Widgets, Gadgets, and stuff

So who would have thought that I would actually get more tech/internet savy HERE. But today I learned to integrate my blog into my facebook and to get a e-mail subscription feed set up and to be able to update by e-mail and to change my list of other peace corps blogs to list them by most recently. Wow. Thanks William Jones (he thinks his blog is cooler... but he does have more e-mail subscribers...) Subscribe to my e-mail list cause I chose to have it list how many people have subscribed and it's said that only ONE has, and it's me.

National football and a bowl full of....

Updated 4/14

So I'm now 25. Spent my birthday day, Friday, at our radio workshop. I wouldn't say it was a complete waste of time, but as it dragged on to Saturday I definately began to loath going and thought of all the other things I could be doing. Especially for my birthday. But it all worked out. Saturday night we went out to dinner and then dancing afterward at a club near the Petite Marche. Good times. Me and my buddy Johnathan celebrated together (his is the 14th)
Yesterday, we went to a national football match (Niger vs Ghana). It's a qualifier for the next round of the African Cup of Nations. This time however they're not letting players who compete on foreign soil play in the qualifiers. They may even extend the ban to the tournament itself. So it was Niger vs the Ghana B squad. They won 2-1. See William Jones for pictures. Oh and see his blog from April 1st. There are some big things going on here!

First time I had gone into our national stadium. It was pretty nice. Very nice by standards here, though the actual pitch was a little worse for wear and needed new grass in front of the goals.
It's pretty telling of a country when the refs get riot squad protection onto and off of the field, the rival coach and players are applauded by the local fans and the home coach is pelted with bottles, booed and jeered. Niger is afraid of an international incident by having their guest referees assaulted (needlessly afraid, as they were also applauded by the fans). The fans love Ghana for showing a strong face for African football, but oh boy, don't you dare lead the national team through a long series of loses. If I were the Niger coach I would be fearing for my life. He's definitely not a popular man.

Forgot to post this last week so here's a little anecdote I thought y'all might enjoy:

From 4/1 - Though not a joke

"Today I was going to the radio station after passing the morning away at the inspection. A frequent enough experience that I know the street food on the way between the two. This morning I decided to hit up the one right across the street from the radio. No fried rice, so I got my rice and beans (with a side of macaroni... ) and took a seat on the bench to eat.
I ate for a minute or two when the guy next to the guy next to me pulls out a calabash with a woven cover. Sitting atop the cover are some rings. It looks like they could be made of copper or some sort of goldish metal. The quality is ok, but the bands are small, not very ornate. The guy starts calling out that he has medicine to sell. I ask what type and he tells me the rings are the medicine and out of nowhere appears this bowl full of wriggling scorpions. Well not really out of nowhere, this Indiana Jones type of scene of bugs crawling over bugs was just under the thin woven cover. Isn't that always the case?
Turns out the rings ward off the sting of scorpions. Though luckily if they do sting, you just rub the ring on the spot and it will go away. Best to cover all your bases.
So, to test this, the guy next to me dons a ring and jams his hand into this moving shinny black mass of giant pinchers and tails with visible venom sacks. He pulls out a good sized bug and I watch horrified and with anticipation as the thing crawls around his hand and arm, waiting for a strike. None comes and he puts the scorpion back. None too soon I might add for the woman who runs the food stand hasn't stopped screaming and telling them to put the bugs away since they first appeared, especially once one was liberated from the confines of the calabash. Irikoy beri!!
So by the time I leave, a couple of minutes later, the guy has sold three or four rings and has gathered a good sized crowd. Guess a bowl of scorpions is as much a spectacle here as it is in the US. I didn't buy any saying that there are no scorpions in town. Unfortunately a guy there who I know chimed in that he was stung in his house just a couple days before and that he was going to buy a ring and that I should. So now I'm scared of scorpions in my house, but that's ok, I'll take my chances"

Garden Greatness

From 4/4 -

So, I think I've found perhaps, if not my new favorite place, at least a new place to add to the list of favorites. After the mesa airstrip, the garden I visited this afternoon is a great spot to relax. Omar's garden is out past the Project Frutier buildings and orchards. Maybe 2km from town proper. It's mostly orange trees. One grafted Mango tree whose fruit I was definately eyeing, but after being given a giant bag of organges and tangerines I didn't really fell like asking for them.
Me and Ousmanne took a ride out there this afternoon; Omar's the president of an association that is meeting next week and Ousmanne's wife's group is going to be asking for a loan and he wants me to be there. Pretty much your typical white person can get things locals can't normally get. Omar's association is really a grouping of groups. They've gathered different collectives of work-based groups to increase their ability to ask for loans; power in numbers. Unfortunately for Ousmanne, I'll be in Niamey next week [where I am at the moment], but it was nice to come out and see this garden anyway.

