The Boston Wanderer
I'm in college. Also into cats.

My days are numbered....
Randolph NJ, United States
I'm not sure where the summer went, but it certainly left in a hurry. I'm less than a week away from Niger, and I still have so much to do! Packing, mostly. Twenty years of procrastination have prepared me well for the last-minute preparations that now await me. One thing I won't be packing is my laptop, so expect updates to be sporadic. My intention is to write here at least once a week, but self-discipline has never been my strong suit.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on August 25, 2008 from Randolph NJ, United States
from the travel blog: Sandstorms

Beginnings
Niamey, Niger
We spent close to a day in transit, but we finally reached Niamey on Sunday afternoon! I'm almost through with my second full day here, but it feels like so much longer. So far, I have taken two Zarma lessons, received a new name, slurped yogurt from a plastic bag, and visited a museum/zoo.
My name here is Tamumu, which is a Tuareg name and thus very special (or so I was told). Traditionally, it is the name given to a girl who has a twin brother, but I just like it becuase it sounds like Talulah.
We were given our names at the bapteme ceremony, and there was much dancing. I'll spare you the details, but I succeeded in reminding myself that white girls cannot, in fact, dance. Afterwards, we walked to the "bar next door." The whole place consisted of a bar underneath a thatched roof, a TV, and some tables and chairs in the sand. It was pretty empty because of Ramadan, but we were still able to meet a few people and practice our French. The bar was also the site of my first experience with an African toilet (hole in the ground).
To, kalatonton!
Goodbye!
written by  The Boston Wanderer on September 2, 2008 from Niamey, Niger
from the travel blog: Sandstorms

Still here
Niamey, Niger
As K2 subtly reminded me, I've neglected to update for the last week-and-a-half. Where should I begin? It's hot, and I have so many mosquito bites that taking my antimalarial pills seems like an exercise in futility. At least I'm able to drink copious amounts of water throughout the day, a luxury not afforded to the Muslim population of Niger during Ramadan. I can feel their lethargy on my afternoon trips to the market; West Africa is a difficult place to fast.
I've already had one dress made with fabric from the aforementioned market, although I don't have any pictures of it yet. I haven't yet had to haggle on my own, so it's anyone's guess how much the next dress will cost. We spent a lot of time last week visiting different NGOs in Niamey, trying to figure out our community placements. I started volunteering at a school for mentally challenged kids yesterday, but I still haven't figured out where else I want to work during the semester.
Classes started on Wednesday, so I've had a few days to get into a new, post-orientation routine. Taking classes in French hasn't been too bad thusfar, but my Zarma needs work. I'll have to gather a bunch of the neighborhood kids to help me practice it.
Well, that's all for now!
P.S. Since Clarissa asked, the yogurt here doesn't taste that different from American yogurt (as far as I remember), but it's of a thinner consistancy.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on September 12, 2008 from Niamey, Niger
from the travel blog: Sandstorms

Pictures
Niamey, Niger
The CFCA, our home for the next four months:
My itsy-bitsy bedroom (mosquito nets included):
Is there anyplace on Earth that doesn't sell Coca Cola?
I think the yogurt speaks for itself:
There are goats everywhere; they're probably the best-fed animals in the whole country because they eat anything and everything:
We were eating lunch near at the Rec Center when this tortoise walked over. He probably just wanted our leftovers, but I convinced him to pose for a photo:
Africa:
The rooftop bar where we danced our troubles away:
Well, some people had drumming-related troubles:
This guy really wants you to use protection:
written by  The Boston Wanderer on September 13, 2008 from Niamey, Niger

Odds and Ends
Learning is a two-way street here. Last night, in my Culture and Society class, our teacher explained the social implications of farting in Niger (it is only done by slaves, who have no shame), and we taught her about gold-diggers and plastic surgery. In French, no less.
Yesterday was sweltering, a taste of the mini hot season that comes in October after the rains dry up. I think I sweated out every last drop of moisture in my body last night as I lay in bed praying for the electricity to come back on and power my ceiling fan. (Power outages are an almost daily occurence here.) It ended up raining early this morning, so today will be cooler, but it's typical for temperatures to hover around 100 F. Hotter in the aptly-named hot season.
Also, a big shout out to Hasi, who was the first in our group to get malaria! She's back from the clinic now and well on the road to recovery.

