The Colors of Niger

The colors of Niger ... After a day revisiting my family in Hamdallaye I boarded a bus headed to Niamey. I was sitting half on the floor - on one of the wheel coverings that sticks up into the bus to be exact. I was zoning out when I realized how much color and life there was around me. A group of Fulani men boarded the bus. They were wearing blue and black but it was their head coverings that stuck out the most. There are no gender rules when it comes to color in Niger. One of the men was wearing a pink and black scarf wrapped around and tied above his forehead. He has cords of green and purple, braided, that fell down his back. The women sitting around me were all wearing colorful pagnes (the wrap skirts) Each one with a different pattern ... most of them not necessarily matching but still managing to look like they all belong together.

Outside, the sand is getting deeper and it is harvest time. The green that was abundant when I arrived is slowly starting to disappear. The days are hot but the nights are cooler. I slept outside for the first time in a month and a half. It was beautiful - despite the giant and noisy crickets that invaded (and even a few got inside) the mosquito net.