Date:         Sun, 6 Mar 2005 08:28:48 -0800 (PST)
From:         Michael Redman  (redmanma_pcvn at yahoo.com)
Subject:     Michael in Niger 06/03/2005

Hey all -

Well, I am officially a "Peace Corps Volunteer" - we had our soiree swear-in function two days ago, at the Ambassador's house (they even had grass to sit on!).  So now I guess my email address isn't a shame-faced lie. The swear-in was a pretty fun time, though I was a little worn out from all the dancing I'd done in the last week (we went to a night club the weekend before, and then WED was the "GAD" - Gender and Development - auction, at which much dancing was done; see, we do get to have some fun!) and it was also a bittersweet affair, as this morning, I had to say goodbye to the friends I had made in stage until we get back together for our in-service training (IST) in three months' time.

My new team - Team Gotheye - is great, however, so it's not a total loss. Our regional hostel is in Gotheye, which is just up the river from Niamey (indeed, on the way to Timbuktu!), and there're only five of us, and the four people all have their own unique personalities. I am sure fun times will be had when we head to market together every few weeks and hang around at the hostel.

It does feel a bit like I've been living in an American bubble, outside of Niger, for the last week or so, as I've been out of the host family for a week, and have been heading to American functions day after day, and thus I feel like my Zarma has been taken down a few pegs. But when I get thrown out into my village to fend for myself on THU, I'm sure it'll come back right quick (C'mon, we can be hopeful, right?)

I am a little angsty about "the first three months."  During these months, we're not supposed to do any traveling and we're supposed to spend as much time as possible in our village, learning the culture and so forth; after our IST, we'll apparently be doing more traveling as we work on projects and meet with government counterparts and so forth. Anyways, it's a pretty daunting prospect to get ripped away from all the "anassara"s ("foreigners," aka Americans) I've become used to being around all the time during training, but I am looking forward to the challenge of being out there in the bush and living somewhat as the Nigeriens themselves do live (my salary does afford me such luxuries as fruits and veggies, and other snacks that I can buy here in Niamey [ooh, and toilet paper!]).

I feel a little bad that I've been painting a pretty rosy picture of my time in Niger. Maybe I'm in a state of denial, but everything has really been pretty good.

Well, now that I think about it (I think there's a conspiracy in the works; the computers are in a PC office, and it's air-conditioned here - the rest of Niger is NOT AT ALL air-conditioned) - there are many complaints I could make, but I guess they're all weather-related. Basically, physically, I'm perpetually uncomfortable because I'm constantly sweating. When it was "cold season," there were maybe a handful of minutes between the end of a shower and the start of the sweating; now the act of toweling off requires just the right amount of effort to get me sweating again. Sitting in the dining hall at the training site, I would sweat beads of sweat the whole time I was eating. Yesterday, for example, I got my thermometer up to 108 degrees -- in the SHADE! And don't get me started on the dust storms that start at 2 in the morning, and you wake up with a mouth full of dust and mud on your limbs (from the combo of dust and sweat from it being too hot in just your underwear); you have to move inside, where the sweating begins anew as it stays above 95 inside all night. But I haven't had any problems with the people here or anything major like that. Those stories will come, however; I assure you :)

Anyways, so that's it for now. I'm going to be in Niamey for a few days before I get "installed," so if you want to send me an email before WED, I'll probably get a chance to read it and perhaps respond.  As always, I love getting word from back in "the world."

 Alright, I miss you all - take care of yourselves, physically, mentally, and spiritually.

- Michael Redman

Corps de la Paix
Gotheye, Niger    www.redmanfamily.net/Peace_Corps
West Africa

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