Redeeming day (after yesterday). Should also mention re: yesterday's note about the landscape, Niger is different regionally. Last weekend, I was in a place with more greenery (and at some times of the year, giraffes). There is a kind of national park with giraffes and elephants. The north of the country is more straight up desert (i.e. some parts the Sahara).
Today
I have...
- confirmed that the younger of my two moms here DID in fact have a baby. How about that.
- scrambled to look in one of my books for the proper greeting/ congralutations on a birth to say to my baba...a day late (it's banka nda hannah...oh something like that...for those of you Zarma fans keeping track at home) and made a mental note to find out what kind of gift I should get the fam
- figured out who the younger adult was who stayed with the fam a night or two ago. (He's the younger brother of the older mom...for those of you with a careful family tree at home)
- realized sometimes it's better to NOT faham (understand). Another guy was at the house around lunch time and he came inside to talk with me/ the kids after I was done. He's a salesman/ merchant (nerandiko) and said something about selling stuff from CHina or buying it from China. The first item he shows me...some kind of sex toy/ natural enhancement/ I don't even know. I quickly reverted to the security of "Ay man faham" (I don't understand) and waited for this oddity to pass.
- was finally re-energized by walking to a nearby village and visiting one of the couples in our trainee group! Thanks!
- joined in with some kids wrestling, but didn't actaully wrestle...beacuse I'm not in their weight group. I did a handstand, a Willy Wonka tumble roll.
- enjoyed the simply hilarious laughter of one of teh kids in the wresting group
- been forced to spit out water due to laughter
- watered my plots...poss more than was recommended but several trainees have decided to "amend" the instructions as given by the training staff
- finally tried the famed egg sandwiches. I'm a big fan.
- enoyed a kind of apple spritzer (a more healthy alternative to sodas)
- oh, over the weekend, I found 7 Up. Apparently, it's been hiding in Africa.
I have not...
- been totally at peace with my host siblings constantly hanging around me pretty much any time I come home. Laundry today was a group effort, which was nice I guess, but christ, sometimes I need some time to think here.
- succeeded in having a dance party in the street with village kids (idea from demyst). I don't have anything (besides the trusty comp...which is not going into the street) to play music with and all of us trainees eat dinner at different times, so it's difficult to organize.
- succeeded in building a human phyramid with other volunteers and village kids. We made the three person base ok, but then the kids couldn't quite get the idea, so it ended up with some kids just piled on us and others standing by for the photo op.
- run more than 15-20 min
- seen any peanuts spout after....1 day
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