This morning I had a little talk with my inspector. I've been trying to stay independant from the inspection, to do my own thing as I've always been accustomed to doing. I'd set up an appointment with the directors of my local CEGs to discuss getting English books, more specifically the 25% community contribution the fund requires. Well, after informing the inspector of this, he sat me down and we had a talk about how things have to go down.... yadda yadda. Nothing I haven't heard before, but all the same, this is the first time it's actually gotten involved with my work. But really he made some good points. Here it is necessary to start with the highest authority and work your way down. I made the mistake of going directly to the directors of my CEGs and I guess following that, the director of CEG 1 went straight to the people in Dosso, our local supervisory area, and claimed that he had already received 900 english and had kindly donated 300 to CEG2. He and my inspector have been at odds as of late. I guess the director was caught taking money from students, a no-no, money should be taken by the COGEs (like PTA) only. Don't know the story, but they are not getting along and I don't want to be caught in the middle, so I'll try to stick as strictly as I can to the downward path of Niger project development. I can see the director of CEG1 as a somewhat shaddy guy, he's always asking me what I can give him. Not the school mind you, but him. And where did all their chalk go to? CEG2 seems to have enough....
Anyway, I've cancled any meetings for the near future and will try to involve the Prefet and the Inspection more to try and follow the proper channels.

Today 4/10-
Another frustrating project development: I was denied funding for a conference I was trying to plan because my local partner was put down as the Inspection in Gaya, which technically is a national organization instead of a local one. So instead of letting me know this months ago when I submitted my proposal, my project was just left off a list of what was approved. No communication, even after multiple requests for updates on my project's status. Frustrated, unfunded, unsupported... un-loved? At least being in town to follow up on this and to do another conference on radio work gives me the chance to make blog posts

Watching the Birds

From 3/22-

Went out to my friend Kim's village, Bella Kujo or something like that. Took a ride out on a small, bouncy, and very leaky boat, one could say canoe I guess, to see the birds. It's interesting how the river shrinks down to a series of disconnected lakes during dry season with luscious grass lands in between; great for bird watching and cattle grazing. Actually, there were thousands of birds (and many cattle as well). Mostly these black water-birds. Kinda like a small duck/loon mixes. Saw some herons and even a hawk as well. Took a bunch of pictures; too many as usual. (And I found out later that I hadn't cleaned the lens of properly before shooting so I had lots of dirty pictures.... such an amateur mistake... grrr.... Guess that's all I really am no matter what I would hope to become)
Guess this has been my first trip into the bush, at least my first trip unsupported by a Peace Corps car. My first real bush taxi ride, though to be fair we did get an open back truck so it wasn't that bad. Shared it with a sick fulani woman and her two attendants (mother and... sister maybe?). She was in bad shape. Couldn't even stand up on her own. The bastard driver tried charging them 15,000CFA to go to Gaya (for perspective we paid 750 each). Finally he ended up getting 5,000CFA, still way too much. We stayed in the truck and made sure he drove them straight to the hospital in Gaya. Me and my buddy James both gave them a parting gift of a couple thousand CFA to help pay for meds, transport, etc., but it really wasn't looking good for her. Sad.
Happy note: Watched the finals of the local CEG football (soccer) tournament today. CEG 1 won, my closest CEG and where I have my French lessons. I was happy for the director, he's a good guy. Good match. Ended 1-1, even after extra time. Went to a shoot out, which was even up until the 13th/14th shot.
Tomorrow is Easter. Plans: Play football in the morning, go to church, watch more football, work on radio show, make Pico de Gallo, eat Pico de Gallo, maybe get a couple beers with Okey later. Should be a good day.

Follow up: Check out my photo album of birdwatching pictures. Fulani women turned out to be okey. It was a lung condition of some type, but I saw here sister a couple days later and she said the women was going to be ok. Good to know. Easter was a good day, Football and more football. No Pico de Gallo, but had some good homemade spanish rice like food anyway.

