but it doesn't hold a candle to zinder, or even Gotheye, at least they have cement buildings. Oh well, soon I won't have one at all, but it's a fiar trade to have an air conditioned office with internet :-).

I am going back to the bush tomorrow, and I'm not sure when I'll come back into town. I think I'll be in for the COS party on the 17th, but it will only be for the evening and I probably wont' get on the computer to chat much, MAYBE i'll have time to update the blog, but I'm going out again the next day. I've got to get this grain bank rolling! Hopefully the villagers have done some work without me, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I don't know if I'll make it into Niamey for Thanksgiving, we'll have to see how the bank is coming along. I should probably pick either thanksgiving or the COS party, as I haven't been in the village much lately. We're also down to less than a month till Mom & Dad come! It will be a lot of fun showing them around.

Wish me luck on the grain bank. I'll try to get the audio going. And that's all for now!

Zinder, Here I come!

Came in to Niamey for an FAO training on Farmer's Field Schools.  It seems a great program where farmers and gardeners get together and discuss what problems they're having and what solutions they can use.  Unfortunately, we really don't have time to implement it for gardening season this year.  We'll probably do a watered down version, which is kind of what they should be doing anyway.  Anyway, it's been a long three days.

As a highlight, I got to go to the Marine Birthday Ball last night with Alex and Alison.  It was great to go to a formal event here, we have some semi formal things like swear in, but nothing black tie. Granted I don't have a suit or anything so I wore Seabass's boubou (forgot mine in the bush).  There was great food, dancing, and an open bar, WOOT!  It was a good time.

Tonight at 4am I head out to Zinder.  It's about a 12 hour bus ride, so that will be fun.  At least its not a bush taxi.  And I'll have my omnipod with me, so I can listen to some music or watch a movie.  I'll be visiting foks out there, and talking with some about work.  Then friday, back here, and out to the bush again on sat.

It's going to be an incredibly busy next few months, what with the grain bank, seed distribution, visitors, christmas, moving, and training newbies.  I'm hoping to be one of the lucky few that gets to spend two weeks training the new group and eating great food back in Hamdalaye.  It will be great though, especially after the move to Icrisat!

So far I still have Tarzan, but Djibo says we need to sell him as he's to skittish to ride much.  I'm okay with that as I could use the money, and maybe I'll get a horse after the move. 

I'm going to try an audio blog, so I can inflict my voice upon you as well.  I can record entries in the bush on my omnipod, and then upload them for your listening pleasure. I'm still working out the technical details, but I'll keep you posted.

I think that's all I've got for now, but I'll try to post again friday night.

Back to the bush, but not for long...

Gotheye was good times.  It's fun to see other volunteers villages and what their experience is like.  No two are the same.  We got to visit Alex and Alison's villages, and we got to see a radio show done by them and Michael.  We're hoping to start doing radio work in Balleyara, the new folks seem very gung ho about it.  The hostel at Gotheye is really nice, cement with 4 rooms and all, but we have running water and they don't (that's what I keep reminding myself when I feel that we got the short end).  We were in Alison's village for the end of Ramadan, which wasn't as spectacular as I expected.  I'm glad it's over, I can eat and drink in public again, and all the street food venders will be back out.  I don't know how they do it, going without food and water from sunup to sundown, talk about miserable!

I should be able to pick up the money for my project tomorrow, then back into Niamey on Sunday to shop with Djibo for stuff Mon.  Cathy is coming in with her villagers too so that we can share shipping costs.  I'm hoping the building will go up quickly once the ponds dry up a bit and we can get clay.

In exciting new news, my parents are coming to visit, WOOT!  They'll be here for a couple of weeks in December, and I've got lots planned for them.  I'm really looking forward to it.  I want to show them my current post, new post, Niamey, etc.  It looks like we won't be able to avoid at least one bush taxi, but that's not too bad.  I also want to expose them to some native cuisine, though I'll keep bush food to a minimum, it's very boring and bland.  I know they're coming to see me, but I think it will be awesome for them to see Niger as well, it's bound to be a trip they'll never forget.