Community Placements
Now that community placements have started I'm finding that I don't have time to take four classes AND go to my 4-credit placement. At first, I thought that I needed to take one class in English to preserve my sanity, but I now see that taking an extra class beyond the requirements doesn't make things easier at all. So I'm now taking Performing Arts, Culture and Society, and Zarma in French (and some Zarma, obviously). I'm also doing placements at a school for kids with developmental disabilities and at the museum making batiks. Hopefully I'll be working with a school English club too, but that hasn't started yet.
My roommate and I were walking to the store tonight, and this guy asked us if we were American. It turns out he's a huge fan of McCain. I think we found the only non-Obama fan in the country!

Bonne Fete!
October has arrived, and with it the mini hot season that threatens to drain the very soul from my body. Unfortunately, we've already planned a trip to Ayrou for this weekend, so I won't be able to spend it in my dark room with the fan on, surrounded by ice packs. I am super-excited about going, though. We're going to camp out in a Fulani village, canoe to an island or two, and check out the Sunday market.
This past weekend was crazy, due in part to the ending of Ramadan. Went out Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday nights. Classes were canceled on Tuesday for Eid ul-Fitr (or La Fete, as everyone calls it here), but we left the CFCA at 8 AM to visit the mosque. Don't we look fetching in our headscarves?
written by  The Boston Wanderer on October 2, 2008 from Niamey, Niger

A most eventful weekend
Ayorou, Niger
I spent the weekend in Ayorou, an amazing market town that is pretty much out in the bush. I went with two other students and Barke, a former BU-Niger student (three semesters!) who teaches at the American school in Niamey. We spent Friday night camped out on mattresses outside the hotel in Ayorou.
The hotel was right by the river, and at night we could hear the hippos roaring.
The next morning, we rented a canoe and rode up beside the mighty beasts.
Then we were steered towards a nearby island village. The people there were Songhay, so I got to practice my terrible Zarma skills.
The children were absolutely adorable.
We talked to the people there for a little while, and Barke bought some millet husks for his animals. Once the word got out that he was buying, everyone in the village came running with their husks.
They pound the millet grains with a mortar and pestle to remove the husks.
After our island excursion, we visited a Fulani family who live just outside of town. The Fulani are nomadic herders, so it took us a few minutes of searching to find their camp.
The family was really nice and didn't seem to mind that we fell asleep in the sand underneath their tree. We came bearing pineapples and bananas, two fruits which they had never seen before. (Imported produce like that doesn't often make it outside of Niamey.) Then we dropped by a Bella camp before dinner for a few hours. The Bella are also nomadic herders, but they speak Tamasheq. Their culture is very reserved, so I didn't get a lot of photos.
After our visit with the Bellas, we returned to the Fulani camp for dinner and sleep. They rolled out mats for us, and we fell asleep looking at the Milky Way over our heads.
On Sunday, we were awoken by the sounds of roosters, cows, and donkeys. We ate a breakfast of fresh milk and reheated rice from the night before, and then we returned to Ayorou for the market. There was a group of adorable boys who followed us around all day. They loved posing for pictures because it meant they got to see themselves afterwards.
We drove home Sunday afternoon, tired but happy. My roommate Bukaram was so dirty that we decided to take a picture to memorialize it.
**
I'd love to end the entry here, but the weekend didn't stop there. Harira, Bukaram, and I came back to the CFCA and then went to a nearby cafe for dinner. Afterwards, while hailing a taxi, a man ran up behind us and stole my roommate's wallet and my purse. Other people on the street came to our aid, and one man even beat the thief with a baguette, but the voleur got away. We filed a police report, but the reality is that those things are long gone.
The good news is that no one was hurt, and everything that was lost is replaceable. Last night I was just angry, but I'm starting to realize that it could have been much worse. The perils of city-living, I guess.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on October 6, 2008 from Ayorou, Niger

