Letter #3

8/26/07

Family and Friends -

Today was the first time that I felt like a true American...I went to the American recreation center inside the American embassy. A few other PCTs and I took a bus into town and then hopped on a taxi to the rec center. We paid about $2 to enter but it was well worth it! It began to rain so we went inside, watched some satellite TV (in English!) and ordered some American food!!! I had Nachos Grande with ground beef (I think), cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and pico de gallo! It was so good - it tasted like home! The sun came out after a bit and we got to go swimming at the pool on the compound. It's hard to explain how great it was to swim and relax for a few hours!

This is the first time I have felt clean since I got here. My feet are actually not stained reddish-brown for once! I guess it's the small things that count! I got to work on getting rid of my T-shirt tan also, which was nice. After the pool, we caught a taxi back to the bureau and hung out with some PCVs. I was able to use the computer there which was much faster than dialup. We were able to take the magic bus back with the language trainers, which saved us some money. (The magic bus is the air conditioned PC bus that we use for traveling.)

This past Thursday we went on our "tech trip" to a few other villages to learn about the different levels of health care facilities in country. It was quite depressing, to tell you the truth - both the facilities and the sick people. The facilities were understaffed, unsanitary, and did not have any equipment to handle major operations or anything complicated. At one clinic they have a program where they keep malnourished children and try to help them gain weight and supply them with proper food and nutrients. I think that was the most depressing of all - seeing kids who were severely malnourished, where you could see their bones and the skin hanging from their bodies. One PCV was working with the children and she inspired me to do some work with malnourishment once I get to post. This field trip was more than a reality check for me because I realized the type of setting that I may be collaborating with. I thought about my future at post a lot and how emotionally draining it will be to constantly see people who are ill. On the other hand, I think it will be that much more rewarding once my service is over.

So if all that wasn't bad enough, I started getting sick on Friday night and was sick all day Saturday. I felt HORRIBLE. I went to another town to see the doc (I think I had/have some bacteria) and he gave me some awesome medicine which just about cured me overnight. So I'm about 90% well. In another couple of days, I'll be back on the soccer field.

Exciting news - this Friday we get our site announcements! I am a little nervous but excited more than anything.

Another cool thing about Niger that I love is the kindness and sincerity of the locals. Last night I was walking home by myself around 9:00 p.m. and stopped by a food vendor to see what was being cooked. A guy about my age asked me to sit and chat with him. I declined becuase it was late but I think I'll go there this afternoon and have tea with him and his friends (it's a popular custom in Niger, comparable to having a beer with a buddy). Two other guys stopped me and asked me how I was doing and how business was and then just said goodbye. These interactions are great for language training and goes to show how people are concerned about others, even "anasaras" (foreigners) like me.

Well, that's about all I have for now. When I get to a phone, I'll try my best to get a hold of you, but until then, you guys take care! I love you all! Love, James

P.S. Nickie-Happy, happy birthday! It is a great year so enjoy it to the fullest! I hope you got the post card that I sent you. When I get to a mailbox, I'll send you something special from Niger (let me know if you'd rather have a donkey, a camel or a monkey and I'll see what I can work out.) I know it's your senior year and I'm so excited about it - you should be too! Have fun and be safe - don't try to grow up too quickly! I love you!

Mike--How's the job search going? Any openings in West Africa? That would be great! I hope everything is going great for you in Houston and you are enjoying yourself before you start a big job. Let me know what you're up to back home. Take it easy, Bro, I miss you!

Keep in touch, guys! Love you!

Email #3

9/26/07

Hey guys-

Just a quick note to let you know that I’m alive and well! Trying to stay cool but that's almost impossible! I just swore in so I’m officially a PC volunteer now! I’m heading out to my post on Saturday so I’m excited about that! It's in the southwest corner of the country. It is a very green and fertile part of the country with a lot of palm trees! I'll get back to you all soon to update you on my post. Take care and please continue to write letters!

Love,

James

Letter #2

8/16/07

Mom, Dad, Mike and Nickie,

Hey guys! Just got your card and package today. Thanks a bunch! I was getting a little discouraged that I wasn't getting any mail... It's such a good feeling getting a letter; it reminds me of Camp Allen. Things are still going great here. I just got over my first (of many) spells of diarrhea! Fun stuff, I know!

