Project Play

March 5, 2008

Family and friends-

Hey guys, hope all is well back in the States! Things are great here in Niger; hot season is on its way though. I just got back from one of the craziest road trips ever! I'll give you guys a quick recap of my last week...

I was hanging out at the hostel last weekend since we had a team meeting and the new PCV's on Team Dosso had come back from "live in" where they spend a week at their post. Anyway, this group of white people showed up (I never see white people other than Peace Corps volunteers and staff). They were a group from this organization called "Project Play". The head of the group, Mike Michelle, was w PCV in Zinder, Niger from 1983-86. As a volunteer he began to play soccer to stay sane and ended up playing with the Zinder team and winning the national championship with them! He came back 25 years later with over 2,000 balls to give to PCV's and locals in hopes of encouraging the game.

I had written a proposal and asked for a few balls without realizing how many they had. Well, Dosso was their first stop so instead of receiving the six I had asked for, I received 40 since I was so interested and excited about the project. Mike and the others noticed my interest and invited me to come along and be the liaison between them and Peace Corps. Of course I said yes!

We headed out from Dosso on Saturday morning and went to Konni, Maradi, and on to Zinder, stopping at roadside villages, Peace Corps hostels and PCVs' villages on the way east (look at a map to see how far we went). In Zinder, Mike was able to meet up with many of his old teammates with whom he won the championship 25 years earlier. It was a great moment to be a part of. We were able to donate balls to the current Zinder team as well.

I just now got back from Zinder, tired and with a sore back side. I won't begin to go into the condition of the roads and some of the set backs along the way!

I am now the “in country director/coordinator” for Project Play in Niger. I am responsible for compiling feedback and photos from other volunteers, schools and organizations that received the balls and relay that information back to the Project Play folks back in the States and Brazil, where Mike lives. We were able to give away of most of the soccer balls, bags, pumps and needles (about 600 balls are still in country). I will also be in charge of the remaining balls to give them out according to people's needs.

This has been an amazing week for me, a real landmark in my service here in Niger. It was so uplifting seeing the kids’ faces once they received these shiny new balls. Just as a quick example, one secondary school we went to had over 1000 students and only two soccer balls. You all can imagine how grateful they were to receive over 20 brand new balls. Amazing!

Lastly, I wanted to share a project idea that this adventure sparked for me. Since plastic bags are used for everything here, it has created quite a problem (no recycling, trash collection). The streets and trees are always littered with bags so I decided to do something about it. I will be collecting bags, twisting them together to make thin ropes, tying them together and making a grid which will eventually be made into soccer nets. I am really excited about getting this underway because I think it goes hand-in-hand with Project Play.

I'll need a full week to recover from this road trip but I had the most amazing time. I will try to get some pictures send y'alls way soon. Take care and keep in touch.

Much love,
James

Life in the Bush Continues...

Hey guys, just wanted to let you all know that things are going great here in Niger. I just made it to the capital to welcome in the new stage who is swearing in. It's nice to meet the new group and hang out with old friends all in one place, of course that means that the hostel gets a little crowded. I showed up a little later than other volunteers which meant that all of the cots, mattresses, pillows, blankets, sheets and mosquito nets were taken. I had to settle with a big pink towel which served as my shower towel, pillow and blanket. Hey, it was better than nothing. The first night I pushed two chairs together, trying to make a bed. That worked out for all of half an hour. I'm sure I'll get it figured out at some point.

I took some time off at the pool yesterday, looking to fix up my farmer's tan a bit; too bad I just ended up with a burned body. I'm headed back to the bush soon and plan on spending all of hot season there...we'll see how that works out. I am contemplating the idea of buying cement and making a kiddie pool under my shade hanger to help beat the heat, not sure if that will happen or not.

At least mango season has begun. I experimented with my dutch oven recently and made some really good raisin banana bread. Hopefully I can perfect the technique and start "baking" at post.

Well, I guess that's about it for now; I'm gonna go and find some shade or a fan to sit under.

Much love,

James, aka Zatara

Trip to African Nations Cup

Family and Friends-

Hey, it’s Zatara, aka Jah Bless. Just wanted to let you all know about the crazy vacation trip I took to Ghana in late January to see the African Nations Cup soccer tournament. But first let me catch you up on life in the bush.