Into the wild (and back again)
Birnin Konni, Niger
Our internet was out for a little while, and then we traveled for a week, so I haven't been able to write. Let's see if I can catch you up.
Columbus Day weekend we were forced to participate in a softball tournament for foreigners, the comically-named NUTS (Niamey Universal Softball Tournament). A good time was had by all, though we only won one of the four games we played and were beaten by a group of school children. That same weekend, I visited a feticheur (fortune-teller/ healer) twice for a class and carried a chicken to its ritualistic slaughter. I'm usually skeptical about things like that, but the feticheur's readings for everyone were both accurate and specific. AND a second feticheur told us the same things!
After that, we took a twelve-hour bus ride to Konni to meet up with some Peace Corps volunteers. The trip was only supposed to take 6-8 hours, but we had three flat tires along the way. It was okay though; when our bus broke down next to a little village, we pulled out the iPod speakers and had a dance party with the children. Much hilarity ensued.
In Konni, we split off in groups of two to stay with PCVs in their villages. Some of the volunteers really live in the bush, but I stayed in the relative luxury of a 25,000-person town. We didn't have running water or electricity, but at least there was plenty of street food to be found. Mmm...egg sandwiches and shinkafa da waake (rice and beans).
At the end of the week, we had a less-eventful bus ride home and stopped along the way to see the last free-roaming herd of giraffes in West Africa. We were able to walk fairly close to them until a certain student, who shall remain nameless, chased them away with his bright red shirt and excessively menacing gait.
Yesterday, we modeled in a fashion show for a local designer and former Nigerien RA. Her name is Kadi Mariko and her clothes are super cute, so if you're ever in the area you should check them out. Tyra would have been proud: we were fierce!
written by  The Boston Wanderer on October 20, 2008 from Birnin Konni, Niger

Nothing New
Not much new here. I have a Zarma midterm tomorrow that I'm shockingly unprepared for, and everyone's stressing about a paper that's due Wednesday morning before we leave for Benin. Oh yeah, we're going to Benin for ten days, which is really awesome, but we probably won't be able to watch election coverage on TV, which is really not-awesome. Here's hoping for some good news while we're there....
written by  The Boston Wanderer on October 27, 2008 from Niamey, Niger

Have you been in Benin? (I have just been.)
Cotonou, Benin
We spent the last week-and-a-half in Benin, which is absolutely beautiful, by the way. The bus ride was not as wonderful, lasting fifteen hours on the first day and ten on the second. We tried to keep ourselves busy, though, as evidenced by Rumanatu and her birthday champagne:
When we finally did get to Benin, it was an eye-opening experience, and I couldn't help thinking how much easier it is to live in a place like that (as compared to Niger). First of all, things actually grow there. Imagine palm trees and broad, leafy plants. Even more exciting: fruits. A whole world of vitamins awaits the visitor to Benin who feasts upon its pineapples, papayas, and avocados. Also, the country is on the coast, which means not only fish to eat but also tourism and trade to enhance its economic prospects. Thoguh it is not a wealthy nation, Benin's standard of living was notably high to my eyes, accustomed as they are to the Sahel. The people are bigger, the children have more energy, and the livestock isn't so boney.
I'd thought that living in Niamey had acclimated me to West African cities, but Cotonou was bigger and busier that I could have imagined. It took us a full hour to drive our bus from one end of the city to the other. In fact, the only way to really travel efficiently is by motorcycle (your own or a moto-taxi), but we poor students are forbidden by International Programs from riding such things. The market too was enormous and chaotic; you could wander around for hours without seeing everything. I would definitely like to spend more time in Cotonou. It has a certain beachy charm, and four days was not enough to see everything the city has to offer.
We did get to see some pretty great signs while we were there:
We also took a day trip to Ganvier, the so-called Venice of Africa. It's really not like Venice at all except that both cities have a lot of water and a lot of gift shops. Otherwise, Ganvier is just a town on stilts.
After Cotonou, we spent two-and-a-half glorious days on the beach in Grand Popo. We slept in bungalows, ate coconuts, and frolicked in the waves.
A bunch of people lived on the beach near our hotel, and we watched them bring in their boats and fishing nets each day. And it just wouldn't be Africa without a gaggle of adorable children:
All good things must come to an end, and we got back to Niamey last night after a long busride punctuated by an infuriating number of stops. As much as I liked traveling, it's good to be back "home" again.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on November 9, 2008 from Cotonou, Benin