This past weekend (Sunday-Tuesday) we went on "demyst," where we live with another volunteer to get a better grasp of daily life at post. It was great! My host, Kevin, was very gracious and fed me well - spaghetti one night and raviolis (from a can) the second night! Amazing considering that I have been eating millet or rice with sauce every night since I've been here. I got tired of the sauce so now I eat plain white rice or "millet mash" by itself. (The fruit bars and beef jerky have saved me on more than one ocassion.) If the food is the worst thing, then I really don't have much to complain about! Al hamdalaylay (thanks be to God) that I have been healthy and fit since I've been here.

Back to "demyst." We didn't do much at all other than chat, relax and read, which was a nice vacation from the structure of training. On Monday, we hiked up this huge mesa that overlooks Kevin's village and spent two hours walking around and taking pictures. It was one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. The landscape is beautiful (especially since it's rainy season and everything is green); it's not all sands like we thought (only up north).

Since I'm a Zarma speaker, I'll be in "Zarmaland" once I get posted. This means I'll be on the Western side of the country. Exciting!

One of the other trainees went to UNT and is from Houston. Actually, she lives off of WLY near Westheimer, which is crazy. Also, another volunteer played football for Vanderbilt with one of my roommate's older brother. What a small world.

We're having a fashion show tonight where our host family dresses us in local dress and we walk on the "cat walk" at our compound! This will be followed by a dance so I'm really excited!

The other night I watched a storm approach for about 45 minutes. The lighting was like nothing I have ever seen before and I captured some amazing video! My new camera is amazing and I have taken tons of photos already! Tomorrow we get to travel to another town to take a tour and eat at a restaurant so I'm very excited! Language and tech classes are going smoothly and steadily. Each day I have more to say and I understand more at home.

Well, that's about it for now. Make sure to ask questions in your letters if you are curious about certain things. Otherwise, I'll just ramble on about day-to-day life here. Keep me updated of any US news that you think I would be interested in. I love you guys so much and miss you all! I'll talk to you guys soon! James

Email #2

9/4/07

Mom,

Just wanted to write you quickly about a few things. Please pass this e-mail along to everyone. I just recently got my site anouncement and I am super excited! My village is in the southwestern corner of the country. It is the greenest, most fertile region of the country and I heard it is beautiful out there. This sunday I will go to my town and live there for a week to check it out and get a feel for everything. I am 4 km off of the main road and 11 km from my market which is once a week. I will be living in a traditional zarma mud brick hut but that's about all I know about my actual compound.

The town has about 1500 people divided into 5 hamlets. My town does not have a health hut, but my market town does. I will probably be doing a lot of cross-sector work, meaning that I will incorporate agriculture into my work because of the fertile environment. I also have a new mailing address so in about a week or so you can start sending mail to that address (especially packages). There's no need to send things in original packaging, just however it will fit the best (zip loc bags, etc).

Make sure you send everything air mail or I won't get it. I still haven't received anything since the last letter. Also, I plan to buy a cell phone soon so as soon as I do, I will get you guys the number so you can call. Please keep a calling card with you since it will be hard for me to know exactly when we can talk. I will try and get a hold of you guys on or before Sunday, probably in the early morning. Take care, love you lots!

Love,
James

Email #1

8/24/07

Family and Friends,

Hey, its me, writing from an internet cafe in a village about two hours from our training site. We arrived here yesterday and will leave for another village tomorrow. We are on our tech trip where we learn a lot more about our specific jobs and projects as community health agents. It is hard to believe that I have already been in Niger for 4 weeks! It has already been such an amazing and eye-opening experience so far! I have been places, met people, and seen things that very few people are able to do so I have been thankful for that. Gosh, there is so much going on here during training that I am exhausted by the time I get home and am usually laying down at about 9.

I really am loving it out here though; it suits me well and I know that I will be able to do some amazing work here. As you all can imagine I take my camera everywhere and the photographic opportunities are endless! All of my fellow trainees are amazing people and I have already formed many strong bonds. It is hot here but I have gotten used to it as well as the everyday routine of taking a bucket bath, using the squat latrine and sleeping under a mosquito net outdoors. The lack of what I know as good food has been the hardest thing to adjust to. I rarely get meat but I have eaten more rice and millet than I ever have cared to.

The training has been great and I have picked up the local language quite well. We will swear in and become volunteers in another month or so and then we will be sent to our different sites which is exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. This is the first time I have been able to get on a computer and it will probably be some time before I can access it again. Please please please write me a letter or letters because that helps so much when the days are tough and I am missing home!

