Ok, so it seems that Crystal is wanting to raise money to buy a camel for her village. She will use this camel to transport large/heavy items for her tree planting project, and if she is able to buy a female camel (they are more expensive) she will have it mate. Of course she will donate the camel to the village once she has finished her service with the PC.
My mom (Ruth) is collecting money for those that are interested in donating. She will send the money via Western Union. You can send a check or money to my mom:
Ruth Pilon
1175 AuSable Trail
Grayling, MI 49738
Thank you!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Friday, August 08, 2008
letter from Crystal 8/6/08
Hi mom and dad! How's it going? I got your second and third packages, the ones with the Hausa book (awesome!!) and delightful baking items in it, a couple weeks ago but haven't had a chance to email you 'til now. I don't make it to Konni very often and even when I'm here there's usually other people using the computer and also the power sucks. There were protests in Niamey with Nigerlac, the power company, because of all the power outages we've been having. Now a nice company in China will be in charge of providing us with power so maybe it will be more reliable (?). A new package from you just came in today, along with one from Aunt Sue and Uncle Ron, but I haven't opened either of them because I am saving it for tomorrow. I like to prolong the excitement. I got a letter from Grandma and a package from Uncle Dave and Aunt Sue (lots of chocolate! yum!) and also one from my friend Liz in Madison, so I am feeling the love big-time. Also my former colleagues at the Lab want to collect money to help me buy my camel. It's something like $300 so if you know anyone willing to make a contribution I plan to send the Lab ppl a list of email addresses to contact. It's just too hard for me to email a lot of people from here. We can't do multiple-recipient emails because the computer gets all jacked up or something, so it's just easier to do it from America.
I want to start a chicken coop (bird flu? what bird flu?) so am asking Joe and Mary to research it for me. I want eggs. Also want to make cheese so am going to ask former colleagues from lab to visit dairy school at the UW there in madison and see if they can collect info for me, and even the correct enzymes to make something like cheddar. :) I've made a compost pile in my yard, planted some beans (black-eyed peas to you), planted the awesome flower seeds you sent me, though they haven't come up yet, and would like to plant some tomatoes. I love my village, but have to admit there are times where I don't feel like hanging out with people or speaking in Hausa, and on those days it is best to do my own little projects.
My health is great. No bacteria now for something like 2 months! Yeah, baby. And no colds to speak of. Just bug bites and heat rash. I take some kind of steriod at night because the bites are so itchy I can't sleep (Aerius, I think it's Allegra tho am not sure).
Found some nail polish at the Peace Corps hostel in Konni (that's where I am using this computer) and put it on some of the girls and young women in my village. My friend Lamirra is this spunky, 17-year-old married girl who makes the best fura and gives really decorative henna. One day I am going to bring some "American" clothes to the village (tight jeans and a tank top) and have her put it on (in her house, of course) and then she will probably dance around and we will laugh about it.
How was your trip to CA? How's little Angela and Christopher doing? How's Becky and Fonsi? Is Myra still there? I hope everyone is healthy and happy. I would love to see some pictures. I need to send them a letter to congratulate them on the arrival of their newest family member. :)
Below is a portion of an email I sent my colleagues. More stuff on village life.
Thanks again for the packages! You have been so awesome about it! Perhaps you could send an LED accompaniment to the mini mag-lite you sent me? The batteries only last 2 nights with the current bulb. :) Thanks so much!
Love always,
Crystal
The weather is nice now. Since it's rainy season it does get down to a nice, chilly 80 degrees! At night I use my sleeping bag, so it must be down to 70 at that time. The only problem with rainy season are all the darn bugs! There aren't many mosquitos, but when they come out you have to be careful not to get malaria. It breaks my heart to see kids so riddled with fever that they can't even talk, they just lay in their mother's arms and whimper. Fortunately people can usually scrape up enough money for medicine, so that's good, but it's still so sad.
Village life is good. Hausa is coming along and while progress seems slow I feel like I am more able to understand what people are saying and that makes me feel good, especially when they're talking about me and I can eavesdrop! The millet and sorghum plants are getting nice and tall so hopefully we'll have a good harvest next month. Oh, and next month marks the beginning of Ramadan, so my villagers will be fasting from both food and water for the entire cycle of the moon. I think I'll try it for one day as a "cultural experience" and see how it goes. The old people are already fasting, though I'm not really sure why. They still work in the fields, too. It's crazy.
People are hungry. Since their graineries are getting low, they only drink fura. Fura is a drink where first you add water to millet or sorghum flour to make a dough, then wad the dough up into a 8" ball. The dough is cooked in a pot with a couple inches of water to steam. Then it is pounded to separate it, then put in a big calabash bowl where sour milk and spices like cayenne pepper are added. Millet, sour milk and pepper... not my idea of a tasty lunch, but once you drink it a few times you get used to it and it's not so bad. So yeah, my villagers drink fura and go out into the bush and find leaves and cook them. Some of those cooked leaves taste bitter and nasty, but just add a little MSG and if you're hungry enough you'll eat it.
The men work hard in the fields, hoeing the soil around their plants for 8 hours a day, and it's back breaking work. I know this from experience because I did it for, like, 10 minutes. The women and children pick grass and other tasty greens for the animals at home. The animals can't go out in the fields because they'll eat the crops. Some kids go out and pick grass and sell it to people.
The women's group I work with is growing peanuts in the garden area. We also planted 160 moringa trees from seed (it's the amazing "you eat the leaves and they're full of nutrients" tree and it will grow to the perfect size in about 3 months), have our little pau plastique nursery going (80 dan tahoua trees, an Acacia, which is N-fixing and so is good in fields and you can also eat the seeds like millet, and 20 baobab trees), and hopefully the gum arabic we planted in their fields will come up. Also I am working with the Ministry of Environment to get some fish for our seasonal lake. It would most likely be a type of tilapia that would grow to full size in 2-3 months. The money for the fingerlings would come out of the women's group's caisse and then if they sell some fish they will make a profit. Fingerlings should be 5-10 CFA each and full-grown fish are sold for 100-150 CFA each. Also working on paperwork so that women's group can get an account at a microfinance bank so that in the future they can get a loan to buy their own piece of land. Right now they do their gardening on a piece of land "donated" by the chief of the village, and the last volunteer in the village applied for grants to get funding to build a fence around the land and dig a well in the center, and then the chief went ahead and planted mango seedlings everywhere. Way to take advantage of the fence and well. So the women won't be able to use the land for very long. The lesson learned is that whenever someone "donates" land make them sign a document and bring it to the mayor's attention (the mayor is in a larger village).
Now that I've been around for a while the kids aren't so scared of me. Whenever I go somewhere a group of kids will yell my name "Zena! Zena!" until I turn and greet them. And sometimes they come to my house. Any sort of empty box, bottle or bag makes a great toy for a kid, and I let some kids go through my trash and it was like Christmas for them. Empty pasta bags, soap boxes, a used razor (which I saw like 6 people using later on), anything with a label on it that had a picture, all of it was exciting to them. Sometimes kids come to my house and refuse to leave, and I've learned the best way to handle it is to pick up a stick or a millet stalk and wave it in a threatening way and they will scatter like flies. Works every time.
I want to start a chicken coop (bird flu? what bird flu?) so am asking Joe and Mary to research it for me. I want eggs. Also want to make cheese so am going to ask former colleagues from lab to visit dairy school at the UW there in madison and see if they can collect info for me, and even the correct enzymes to make something like cheddar. :) I've made a compost pile in my yard, planted some beans (black-eyed peas to you), planted the awesome flower seeds you sent me, though they haven't come up yet, and would like to plant some tomatoes. I love my village, but have to admit there are times where I don't feel like hanging out with people or speaking in Hausa, and on those days it is best to do my own little projects.
My health is great. No bacteria now for something like 2 months! Yeah, baby. And no colds to speak of. Just bug bites and heat rash. I take some kind of steriod at night because the bites are so itchy I can't sleep (Aerius, I think it's Allegra tho am not sure).
Found some nail polish at the Peace Corps hostel in Konni (that's where I am using this computer) and put it on some of the girls and young women in my village. My friend Lamirra is this spunky, 17-year-old married girl who makes the best fura and gives really decorative henna. One day I am going to bring some "American" clothes to the village (tight jeans and a tank top) and have her put it on (in her house, of course) and then she will probably dance around and we will laugh about it.
How was your trip to CA? How's little Angela and Christopher doing? How's Becky and Fonsi? Is Myra still there? I hope everyone is healthy and happy. I would love to see some pictures. I need to send them a letter to congratulate them on the arrival of their newest family member. :)
Below is a portion of an email I sent my colleagues. More stuff on village life.
Thanks again for the packages! You have been so awesome about it! Perhaps you could send an LED accompaniment to the mini mag-lite you sent me? The batteries only last 2 nights with the current bulb. :) Thanks so much!
Love always,
Crystal
The weather is nice now. Since it's rainy season it does get down to a nice, chilly 80 degrees! At night I use my sleeping bag, so it must be down to 70 at that time. The only problem with rainy season are all the darn bugs! There aren't many mosquitos, but when they come out you have to be careful not to get malaria. It breaks my heart to see kids so riddled with fever that they can't even talk, they just lay in their mother's arms and whimper. Fortunately people can usually scrape up enough money for medicine, so that's good, but it's still so sad.
Village life is good. Hausa is coming along and while progress seems slow I feel like I am more able to understand what people are saying and that makes me feel good, especially when they're talking about me and I can eavesdrop! The millet and sorghum plants are getting nice and tall so hopefully we'll have a good harvest next month. Oh, and next month marks the beginning of Ramadan, so my villagers will be fasting from both food and water for the entire cycle of the moon. I think I'll try it for one day as a "cultural experience" and see how it goes. The old people are already fasting, though I'm not really sure why. They still work in the fields, too. It's crazy.
