15/04/2005

Mom & Dad

So how's life in MN treating you these days.  Life is still treating me well enough, though the sun's giving me a bit of a beating - the highs in the past 2 weeks have consistently been between 114 degrees and 120 degrees.  In early April.  And perhaps the staggering amounts of sweat I've been perspiratin' is linked to the fact that I've taken seven 35km bike rides in the past twelve days.  Hmm, no wonder my legs feel dead, and I swear I'll never bike again after every bike ride (if you ever want an excuse to talk to Ethan, I went on for about 2.5 pages on my bike rides this week in a letter I'll send out with this one).

Anyway, so, Happy Mother's Day!  I don't know if this'll get there on time, but if it takes about the 3 or so weeks letters take to get here, it should be reasonably close.  And if I don't get another letter off in the meantime, Happy Birthday Dad!    It's a ways off, but you gotta cover your bases, you know?

OK, so I got letters #7 and #8 on Monday, so I figure I should respond now (if you ever want a quick response from me, have two letters arrive for me on the same day) (also, yes, I've received #1-6, and packages #1 and #3, #2 is still MIA in Niamey, as far as I know).  Mom, thanks for the pictures.  I do appreciate 'em.  I just looked back at the one with the thermometer, and realized that if I had that in Niger, the needle would waver into uncharted territories.  But I'd like to get more pictures of people, as some sort of proof that life goes on.  It makes me sad to think that all you had to do on Valentine's Day was to take pictures of our snow-covered deck!  (The "send pictures" statement is also intended for all the webpage readers.)

Interesting hearing about the Yahoo! group.  I'm sure rumors on there are more rife than they even are in-country, where they can get pretty bad.  If they ever talked on there about the protests in Niamey about the raised food prices, all you need to know is that I wouldn't have even heard about them, except for explanations sent out by the Peace Corps Bureau.  I'd also like to get a look at some of those pictures, so that I can let you know who's who (though maybe you can figure that out with the key I sent to you).

OK, my teammates.  I suppose you know about Crystal, as she was the only one from my stage.  The other three are from the stage a year before us (all of us are agriculture/natural resource management, as these peeps come in January, and the education/health PCVs - none yet on the team - come in August).  They are all likewise women.  My nearest neighbor to the east is - are you read? - Windsong.  She is like a super volunteer in that she's well integrated into her village, but she's also funny in that she generally shuns frivolity and has no sense of humor - but she's willing to learn both.  And she's a killer baker (hard to be in a place where there's no butter or eggs).  Yesterday, I went up and visited Georgette in her village, which is actually on the Niger River.  We even went swimming to cool off in the noonday sun.  She is also a kooky nut.  She spends so much time talking in her silly voices that I don't really know what her real voice sounds like.  She's also got an elastic face to match, so she's always making funny comments and making people laugh.  The last of the team (version early/mid 2005) is Alicia.  Like myself, she was a recent college graduate upon joining Peace Corps.  I guess I haven't been around her / talked to her enough to figure out what she's like.  Anyway, she's in Spain now, living in the lap of Western civilization's luxury, visiting a friend from back in the world.  Oh and Crystal expressed interest in sharing her mom's home/email addresses, so if you wanted, you could be each other's support group.  I'll tell ya when I get it.

So, I hope by now, you've had your dinner with Thomas (he was saying he should call you in early March, and there in mid-late March, you're still saying no dinner's been had yet.  He likes your cooking, Mom, so I'm sure it wouldn't take too much pleading to get him up there.  Besides, if you wait until next semester, Megan might be there and you'll have to make something vegetarian - and I know Thomas likes meat!

Easter was weird, in that it was the first Easter I've ever had where there was nothing to tell me it was Easter except for my calendar.  No silly radio jingles or TV spots, no bit stuffed bunnies for sale - and no candy displays *sniffle*.  I got up in the morning, cleaned the house (well, swept and straightened up - that's all you CAN do ), and walked around the village like it was any other day - which is of course how the Nigeriens felt about it.  I did tell one guy that there was a big feast going on in America today, and he said, "Oh yeah?  Well, you should have us all over so we can chat and drink [your] tea!"  After that, I decided it wasn't worth the hassle.