Everything here in the bush is just fine. The men have begun clearing the fields and getting them ready for planting. I spoke with some villagers and I will be getting a field of my own to plant beans and peanuts and maybe some millet as well. That should keep me pretty busy throughout rainy season. I’m still working on my Zarma daily while trying to stay in the shade. Hot season is approaching; yesterday it was over 120ºF in the sun at 4 pm and by nightfall it was still in the 90s. Anyway, back to my Ghana trip…

I met up with Alexis and Chris, two other volunteers in my region, in southern Niger and we all hung out at my buddy Jeremy’s place for a couple of days before we left. The bus ticket from Niger to Lome, Togo’s capital, was 15,000 CFA (around $35). The bus ride took us through Benin and on to Togo and then south to Lome, a 14 hour trip. It was quite a long haul with only a couple of rest stops in between. Quickly I noticed the change in landscape compared to Niger; many more trees and hills throughout the countryside. We arrived in Lome late at night, exhausted, so we quickly found a hotel and crashed. We hit the streets of Lome, first heading to the beach to put our toes in the sand and get our feet wet - what a feeling after living in a landlocked country for 6 months!

We stopped by an artisan’s center and then went to a fetish market where they practiced voodoo and sold every type of dead animal parts imaginable - horns, animal pelts, vultures, owls, bats, monkey skulls, elephant bones, pig vertebrae, hyena skulls, porcupine quills, etc. It was pretty wild. The highlight of the day for me was going to “King Burger” and eating a king burger (meat, cheese, fried egg, lettuce)! That night we partied with some Ivory Coast fans who were celebrating their team’s victory.

The next day we took a short ride to the Ghanaian border and then a 3 hour bush taxi ride to Accra, Ghana’s capital. There we met up with a professor that I studied abroad with in 2004. It was great to seem him again; he said that he always knew I would return to Africa. He was able to find us a hotel near the center of town where we stayed for the first few nights in Ghana. We checked out the capital on foot, hung out on the beach, went to several dive bars, saw a few soccer games at the stadium, ate some great local food, and more than anything, just relaxed.

Next we traveled to Kumasi in the interior of Ghana to watch a few more soccer matches. We also went to the zoo in Kumasi and spent a couple of nights with some Ghana PCVs at their hostel. From Kumasi we traveled southwest to Takoradi to watch two more soccer matches and then bush taxied to Cape Coast. We checked out the old colonial town, went to Cape Coast castle, an old slave fort, and ate at a beachside restaurant. We also went to Fort William, an old lighthouse overlooking the town, where I was able to capture some beautiful pictures. We then checked out Elmina castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482, which was later converted to a slave fort.

The next day we traveled to a small beachside town and stayed the night at Fort Good Hope, a slave fort turned into a “hotel”. The views from up top were amazing! We spent most of the day on a secluded beach, enjoying our vacation with not a worry in a world. Our last stop before heading back to the capital was Big Millie’s, a cheap, laid back beachside resort. We ate great food there, swam in the ocean, played beach soccer, and danced to reggae music with the local Rastafarians. It was a great stop.

Back in Accra we were able to get scalped tickets to a semifinal match between Ghana, the hosts, and their rival, Nigeria. As you all can imagine the streets were packed with Ghanaian fans, as was the stadium- not an empty seat around. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere in the city after Ghana came back to win 2-1. Everyone went crazy! That night we met up with a bunch of Niger PCVs at a nice sports bar to watch the Super Bowl. It was pretty crazy watching American football on ESPN!

We headed back to the border with Togo, spent one more night in Lome and then headed back to Niger, arriving there at 5 am. I got a few hours of sleep and then took a bush taxi back to my village. What a trip! Now it’s back to life in the bush. I’ve begun coaching the school children soccer. That has been a great time especially seeing the girls having fun. It has also taught me a lot of patience - keeping 3 teams in order at once is not an easy ordeal.

Well, I guess that’s about all for my trip. The pictures will tell so much more. I hope all is well back home, please keep in touch and continue to write and send pictures.

Much love,
James

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.