Mid-Service Training time; or MST in Peace Corps parlance (we love our acronyms). That marks the half-way point in our service, though ours was moved up about a month to accommodate the next group coming in about three weeks earlier than we came last year. July 27th is the official, "I've been in Niger one year" point, so that is really still a month away.Pictures are of a spider I saw wrapping up a fly on my porch that I had fun Photoshop-ing and a butterfly in my garden.
Let's see... any good entries from my journal to share....June 4th-
'Wow, June has arrived. Thought that in Zarma first. Funny how my thinking is becoming more and more mixed language. When I studied abroad in France, I remember dreaming in French. I wonder what it's like to be really bi/tri-lingual. Certainly want to learn as many languages as I can.
Lega was just at the door. He said he'd come by around 6:30PM, but it's fully 10pm now. Wasn't too happy with someone coming by so late, but gave him his pictures of the wedding and he loved them. Hope they'll help him get his wife back; she's moved back to her parents' house because she "isn't liking being married." Well, there wasn't much more than a 24hour period from meeting to marrying, maybe not the greatest idea? Me and Kelsey have been together for 5 YEARS. Think that would be a better basis, no?
Good night tonight. Have Kilshi (Nigerian style jerky which is absolutely delicious and I want to bring it back to the states with me), Pasta Side, Jazz on my MP3, reading lamp set up on the porch table, and '5 Semaines en Ballon,' my first attempt to read a novel in French (I didn't make it through the kid's book I have from our first training, it didn't get my attention at all).
Wish I had something more interesting to write about. 24 days till I see Kesley!!'
June 8'Sunday, lazy Sunday. Had Issa's Baptime this morning. Went out to find his place and at first missed it completely and took an impromptu bike tour of that part of Gaya, an area I hadn't actually been to much.
Afterwards, 8am or so, I came back here, did my workout and watering. Eric and his girl, Jill, showed up; her out this way visiting. They went down to Malanville. I was gonna go down there with, but would rather ride my bike down this afternoon when it cools off a little. Nice wind today. I've really taken to bike riding and starting to get a little better at the bike maintanance as well.
Still reading 5 Semaines, and making good progress, not understanding all of the french, but enough to understand the story. Jules Verne's characters are so cookie cutter and stale stereo-types (though, maybe they were new and excited back in the day).
Haven't had rain since I was last in Niamey (a week or so). The rain is getting towards being late. It's kinda scary to think about what might happen if they don't come soon. Would make Ethiopa's latest drought and hungry look small in comparison I think. Given that, there, they have year-round crop production and one season was lost, though here, our eggs are all in the same once-a-year rain basket. People have already planted and I am concerned about those sproutlings dying off in the heat. Though people don't seem too concerned yet. Think it just might be a bit more time though.
Irikoy ma kande hari hanno - My God bring us good rain'
And really though, the rains have still not arrived. We had rain here in Niamey two nights ago, but none in Gaya for the two weeks I was there. The millet they planted three weeks ago when we had a couple of days of rain were hanging in there. A tough crop millet. People are still holding off on planting beans and peanuts. There's no reason to panic yet, but it is a little disconcerting. That combined with the recent rise in many food staples could cause major problems here. Peace Corps passed out a pretty depressing report entitled 'Praying for the best, planning for the worst' discussing how, with the rise in food prices, we may start to see a lot more hunger here and how we, as PCVs, can deal with that. Not something I want to see happen.About MY field: my friend, Ousmanne, gave me a section of his large field where I'm planning on planting peanuts and beans. Spent a couple hours one day clearing it out; hacking at the bushes who had sprouted up with a machette, then burning the piles. Was waiting for rains to head out to till the soil and plant. Didn't recieve any rain while I was in Gaya, and seeing as I'm not coming back for two weeks I bought seeds and left them in Gaya for Ousmanne to plant when it rains. I really want to do the work myself, but he says we shouldn't wait.
Long post, hope everyone back in the States is doing well. Pulling for Ray Allen to get that ring, he deserves it and it's sad to see Seattle lose the Sonics. But we're getting a MLS team I'm told so that's awesome. I want to join their marching/pep-band, that, or become a soccer hooligan.
