Holidays in Niger

I’ll admit that I wasn’t very enthusiastic about the holidays. There’s no snow, it’s hot, my iPod was broken which means no Christmas music. I felt like a Nigerien grinch. Not really … that’s just for effect. BUT, I received a package from my family full of XMas goodies, including a small tree. When I got back to Kollo that night my sisters (this is how I refer to the daughters of my neighbor, Cheikna were beyond excited. My sisters include Messara (25), Henett (17), Talit (12), and Nany (9). It was Nany and Talit who were the ones helping me set up and decorate the tree. We looked through old magazines to find pictures of Christmas-y things and then taped them to the wall behind the tree. It turned out really cute. Now that I have a camera again I will take pictures before I take it down. It was still three weeks until Christmas but I constantly fielded questions about what kind of festivities equate Christmas in America.

The week of Christmas I received two packages. One from my dad contained a replacement iPod (his old iPhone) and the other was XMas gifts from my Aunt Vicky. Unfortunately the customs agents already did the honor of unwrapping the present but there was still enough wrapping to keep the gift hidden from its recipients. She also sent a gift for me which I’ll admit, I did not wait for. But hey, it’s my house, I do what I want! P.S. Aunt Vicky, if you’re reading this, the bracelets are VERY much the style here and you don’t know how many times I’ve had to refuse women who ask for them.

Christmas Eve I celebrated with my Fada. It’s not quite the same as the Boy’s Club in Hamdallaye but it’s fun. The Fada consists of Cheikna’s son Mohamed, our neighbor Hayatou, and their school friends. It was actually pretty cold so we decided to go to my house and they could prepare the neibit (the staple of every fada – it’s rice and beans with a tomato, onion, and oil sauce … served with Tonko which is crushed red pepper) outside of my house. I was having fun but it really hit me that I wasn’t at Grandpa’s house and I didn’t make my cottage potatoes. When Hayatou mistook the sugar for salt I felt a little better after laughing my head off.

Christmas morning I went to church and celebrated with our group. After church, Henett and I prepared the gifts. I divided Vicky’s 40 gold bracelets saving 3 for me, 10 for the girls and 3 for Maman Cheikna. I went to the market and bought two decks of playing cards as my gift for the boys. I taught Henett how to gift wrap and then we went to their house to deliver their gifts.