People are hungry. Since their graineries are getting low, they only drink fura. Fura is a drink where first you add water to millet or sorghum flour to make a dough, then wad the dough up into a 8" ball. The dough is cooked in a pot with a couple inches of water to steam. Then it is pounded to separate it, then put in a big calabash bowl where sour milk and spices like cayenne pepper are added. Millet, sour milk and pepper... not my idea of a tasty lunch, but once you drink it a few times you get used to it and it's not so bad. So yeah, my villagers drink fura and go out into the bush and find leaves and cook them. Some of those cooked leaves taste bitter and nasty, but just add a little MSG and if you're hungry enough you'll eat it.
The men work hard in the fields, hoeing the soil around their plants for 8 hours a day, and it's back breaking work. I know this from experience because I did it for, like, 10 minutes. The women and children pick grass and other tasty greens for the animals at home. The animals can't go out in the fields because they'll eat the crops. Some kids go out and pick grass and sell it to people.
The women's group I work with is growing peanuts in the garden area. We also planted 160 moringa trees from seed (it's the amazing "you eat the leaves and they're full of nutrients" tree and it will grow to the perfect size in about 3 months), have our little pau plastique nursery going (80 dan tahoua trees, an Acacia, which is N-fixing and so is good in fields and you can also eat the seeds like millet, and 20 baobab trees), and hopefully the gum arabic we planted in their fields will come up. Also I am working with the Ministry of Environment to get some fish for our seasonal lake. It would most likely be a type of tilapia that would grow to full size in 2-3 months. The money for the fingerlings would come out of the women's group's caisse and then if they sell some fish they will make a profit. Fingerlings should be 5-10 CFA each and full-grown fish are sold for 100-150 CFA each. Also working on paperwork so that women's group can get an account at a microfinance bank so that in the future they can get a loan to buy their own piece of land. Right now they do their gardening on a piece of land "donated" by the chief of the village, and the last volunteer in the village applied for grants to get funding to build a fence around the land and dig a well in the center, and then the chief went ahead and planted mango seedlings everywhere. Way to take advantage of the fence and well. So the women won't be able to use the land for very long. The lesson learned is that whenever someone "donates" land make them sign a document and bring it to the mayor's attention (the mayor is in a larger village).
Now that I've been around for a while the kids aren't so scared of me. Whenever I go somewhere a group of kids will yell my name "Zena! Zena!" until I turn and greet them. And sometimes they come to my house. Any sort of empty box, bottle or bag makes a great toy for a kid, and I let some kids go through my trash and it was like Christmas for them. Empty pasta bags, soap boxes, a used razor (which I saw like 6 people using later on), anything with a label on it that had a picture, all of it was exciting to them. Sometimes kids come to my house and refuse to leave, and I've learned the best way to handle it is to pick up a stick or a millet stalk and wave it in a threatening way and they will scatter like flies. Works every time.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
letter from Crystal 5/01/08
Hi everyone! I am taking a few hours to catch up on my email-sending. I tried sending this a couple weeks ago but am not sure you received it. :)
Love,
Crystal
See canned letter below and update below-below:
Life in Niger is going well. I'm feeling pretty good about what I'm doing
here. I have been at my village for a month now and it's wonderful -
everything I hoped it would be. It's small, about 400 people live there, and
a lot of them are kids. I am so lucky the previous volunteer had a chance to
explain to everyone what it's like to come to their village not knowing
their language and living in a way very different from that in the States.
They are really understanding and patient with me, are always excited to see
me, and treat me with the utmost respect.
My typical day:
Get up at 7:00 to the sounds of a) women pounding millet or sorghum in their
big mortars and pestles, and b) sounds of animals (cows, donkeys, chickens,
guinea fowl who are really annoying). Yes, I sleep outside because my house
is just way too hot at the end of the day.
7:00-7:30: Wash face and hands, fold up bedding and put it inside
7:30-8:30: My neighbor comes with my water, which I pay her to bring from
the well. The well is kind of far away and there's no way my poor wimpy body
can handle carrying THAT much water on my head for such a long distance. I
pour it into my big clay pot and fill up my water filter (a 3-gallon bucket
sits atop a 5-gallon bucket with a spout on the bottom. The water is poured
into the little bucket and drips through the filter to the big bucket.) I
eat bread with peanut butter and raisins for breakfast, provided I have
bread. If I don't have bread, I cook oatmeal with raisins and peanut butter,
powdered milk, and sugar. If I put a lot of sugar in it it tastes like a
monster cookie! A little note about food - I eat rich people food. My
villagers mainly eat tuwo (pounded millet or sorghum, or corn if they have
the money) with sauce made from leaves and onions and seasonings. It's
pretty good and filling. They eat the leftovers for breakfast. During cold
season there's usually some garden vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, and
carrots that they can eat, too. They make this awesome salad - it's lettuce
or cabbage with kouli-kouli (if you have peanut butter and you extract out
all the oil, you are left with kouli-kouli- lowfat, delicious and a good
source of protein), cassava flour, a little tonka powder (ground hot
peppers), salt and ginger, tossed with oil. Mmmmmm... Okay, it's morning, I
just got up, and I'm a little hungry. Ha ha!
8:30-11:00: If I have chores, I do them now. Sweep my house and concession
(concession is the area surrounding my house. It's like a small, walled-in
yard, granted a yard without grass or anything. Most people do their daily
activities in their concession because it's hot and there's no wind inside
the house. The typical concession has a millet-stalk shade hangar, cooking
area, a walled off peeing/washing area, and an animal area where they tie up
their donkeys, goats, sheep, camel, whatever.) because if I don't sweep I
may get a (gasp) chariot spider - a fist-sized spider that scorpions ride
on, not kidding - or a snake or red ants.. scary! So yeah, I sweep under my
millet-stalk bed and around my latrine with a broom that is basically a
bunch of long grass tied together with a string. I wash my clothes if I need
to, refill my water bucket in my bathing area so it can get warmed by the
sun during the day, wash dishes, whatever.
Usually people swing by in the morning to say hi - my neighbor Rabi, my best
guy friends Issoufou and Issya, sometimes my friends want to play cards so
we play cards (this crazy Nigerien game that's kind of like euchre without
trumps; hard to explain) and listen to Nigerien and Nigerian music on my
shortwave radio (the best investment ever! Now I can listen to the BBC and
it is wonderful to have an inkling of what is going on in the world -
elections in zimbabwe, the olympics and tibet, the us housing market.. good
stuff).
11:00-2:00: This is "me" time. I take a nap in my house (by now the sun is
so hot that it's cooler inside), eat lunch (macaroni with vegetables or
tomato sauce or powdered milk sauce or a PB sandwich or rice with beans and
fried onions), read, write in my journal, whatever. Sometimes Issoufou's
wife has him bring me food, which is nice, or Rabi brings me some cooked
beans.
2:00-5:00: Sometimes I put off chores until now. Sometimes I walk around the
village greeting people and hanging out with them. My favorite are the old
guys who hang out in the middle of town, the "town square", if you will.
It's where the mosque is, the 2 "shops" (they're tiny and hardly have
anything), the chief's house is nearby; basically it's a 40ft x 40ft area
shaded by a couple of trees right in the middle of town. The old guys lounge
around on mats or just in the dirt and move around during the day to stay in
the shade. Whenever I walk by they shout greetings and sometimes if I'm not
going anywhere I sit with them and we talk and they help me with my Hausa,
which is sometimes hard because some of them don't have teeth. Or I go to
the well and talk to the women as they pull water, or I head over to the
Fulan encampment and work on my Fulfulde. The Fulans are another culture of
people here; in my village we have the Hausa people and the Fulans. The
Fulans speak both Fulfulde and Hausa and herd cattle. If you google Fulans
or Fulani or Hilanche maybe you will see photos of these beautiful people -
they wear beaded jewelry and have their hair in different braids than the
Hausa people. The men grow their hair long and fluff it out afro-style. The
kids' heads are shaved except for a little pouf in the front and one in the
back. And the men and boys wear these long purple tunics over pants and
these very traditional-looking, pointy straw hats. They often carry around a
big stick to use for herding cattle. The Hausa people and Fulani people both
have beautification scarring on their faces, which is also beautiful,
especially on the women.
5:00-7:00: Make dinner or eat stuff people bring me - tuwo, rice, whatever.
Hang out. I don't know. Stuff. Run around talking to people. More of the
same thing. My work here is basically learning Hausa and hanging out with my
villagers. Sounds easy, I know, but it's actually really challenging because
speaking Hausa can be exhausting, and when someone's trying to explain a
word to me and I'm not understanding.. it's tiring, really. The worst is
when I go to baby-naming ceremonies or weddings where there are women from
other villages. They don't understand that I've only been in the village for
a little while and that I'm still learning Hausa, and they speak to me
really fast and are impatient when I ask them to repeat themselves and then
they announce, "she doesn't know Hausa." Or, most recently, women from a
fellow volunteer Balkissa's village said, "Balkissa speaks Hausa but SHE
doesn't." Fortunately my neighbor Rabi always sticks up for me; she is
wonderful, but at first I took it personally and started feeling bad and
that these people are basically saying I suck and I don't try and then felt
crappy. But I came up with a better solution, and when I found myself in
this situation yesterday, I just told them, "hey, have patience. Hausa is
hard." And they seemed to accept that.
7:00 is prayer time, so I hear the Iman making the prayer call and I have to
go home. From 7-8 I get ready for bed, laying out my mattress and bedding,
and after the dusk prayer (usually 8:00 or 8:15) I bathe (out of a bucket),
brush my teeth, whatever, and if I'm feeling up for it I go out to the town
square and hang out. There's usually a lot of village men there buying
cooked meat from the butcher, hanging out talking, whatever. Then I go to
bed!
I got a kitten a couple days ago. His name is Kitty-Kitty, because my
villagers are just really proud of the fact that they know that word (from
the last volunteer). He's cute. He meows a lot. He's playful. He'll be a
good companion, I'm sure.
Yesterday I traveled from my village, Korap, to Konni, the "big town" where
I do my Peace Corps business. Sunday we have a regional meeting so I'll get
a feel for what's going on here, and saturday I'm going to Tahoua - the big
city! - to do some banking. I've never been to Tahoua so I'm pretty excited
and hoping to hit up an al hadji (rich person) shop and get some American
groceries. Korap is so small that you'll probably not see it on google maps,
but you may see my neighboring village, Fari. It's 1km from my village and
is a bit larger. Nearby also is Rafi and Gazurawa.