However, Crystal was coming over, and she did indeed show up, around 11:30 (she was returning the visit I made to her village, which happened to fall on St. Patrick's Day).  Earlier in the morning, I had prepped a little "Easter basket" for each of us - of the plastic grass, I took some leaves from the tree near my house and put it in a plastic cup, and then topped with Christmas M&Ms, gummi bears, and bubble gum (all the candy I had left) - and Crystal was pretty stoked about getting an Easter basket.  So I guess the Easter bunny did come.  But I guess curried lentils probably wasn't a very traditional Easter dinner.  You make due with that you can.

I have to say, I was definitely looking pretty fly in my green boubou at Swear-In, where we swear to uphold the Constitution, as well as promise (in French) really, really hard to stay here for two years.  And then there was dancing and booze (the latter was not paid for by your taxes, by the way.  It was bought by other Volunteers out of the paychecks they get from your taxes).  And I don't ever remember being at a party and wearing a turban, but I guess it could have happened.  Again, I'll have to see some pictures.

16/04/2005

Woo!  Last night was a fun night.  I've been waiting somewhat expectantly for what seemed impossible:  it being so hot at night that you can't even sleep.  Well, last night it happened.  Now I wish I hadn't been waiting for it, because, being so not and uncomfortable what you can't sleep isn't actually any fun.  When I finally roused myself at 2:45 to get up, my thermometer said it was 93 degrees.  Two weeks ago, that's the time of night I would have to pull on my sleeping bag (I only wear boxers to bed) because it dropped below 75 degrees.  The heat's coming on thick.  So I went and grabbed my turban and filled up a bucket with a little water and then dunked the turban in the water and laid it over myself - this is the recommended way to cool off (OK, actually, you're supposed to use a "zara" - piece of fabric bought at market and used as a skirt by women, as well as to be tailored into shirt, pants, whatever - but a turban should do it) but it didn't work at all, so I spent the whole night rolling around in a miserable half consciousness, trying to get comfortable, but never arriving there.  So today I was a little out of it, and didn't spend too much time in the village (but I spend some).  And then somehow, this afternoon, I was able to fall asleep inside my house (which was "cooler" - maybe "less hot" is more appropriate - than outside, as is always the case during the day), and when I woke up at 5:30, it was 102 degrees.  *sigh*  Patience, patience, they tell us - though the Nigeriens are certainly prone to complain about the heat, as well, so I'm not this poor, weak, lonely, suffering anassara.

...

As far as my introversion goes, I think things are slowly changing.  In France, where, if dressed appropriately, I could be mistaken for a European, I became more introverted because I didn't want to speak and thus betray my weakness with the language.  Here, of course, it's completely different.  There's absolutely no way I could ever be mistaken for a native Zarma speaker - that would be ridiculous.  And, as I spend so much of my time in my village, where people know I just got here and am fresh off the boat, and thus probably know little Zarma (the fact that I'm the 3rd person to come to the village probably helps that), I'm not afraid to go up to people and ask "What's that?"  "What are you doing?"  And people seem generally curious about me - hell, kids'll stare at me for 15 minutes, and I don't have to say a single thing and they'll still be enthralled.  There are still many times when I'll talk to someone, and then an awkward silence will follow, but I suppose that's to be expected.  But as I know so much of what I'm here to do is to go out and socialize and talk with the villagers, I'm getting better at it.