Please write AIR MAIL and PAR AVION on the envelope and make sure to put the letter in a plain envelope as well as write letter 1 for the first one you send and so on. Also, if you feel inclined, add a newspaper clipping or any interesting news from the States as our access to US news is very very limited! Also, if you guys feel especially inclined, a little care package would mean the world to me! Include anything you like, but especially snacks and a book or magazine.

So I will sum up a few of the higlights and lowlights of the trip thus far, but feel free to ask specific questions in letters and I will have plenty of time to answer them. The scenery is amazing and everything is green now that it is the peak of rainy season. There are these amazing mesas that we hike up and spend time on, either taking pictures during the day or hanging out by the fire at night. The storms are amazingly powerful yet beautiful. The people are extremely generous and warm and I have spent many afternoons just sitting by them and enjoying their company.

The poverty is something that you have to live in to realize its extent. Never have I seen so many malnourished children, some even so malnourished that their skin hangs from their body. The health care system is horrible so I know that I will have my work cut out for me. There is trash everywhere and sanitation is not something that people understand.

All in all I am loving it here though, don't get me wrong. You just have to keep a positive attitude and look at the brighter side of things. I have already learned so much about life and about myself.

I have to run now and make it back to the hostel. Please write me letters because my internet access will be limited. I love you all and miss you dearly. Much love from Niger, James.

Letter to Family #1

7/31/07

Hey guys! Hope everything in the States is going well for all of you. Things are just fine here; no need to worry! By the time you get this letter, you should have received an email from the Peace Corps letting you know that we arrived safe and sound with no problems. For the most part, everything has run smoothly since we arrived. I have already seen and learned so much! I'll give you a quick run through of the cool and not-so-cool things that have taken place since our arrival on Friday.

We met many of the Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and Admins at the airport before heading to the country director's place. We had a short welcome speech and introduction by some of the staff as well as a few American snacks...

Okay, we just had our first health lesson so I had to stop writing for a bit. The topic was diarrhea - fun stuff! Anyway, we took a 30-minute ride from the capital to our compound and got there around dusk. We took our luggage to our rooms and set up the mosquito nets over our beds outside. After dinner, we were all exhausted from the long day so I spent my first night in Niger on a mattress on top a wooden cot with only a net between me and the sky. It is beautiful out here... You can see forever! There are no tall structures (other than a large cell phone tower and the mosque in the village) in sight. The sunsets are like nowhere I have ever seen.

Day 2 was fun. We had a cultural fair during the afternoon were we learned some of the everyday activities and jobs of local Nigeriens. We saw a band, women pounding millet into flour, a rope maker, a barber, a traditional medicine man, a mat maker and a sandal maker. It was really neat being able to interact with the Nigeriens. That evening, we watched a performance by some men and women from the Wodabi tribe who live in northern Niger. They painted their faces and did a traditional dance where the men roll their eyes and show their teeth in order to attract women (the same performance I saw on the National Geographic channel!) It was great! We got to take pictures with them afterwards.

There was a big rainstorm that evening and our sheets and mattresses got very damp, so it was a little uncomfortable sleeping that night. Sunday was a pretty good time - a bunch of logistics and training for the different things we would have to do while living with our host family, such as taking a bucket bath, using a squat toilet, washing our socks/underwear, etc. (Note: they have showers and real toilets on the compound.) On Sunday evening, our families came to the compound and we followed them back to their home (concession).

This guy named Frease is my roommate there. He's another trainee in my stage group and he's from Washington.

The first night was a little rough because I know very little Zarma so there was hardly any communication. I also had to use the squat latrine for the first time, which was not a fun experience. Just imagine a hole in the ground and that's it...you just squat and try to keep your balance. The bucket bath isn't bad, though. Just a cup and a bucket of water and you bathe...

On Monday we had our first language class, which was very helpful. It made my second night with my host family much more productive. We also broke up into our different sectors (mine being health) and had an overview, shared ideas between the trainees (us), the PCVs (current volunteers), and the APCD (director for health). I really got a better idea of my job duties and the difficulties I will encounter at post. We played soccer after class during our free time (5:00 to 6:00 p.m.) which was great. Today (Tuesday) we went to the market and I bought some fabric to make a few handkerchiefs with. I need to go later and buy some laundry detergent.

I guess that's all for now. No sickness yet but in sha ailah (God willing) it won't happen. Please write soon! I love you all! Take care! James a.k.a. Riduan