My trip from Korap to Konni was eventful. My friends Issoufou and Issya
walked with me the 3-4 miles to the main road, Issoufou insisting on
carrying my bag (gotta love Nigeriens!). We were on a bush road when this
big dump truck came zooming down the road toward us. It slipped in the sand
as it boomed around a curve and ran off the road maybe 40 feet right in
front of us. It was heading toward us sliding sideways.. pretty scary... but
please don't worry too much, I'm being careful as much as possible!
As for health, I've had bacteria twice in the last month and have had to
take Cipro. No problem.. I know I'm bringing it upon myself when I eat
village food like salad and leaves and stuff. It's not too bad but usually
involves a fever, which can be scary and kind of sucks. And I've had a few
colds, mostly because of the strong wind and dust that blows around here.
Okay, I'm going to wrap this up now.. I'm getting hungry and my computer
tolerance has certainly dropped since I've been here.
And now for an update:
I went to a possession dance. Although Islam is big here, animism is still present in many ways. A neighboring volunteer's village had a possession dance so my friend Issoufou and I went there to check it out. There was a fenced off area where the dance took place, and deep inside, beneath a tree, there were musicians playing the eeriest music on traditional instruments; a calabash drum with broom-like drumsticks and a reedy instrument playing a melody. It was dark and there was a strong wind. The people dance to the music, which attracts the spirits, and eventually they become possessed. You can't really tell when someone's possessed, at least I couldn't. They just danced. But people gather around them and ask lots of questions, fast spit-fire style. The spirits know everything, and when someone's possessed they can relay that knowledge. So people ask things like how the growing season will be, their family's health, etc. It was really interesting and exciting.
Mom, someone brought packages from Niamey last week and yours wasn't included. I'm starting to feel a little nervous that maybe it's not going to make it, but I will see when I get to Niamey in two weeks. Becky and Joe/Mary - I got your packages, almost at the same time! Joe/Mary, I already wrote you a letter about it but am too lazy to type it (this keyboard sucks), but I really loved the photos and your awesome letters and the LifeSavers and condiments. Mmm... real ketchup... :) Becky, I shared the People magazine with my homies at the hostel and it was definitely gobbled up by everyone. I really enjoyed it, especially reading about New Kids on the Block and the pregnant man. Totally weird. And then I ordered fries from the local restaurant and ate them with In 'n 'Out Heinz ketchup and it was great because ketchup here tastes like crap. And the trail mix and sesame yummies.. I'm just holding onto those until I get back to my post. :) If you guys feel like sending me more condiments, feel free. The local restaurant here sells hamburgers and fries (though not the same as in US of A) and I can get mustard and mayo at the store but not good ketchup and no relish, either. OMG, I miss relish. Now I'm thinking about brats. I really miss pig products. Could you please send me a brat with saurkraut, relish, chopped onions and mustard? Thanks, I appreciate it. I didn't think to include pig products on my blog survey about what food I'd miss the most. So far it's not meat, it's not chocolate, it's not fresh veggies (because we still have them), but I'm hurting for cheddar cheese and pizza (which I could make if I had something other than laughing cow cheese but I don't) and pork. I'm pretty sure a strong, aged cheese like Tommy's sharp cheddar would make it through the mail. (hint, hint) Becky's package made it here in 2 weeks. And crackers. Wasn't a huge fan in US, but want them here, maybe because of the salt. I eat so much salt it's insane. You have to when it's 120 outside every day and you're chugging liters of water. And while you're thinking of sending me stuff, mom.. maybe you can think about seeds. Just stuff some in an envelope, wouldn't be too hard. Whatever you think can handle strong sunlight and crappy soil (I know you're familiar with crappy soil!). Rainy season's coming and that's the time to grow things. I heard sunflowers grow.. it'd be cool to try blackberries if you think they can survive. Whatever you think would work. Or desert plants, like aloe or whatever Becky has there in Cali (cacti?). Hook it up, g-funks!
Okay, so maybe this is the time to mention visiting your daughter/sister. Mom and dad, if you can make it, I'd recommend coming at the end of hot season (the hottest time of the year, ha ha) or during the rainy season next year as that's the time where there's no strong wind and dust. Mom, I would really worry about your asthma with the crazy wind we get. So yeah, mid-April to August would be ideal. The scary thing about rainy season is that I've heard there are mosquitos, but hey, you guys are from the woods; I'm sure you can handle it! The storms are supposedly intense (not that wimpy Michigan drizzle) so we'd have to chill inside my tiny little house during them, but I know you guys are hard core and can handle it. And for the rest of you! Once you get here you'd need $100 tops per person to last 2 weeks. I know flights are expensive, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a developing country and you would never forget it. Christopher and the new baby could stay with the 'rents, you guys can take a romantic camel ride in the savannah through mesas and beneath the setting sun.. it would be a great way to celebrate your anniversary next year. ;)
All right, I'm going now. I love you and hope to hear from you all soon! Feel free to share this letter with whomever you like.
Love,
Crystal
Love,
Crystal
See canned letter below and update below-below:
Life in Niger is going well. I'm feeling pretty good about what I'm doing
here. I have been at my village for a month now and it's wonderful -
everything I hoped it would be. It's small, about 400 people live there, and
a lot of them are kids. I am so lucky the previous volunteer had a chance to
explain to everyone what it's like to come to their village not knowing
their language and living in a way very different from that in the States.
They are really understanding and patient with me, are always excited to see
me, and treat me with the utmost respect.
My typical day:
Get up at 7:00 to the sounds of a) women pounding millet or sorghum in their
big mortars and pestles, and b) sounds of animals (cows, donkeys, chickens,
guinea fowl who are really annoying). Yes, I sleep outside because my house
is just way too hot at the end of the day.
7:00-7:30: Wash face and hands, fold up bedding and put it inside
7:30-8:30: My neighbor comes with my water, which I pay her to bring from
the well. The well is kind of far away and there's no way my poor wimpy body
can handle carrying THAT much water on my head for such a long distance. I
pour it into my big clay pot and fill up my water filter (a 3-gallon bucket
sits atop a 5-gallon bucket with a spout on the bottom. The water is poured
into the little bucket and drips through the filter to the big bucket.) I
eat bread with peanut butter and raisins for breakfast, provided I have
bread. If I don't have bread, I cook oatmeal with raisins and peanut butter,
powdered milk, and sugar. If I put a lot of sugar in it it tastes like a
monster cookie! A little note about food - I eat rich people food. My
villagers mainly eat tuwo (pounded millet or sorghum, or corn if they have
the money) with sauce made from leaves and onions and seasonings. It's
pretty good and filling. They eat the leftovers for breakfast. During cold
season there's usually some garden vegetables like lettuce, cabbage, and
carrots that they can eat, too. They make this awesome salad - it's lettuce
or cabbage with kouli-kouli (if you have peanut butter and you extract out
all the oil, you are left with kouli-kouli- lowfat, delicious and a good
source of protein), cassava flour, a little tonka powder (ground hot
peppers), salt and ginger, tossed with oil. Mmmmmm... Okay, it's morning, I
just got up, and I'm a little hungry. Ha ha!
8:30-11:00: If I have chores, I do them now. Sweep my house and concession
(concession is the area surrounding my house. It's like a small, walled-in
yard, granted a yard without grass or anything. Most people do their daily
activities in their concession because it's hot and there's no wind inside
the house. The typical concession has a millet-stalk shade hangar, cooking
area, a walled off peeing/washing area, and an animal area where they tie up
their donkeys, goats, sheep, camel, whatever.) because if I don't sweep I
may get a (gasp) chariot spider - a fist-sized spider that scorpions ride
on, not kidding - or a snake or red ants.. scary! So yeah, I sweep under my
millet-stalk bed and around my latrine with a broom that is basically a
bunch of long grass tied together with a string. I wash my clothes if I need
to, refill my water bucket in my bathing area so it can get warmed by the
sun during the day, wash dishes, whatever.
Usually people swing by in the morning to say hi - my neighbor Rabi, my best
guy friends Issoufou and Issya, sometimes my friends want to play cards so
we play cards (this crazy Nigerien game that's kind of like euchre without
trumps; hard to explain) and listen to Nigerien and Nigerian music on my
shortwave radio (the best investment ever! Now I can listen to the BBC and
it is wonderful to have an inkling of what is going on in the world -
elections in zimbabwe, the olympics and tibet, the us housing market.. good
stuff).
11:00-2:00: This is "me" time. I take a nap in my house (by now the sun is
so hot that it's cooler inside), eat lunch (macaroni with vegetables or
tomato sauce or powdered milk sauce or a PB sandwich or rice with beans and
fried onions), read, write in my journal, whatever. Sometimes Issoufou's
wife has him bring me food, which is nice, or Rabi brings me some cooked
beans.
2:00-5:00: Sometimes I put off chores until now. Sometimes I walk around the
village greeting people and hanging out with them. My favorite are the old
guys who hang out in the middle of town, the "town square", if you will.
It's where the mosque is, the 2 "shops" (they're tiny and hardly have
anything), the chief's house is nearby; basically it's a 40ft x 40ft area
shaded by a couple of trees right in the middle of town. The old guys lounge
around on mats or just in the dirt and move around during the day to stay in
the shade. Whenever I walk by they shout greetings and sometimes if I'm not
going anywhere I sit with them and we talk and they help me with my Hausa,
which is sometimes hard because some of them don't have teeth. Or I go to
the well and talk to the women as they pull water, or I head over to the
Fulan encampment and work on my Fulfulde. The Fulans are another culture of
people here; in my village we have the Hausa people and the Fulans. The
Fulans speak both Fulfulde and Hausa and herd cattle. If you google Fulans
or Fulani or Hilanche maybe you will see photos of these beautiful people -
they wear beaded jewelry and have their hair in different braids than the
Hausa people. The men grow their hair long and fluff it out afro-style. The
kids' heads are shaved except for a little pouf in the front and one in the
back. And the men and boys wear these long purple tunics over pants and
these very traditional-looking, pointy straw hats. They often carry around a
big stick to use for herding cattle. The Hausa people and Fulani people both
have beautification scarring on their faces, which is also beautiful,
especially on the women.