Off to Gotheye

Just in for the day, off to Gotheye to see Alison, Alex, and Kurt tomorrow. I came in today because Cathy and I had a meeting about project funding. Both of our projects were funded by Rotary, which is awesome! Barring complications, we will have the money next tuesday when I come back through on the way to HoloBalle.

Our newbies are doing well, better than I was at this point in my service. It's a good thing too, as they'll be in charge sooner than they think! It's only a couple of months before the new group comes in. I'm going to try to be one of the trainers for that group, and I think Sangare will let me. I'm also moving to Icrisat in early January. I have to go sometime before then to Sadore to set up new housing. I'm not sure if I'll go with all grass, or all brick, we'll just have to see.

I told Djibo to check camel prices at market sunday. If they're up, I may as well sell. If I can get some profit for the villagers, that would be great. I might look into a horse when I move.

I think that's all I have for now, will try to put in another update on the way back through.

Back to the bush

I've been in Niamey for over a week now.  I wasn't even going to come in till last Wed., but I got mildly ill due to skin infections on my foot (long story, but nothing major), and came in for antibiotics the friday before.  I ended up needing to stay for a meeting the following wednesday, when I would have come on the shuttle.  So I've been here much longer than I wanted to be, but it's been good because I got to see nearly all my stage-mates who were in for swear-in.  It was like a mini reunion, and we got to welcome the new batch of PCV's.  Tomorrow I'm going back out to the bush, after helping to install our three new team mates. 

The Gender and Development dinner/auction was fun.  As always, I was the only one who can work electronic equipment so I got stuck running the sound system.  I did get some fun things at the silent auction though.  I got a pint sized nalgiene bottle, a fanny pack with a camelback type water bladder, some coffee, and a dvd that didn't work.  I almost bought a horse at the live auction.  It went for about $250 USD.  I should have bid higher, but que sera.  Natalie donated the horse and is going to take a long trip to deliver it to the winner while stopping in villagers to do AIDS sensitizations.  They also had someone from the national dance team teach some PCV's some traditional dancing, which was cool (no, I didn't dance), and we had a Nigerian named Hadiza Mangou come sing.  It was good times, and the enchiladas they served were wonderful.

I'm in good health, and have even gained a few pounds back, probably due to the time I've been in Niamey.  I've been so busy lately, with newbies, meetings, etc, that I haven't had much quality time in the bush.  I also haven't got to work with Tarzan (the camel) much, but I did have a bonding moment when I got to shove grass down his throat and he didn't complain much.  The villagers are trying to fatten him up and make him grow big.  I'm okay with that, it means we'll make more money when we sell him.  I named him tarzan because he thumps his chest a lot with his front feet. 

I should be able to start gardening when I get back.  I meant to start some seeds a couple of weeks ago, but it's good that I didn't because they'd have died while I was away.  I don't know if I'll get much from them though before I move.  Anna claims to have convinced Sangare that I need to move in January.  I'm okay with that.  I've been working on the proposal for the grain bank.  Naturally it got rejected the first time through.  I think there's some rule about not letting it be too easy.  Hopefully it will go through this time and will be on the web soon.  I figure that either I'll get funding and be done with the project by January, or I won't have gotten funding and will leave it to the next volunteer to do.

I got my new PMP, a Cowon A2, which is incredible.  It plays and records music and movies, and acts as a portable hard drive.  It's like an iPod but WAY BETTER.  I call it my omniPod, because it can do everything.  I've spent a good amount of time on the computers putting my movie/music collection on it.  I got it a week ago.  I went and picked it up at the post in Niamey, because I didn't want it to go wait for me in Balleyara, where I wouldn't have a computer to load stuff on it with.  It took some convincing for them to give me the packages here, but a nice lady named Rabi got it taken care of, and wants me to send her two chickens.  I'm tempted to do it, just to surprise her.  I also have discovered portable applications, such as firefox, gaim, gimp, and all the linux programs I love that run off of a usb key.  it's wonderful, as  get to take all my programs and settings with me and run them on any computer without leaving a trace.

I'm fixing to stay in the bush for about three weeks, then I'm heading out east to visit some friends.  I'll try to hit the web sometime around then.  Ta ta for now!

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.