Christmas in the capital...of Niger

December 26, 2007
Merry Christmas guys! I hope you all are enjoying the holidays back home. Just a quick update on Christmas here in Niger. On Christmas Eve I went to mass at the Cathedral Notre Dame in Niamey, the capital, with a couple of friends. The church was packed and the service was nice, especially the upbeat music. Everything was in French but I recognized a few prayers and Christmas hymns. Afterwards, we came back to the hostel where a crazy dance party was going on which lasted well into Christmas morning! There were quite a few volunteers who had come into town for the holidays so it was a great time! Christmas morning we all opened our stockings and then had a big breakfast which included pancakes, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, snickerdoodle cookies, and hot cocoa! Good stuff. We watched A Christmas Carol and later A Christmas Story, two holiday favorites. That afternoon most of us went to a PC staff member's house to hang out there and eat more food. Even the country director showed up so we all had a great time over there! Most of us took it easy that evening and hung around the hostel because we were all too full to do anything or go anywhere. Even though I was away from home and my family and friends, it was a better Christmas than I could have asked for. Tomorrow afternoon I plan on taking off for my post...finally back to the bush and to a more relaxed pace. I plan on spending the New Year down south with a few close friends so it should be a good time. I'm not sure when I'll be back in civilization but keep the letters coming and I'll update y'all again as soon as I can. Take care and have a happy new year!

Christmas in Niger

December 24, 2007

Merry Christmas to all! I hope you all are enjoying the holiday season back home. I am excited about Christmas even though it will be much different than in the states. I'm planning on heading to Christmas Eve mass at a Christian church here in the capital, but I'm not sure if the service will be in English or French. Afterwards the volunteers are supposed to have a potluck "feast" at the hostel; anything will be better than millet, sorghum, or rice and beans so I can't wait. Yesterday I went to the zoo with some friends and took a bunch of pictures; it is surprising how close you can get to the cages- I could have reached out and touched the lions, hyenas or baboons which is great but scary at the same time. I got a little to close to the stork's cage trying to take a picture and he snapped at my hand; it didn't hurt but it scared the heck out of me! We also browsed through the artisan's center where there were silver smiths, leather workers, and cloth makers. I bought some Francs (coins) from the 1930s that I am sure are pretty rare. Last night I went out to a chinese place (yeah, in Niger) with some friends and had a really good meal. We saw a local dressed up in a Santa outfit with the beard and all, ringing a bell- very random to see in this country, but funny at the same time. Tomorrow will be spent with good friends just hanging out and hopefully eating well. Wednesday I'll head back to the bush which I'm very excited and anxious about. I believe that's about it for now, I need to get my home made banana bread ready for our feast tonight. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Until next time, kala hanfo.

Update on Events

December 21, 2007

Family and Friends,

Just wanted to give you all an update about events that have recently occurred in Niger. I returned to the training site for the second week of IST on the 11th of December. On the 12th we got word that a bush taxi ran over a land mine in a large city in the south of the country killing the driver. That evening we heard that a passenger vehicle ran over another land mine in a different city killing the driver and two other passengers. Peace Corps Niger was put on "stand fast" after the incident, meaning all of the volunteers were to stay put until further notice. We ended up having to stay an extra week at the training site because of fear of more terrorist activity during Tabaski, a Muslim holiday. We were shuttled to the capital today because the "stand fast" was supposed to be lifted but we still haven't heard confirmation yet. Another incident happened on Monday the 17th, where Police intercepted two young men trying to plant a land mine in the east. Tensions are high here in Niger since no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. As it stands now, I will head back to my village tomorrow and resume life in the bush. I plan on spending Christmas day with some friends in southern Niger, near the Niger River. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday back home and keep in mind why we are actually celebrating Christmas. I'll try to update you again with the latest from Niger. Kala Hanfo!

Update

December 6, 2007
Just a quick update to let you all know that I'm alive and well. Just another day in Niger, living the dream. I'm back at the training site for Inservice Training for 2 weeks and then it's back to the bush! Things are great here now; the weather is amazing in the mornings and evenings and I'm having a great time with the other 40 volunteers with whom I arrived in July. I plan on heading out east for Christmas and who knows where for the New Year. I have a lot of project ideas in mind and plan on getting started at the first of the year. Other than that I'm just trying to take it day by day and enjoy my time here. I'll get a long post up soon.