5:00-7:00: Make dinner or eat stuff people bring me - tuwo, rice, whatever.
Hang out. I don't know. Stuff. Run around talking to people. More of the
same thing. My work here is basically learning Hausa and hanging out with my
villagers. Sounds easy, I know, but it's actually really challenging because
speaking Hausa can be exhausting, and when someone's trying to explain a
word to me and I'm not understanding.. it's tiring, really. The worst is
when I go to baby-naming ceremonies or weddings where there are women from
other villages. They don't understand that I've only been in the village for
a little while and that I'm still learning Hausa, and they speak to me
really fast and are impatient when I ask them to repeat themselves and then
they announce, "she doesn't know Hausa." Or, most recently, women from a
fellow volunteer Balkissa's village said, "Balkissa speaks Hausa but SHE
doesn't." Fortunately my neighbor Rabi always sticks up for me; she is
wonderful, but at first I took it personally and started feeling bad and
that these people are basically saying I suck and I don't try and then felt
crappy. But I came up with a better solution, and when I found myself in
this situation yesterday, I just told them, "hey, have patience. Hausa is
hard." And they seemed to accept that.
7:00 is prayer time, so I hear the Iman making the prayer call and I have to
go home. From 7-8 I get ready for bed, laying out my mattress and bedding,
and after the dusk prayer (usually 8:00 or 8:15) I bathe (out of a bucket),
brush my teeth, whatever, and if I'm feeling up for it I go out to the town
square and hang out. There's usually a lot of village men there buying
cooked meat from the butcher, hanging out talking, whatever. Then I go to
bed!
I got a kitten a couple days ago. His name is Kitty-Kitty, because my
villagers are just really proud of the fact that they know that word (from
the last volunteer). He's cute. He meows a lot. He's playful. He'll be a
good companion, I'm sure.
Yesterday I traveled from my village, Korap, to Konni, the "big town" where
I do my Peace Corps business. Sunday we have a regional meeting so I'll get
a feel for what's going on here, and saturday I'm going to Tahoua - the big
city! - to do some banking. I've never been to Tahoua so I'm pretty excited
and hoping to hit up an al hadji (rich person) shop and get some American
groceries. Korap is so small that you'll probably not see it on google maps,
but you may see my neighboring village, Fari. It's 1km from my village and
is a bit larger. Nearby also is Rafi and Gazurawa.
My trip from Korap to Konni was eventful. My friends Issoufou and Issya
walked with me the 3-4 miles to the main road, Issoufou insisting on
carrying my bag (gotta love Nigeriens!). We were on a bush road when this
big dump truck came zooming down the road toward us. It slipped in the sand
as it boomed around a curve and ran off the road maybe 40 feet right in
front of us. It was heading toward us sliding sideways.. pretty scary... but
please don't worry too much, I'm being careful as much as possible!
As for health, I've had bacteria twice in the last month and have had to
take Cipro. No problem.. I know I'm bringing it upon myself when I eat
village food like salad and leaves and stuff. It's not too bad but usually
involves a fever, which can be scary and kind of sucks. And I've had a few
colds, mostly because of the strong wind and dust that blows around here.
Okay, I'm going to wrap this up now.. I'm getting hungry and my computer
tolerance has certainly dropped since I've been here.
And now for an update:
I went to a possession dance. Although Islam is big here, animism is still present in many ways. A neighboring volunteer's village had a possession dance so my friend Issoufou and I went there to check it out. There was a fenced off area where the dance took place, and deep inside, beneath a tree, there were musicians playing the eeriest music on traditional instruments; a calabash drum with broom-like drumsticks and a reedy instrument playing a melody. It was dark and there was a strong wind. The people dance to the music, which attracts the spirits, and eventually they become possessed. You can't really tell when someone's possessed, at least I couldn't. They just danced. But people gather around them and ask lots of questions, fast spit-fire style. The spirits know everything, and when someone's possessed they can relay that knowledge. So people ask things like how the growing season will be, their family's health, etc. It was really interesting and exciting.
Mom, someone brought packages from Niamey last week and yours wasn't included. I'm starting to feel a little nervous that maybe it's not going to make it, but I will see when I get to Niamey in two weeks. Becky and Joe/Mary - I got your packages, almost at the same time! Joe/Mary, I already wrote you a letter about it but am too lazy to type it (this keyboard sucks), but I really loved the photos and your awesome letters and the LifeSavers and condiments. Mmm... real ketchup... :) Becky, I shared the People magazine with my homies at the hostel and it was definitely gobbled up by everyone. I really enjoyed it, especially reading about New Kids on the Block and the pregnant man. Totally weird. And then I ordered fries from the local restaurant and ate them with In 'n 'Out Heinz ketchup and it was great because ketchup here tastes like crap. And the trail mix and sesame yummies.. I'm just holding onto those until I get back to my post. :) If you guys feel like sending me more condiments, feel free. The local restaurant here sells hamburgers and fries (though not the same as in US of A) and I can get mustard and mayo at the store but not good ketchup and no relish, either. OMG, I miss relish. Now I'm thinking about brats. I really miss pig products. Could you please send me a brat with saurkraut, relish, chopped onions and mustard? Thanks, I appreciate it. I didn't think to include pig products on my blog survey about what food I'd miss the most. So far it's not meat, it's not chocolate, it's not fresh veggies (because we still have them), but I'm hurting for cheddar cheese and pizza (which I could make if I had something other than laughing cow cheese but I don't) and pork. I'm pretty sure a strong, aged cheese like Tommy's sharp cheddar would make it through the mail. (hint, hint) Becky's package made it here in 2 weeks. And crackers. Wasn't a huge fan in US, but want them here, maybe because of the salt. I eat so much salt it's insane. You have to when it's 120 outside every day and you're chugging liters of water. And while you're thinking of sending me stuff, mom.. maybe you can think about seeds. Just stuff some in an envelope, wouldn't be too hard. Whatever you think can handle strong sunlight and crappy soil (I know you're familiar with crappy soil!). Rainy season's coming and that's the time to grow things. I heard sunflowers grow.. it'd be cool to try blackberries if you think they can survive. Whatever you think would work. Or desert plants, like aloe or whatever Becky has there in Cali (cacti?). Hook it up, g-funks!
Okay, so maybe this is the time to mention visiting your daughter/sister. Mom and dad, if you can make it, I'd recommend coming at the end of hot season (the hottest time of the year, ha ha) or during the rainy season next year as that's the time where there's no strong wind and dust. Mom, I would really worry about your asthma with the crazy wind we get. So yeah, mid-April to August would be ideal. The scary thing about rainy season is that I've heard there are mosquitos, but hey, you guys are from the woods; I'm sure you can handle it! The storms are supposedly intense (not that wimpy Michigan drizzle) so we'd have to chill inside my tiny little house during them, but I know you guys are hard core and can handle it. And for the rest of you! Once you get here you'd need $100 tops per person to last 2 weeks. I know flights are expensive, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see a developing country and you would never forget it. Christopher and the new baby could stay with the 'rents, you guys can take a romantic camel ride in the savannah through mesas and beneath the setting sun.. it would be a great way to celebrate your anniversary next year. ;)
All right, I'm going now. I love you and hope to hear from you all soon! Feel free to share this letter with whomever you like.
Love,
Crystal
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Crystal's letter 3/13/08
Hi everyone!
I'm alive... and finally can access the internet!
I won't have internet access within 400 km of my post, so don't count on me sending you too many emails from this address. However, my Peace Corps email address is konnipcv@intnet.ne just make sure to put my name in the subject line so it will go to me. I can check mail from the peace corps address in Konni, which is 12 km from my village, it's just that it's a dial-up situation and the computer doesn't always have electricity and I can't accept huge videos or photos. But I'll be able to check that email pretty often; it's just that I can't surf the net.
I have a cell phone. I've tried texting all of you but haven't received a response, and that could be caused by a myriad of things - the shady cell provider here that doesn't always work, or you may have to check with your cell provider to see if you're able to receive international text messages. My cell # is 011.227.95824898 It's free for me to receive calls and messages, so contact away! Mom and dad, could you give my # to Djam if you talk to him soon?
Mom, I got Aunt Sue's package yesterday and it was AWESOME! It was a rough day because we had our final language proficiency exam (LPI) and I'm also suffering from a cold (stupid wind kicking up dust everywhere) so I did a lot of sleeping and then struggled through my exam. But Aunt Sue's package made me smile and I loved the candy and my host family was really impressed with the bracelet she gave me. Today we got the results of our LPI and I passed! I'm surprised because 8 people out of 33 didn't pass, and I thought they would just go easy on everyone and let us all pass no matter what, but they didn't. So I'm lucky to have passed my exam. :) Now I speak Hausa at an intermediate-mid level. Ya yi kyau!
Okay, so I'm wondering if you could grant me a huge favor. When I send you letters or emails, could you copy/paste or type them into my blog? I'm going to give you all access to it. I want to keep my friends and family updated but it's really hard when I never have access to the internet.
As for life here... it's great! We're almost done with training and I'll be swearing in tomorrow, friday, night. I love Niger. The people are wonderful and the food is somewhat good depending on who's cooking it and you definitely get used to a different way of life. I wish I could give you tons of details but I really need to update my blog now! Mom, I'm hoping my camera is on its way here. :) My new address is:
Crystal Pilon, PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 89
Konni, Niger
West Africa
Love,
Crystal
I'm alive... and finally can access the internet!
I won't have internet access within 400 km of my post, so don't count on me sending you too many emails from this address. However, my Peace Corps email address is konnipcv@intnet.ne just make sure to put my name in the subject line so it will go to me. I can check mail from the peace corps address in Konni, which is 12 km from my village, it's just that it's a dial-up situation and the computer doesn't always have electricity and I can't accept huge videos or photos. But I'll be able to check that email pretty often; it's just that I can't surf the net.
