17/01/05

Dear Family,                    (click here for link to sketch of host family compound)

    How are you doing?  I am doing well.  I am sitting in my hut.  The weather outside is nearly perfect night-time weather (think summertime).  However, you wouldn't know it by the comments of the Nigeriens - they're freezing!  They don't understand how I can be just fine, sitting outside in a t-shirt.  I finally found out how to explain it;  I just say "Ay ganda Amerik kuru" (I have American skin) - it seems to do the trick.

     Oh yeah, I'm writing this now because one of the PCVs said there were a bunch of Americans headed home this weekend, so we could send letters along.

     Yesterday was the first day "off" from anything officially Peace Corps since the first day of orientation (~12 days).  It was kind of relaxing to not have to get up before 7 a.m. to leave (though I can't say I felt much satisfaction looking down at my watch at 6:45 and thinking "Hey, I don't have to get up." - After all, I was still awake @ 6:45!);  I slept in till a whopping 7:30 or so.

     I did a little walk around the village because we were supposed to make a map of the village for today.  A swarm of kids just followed me around, even though all I could really do was just say hi and ask them their name.  I think I mentioned this in my first letter (not yet received) but there are just tons of kids in this country - scads of 'em everywhere.  Eventually they gathered around me and started clapping, which I took as a due to dance.  I figure that if you can't communicate with 'em, you can at least make 'em laugh, right?

After that, I played a bit of soccer (sorry, football) with this guy Croix (pronounced Croy), a fellow PCT, and the kids in his compound.  In sandals, in the sand, and of course, there is the ubiquitous animal droppings.  My clean-freak culture makes it hard to watch as the barefoot children run though donkey crap after a soccer ball.

     The only bad thing about my host family - other than that I don't spend enough time with them - is that one of the (undecipherable writing for Zarma word that might mean boy child) (because, you know, who knows?) is always asking me to teach him things or do things for him..  Teach me karate (that was a 5-minute argument in French).  Take me to America.  "Help me" with my homework (aka, I'll act like I don't get it so you'll do all the work - though he did offer to pay me - how kind!)  So yesterday, he asked me to "help" him  with his homework, but I was coming up with all the ideas, so I decided to stop and come back to my concession and do a little laundry.  It was my first time hand washing and it went pretty well except for the fact that I used a little too much soap on the socks trying to get 'em back to white (hah!).

     While I was doing my laundry, a big group of Americans (aka other PCTs) stopped by, and we just sat around and chatted for over an hour in my concession.  It was so much fun, I really love all my people.  All the ones who stopped by were Zarmaphones as they put all of us in the villages outside of Hamdallaye and I seriously like all of 'em - it's great!

     One of the PCVs who helping us for now in training said the following that is the "cliché" for PCVs in the worlds regions:  People who go to South America come back politically active, people who go to Asia come back spiritually enlightened, and people who come back from Africa come back laughing at everything.  It strikes me because it seems so true - so many of the times we're together in groups of any size, everyone always ends up in stitches.  It's crazy.  I suppose it's sort of a contagion, because the Nigeriens seem to always be happy and joking around.  The people - natives and Americans - are generally great fun to be around.  

     Anyways, after that, I walked over to meet some friends in one of those nearby villages so that we could do our homework;  again, fun was had by all just sitting around and talking and saying silly things in Zarma.  Finally, I decided to head home, and I had dinner with my host brother.  It was pretty good.  You may be surprised to hear it, but I've had rice every night but once, and I haven't had any millet whatsoever for dinner (I tried some variation of it they had at a culture fair the first weekend, and it was nasty - stringy and mucus-y).  After that, I was feeling a little under the weather (like a head cold;  I haven't had any GI distress yet though I know my time will come).

     So I came inside my hut to get ready for bed, since I felt like I was going to collapse when I came inside.  I looked around and realized how bare the hut looked.  My bed and mosquito net are outside (I think I'm possibly the only PCV still sleeping outside).  So, I decided to put up some pictures.  It was so much fun putting 'em up, just taking them at random and throwing them on the wall (speaking of which, some more of that tacky stuff would be really nice (smiley face) - all the pictures are linked to memories I have, so I get to have a piece of home with me.  I look around my hut, and half-forget I'm in Africa.  I actually get a smile on my face when I walk in the hut and see all my friends and family and places I've been smiling back at me.

     Anywho, I should get some rest - I still have a stuffy nose.

     Oh, and by the way, I should have tried that solar charger @ home - I left it out yesterday and it didn't seem to charge the camera battery @ all.  Oh well - I should be able to charge 'em once a month when I go to my regional capital.  Same with the iPod.  Oh yeah, that American Head Charge CD should be coming out some time in February, don't forget!  (Title:  The Feeding - talk to Ethan about it!)

     Anyways, I miss you all at home and of course think of you lots between language, cultural, and technical sessions.  I'm still doing pretty well here, so I don't need to lie about it for your sake.

     Take care, and I love you guys!

     Michael

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