Another one of those days I can never have back. Installation (i.e. moving to site)
Set alarms for around 0630. We were to be picked up 0730. Woke up 0715. Jam. Even though I tossed and turned some and woke up a bunch of times as usual, I was happy that I was relaxed enough to sleep until 0715. Or just mad tired.
Driving to my site....yup, definitely nervous now.
Took my first Zarma phone call in the car. I think it was from the guy I met from my town during the supervisor conference. I told him we were the car and going to our village. I think about half the convo was greetings, etc. But then, I was told this guy had left the ville, and I didn't see him, so maybe he called from wherever he is? I dunno.
One worry that popped into my head on the way: worried I won't like it. My home, the setup...any and all of it.
My friend is taking a cat to her site. On the way to my site, it pooped in the cage. And it smelled. Jam.
Installation went well. I spoke a bit when the PC person was done with their shtick. I hit just about everything I wanted to say, without looking at my "outline"...though I did have it open in my pocket notebook. Told them they are my friends and family now. Told them I know there is a lot of work to do, but first I need to learn Zarma and learn about our village. I ended with a Zarma proverb, one of the ones I dropped in my speech, and I got a raukous applause. Then someone had a question. The guy asked if I was the person who gave the Zarma speech at swear it; he heard it on the radio. Yes, that's me. Really, couldn't have asked for a better set up.
Really started, or did, hit me as we're unpacking, they're loading up, I'm standing there waving goodbye, I'm standing in my house. Didn't think it would happen to me because I know there are so many things to do, but I thought "What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Wanted to walk and see people, but I thought the guy said to wait on that? Want like a week of no interruptions to set up my room and such, but can't have that. What am I supposed to do?
Based on people talking to me afterwards, worried I projected my Zarma skills too much. So many times, people talking too fast, too many at once. I'm not getting much...fluency would make this SOO much easier.
The site is SOOO nice. I am indeed up on top of a mesa a few hundred meters from the river. I have a view of the river from my doorway to my concession, even from the one little window in my room. My "house" is one square room, that is actually part of someone else's house. But I have my own concession and my own (brand new!! no poop or cockroaches yet!)latrine. The room is pretty small, but with my bed outside it opens up. The ceilings are mad high!!! Crazy. Makes the room feel bigger. Only prob is they are so high (maybe ten feet?) I can't realy get up there to afix anything without dangerously standing on my tip toes on my sketchy tables.
Major jam. I noted to my friend during the town meeting thing that one guy seemed really cool. This guy came and talked to me and def was really cool...but then said he's leaving for exode (when men leave to go to another country to find work and send back money) tomorrow. Jam bambata. There goes my most trusted connection already.
Holy crap. I have my own concession. My first apartment!
Dicked around the concession. wanted to walk around. Want time to unpack. Really want to get out of tie and change out of dressy clothes. What to do?
Went to CSI, met doctor or nurse of whoever. Really cool! Now, with the first guy leaving, my favorite guy in ville. I'm excited to work with him. Young. Seems real cool.
Met a teacher. Not sure if he knew about me. He seemed confused. I wasn't sure how much info to give him (e.g. has he ever heard of Peace Corps?)
Walked around town. Accumulated 10-20 kids in tow. walked around some. Came back to my concession, told the kids I was going to rest. Put up some sheets on the side of my hangar (like an overhang) to block the sun. They brought my door...not perfect, but at least there is something there now. Around four, went with kids (they were waiting based on our prior agreement) down to the river. They wanted to run. They told the ville I would run every morning, and now I think that I run everywhere or all the time. The landscape is so cool. So much more character than just the desert. There is a small canyon thing where water runs to the river during the rainy season. It's filled with soft sand, and the kids jump in it. Hilarious. I debate, then gently follow. Only a few feet. The sand is soft. It's fun, we're like exploring. We get to the river, I decline swimming or washing, explaining it may be dangerous for my health. Which is true. We walk run back, walk around town more. THe kids show me how to wrestle. We walk around more. There are about 30 kids in tow for this afternoon excursion. many times of confusion. Too many people talking too quickly at once. We visit the smaller ville a few hundred meters away. The kids say I should see the margerie, but he's not there. I get an appointment to return 0800. Jam. Already, my schedule is filling up. The kids are great guides. Telling me where we should go. Who I should talk to. Getting me out when the convo done.
Try to set up a hanging light, which fails. Try stove. Can't get it to work. Eat some cereal (with powdered milk...I got some of the baby stuff cause it has extra vitaments...that or the cereal is mad filling). Get the stove working. Put on some pasta. Some girls bring me food. Jam. Now I have two dinners.
Mad tired. Room a mess. Since I knocked some bee or wasp nests off the wall, it's dirtier than when I started. My two tables don't make up for the two shelves and so my stuff is still in bags. I'm not sure I can even nail into the walls, though there are nails there, to run my fishing line to hang my clothes. My water filter had a crack in the bottom and duck tape didn't do it. I filled up my two water bottles by letting the filter drip directly into my bottle. They will bring me a new one tomorrow. Would very much like to sleep for 12 hours.
Main issue (the same issue): personal time and space. Despite the lecture during installation, people don't really wait for my response to salem aleykum to come into my concession. This would not be too bad, but they also don't take the hint to leave. They mill about. The walls are not very high. I'm working and kids are looking over. I mean, I'm a huge novelty, so this should not be suprising, but it makes me uncomfortable. I will hang out for 8 of 10 hours, as long as I know I have my two hours to do whatever and that time is safe. From today, I never knew when my time was, when someone would barge in, if I should be out talking to people, if someone was watching me. Need to be better about asserting myself, but I don't want to shoo people away really. Again, people say there's bored, there's nothing to do at site. I don't get it. Setting up the room itself will take time. I can keep walking around, sitting with people, romping around with the kids for an infiniti amount of time. I could just follow the doctor around. There are maybe 8-10 little hamlets aroud my town within 10k I could visit. One town over, there is a HUGE agricultre research institute. Across the river is a bigger town. I could sit in on classes. I could study Zarma. The people were told to help me learn, so the kids are giving me all these new words at a mile a minute, all at once...I find it hard to learn that way.
Going to go to bed.
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