I have a cell phone. I've tried texting all of you but haven't received a response, and that could be caused by a myriad of things - the shady cell provider here that doesn't always work, or you may have to check with your cell provider to see if you're able to receive international text messages. My cell # is 011.227.95824898 It's free for me to receive calls and messages, so contact away! Mom and dad, could you give my # to Djam if you talk to him soon?
Mom, I got Aunt Sue's package yesterday and it was AWESOME! It was a rough day because we had our final language proficiency exam (LPI) and I'm also suffering from a cold (stupid wind kicking up dust everywhere) so I did a lot of sleeping and then struggled through my exam. But Aunt Sue's package made me smile and I loved the candy and my host family was really impressed with the bracelet she gave me. Today we got the results of our LPI and I passed! I'm surprised because 8 people out of 33 didn't pass, and I thought they would just go easy on everyone and let us all pass no matter what, but they didn't. So I'm lucky to have passed my exam. :) Now I speak Hausa at an intermediate-mid level. Ya yi kyau!
Okay, so I'm wondering if you could grant me a huge favor. When I send you letters or emails, could you copy/paste or type them into my blog? I'm going to give you all access to it. I want to keep my friends and family updated but it's really hard when I never have access to the internet.
As for life here... it's great! We're almost done with training and I'll be swearing in tomorrow, friday, night. I love Niger. The people are wonderful and the food is somewhat good depending on who's cooking it and you definitely get used to a different way of life. I wish I could give you tons of details but I really need to update my blog now! Mom, I'm hoping my camera is on its way here. :) My new address is:
Crystal Pilon, PCV
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 89
Konni, Niger
West Africa
Love,
Crystal
Alive and kicking!
Hi everyone, I'm back. For a few minutes. I had to wait three hours to use a computer with internet access, so here I am! Hopefully I can finagle a way to keep in contact more often, but it's not easy.
Niger is great. It's hot, it's sunny, and I've had some good adventures so far - riding a camel, seeing giraffes in the bush, riding a bush taxi (imagine 30 people crammed in the back of a small-size pickup truck), eating Nigerien food (rice and sauce, gristly meat, tuwo), learning Hausa, climbing mesas... it's been fun. Tomorrow I'm getting sworn in as a PC volunteer (yay!) so training will finally be over. Then I'm moving to my village, which has about 600 people in it and is 12 km from the nearest market. Good times!
I can't stay long, but I thought I'd drop a line. Hope everyone's doing well! I would love to get some mail from you all!
Niger is great. It's hot, it's sunny, and I've had some good adventures so far - riding a camel, seeing giraffes in the bush, riding a bush taxi (imagine 30 people crammed in the back of a small-size pickup truck), eating Nigerien food (rice and sauce, gristly meat, tuwo), learning Hausa, climbing mesas... it's been fun. Tomorrow I'm getting sworn in as a PC volunteer (yay!) so training will finally be over. Then I'm moving to my village, which has about 600 people in it and is 12 km from the nearest market. Good times!
I can't stay long, but I thought I'd drop a line. Hope everyone's doing well! I would love to get some mail from you all!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
It's gonna be a while
I'm here at staging in Philadelphia, and I learned that while we are training in Hamdallaye (pronounced "Hum-da-lye".. and while we're talking about pronunciation, I should mention that the capital of Niger, Niamey, is pronounced "Knee-emm-ay") we won't have access to computers or telephones for the first six weeks. So this is the last you'll hear from me in a while.
I've learned the answers to some popular questions that I didn't know before.
The Peace Corps has done a really nice job with the staging, too. We cover a lot of boring topics (Risk Management, Policies, etc.) but they make it fun by including a lot of games and activities. My favorite was when we split up into four groups (music, writing, art, and dance) and each gave a performance about a Peace Corps experience. Since I suck at dancing and wouldn't consider myself a writer or artist, I chose the music group. We grouped with the dancers and played a song using random materials from around the room (water glasses, ice bucket, Nalgene bottle) while they did this KICK-ASS dance. We only had about 20 minutes to get our performance together and I can't believe they came up with such a great, choreographed dance in such a short amount of time. Everyone was really impressed.
Tonight we are leaving for Niger. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm happy to be around such wonderful people. It's going to be a blast! Hope to talk again soon.
I've learned the answers to some popular questions that I didn't know before.
- Vaccinations - Hepatitis A and B, rabies, yellow fever, along with MMR, tdap, and Polio
- Will I be alone? - yes, I will be alone in my village. However, a fellow volunteer may be in a nearby village.
- Languages? - I don't know what language I'll have to learn, but it will be either Hausa or Zarma. If I get to my site and realize people are speaking a language different from Hausa or Zarma, I'll get some training in that, too.
- Training - so we'll get to Hamdallaye and spend 10 weeks there learning about the language and local culture. Then we'll go to our individual posts, spend some time there (a month or so?) then come back to Hamdallaye (I think?) for more technical training.
The Peace Corps has done a really nice job with the staging, too. We cover a lot of boring topics (Risk Management, Policies, etc.) but they make it fun by including a lot of games and activities. My favorite was when we split up into four groups (music, writing, art, and dance) and each gave a performance about a Peace Corps experience. Since I suck at dancing and wouldn't consider myself a writer or artist, I chose the music group. We grouped with the dancers and played a song using random materials from around the room (water glasses, ice bucket, Nalgene bottle) while they did this KICK-ASS dance. We only had about 20 minutes to get our performance together and I can't believe they came up with such a great, choreographed dance in such a short amount of time. Everyone was really impressed.
Tonight we are leaving for Niger. I'm excited. I'm nervous. I'm happy to be around such wonderful people. It's going to be a blast! Hope to talk again soon.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
Peace Corps Girl
Me with my Peace Corps haircut...
Wearing my Peace Corps clothes...
With (part of) my wonderful family...
Au revoir!
Wearing my Peace Corps clothes...
With (part of) my wonderful family...
Au revoir!
Packing List
Luggage
- Camp Trails Blackjack backpack
- Duluth Trading Co satchel
- Tote bag for carry-on
- Some kind of duffel bag
- Windbreaker
- 3 pairs underwear (black)
- 3 pairs black socks
- 3 sports bras (not white)
- My three favorite t-shirts - my yellow "Hair" t-shirt, my green "So-Co Music Fest" tee, and my red "United Way Day of Caring" t-shirt
- Two beautiful collared Duluth Trading Co. nylon-poly shirts, given to me by Kolby (light blue and light green)
- One pair of lightweight khaki convertible pants/shorts
- Two long skirts (khaki and navy blue)
- One fleece sweatshirt
- One pair of jeans
- One Sunday Afternoons adventure hat and a Peace Corps baseball cap
- Bathing suit
- One pair Chaco sandals
- One pair Merrill tennis shoes w/ Superfeet insoles
- Hand towel
- Small camping towel
- Three-month supply of medication
- Soap container with Aveeno oatmeal soap
- Pantene travel-size shampoo and conditioner
- Various Burt's Bees travel-size lotions and creams
- Earplugs
- Q-tips
- Toothbrush, travel toothpaste, Glide floss
- Hair ties
- Tweezers and nail clippers
- Facial lotion with SPF 45
- 2 disposable razors
- Compact mirror
- Tampons and maxi pads
- Pocket knife
- Can opener
- Two 1-qt Nalgene water bottles
- Zip-loc bags of various sizes
- Twist ties
- Length of rope
- 6 clothespins
- Scissors
- Lithium AA batteries for digital camera (12) (would bring less but not sure if lithium batteries can be found in Niger)
- AAA batteries (12) (don't take up much room)
- LED light keychain
- Whistle
- Watch
- Mini maglite flashlight with LED bulb
- Sewing kit with extra safety pins
- Bandana
- Cooling neck wrap (you soak it in water and it stays cool)
- Sleeping bag
- Two full-size flat sheets, in maroon
- One pillowcase
- 35 mm camera with film
- Extra 35 mm camera battery
- Digital camera (broken right now but parents will send it when it's fixed)
- 2 memory cards for camera
- USB digital camera-card reader
- Cards and stationary
- Stamps
- Calendar of Michigan scenes
- Manila envelopes (6)
- Padded small manila envelopes (3)
- Books - romantic poetry, book on Niger, random paperbacks from the garage
- Playing cards
- One cross-stitch pattern with thread
- Small photo album filled with photos of family and friends
- Harmonica
- Travel journal
- 2 composition books with gel pens
- mp3 player (contains 2 folders - one with reggae, the other with Bob Dylan, Elvis, Grateful Dead, R.E.M., and Elvis Costello)
- Mini speakers for mp3 player
- Gnome Away From Home
- Peppad (my long, yellow pillow thingy that I sleep with)
- Color-by-numbers kit of animal pictures (using colored pencils)
- Pajama pants
- Dalai Lama book (hardcover)
- MRE (ready-to-eat military meal)
- Food
- First Aid kit
- Bug dope
- Sunscreen
- Mosquito net
- Screens for windows
- Gas stove
- Money
Saturday, January 05, 2008
To my AGD girls...
I must be in a sentimental mood tonight. I've finished my work for the day (writing a million letters to banks, HR people, etc. and starting the packing process) and now I'm having a beer, listening to Law and Order, and reading my friends' blogs. A lot of big events have occurred in my girls' lives, and I'm so happy to have been a part of them.
I am going to miss all my friends so much. I know that when I'm in Niger and not having good internet opportunities I'll be wondering what you all are up to...
Love,
Crystal
I am going to miss all my friends so much. I know that when I'm in Niger and not having good internet opportunities I'll be wondering what you all are up to...
- AJ, I will miss seeing pictures of Ava and Noah! I've always appreciated your sense of humor and will miss your funny posts. I will also miss seeing Ava and Noah get older.
- I can't wait to see what Peanut (Alanna and Jocko's baby) looks like! I am so glad Alanna will finally have a chance to be a mommy. I will also miss Alanna's awesome sense of humor and funny posts and pictures of Zippy.