Sorry for the lapse...
I know it's been a long time since my last entry, but I have a reasonable excuse (hopefully). Almost two weeks ago, the one ISP in Niamey went down and the entire city was without internet for three days. And then for some reason, the internet at the CFCA never came back on and our calls for repair service have gone unheeded. So I'll be visiting this internet cafe until that gets fixed.
Two weekends ago, we visited Parc W, a huge wildlife reserve that stretches across three countries. Unfortunately, Niger is the least-appealing of those countries from the animals' perspective, so we didn't see more than a few antelope, some crocodiles, and a couple of baboons. It was still really fun to ride around the park on top of the SUVs, though. I'd love to post some pictures, but my sort-of-broken camera was completely broken by a child last week, so those will have to wait.
I spent the last week living with a Nigerian family in a suburb just off the main road out of the city, which was cool. They have three kids and are wealthy in the sense that their home has electricity and running water. They fed me crazy amounts of food and helped me practice my French and Zarma.
We were with our homestay families for Thanksgiving, but everyone worked really hard yesterday to cook a belated Thanksgiving dinner. There were yams, chicken (no turkeys here), stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, sangria, and two kinds of pie. Of course, Thanksgiving has always marked the beginning of Christmas for me, and my roommate and I have been taking advantage of the opportunity to sing Christmas carols at the top of our lungs. Did I mention the sangria?
Three weeks from today, I'll be in a plane somewhere over the Atlantic. I'm not at all ready for this to end.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on December 1, 2008 from Niamey, Niger

The silence of the lambs
We're down to our final days in Niamey, and I'm working to find the balance between finishing all my assignments and enjoying the rest of my time in the city. There's so much more that I want to do here, and on some level I still can't fathom how this could all come to an end so soon.
Classes were cancelled Monday for the fete of Tabaski, in which everyone kills a bunch of sheep to commemorate the moment in which Abraham sacrificed a sheep instead of his son Ishmael. ("But wait!" say the Biblical scholars. "Wasn't that Isaac?" Alas, you've obviously been reading the wrong holy book.) The holiday starts early in the morning when the sheep are killed, there heads and skins removed. Then they are slit down the middle and strung up over a fire for roasting. Not to worry, this all takes place on the side of the road so that everyone might enjoy the festive sight of entrails! My homestay family invited me back to their house, which was nice, although they also sort of kidnapped me and forced me to spend the night. I did eventually make it back to the CFCA, where I am now busy living out my final nine days in Niger.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on December 12, 2008 from Niamey, Niger

Home again
Randolph NJ, United States
Well, I'm back home again with my fat cats and my trusty macbook. It hasn't really sunk in yet that the semester is over. Saying goodbye to everyone and everything I had come to know and love over the last few months was incredibly difficult; I think I'm somewhat shell-shocked. I can say without a doubt that this program was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced. Expect facebook pictures to be posted soon.
written by  The Boston Wanderer on December 22, 2008 from Randolph NJ, United States