Gaya and the French

As far as places to live and work for the next two years go this is quite a nice spot. I was down here visiting the town for a couple of days to get a feel of how life will be. This afternoon I head back North for another week of preparation before we swear in and all that good jazz. My house is amazing, I have two bedrooms, a livening room, a kitchen, and a spare room… more space than I could possibly know what to do with, especially considering any amenities I buy will most likely not be coming home with me when I leave. A huge change from some the places I saw when we dropped off other volunteers in their posts out in the bush. They end up in villages of 500-1000 people and live in huts, like we have right now. None of their houses we done yet.
Gaya itself is a nice spot. I’ve been told there has been some trouble with robbery and they don’t send female volunteers do here anymore after a couple incidents a few years ago, but I’ve met quite a few extremely nice people here so far. I have a group lined up to play soccer with when I get back. I inherited a friend from the volunteer before me, a Nigerian (as in Nigeria), who owns a motorcycle shop around the corner and, get this, speaks ENGLISH!!! Just being able to talk to him has made it easier these last two days of going it alone.

So let me tell you a story about our trip down and the crazy French jerk we met:

To get down to Gaya we took the Falmey road which runs closer to the river than the paved road by some 50-60km. It is the only way to access many of the villages some of the other volunteers were headed for. It’s dirt and pretty rough in spots, potholes are everywhere. Things are going along fine when we come across a big CAT doing some roadwork 40km or so from Gaya. By roadwork, I mean it’s smashing a tree to splinters as we rolled up… why? I have no idea. It’s taking up the whole road so they wave us around it down by the river. We don’t make it but 15 feet before we’re swallowed up to the wheel well in the mud. Our driver, Seini, tells a worker to go get a rope to help pull us out with their pickup. Off he goes. Ten minutes later a Land Rover comes roaring up. Out comes this fifty something, French, John Travolta Saturday Night Fever wannabe. Receding hair line, scrap of a vest with no shirt on underneath to show off bushels of matted chest hair. Four teeth. He starts yelling at all the workers to hurry up and finish, they’re leaving. Seini explains the situations and says they should help pulls us out. The French mann turns on him, yelling that this is French money at work and that he’s not going to spend any of it helping Americans. After all we started to war in Iraq and now we have to live with the consequences. (Stuck in the mud in Niger = Iraq war….. right). Seini doesn’t miss a beat and points out that it appears to be the French behind the current problems in the North.
An aside about this: It is fairly obvious that after Araba, the French energy powerhouse, lost out to some other companies in the government grants on uranium mines, they started helping some disenfranchised groups, with grievances towards Niamey, by supplying them with trucks, and who knows, maybe even the weapons themselves, and if not the weapons, certainly the cash that bought them.

Continuing on: Seini makes the point that the French are trying to meddle here a start problems. After some choices yelling (with lots of spittle sprinkled in for good measure) Frenchy hustles his men into the trucks and roars off. I have a couple other choice words to describe the man, but I’ll save them for the sake of grandparents who may be reading this.
Lucky for us, there were a bunch of people from one of the near by towns out watching the big machine work. Not two minutes after the bastard left we have all the village kids running to get rocks and the men at work digging out the tiring. It took a hour or so, but with a lot pushing and many dirty hands and feet we got out. Nigeriennes are great about taking care of other people. If you’re in trouble in this country everyone will drop everything they’re doing to help.
Turns out the guy works for the mining operation in the area. The only reason they’re working on the roads is to help themselves exploit the resources more, the money from which is going to line fat French pockets, not the help anyone here. And their road work leaves much to be desired. America has done more for this country than France ever has, and he refused to help us? His thinking: Peace Corps = US Government = War in Iraq = The war France was to weak to Stop (Showing it’s decline in International Importance) = Pissed off that I’m stuck working in the mines in Niger instead of a typical French job where I can take two hours for lunch… oh, and I’m probably a little unstable as well…

Ok, rant over. Just pisses me off. I was never for the war and again here I have to live with it, as do Americans everywhere. And, by the way, I have nothing against most French, in fact I have quite a few friends there, but this man…. And sometimes the French government….

Here's a picture of one of the kittens that we have at the hostel in Dosso. They're about a month old now... so cute and a good note to end this post one. Another good thing about Gaya is there is an internet café I can use to update this blog and check e-mail, etc. (though they just broke the server so I'm posting from Niamey, hopefully it'll be back up when I return) OH!!! I have a new address, check out the sidebar. Packages or letters can be sent directly here from now on. Next time I plan on writing about the Education system here and my role in it, for those of you wondering what exactly I will be doing…. Which includes myself most of the time as

well.

Kala Tonton.

Cyber cafe time

In Niamey for a tour and some internet time.