- I will miss hearing about Skrubby's adventures, whether they be at wildfires across the country or working on her house in MN. I will also miss seeing your great pictures (especially of the cute guys)!
- I'm going to miss hearing about Cat's life in Houghton with Brenty and Bradley and baby #2. I regret that I won't be able to see pictures of baby #2 while I'm in Niger.
- And then there's the newlyweds, Dana and Josh. I hope to see more from you two in the future! :) I like hearing about your adventures in Seattle. You guys would be "the" couple to hang out with because you are so much fun!
- I think Danielle is living what sounds like a great life in Colorado. I wish I could come out there and visit and you could teach me how to ride. :) If you come to Niger, I bet you could ride a camel!
- Diana and Jason, congratulations on the birth of your new son, Bret! He is adorable and I love hearing your mommyhood stories, Diana. You will do a great job being a mom!
- Erika, I wish I could write like you. You are so clear, so concise, and so witty. Being an independent, smart woman, I know you will be successful in this world, both as a working woman and as a mother to Alex. I know things will go well for you and I will miss your bus-riding stories and pictures of your cute little one. And good luck with those vegan cakes.
- Erin, your kids are absolutely beautiful and I will miss reading stories about your life. I am totally impressed with your dedication to philanthropic activities. There should be more people like you in this world.
- FB, even though you don't post often, when I read your posts I can imagine you telling the story on the AGD couch. I always get a kick reading about your latest experience and like the pictures of Cali.
- Heather A., I have always appreciated your funny stories and your perspective on life, and I love the pictures of Carter all decked out in stylish clothes (and Lulu, too!). I also like hearing your travel stories, like how the American food in Spain is all wrong. Congratulations to you and Kus and best wishes to you both.
- Heather S., I like hearing about your life. I barely knew you in college but over these last couple of years I feel like I've had a chance to get to know you through your blog. You are a strong, independent woman and you deserve only the best. I also love owning a house vicariously through you.
- Yay for Jackie, the future Mrs. Joel! Congratulations to you! I am so amazed that both of my freshmen year roomies are settling down already. :) You are a brilliant woman and I know you'll make it far in the world.
- Jericho, I'm so sorry I won't be able to make it to your wedding next year. Congratulations to you and Kevin! It's about freakin' time! I will always remember your crazy sense of humor, your cat Ringo (and the time I stepped on him) and hanging out in Chicago. You guys should honeymoon in Niger. You know it's your dream to hang out in a mud hut.
- Jenni, I love your witty sense of humor and your fun-loving spirit. I also think you are very smart and totally dig your quirkiness (i.e. the potato chip experiment). Have lots of fun in lower MI and good luck with Brad.
- Hi Jori, I doubt you're reading this, but I just wanted to let you know that I love you and Souva and am happy you tied the knot (though I'm sorry I missed the wedding). I can't wait to hear about Baby Souva.. hopefully there will be one by the time I get back in 2010. So get to work on that, you two!
- And to Kara and Josh.. wow, the parents of two beautiful and much-loved baby girls are having another! Let's just hope it's not going to be twins again.. that could be quite a handful (and a lot of bedrest for you, Kara). Congratulations to you both and I'm sorry I won't be able to see a picture of your little one when he/she is born.
- Karen, you are a seriously talented, motivated, and driven person. I love the fact that you took the extra time to go to college after MTU to become an architect, and on top of that you have a business! Someday when you are a famous designer I hope you remember all the little people...
- Katie and Josh - I love hearing about your lives and love the pictures of your house. I'm so sorry I had to miss your wedding last summer. Katie, when you finish your book I would love to read it. I'm going to miss your great blog entries.
- Laura S., I am sorry I will have to miss out on a chunk of your and your family's life. Your children are beautiful and it sounds like you and Case are doing really well down there on the farm. I love the piglet pictures in the spring! You are an awesome, down-to-earth woman with a great sense of humor and always a good piece of advice.
- Lesley? Lesley, are you there? I know we haven't heard from you lately, so hopefully moving to Wisconsin was okay for you (you know, Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein are from there and who knows how many other crazy people, ha ha). Anyway, I think you are an awesome person for taking care of foster animals and yeah, keep reading.
- Maria, your life sounds like so much fun that I'm sure I will wish I could be living vicariously through you while I'm in Niger. And I'm sure I could.. if I only had a computer with an internet connection! So in the meantime, I will have to daydream about what kind of jetsetting adventures you are on (Hawaii? Colorado?) and wish I could be there with you.
- Mel, you have always been my mom in my mind, though you now have some little ones of your own. I remember with fondness the good times we had in college (watching bet sigs play hockey, hanging out at phi kaps, french onion soup at the Library) and you will always be a part of those memories. Your boys are beautiful and you make an awesome mommy!
- Melissa, what am I going to do without my daily fix of Justin pictures? He is such an adorable little boy and I will miss seeing him grow. I love the witty captions you come up with, too. You and Rob are awesome and I'm sad that if you give Justin a brother or sister I won't be around to know!
- Randi! You are one of the sweetest, most caring people I know. You would drop anything to help a friend in need, and that is a rare quality in a person. You are deeply loyal to your homies and I respect that. Thank you for all your support. I'm sorry we didn't get together more often when I still lived in Wisconsin. I hope that by the time I get back you and Mark will be engaged! :)
- Laura Sk! It's so cool that you are blogging about your life in Washington. It's so amazing that you went on to get your PhD before the age of 27 (or 26?). You were always serious about school in college but had time to have fun, too, and I respect that. Don't let the jerks get you down - remember that you are not worth the bullshit and by the time I get back maybe you will be with a good one.
- Sonya, you are a beautiful person and I've always admired your love for animals. I'm glad you guys adopted Olive and maybe someday you and Ben can tie the knot and make some babies of your own. ;)
- Stephie, your job sounds like so much fun! I can just see you out there partying with the parents of your kids and all the old guys trying to hit on you.. Anyway, congratulations on finding a great guy and having a great job. It sounds like your life is going really well. You have always been optimistic and that's something I admire in you.
- Yeimy, you and Scott are like the story-book couple. He's sweet and romantic, you are beautiful and successful... I'm happy I've had the chance to get to know you by reading your blog. I think your next trip should be to Africa!
Love,
Crystal
If you want to send me stuff...
This will be my Niger address:
Crystal Pilon
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 10537
Niamey, Niger
However, it will change in March. I will keep you posted.
I don't know what you should send me, because right now I have no idea what I'll want or need. I'm trying to take care of that right now as I'm packing! However, by reading other Peace Corps blogs (like this one), these items are popular:
Another thing - I also heard if you write on the box "Sister Crystal of the Church of Grayling" (or whatever) and write things like "God bless you" and "we missed you in church last week" and other religious things, people will assume I'm a boring missionary and there won't be juicy goodies in the box worth stealing. :)
No guarantees on updating my blog while I'm there, but if I can, I will!
P.S. Note to all you Google Reader users.. you should check out my real blog page for updated info and a cool poll!
Crystal Pilon
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 10537
Niamey, Niger
However, it will change in March. I will keep you posted.
I don't know what you should send me, because right now I have no idea what I'll want or need. I'm trying to take care of that right now as I'm packing! However, by reading other Peace Corps blogs (like this one), these items are popular:
- Cheese
- Meat
- Drink mixes and packaged spice mixes (like mac & cheese powder, lipton soup powders, etc.)
- Any kind of pictures
- Padded manila envelopes
- Nice toiletries
- Trashy magazines (my favorite magazine, though it's not trashy, is Vanity Fair)
- Dried fruit and veggies
- Fast food sauce packets, any kind
- Peanut M&Ms and Rolos (the only chocolate that can withstand the heat!)
Another thing - I also heard if you write on the box "Sister Crystal of the Church of Grayling" (or whatever) and write things like "God bless you" and "we missed you in church last week" and other religious things, people will assume I'm a boring missionary and there won't be juicy goodies in the box worth stealing. :)
No guarantees on updating my blog while I'm there, but if I can, I will!
P.S. Note to all you Google Reader users.. you should check out my real blog page for updated info and a cool poll!
Wrapping things up
You wouldn't believe how much work it is leaving your life in America for over two years. Can you imagine paying all your bills, working with your health insurance company to get a 3-month supply of medication, stopping automatic payments from your checking account, selling your car and canceling your insurance policy, giving someone Power of Attorney, filling out a living will, and canceling anything else that you tend to on a regular basis? It's been crazy. And on top of that, people want to hang out with me, call me, and perhaps expect me to write them letters before I go. Unfortunately I don't have time for that.
A lot of crises have come up, too. A week ago I didn't think I was going because the USDA didn't do their job of sending my official government passport to the Department of State so that I could get a new passport for the Peace Corps. It finally went through monday, but I'm still not a guaranteed "go" yet. Yesterday I didn't think I was going because Forest Service Human Capital Management didn't do THEIR job and I wasn't going to have the required 3-month supply of medication for my trip. Fortunately my parents were willing to fork over $500+ to buy my medication at full cost. Today I'm ticked because the guy that was supposed to buy my truck fell through, and now my truck's in Ohio and I still owe $5000 on it. And the heating element in our dryer died, so it takes 4 hours to dry a load of laundry.
I guess my parents have their work cut out for them, dealing with the guy in Ohio. But I think I'll have a whole new set of things to worry about next week! And a lot of excitement, too.
Tonight's Dinner:
Homemade pizza cooked on my new Pampered Chef pizza stone
A lot of crises have come up, too. A week ago I didn't think I was going because the USDA didn't do their job of sending my official government passport to the Department of State so that I could get a new passport for the Peace Corps. It finally went through monday, but I'm still not a guaranteed "go" yet. Yesterday I didn't think I was going because Forest Service Human Capital Management didn't do THEIR job and I wasn't going to have the required 3-month supply of medication for my trip. Fortunately my parents were willing to fork over $500+ to buy my medication at full cost. Today I'm ticked because the guy that was supposed to buy my truck fell through, and now my truck's in Ohio and I still owe $5000 on it. And the heating element in our dryer died, so it takes 4 hours to dry a load of laundry.
