le 28 decembre

Today

I have...
- (last night) received score of Intermediate High on LPI. This keeps me towards the top of the Zarma students, but we're still getting shown up by some Hausa students, which is a tad miffing because Zarma is supposd to be the easier language. Regardless, the LPI, like I touched on yesterday, isn't the best judge of language proficiency, so these "grades" don't really matter.
- (hopefully) successfully switched into TACSC mode. I got a decent night sleep last night. For the next three days, my sleep will drop considerably and I have to just hope it doesn't matter and get shit done anyway.
- gotten a cell phone from PC. All PCV's can call and text each other FOR FREE!! This is so sweet and def makes it easier to keep up good communication with each other.
- got the details of moving to site. I will move into my site on Tues, January 4th.
- settled into the same old routine for writing a paper. Frustrated to not be able to find secluded "office" when we were at the bureau. Finally able to seclude myeslf two hours here, two hours there.
- completed (two) drafts of my speech...in English. Tomorrow I will see how this all (including the new proverb I just invented...Zarma has a lot of proverbs) translates into Zarma...
- wanted to have a speech writing review session with the Jman.
- (as expected) wavered back and forth about how I feel about the speech
- felt the need to give lots of people hugs (which we can do now because we're among mostly Americans. Have I mentioned hugging is not appropriate? Men will hold hands, but ANY contact between men and women is a no no)
- felt kinda pumped...or something. Writing my speech. Listening to some music that would have made me think of Africa before. I dunno. I'm here. Haven't flunked out yet. Havin fun

I have not...
- been able to think of a time when I ran MORE in the dark (in the morning). The sun doesn't really come up till like...0645 maybe, and I was back before then and it was balls dark. Much for fun to run in the dark in the morning than at night.
- gotten over being miffed we're not spending New Year's together as a stage. Especially since I'm spending a lot of time today and tomorrow by myself writing a speech, I would REALLY appreciate the extra day to relax with my new friends before I don't 99% of them for 3 months and then 2 years. You're killing me on this one Peace Corps.
- completed two tasks I wanted to take care of at the bureau, one of which I had been waiting on for several months. Jam bambata.
- celebrated our "petit suprise" during lunch. I thought this meant special food or something, but breaking our expectations again of the phrase "petit suprise", we had a Hunger Banquet. I saw a table with Coke's and got excited, then as it started, I saw what was going on. Jam. I was in the middle income group...and had rice with sauce like lots of the meals I had here. It was frustrating from the perspective of just wanting a nice meal, but interesting to be reminded, sheltered as we have been during PST, that we will confront hunger square in the face in our villages and we will have to find ways of dealing with it. This made me nervous to go to my site again. How do I deal with people being hungry? Am I to give away all my food every day? How hungry are they? Also, I thought, looking at the lower income group that ate just plain rice, that things can always be worse. This is a good lesson as well. I think it's funny that an almost trite exercise like a hunger banquet still works when we're ALREADY IN a place like Niger.
- stopped being intimidated by the country director bringing up the story from the book (well it's not a story, it's true life) The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. I haven't read the book yet, but I know the premise, and Christ, can I do something like that? I just dunno.

Did I mention yesterday or two days ago? The dance party, the Shakira song, dancing with the kids...I think one of the strongest definitive moments for our stage that I have been a part of. Weeks ago, I talked about building shared experiences. That's (one of the first) big ones. Gives me a feeling that is...well, it's funny when you know it's happening while it's happening. Despite Calvin's conclusion from that comic, halcyonity (sp?) is NOT always awarded retroactively.