Gonna catch ya ridin' dirty

Originally from March 20th, 2008 - Just a day after finally getting over the stomach party (see below if you dare):

"Listening to a BBC report about Seattle going 'Green'. Ah, Seattle, how I miss you. But I am getting used to the heat, though the worst is yet to come. Apparently though, Seattle has cooked the carbon books (according to the BBC). Must say that the editing is well done, I like the use of Jimmi Hendrix's Star Spangled Banner. Bottom line: good start, but much to do.

So yesterday (19th) was Mouloud, or the birthday of the Prophet Mohamed. So the night before (the 18th, my sick night), following the last prayer of the day, around 8:30, as I was trying to get sleep, kids got on the mosque speaker and started 'singing' praises to Allah, but to me, maybe because I'm not truly islam educated like a marabou, these songs sounded more like random meandering melodies with one single lyric, "Allah." Sometimes pronounced Allie, Allallalla, Aaaaaaaalllllllaaaahhhhh, etc. I think every kid in the neighborhood had a turn, some even with back up singers who followed a call and response pattern. Later, the true marabous took over and the prayers (much more official sounding) continued till well after midnight.
Not as bad as last night (19th) though, when the dance club tracks lasted till 3AM. Two things to note from this night:

1) Apparently in Niger bumping "Catch me Ridin' Dirty" is a way of celebrating Mohamed's birthday. Though I'm sure the lyrics are merely background to the beat. Much like club goers in the states, nobody listend to or could understand what is being said. I mean what else could explain the popularity of 50 Cent? Definately a candidate for the most over-rated lyricist and one reason Hip-hop gets a bad name.


2) To get through the night with my sanity, I watched Weeds season 3. If you haven't watched, it's a great show, though not for parents or grandparents I imagine (disclaimer to those who may be reading this...). However, what I want to note is not the show itself, but the fact that in Season 3, Episode 14, when Celia goes to the bank, the guy standing behind her in line looks REALLY like me. I'm not kidding. Same hair cut, including cowlicks, and I have the SAME shirt. (maybe cross between me and my buddy Chris Appling, cause he has more facial hair than I'm capable of...)

A wonderful part of volunteering in Africa

Warning: This post contains subject matter which may be gross to some readers... but it's all part of the African Peace Corps Experience.


March 18th, 2008 from my journal:
"Illnesses come in two flavors for us. One is the flu/malaria chills, fever, achy body, nausea. The other, and the far more common, is the amoeba, bacteria, or other parasitic friends who set up shop in your stomach. It's of the latter that I have been suffering today. Starts as a rumbling and tightness in your gut. Maybe gassy, but then again maybe not. You start by thinking "Please let it be something just taking its time digesting, once it's out everything will be fine." And sooner than later, it will be out and you'll know whether the party's over or just about to begin. Today my stomach was host to an animal house party and Jim Belushi's tearing down some walls.

Spent most of the day in various states of unconsciousness. Called in sick to the inspection, more to have someone come check on me if I'm missing for three days, then in concern about actual work, and slept till 10. Then, with the sun shine making further outdoor sleep impossible, I moved inside, collapsed onto my mattress and tried to sleep more. Lacking actual sleep, I watched Fantastic Four, Rise of the Silver Surfer (bad movie; made me feel worse) and Die Hard 4 (good movie) on my laptop through various states of consciousness and in between trips to the latrine.

I even gave up wearing shorts (Don't trust a fart in this position) and spent the latter half of the day wrapping a towel around my waist for my latrine trips, much safer and leaves you with a nice breezy feeling.

Guess I might as well tell everything since I've started down this path: Water is better than toilet paper hands down. If I had been wiping instead of rinsing I would be one sore pup right now. As it is, at least raw bottom isn't one of my problems.

Not getting food and water to stay in me is a problem. Today I have eaten a small bag of trail mix (over the course of three hours with breaks) and... well that was it. Water is better, but it has an average staying time of only a couple minutes. Gatorade is a good friend in these cases.

Anything in your stomach is swarmed over like animal house partiers attacking a fresh case of beer before throwing the bottles into the back yard."

Epilogue: A day and a half of truly bad times and then I took some meds and started feeling better. Sickness likes this is a true fact of life here and all of us have experienced it to one extent or another AND we've all survived. It's even been said you're not a true volunteer until you crap your pants.

Who wants to come visit Niger?