I guess my parents have their work cut out for them, dealing with the guy in Ohio. But I think I'll have a whole new set of things to worry about next week! And a lot of excitement, too.
Tonight's Dinner:
Homemade pizza cooked on my new Pampered Chef pizza stone
Thursday, January 03, 2008
FIRE UP PILON
"FIRE UP PILON" - that's the subject of the email I just got from Zach (a former boyfriend of mine, for those who don't know). He would say that to me in just about any situation, whether it be getting ready to go to the store or just randomly as I'd walk by.
Speaking of firing up, I can't say I'm too fired up about Huckaby winning the Iowa caucus. He seems like a real fruitcake. As for Democrats, I like them all. I'd be happy if a democrat won the election period, regardless of who it is (though Obama is my favorite).
A quick family poll revealed that the majority of Americans think John Edwards is cuter than Barack Obama.
Anyhoo, I'm getting fired up for my trip next week. I spent the day redeeming the wonderful iTune giftcard my sister and her family gave me, and then I loaded up my mp3 player with lots of good songs. My finances are kind of taken care of; I think I will see if I get more of my paycheck tomorrow and hopefully will have more things arranged before I go (otherwise my parents will have to pay some of my bills).
Lastly, some pictures from my trip to CA:
My nephew, Christopher, had his first encounter with Santa.
He's so cute!
His mama's cute, too.
Chris with his namesake:
Tonight's Dinner:
Seasoned rice
Oven-baked chicken tenders
Green salad with avocado
Speaking of firing up, I can't say I'm too fired up about Huckaby winning the Iowa caucus. He seems like a real fruitcake. As for Democrats, I like them all. I'd be happy if a democrat won the election period, regardless of who it is (though Obama is my favorite).
A quick family poll revealed that the majority of Americans think John Edwards is cuter than Barack Obama.
Anyhoo, I'm getting fired up for my trip next week. I spent the day redeeming the wonderful iTune giftcard my sister and her family gave me, and then I loaded up my mp3 player with lots of good songs. My finances are kind of taken care of; I think I will see if I get more of my paycheck tomorrow and hopefully will have more things arranged before I go (otherwise my parents will have to pay some of my bills).
Lastly, some pictures from my trip to CA:
My nephew, Christopher, had his first encounter with Santa.
He's so cute!
His mama's cute, too.
Chris with his namesake:
Tonight's Dinner:
Seasoned rice
Oven-baked chicken tenders
Green salad with avocado
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
You should visit me in Niger
From the Peace Corps:
The following points of information and advice have been compiled from various sources (previous visitors, former Volunteers, staff, etc.) for people planning to visit Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger. Visitors and Volunteers have learned that advance planning, communication between the Volunteer and visitor, and flexibility are very important aspects of a successful and satisfying trip. We hope that the suggestions and information below will be helpful. You may also wish to consult various travel books such as The Lonely Planet’s Africa on a Shoestring, or West Africa on a Shoestring.
Please note that Trainees are not allowed to have visitors during pre-service training, which takes place during the first few months in Niger. After swearing-in as Volunteers, they should not take leave from their post for vacation for the first three months. Visits from family members and others during this time often have a negative impact on the Volunteer's successful settling-in and integration into their community and their work. Thus, visits should be planned to occur well into the Volunteer's service and not during peak work seasons. We recommend a visit at some point during the second year of service.
1. Planning. Start planning at least six months before departure since several things have to be done sequentially which can add up to several weeks/months. Keep in mind that communication takes a long time, so arranging the logistics through the mail will require a lot of lead time. Make sure that the timing of your visit is convenient for the Volunteer you are visiting. A Volunteer's primary obligation is to her/his job assignment, so be sure that your visit will not disrupt any work plans.
2. Passport. If you do not already have a passport, obtain a passport application and application instructions from a post office or a travel agent. To apply for a passport, you will need the completed application with two passport photos and the application fee.
3. Visa. To apply for a visa to Niger, obtain an application from the Nigerien Embassy, 2204 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008; website at http://www.nigerembassyusa.org/embassy.html; their phone number is (202) 483-4224/7, and their fax number is (202) 483-3169. After completing the application, send three copies with original signatures to the Embassy with your passport, three passport photos, W.H.O. records showing the required yellow fever vaccination (see below), the application fee, and a copy of either your tickets or your detailed flight itinerary. You will be issued a single entry visa only, unless you specifically request multiple entry. You must have a multiple entry visa if you plan to leave Niger and return during the period of the visa’s validity. Be sure to call the Embassy and verify with them that procedures have not changed since this mailing.
It is our understanding that the Embassy does not have the means to return your passport to you and you must send a pre-paid express mail envelope. If you are in the D.C. area, you can pickup your passport at the Embassy.
Separate visas are required for almost all African countries you may plan to visit, except for intermediate stops where you will not go outside the terminal while en route to or from Niger. Each embassy requires that you send your passport with the visa application, so you can only apply for one visa at a time.
You can consolidate and expedite your passport and visa applications if necessary by going through a private company that handles it for you for an additional fee. (Ask a travel agent for details.)
4. Health. In order to enter Niger, you must get a yellow fever shot and have it logged in a World Health Organization (W.H.O.) medical card. For more information on what additional shots are required or recommended, contact your local health board or the Division of Immunization at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, (404) 639-1870, (www.cdc.gov).
You should also plan to take anti-malarial prophylactic drugs (such as mefloquine) during your stay in Niger. Contact the Malaria Hotline at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, (404) 639-1610 or (www.cdc.gov) for information on what drug(s) to take and where you can get them.
While in Niger, precautions must be taken with food preparation and water treatment. Drink only water that has been filtered and chlorinated or boiled. Vegetables should also be soaked in a dilute iodine or chlorine solution if they are not being cooked. Your Volunteer family member will receive extensive training on how to prepare food and treat water and will be able to advise you once you arrive in country.
You should be aware that there are some health risks related to traveling in Niger, and medical facilities there are not comparable to facilities in the U.S. By law, Peace Corps medical staff cannot care for family members or friends who require medical attention while in Niger. We strongly suggest that you consider extra insurance with emergency evacuation coverage from a company such as International SOS Assistance, Inc. (P.O. Box 11568, Philadelphia, PA 19116, 1-800-523-8930 or 215-244-1500 in PA).
5. Money. The unit of currency in Niger is the CFA (1 USD=~519 CFA). Travelers’ checks are recommended. You may want to take at least some travelers checks in Euros, since switching US dollars to CFA in Niamey can be more expensive than switching dollars to Euros in the U.S. and then Euros to CFA in Niamey. Some of the big (and expensive) hotels in Niamey will accept credit cards. Note: There is no American Express office in Niger. The best person to answer questions about money (and how much to take) is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit or the Administrative Officer at post (best reached by email: AO@ne.peacecorps.gov). Individual circumstances differ and practices change, therefore post can provide better information on a case-by-case basis.
6. Baggage. Have all your suitcases locked. On most airlines, you are allowed 80 pounds of baggage per passenger for trips from the United States to Europe, but only 20 kg (44 lbs) for intra-European or African flights. Therefore, you may be charged an excess baggage fee for anything over 44 lbs from Europe to Africa unless you check your baggage through to Africa directly from the U.S. (If you check baggage all the way through, be sure the baggage ticket has all appropriate code letters for the trip; the code for the airport in Niamey is NIM, and the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is CDG.) Consult your airline/travel agent for further info.
7. Flight Check-In. If you fly through Paris, arrive at the check-in counter for the flight to Niamey at least two hours before scheduled departure. Airlines start checking passengers in then and you may not be able to get a seat assignment until this time. The check-in process goes very slowly, so be prepared to stand in line for a long time. Most airlines will not allow large carry-on bags.
8. Arrival in Niamey. You must have both your passport and W.H.O. card for immigration when arriving at the Niamey airport. Only French and local languages are spoken at the airport, so ask the Volunteer you are visiting to try to have someone meet you at the airport. You may have to open all bags for inspection. Each bag will be marked with an “X” in chalk to show it has been inspected. Be sure that they mark it plainly since this “X” will be verified again at the exit. Try to keep all your bags in sight once they come into the baggage area. There will be men pressing to carry your bags for payment. Carry your bags yourself if you can. If not, negotiate a price with one person before allowing anyone to take your bags. If no one is going to meet you at the airport, get instructions ahead of time from the Volunteer on how to take a taxi to your next destination. Above all, try to be prepared for a very hectic airport scene.
9. Accommodations. Your best source of information about where to stay is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit. The Hotel Sofitel Gaweye is recommended by Peace Corps staff in country.
10. Photos. Picture taking is highly restricted in Niamey and you should ask permission before taking any photos. Photos are never allowed at the airport or any military installation. The same policy applies to camcorders.
11. Identification and Registration. During the course of your stay in Niger, you may have to show your passport to the police several times, therefore you should carry it with you in a safe place at all times. If you stay in any village, you must register with the local police where they will check your passport and stamp it with the local seal just like most countries do when you enter or exit the country. This should not be a big inconvenience; it just takes time and patience.
12. Other Resources.
www.countrywatch.com
On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in Niamey to information about converting currency from the dollar to the CFA franc. Just click on Niger and go from there.
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
Visit this site to learn all you need to know about any country in the world from a traveler’s perspective.
www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm
This site includes links to all the official sites for governments of countries around the world.
www.geography.about.com/science/geography/library/maps/
This online World Atlas includes maps and geographical information about countries around the world. Each country page contains links to other sites, such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive historical, social, and political backgrounds.
www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus/infonation/e_glance.htm
This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical information for member states.
www.worldinformation.com
This site provides an additional source of current and historical information about 225 countries worldwide.
Information and Advice for Families and Friends Planning
to Visit Niger
to Visit Niger
The following points of information and advice have been compiled from various sources (previous visitors, former Volunteers, staff, etc.) for people planning to visit Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger. Visitors and Volunteers have learned that advance planning, communication between the Volunteer and visitor, and flexibility are very important aspects of a successful and satisfying trip. We hope that the suggestions and information below will be helpful. You may also wish to consult various travel books such as The Lonely Planet’s Africa on a Shoestring, or West Africa on a Shoestring.
