I can't believe how much has changed over the past two years. I used to be this shy and quiet person who was afraid to put myself out there, to be seen, to make mistakes, to live. Now, here I find myself in Niger and I have no choice but to be seen. I am different than 99.7% of the population. And for once in my life, I don't (always) mind the attention.
I have just completed my first month as an official volunteer and it went amazingly fast. I remember how slow the first week in Hamdallaye was. The first three months, work is limited to integration and language aquisition. The first is no problem at all, and little by little (moso moso) my Zarma is coming along. I love the way that people greet each other here. It feels like a competition to see who can throw the greetings first and I feel lucky to be able to be a competitor now. It doesn't always come easy, but there are days when I can communicate so easily that I forget I am not speaking English. There are days I miss English. Luckily, I think I have found ALL the English speakers in my village.
The first month we were not allowed to travel outside of our posts except for emergencies. Thankfully I had none. Here's a little glimpse into my everyday, Nigerien, life.
Mon-Fri: Wake up between 6-7:30 and shower. Leave the house before 8 and before the heat really starts. I walk to to my inspection, stopping at the ecogar (motorpark) to find breakfast. ( An Inspection is similar to a school superintendent's office in the US) Usually cicenas which are fried dough balls made from bean curds. They are like spicy doughnuts and they are delicious. At the inspection, I greet my co-workers and either read, write, study zarma, or just chat with my co-workers. I also try to make observations about their different roles. Around 11 or 12, I pass through the market area and say hello to my friends. Then I hang out for an hour or two at another bureau. There's a guy there who speaks perfect English and French (also Hausa and Zarma, but the first two are more useful for me). I get home around 2 or 3 and am usually so tired from the heat. My walk is about 1 km, so I just take a nap. When I wake up I go over to my neighbors house to play cards, watch my favorite Brazilian soap opera dubbed over in French, and eat dinner.
Sat: I use this day to go to one of my favorite coworker's house. I like them all and it's hard to split my time, but this woman and her family make me laugh like no other. I adore her whole family.
Sun: I head to my counterpart's house. Before I get there I stop at a meat vendor on the way. Ibrahim* (names have been changed) hangs out there. He's one of the most amazing men I have ever met. He's almost 60 years old. He always dreamed of studying in America. His degree is in Psychology. But he could never finish the GRE for one reason or another. So he studied in France, Germany, and Russia. Not only did he study there but he became fluent in the languages on top of his native Hausa and Zarma. Yai! He's always interesting to talk to. He looks out for me too. Today, he helped me find a bush taxi to Niamey. He's like my Nigerien grandfather.
When I finally get to my counterpart's house, his wife usually prepares dan kali (sweet potato fries) for me. She's amazing. His daughters are always excited to see me which is a pleasant surprise. I find it hard sometimes to find female friends. If they are close to my age they are usually married or uneducated and therefore can't communicate with me in French. Granted I speak baby-zarma and that is, of course, no real use to them either. We usually just play cards and kick back. My puppy's brother still lives there. It's nice to get puppy lovin since I had to give my dog away here. It was too much to handle and I am never at home anyways.
I am really loving life in Niger. I feel like I can't say that enough. I have been blessed. I really like my APCD. I feel like she really understands who I am and that goes such a long way.
People in Niamey and my village know me. It's such a cool feeling to have people remember you after a month without seeing or talking to them.
I was recently in Niamey to celebrate my 100 days in Niger. My friend from Kollo, Omar*, came to visit. He lives in Niamey and works during the week in my village. We had dinner at my favorite little buvette. We ate together and I saw a familiar face. I was pretty sure his name was Djamilou. I yelled it out and he came over. I asked him if he remembered me. Without any hesitation he replied, Faiza (my nigerien name). He gave us a round of tea and chatted with us until I left for the hostel.
The next day I was getting set to leave. I HATE bush taxis especially when I am alone and have a lot of things. I had gone grocery shopping and had 2 soccer bags full of stuff. It was also market day in my village which meant there would be lots of (full) cars. I wasn't excited about trying to find my way back. Keep in mind this was the first time finding a taxi from Niamey to Kollo. I had come from my village before but it was always the PC (Peace Corps) who took me back. First, I had to find a city taxi to the tessum (motorpark in zarma) which is located in the Grand Marche. VERY INTIMIDATING ... fyi. I crossed the street and miraculously a taxi stopped for me and accepted where I wanted to go.
Because I am generally nervous around taxis (city or bush) I try to talk with the driver as much as possible. This was the best thing in the long run. I asked him how long he had driven a taxi, where he learned French, and then we compared gas prices. I was curious why city taxies went to the village before mine but not my village. After asking how much it would cost I decided that it was for sure in my price range and he said he would take me to Kollo. I was sooo happy there would be no bush taxi for me that day, mostly because of all my bags. He stopped to look for a document, probably to satisfy the gendarmes. Even though he didn't find it, he still took me. We stopped at a gas station and he bought 3 bags of water, one for him and two for me. He was a really cool guy. He even had family in Kollo. He said every once in a while he would buy bread and have them deliver it to me. He dropped me off and we exchanged numbers. It's always nice to know a taximan. (Actually I've already used him again when I came into Niamey today) He picked me up from the tessum and on the way to the bureau I saw the Niger jersey I wanted to buy for my brother. I was a little short on cash so he helped me pay and then didn't even charge me for the ride. Like I said connections are everything. Fondo ba nooru. That's a zarma proverb that means "Relations are better than money".