Here's a rundown of what my future schedule looks like, and all of this tentative to change.  On 22 April, I am going to Niamey for the weekend to help celebrate Crystal's 26th birthday (that is when I'll send this letter, I hope).  Then, on the 26th, my "boss" is coming out for a visit (the head of the natural resource management sector).  On the 28th, I go back to Niamey for a two-day "bike stage" to learn how to fix my bike - something necessity has already made me mildly adept at.  Then, in May from16-30th, we have our in-service or "capstone" training, where we'll learn some technical skills based on our villages' actual needs.  Sometime around then I should be in Niamey to field calls from you, if you so desire (I'll update via email).  After 30 May, the future gets really hazy.  Very, very tentatively, I might maybe, possibly be going to Ghana in July.  This was brought up as a possibility on Thursday when I was visiting Georgette's village.  I would be the "token boy" to provide some appearance of protection/safety though they've promised not to refer to me as the token boy.  It would by myself, Georgette, Crystal, and a couple of Georgette's friends.  Again, all speculation at this point.  Then, far, far off in December, there has been a tiny mention of all of us on our team going up to Agadez together.  Again, these travel plans are all speculation - but I guess I need to have something to look forward to.  The only thing that's kept me on an even keel since installation in March is knowing I  would get to go to Niamey in a week, where cheeseburgers and SCORE (the name of the only Western-style grocery store - with products from France, etc.) await me.

And now for the stuff that really matters - FOOD!  You would not believe how much of my thought processes are directed towards food, from "What am I going to cook next meal?" to "Where am I going to eat first after I land back in Minneapolis?" (Crystal joked the other day that her family will have to wait for her in the airport as she goes and samples all the restaurants in the concourses at the Houston airport).  So, you wanted to know staples I can get in the bust, yes?  OK.  Rice, pasta, wheat flour, vegetable oil, sugar, powered milk, beans, onion, garlic, peanut butter, red pepper, salt, potatoes (white and sweet yellow), margarine, small cans of tomato paste (what's the conversion to "sauce" - how much water?), some canned veggies, then some other stuff that I've never bought, like ginger, millet (duh), leaves, and other spices.  Mangoes are almost in season.  Tomatoes, carrots, and salad are all out.  And here's my shopping list for in-and-around SCORE:  tuna, juice, cereal, mayo, lentils (if you can find some good recipes for this, I'd be most obliged), oatmeal, shredded parmesan, Vache QuiRit - laughing cow processed cheese, popcorn and then "various spices".  I think I can get pretty much any normal spice you can think of at SCORE - except for like Mexican food stuff.  Something to keep in mind is that, in the village, I only have a stove top - no oven - though there is of course an oven at team headquarters and Niamey (but I hear Keri, the previous PCV in the village, made bread here, so maybe I'll have to lean how to do that - I miss bread, though I can get it when I go to market.  

And now on to the ever-loved topic of care packages.  First, I want to say thank you very much for what I believe to be Package #3 - with the Tang and Velveeta.  All in all, it was a superb package - as rated by my peers - because it contained all practical (i.e. edible) things.  Food from home is the Number 1 desired thing - anything that's not "rice & _____".  So I've compiled a list of things I'd like:  large tub of Crystal Light pink lemonade (the Redman inside me craves this all the tie), seasonal or holiday-affiliated big bags of peanut M&Ms, any type of seasoning packet, any type of candy (gummi bears, creme savers, etc), really any type of food.  There's other things - 2006 American Landscapes calendar (from "Graphique de France"), Teva sandals, model #6676 size 14 (because I wear and will wear them all day everyday), more stationery (1st packet is now gone), maybe the occasional Sports Illustrated issue, a subscription to "The Economist" (expensive, but would make a nice birthday/Christmas gift).  Oh, I had one of those Lipton Rice Sides the other day 0 and saw that there are also "Fiesta sides", "Cajun sides", and "Asian sides" - sounds good to me!  Ooh, and I'm excited that another package is on its ways.  It's like you guys love me and care about me, or something!

OK, I hope this letter finds you well.  If I forgot anything, Well, I'll probably talk to you before you get this anyway.  Such is the way things.  I miss you guts, and you're always in my thoughts - take care of yourselves, you crazy kids!

Michael Redman

aka Genghis Khan