Please note that Trainees are not allowed to have visitors during pre-service training, which takes place during the first few months in Niger. After swearing-in as Volunteers, they should not take leave from their post for vacation for the first three months. Visits from family members and others during this time often have a negative impact on the Volunteer's successful settling-in and integration into their community and their work. Thus, visits should be planned to occur well into the Volunteer's service and not during peak work seasons. We recommend a visit at some point during the second year of service.
1. Planning. Start planning at least six months before departure since several things have to be done sequentially which can add up to several weeks/months. Keep in mind that communication takes a long time, so arranging the logistics through the mail will require a lot of lead time. Make sure that the timing of your visit is convenient for the Volunteer you are visiting. A Volunteer's primary obligation is to her/his job assignment, so be sure that your visit will not disrupt any work plans.
2. Passport. If you do not already have a passport, obtain a passport application and application instructions from a post office or a travel agent. To apply for a passport, you will need the completed application with two passport photos and the application fee.
3. Visa. To apply for a visa to Niger, obtain an application from the Nigerien Embassy, 2204 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008; website at http://www.nigerembassyusa.org/embassy.html; their phone number is (202) 483-4224/7, and their fax number is (202) 483-3169. After completing the application, send three copies with original signatures to the Embassy with your passport, three passport photos, W.H.O. records showing the required yellow fever vaccination (see below), the application fee, and a copy of either your tickets or your detailed flight itinerary. You will be issued a single entry visa only, unless you specifically request multiple entry. You must have a multiple entry visa if you plan to leave Niger and return during the period of the visa’s validity. Be sure to call the Embassy and verify with them that procedures have not changed since this mailing.
It is our understanding that the Embassy does not have the means to return your passport to you and you must send a pre-paid express mail envelope. If you are in the D.C. area, you can pickup your passport at the Embassy.
Separate visas are required for almost all African countries you may plan to visit, except for intermediate stops where you will not go outside the terminal while en route to or from Niger. Each embassy requires that you send your passport with the visa application, so you can only apply for one visa at a time.
You can consolidate and expedite your passport and visa applications if necessary by going through a private company that handles it for you for an additional fee. (Ask a travel agent for details.)
4. Health. In order to enter Niger, you must get a yellow fever shot and have it logged in a World Health Organization (W.H.O.) medical card. For more information on what additional shots are required or recommended, contact your local health board or the Division of Immunization at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, (404) 639-1870, (www.cdc.gov).
You should also plan to take anti-malarial prophylactic drugs (such as mefloquine) during your stay in Niger. Contact the Malaria Hotline at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, (404) 639-1610 or (www.cdc.gov) for information on what drug(s) to take and where you can get them.
While in Niger, precautions must be taken with food preparation and water treatment. Drink only water that has been filtered and chlorinated or boiled. Vegetables should also be soaked in a dilute iodine or chlorine solution if they are not being cooked. Your Volunteer family member will receive extensive training on how to prepare food and treat water and will be able to advise you once you arrive in country.
You should be aware that there are some health risks related to traveling in Niger, and medical facilities there are not comparable to facilities in the U.S. By law, Peace Corps medical staff cannot care for family members or friends who require medical attention while in Niger. We strongly suggest that you consider extra insurance with emergency evacuation coverage from a company such as International SOS Assistance, Inc. (P.O. Box 11568, Philadelphia, PA 19116, 1-800-523-8930 or 215-244-1500 in PA).
5. Money. The unit of currency in Niger is the CFA (1 USD=~519 CFA). Travelers’ checks are recommended. You may want to take at least some travelers checks in Euros, since switching US dollars to CFA in Niamey can be more expensive than switching dollars to Euros in the U.S. and then Euros to CFA in Niamey. Some of the big (and expensive) hotels in Niamey will accept credit cards. Note: There is no American Express office in Niger. The best person to answer questions about money (and how much to take) is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit or the Administrative Officer at post (best reached by email: AO@ne.peacecorps.gov). Individual circumstances differ and practices change, therefore post can provide better information on a case-by-case basis.
6. Baggage. Have all your suitcases locked. On most airlines, you are allowed 80 pounds of baggage per passenger for trips from the United States to Europe, but only 20 kg (44 lbs) for intra-European or African flights. Therefore, you may be charged an excess baggage fee for anything over 44 lbs from Europe to Africa unless you check your baggage through to Africa directly from the U.S. (If you check baggage all the way through, be sure the baggage ticket has all appropriate code letters for the trip; the code for the airport in Niamey is NIM, and the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is CDG.) Consult your airline/travel agent for further info.
7. Flight Check-In. If you fly through Paris, arrive at the check-in counter for the flight to Niamey at least two hours before scheduled departure. Airlines start checking passengers in then and you may not be able to get a seat assignment until this time. The check-in process goes very slowly, so be prepared to stand in line for a long time. Most airlines will not allow large carry-on bags.
8. Arrival in Niamey. You must have both your passport and W.H.O. card for immigration when arriving at the Niamey airport. Only French and local languages are spoken at the airport, so ask the Volunteer you are visiting to try to have someone meet you at the airport. You may have to open all bags for inspection. Each bag will be marked with an “X” in chalk to show it has been inspected. Be sure that they mark it plainly since this “X” will be verified again at the exit. Try to keep all your bags in sight once they come into the baggage area. There will be men pressing to carry your bags for payment. Carry your bags yourself if you can. If not, negotiate a price with one person before allowing anyone to take your bags. If no one is going to meet you at the airport, get instructions ahead of time from the Volunteer on how to take a taxi to your next destination. Above all, try to be prepared for a very hectic airport scene.
9. Accommodations. Your best source of information about where to stay is the Volunteer whom you are planning to visit. The Hotel Sofitel Gaweye is recommended by Peace Corps staff in country.
10. Photos. Picture taking is highly restricted in Niamey and you should ask permission before taking any photos. Photos are never allowed at the airport or any military installation. The same policy applies to camcorders.
11. Identification and Registration. During the course of your stay in Niger, you may have to show your passport to the police several times, therefore you should carry it with you in a safe place at all times. If you stay in any village, you must register with the local police where they will check your passport and stamp it with the local seal just like most countries do when you enter or exit the country. This should not be a big inconvenience; it just takes time and patience.
12. Other Resources.
www.countrywatch.com
On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in Niamey to information about converting currency from the dollar to the CFA franc. Just click on Niger and go from there.
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations
Visit this site to learn all you need to know about any country in the world from a traveler’s perspective.
www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm
This site includes links to all the official sites for governments of countries around the world.
www.geography.about.com/science/geography/library/maps/
This online World Atlas includes maps and geographical information about countries around the world. Each country page contains links to other sites, such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive historical, social, and political backgrounds.
www.un.org/pubs/cyberschoolbus/infonation/e_glance.htm
This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical information for member states.
www.worldinformation.com
This site provides an additional source of current and historical information about 225 countries worldwide.
Good news, I hope
Today Jessica, the Niger Desk Assistant from the Peace Corps, called to tell me that my USDA passport was finally turned in to the Department of State. Yay! This week they'll work on my passport, then next week run to the Nigerien Embassy (while I'm in Philadelphia for staging) and work on my visa. Hopefully everything will work out and I'll still be able to go. Keep your fingers crossed!
Oh, and the best thing is she said the people they are working with in Niger are excited to have someone with my skills coming to their country. That made me feel so good. :)
For New Years I took a bus to Gary, IN, where Djam picked me up (on his way from Akron, OH) and we went to Madison. We had a nice time hanging out with friends and I helped him run some errands. Yesterday we drove back from Madison to Grayling and encountered some MAJOR snow on the way near Benton Harbor. I would have considered getting a hotel room for the night and driving back today, but I had an important appointment at 9:00 this morning so we pressed on. There were cars in the ditch everywhere and huge snowdrifts and icy roads and big clouds of snow. It was crazy.
I'm almost ready for my Peace Corps trip, but I'm scared to death and even had my first Peace Corps nightmare. You know how you married ladies had wedding nightmares while getting ready for the big day? This is similar. I dreamed I got to the airport in Traverse City, only to find I didn't bring any luggage. But Jessica (from the Niger Desk) said I'd be okay with what I had and to just get on the plane. We get to Niger and it's cold and snowy and I froze. Fast-forward to a part of the dream where we're taking turns reading aloud, elementary school-style. It was my turn to read, and some of the words were in French and some were in Hausa. I had a really hard time pronouncing them and was stumbling on them and everyone was getting impatient with me and I was embarrassed.
Today's Dinner:
Homemade beef-vegetable-barley soup
Seeded semolina filoni from Trader Joe's
Oh, and the best thing is she said the people they are working with in Niger are excited to have someone with my skills coming to their country. That made me feel so good. :)
For New Years I took a bus to Gary, IN, where Djam picked me up (on his way from Akron, OH) and we went to Madison. We had a nice time hanging out with friends and I helped him run some errands. Yesterday we drove back from Madison to Grayling and encountered some MAJOR snow on the way near Benton Harbor. I would have considered getting a hotel room for the night and driving back today, but I had an important appointment at 9:00 this morning so we pressed on. There were cars in the ditch everywhere and huge snowdrifts and icy roads and big clouds of snow. It was crazy.
I'm almost ready for my Peace Corps trip, but I'm scared to death and even had my first Peace Corps nightmare. You know how you married ladies had wedding nightmares while getting ready for the big day? This is similar. I dreamed I got to the airport in Traverse City, only to find I didn't bring any luggage. But Jessica (from the Niger Desk) said I'd be okay with what I had and to just get on the plane. We get to Niger and it's cold and snowy and I froze. Fast-forward to a part of the dream where we're taking turns reading aloud, elementary school-style. It was my turn to read, and some of the words were in French and some were in Hausa. I had a really hard time pronouncing them and was stumbling on them and everyone was getting impatient with me and I was embarrassed.
Today's Dinner:
Homemade beef-vegetable-barley soup
Seeded semolina filoni from Trader Joe's
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