Date:           24 Apr 2005
From:          Michael Redman
Subject:     Michael in Niger 24/04/2005

Hey all! How's it going in all of your corners of the world?  Here in Niger, everything is going pretty well.

I just finished my first 6 or so weeks at post, and I came in with my fellow trainee / Team Gotheye member to celebrate her birthday and meet up with a couple of close friends we haven't seen since Swear-In.  So now I get a chance to see the "big city" and do fun things like check my email.

It's funny.  I've just been out in the bush, in my new home, and have had all sorts of experiences to write about - but now I'm drawing a complete blank on where to start.  The problem is that there's just a whole jumble of emotions that one feels from sun-up to sun-down, and they often come piling in on the heels of one another.  It's a little hard to process it all, dissect and separate those emotions, and write them down in an email.

It's funny how things can be so frustrating - from not being able to understand what people are saying to me, not being to say things so that people understand me, from feeling a more than a little like a visa for people to use to get out of Niger, to wondering how it is possible that I have so many millions of sweat glands and pores during the heat in the middle of the day - and then, mere instants later, I feel jubilation - from actually feeling like I understand what the person is trying to say and making a breakthrough in language, to hearing those magic words - "Ni ga wani" or "Ni ga ma Zarma-ciine fa" ("You can do it" or "You can really hear Zarma"), or laughing at my silly mistakes. It's definitely an intense experience, with every moment a chance for something I've never seen or heard or imagined to happen.

The frustrations have been numerous, but they have been mostly petty.  I've had no problems feeling threatened or having kids over-run my concession or feeling like Peace Corps or my village don't want me here.  It's just lacking in understandings (language and culture) as the major ones.  Of course, I haven't tried to do any projects yet, and, judging by what I've heard from my teammates, frustrations will be a part of the experience the whole way through.  But I'm not sweating the daily frustrations, as they are more than expected - though I am definitely sweating period.

Hot season is in full swing in Niger, but it hasn't been too terrible, actually.  With my thermometer, I got readings of highs pretty consistently between 112-120 degrees (in the shade, of course) during the middle part of the day, when I take a break from the village, go back to my hut, get down to the boxers (my concession provides a considerable amount of privacy, so I can remove layers to get more comfortable), make some lunch (mmm, rice + _____ or pasta, can't live
without it!), then rest or nap or read or write letters.  And I'm not just the lazy "anassara" ("stranger") who does this; all the men crash at noon and get out of the sun (though the women are ridiculously hard workers, and they have to work right
through the heat, with babies tied to their backs, to do all of the work that's expected of them everyday).  But my house is a little "cool" during this part of the day - hovering around 100 - so the heat isn't too much of a bother.  And being from MN, I don't really sense much more humidity than I'd feel in a MN summer day.

All in all, I've been keeping sane and trying to have fun. One of the quirks of my village is that all the kids of school age are actually in school - so I don't really get to play and joke around with them as much as I'd like (plus, hey, their Zarma is closer to my level, so it'd be easier to communicate) - but the fact that they're all getting a few years of education in them is good consolation.

It was only in the last three days before I left that I was fed for the first time by my villagers - apparently all I had to do was sit down and I was invited to eat.  It's nice to not have to cook three meals a day for yourself, especially when everything I
can make is cooked on a propane stove that has the tendency to raise the temperature in the house a few degrees.

I'm in Niamey until TUE morning, but will return on THU for a few days for a "bike stage" to learn about fixing bikes and all that (for a little taste of some of the adventures I've had, know that my bike will be one of the examples of bikes that need fixing) - so, if you are interested, I will probably be around enough to check my email a few times within the next
week - write me by THU or FRI, and I'll try (no promises) to write you back a response.

Keep writing letters, and I know that some of you were wondering what things would be nice to send in care packages. First off, lemme say that receiving a care package is the highlight of any week - getting a taste of home, no matter what it is, is nice.  Right now, the things I really want are basically food products - something to throw a little spice into the mix of the hum-drum recipes I can make with the basics I get out here.  Here's the top things: Velveeta, powdered drinks (Crystal Light or Kool-Aid Twists [Kool-Aid with sweetener added so there's no need to add sugar - I didn't know they existed until I got an awesome care package from my aunt Dee Ann last week - thanks!] for example), holiday-themed peanut M&Ms, tuna in foil
packs (tuna is fast becoming a favorite of mine, though I can only buy it in Niamey and it bloats my budget), creamy peanut butter, and American candy in general.  But really, I've love to hear anything from you :)

Alright, this has already gone on far too long, so I'll stop.  Know that I'm often thinking of my family and friends dispersed around the world and back at home, and I want you all to stay healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally. Take care of yourselves! 

- Michael

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