Last week I finally got to visit the site where I will spend my two years of service in Niger. After a quite engaging 14 hour-long bus ride (part of which was spent next to a chicken, sai hankuri…) our addition of newbie volunteers was received by the team of current volunteers in Zinder . Zinder happens of be the region furthest region from the capitol where the Peace Corps places volunteers (hence the long bus ride). My first memory of our visit to the region was news that all PCVs in the region were put of “stand fast” (a fancy way of saying that somehow the volunteers are at risk and need to stay in their current location, sai hankuri…) due to the fact that about 30 landmines exploded in the neighboring region. We were promptly taken off stand fast when the embassy determined that the incident was accidental (a local group was turning in land mines to the government when someone accidently bumped one, thus setting it off, and consequently detonated the surrounding mines. The governor of the region was injured, along with 20ish other people, and was med-evaced to the capitol).
Monday we spent the day in the market buying odds and ends that we needed to furnish our houses (sitting mats, bath buckets, silverware, plates, etc). I was slated to depart Zinder Tuesday morning and arrive at my site around 11. Unfortunately there was no gasoline to be found in Zinder and we had to wait around until a delivery was made (…sai hankuri). Our driver was able to find some gas early afternoon, but by that time it was too late to start the drop-off process and we would have to wait until the next morning to leave (…sai hankuri). I finally arrived at my site Wednesday morning and was greeted by my neighbor Sufiano. The volunteer who I am replacing was kind enough to take me on a tour of the village and show me all the important things I need to survive (the school where I will be working, the old men who sit outside the mosque, the market, the egg sandwich man, and how to get back to my own house).
I met my “host family” and had dinner with them (we had tuwo, the traditional pounded millet mush served with tomato based sauce). Thursday morning I met some of the villagers (the old women who sell homemade snacks, the local drum maker, the soccer coach/PE teacher, and the sometimes pleasant and sometimes annoying neighbor kids) and walked around to do the traditional greeting (see last post). My host sister was supposed to meet me at my house to take me back to my host family’s for lunch around 12, but 12:15 rolled around and I was starting to wonder if I had misunderstood what they had told me the day before (She did she say she was going to come and get me, right? Did I get the time wrong? Maybe I just misunderstood her French/Hausa completely!). It turns out that she did come to pick me up, she just meant 12pm Nigerien cultural time (12:20) and not American time (…sai hankuri). For lunch we had rice and the traditional tomato based sauce, and for dinner that night we had tuwo with the traditional tomato-based sauce (see a pattern here?). The current volunteer and I also swung by the water department to have my water turned on, but apparently when it rains people just decide not to show up for work, so of now no water for me the week I officially move in(…sai hankuri).
I traveled back to the PC hostel on Friday in order to catch the bus to Niamey at 4:30 the next morning. The return trip was quite eventful, such as a portion of the trip was next to a vomiting child and two babies (sai hankuri…) but the highlight was when the bus came to a screeching halt when we almost collided with a giraffe that was taking its sweet time to cross the road. Check out my pictures at the link below (the giraffe, my house, the view from the bus, etc).
So, all this to say that I am learning to “sai hankuri” or have patience. I’m told by current PCVs that much of my time in country will be spent waiting (for bush taxis, for paperwork, for people, etc) so I am glad that my first visit to my village accurately reflected how the next two years will be :) Sai hankuri….
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012410&l=d84ab&id=183201212
3 Comments
September 8, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Wow Laura a giraffe in MI you worry about deer not giraffes. Sounds like you may get to have some fun in Africa. Have fun enjoy you time in Niger.
September 10, 2008 at 9:41 am
Wow Laura! You have been a busy girl! I LOVE the giraffe pictures and story! We got your postcard and the kids have been ‘journaling’ so you know what’s been going on. They are still working on some beautiful bracelets to send. Will get a package out to you soon. Sounds like all is really going well…sai hankuri! Will talk to you soon. Love you!
Aunt Nin
September 11, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Hi Laura: wow. just read your blog. 9/11/08. sounds like quite a trip. sitting next to a vomiting child, am sure was a real thrill. we are all fine here. grandpa’s hearing aid died, so is in the hearing aid factory. hope it doesn’t take toooooo long to fix. did you receive the package and letter we sent. labor day, we went camping, got our camper back, and went to omer, mi, near tawas, to camp. it was on the rifle river. we could see the tubers, and rafts go merrily down the river. the campsite was fine, except it needed some upgrading. we had friends up there, who have a second home, and we spent time with them, dinner, etc.. calvin was very good. they have a beagle and they raced through the house. the next time we went, took them to the park first, then to the house. it worked out much better. they have a fence in the back yard, only 3′ high, and calvin flew over it in nothing flat, so we had to keep him in the house. we had a good time though. The millet and tomato sauce sounds like something i could pass on. sounds like one of my anominus meals that i serve grandpa. poor grandpa. we are supposed to go to linda’s this weekend, not sure of the day or time though.
your trip and information about the land mines was VERY interesting. sorry someone got hurt. at least they seem to be on top of things. as we always say, your experience is tremendous.
will write more later. granny