Just a quick note. Added some pictures.

So right now, we`re still in the process of learning our languages. I am learning Zarma and French right now if I haven`t mentioned that yet. Not gonna post much cause I just did last week and if I`ve learned on thing about Africa so far it`s that nothing changes in a week!

Had to make these Three Post Quick...

We're on a flat tire repair break in Niamey. On my way to Say. Wrote these up earlier and now they're out of order, but you can figure it out.

Enjoy

First Impressions of Africa:

- The people are incredibly friendly. This is a place where greetings can last longer than the conversation. There are six different initial greetings in Zarma for specific times of the day. And you’re ALWAYS asked about your health, family, job, everything.
- It’s not unmanageably hot… yet. It is after all rainy season. I’m glad I have my drum corps experience. It has definitely helped me get used to the heat and humidity. I hear that dry season is the worst, though I have almost a full year to acclimate myself.
- It’s beautiful. My pictures can’t do it justice, but I will try my best.

As always, my best to everyone. My love especially to Kelsey for putting up with having me only through these journal entries for the next two years. ß There’s your first shout out hunny!

Would love some mail, so drop me a line.

July 28, 2007 –
“I don’t plan to write every night, but couldn’t sleep. We had rain tonight. We were watching a performance by some Wadabi (The same ethnic group I watched on TV with Grandpa before I left). Suddenly the wind picked up and the temperature chilled a little. Wind built and built and then, bang, rain. Buckets of the stuff. So now we have FROGS. The world has suddenly come alive. It’s humid too. It feels like the Earth is breathing.
It’s so bright I’m writing this by moonlight. Africa has the biggest, most beautiful sky. Big Sky country has nothing. Montana, pisha. It’s like being in a giant snow globe.”

July 29, 2007 –
“Moved in with Siddo Seyni today…Our concession is rather large with guite a few rooms around it, and of course our little private concession and hut.
Dinner was awkward as no one but us and one of the language teachers ate.”
--- this is the way of things, at the time I was worried they might not have food, but they eat plenty feel, just never with us. ---
“My roommate Johnathan snores. Great. Well, the town is still alive and noisey anyway. I think African towns are much livelier because they live for the most part outside in their concession. More social, interactive, less privacy.”
--- Turns out John isn’t a big snorer after all ---

August 4, 2007 –
“At home now. Lots of rain. Came just minutes after getting here. It’s still amazing to see a storm front racing across the land with a wall of sand in front of the rain, like some giant bulldozer. As usual it hit hard. Wind, rain, thunder. Had to close the hut door (made of corrugated tin roofing) when the wind shifted and started blowing rain straight in. It’s open now. I can write this by the last of our daylight. Wind has died down but the thunder and rain will continue a while. As the storm came I was watching it with Habibu and Sulay and then shooed them into Biba’s house as the wind came up and scatter coals and ash from Biba’s cooking fire all over the concession before the coming rain finished it off.
Funny thing about rain, it’s a life giver and taker. Without the rain, Niger would starve. It has happened before and will probably again. Not this year. Yet, the rain can bring disease, flooding, and even destroy the very crops it nourishes. What gives can take. Our “backyard” is completely flooded, as is most of the rest of the concession I fear. Glad our hut is well made. Bone dry in here except for where the rain came in through the door. I can imagine our latrine has flooded out, not uncommon in this rain I’m sure. That lake must be full of bacteria and disease. What a wonder it is to just have a complete sanitation system. There are no garbage men in Niger. There are no sewers. There is trash and latrines and disease and no alternatives without major development.”

Dymystification

Heading to Say South of Niamey for our “Demystification” trip; our first chance to head out to see the general area where we will eventually be stationed.

A lot has happened in the two plus weeks since the last time I was able to write here, which was the last day I was in the US. Since arriving in Niger, via Paris, two weeks ago we’ve been taking language and culture classes at the Peace Corps training compound in Hamdallaye. We’ve been moved in with host families. I’m living with Siddo Seyni and his family, consisting of his two wives, Biba and Zalika, and the kids (from oldest to youngest) Bubakar, Aissa, Mimuna, Habibu, Tinamu, and Sakina. There are two older children, both married and in Niamey. Siddo is a farmer and that means him and Bubakar work a lot this time of year when the rains make everything grow at an amazing rate. Since I’ve arrived the land has gone from mostly brown with sparse greenery to a (nearly) lush land of green, but get too close and it’s obvious that the sand lurks everywhere.

To get everyone caught up with my first impressions and all, I’m gonna relay some parts of entries I made in my journal (Thanks Chass!!!!).

July 27, 2007 –
“It is rainy season. It’s cool and humid tonight, a thin layer of clouds blurs the moon and creates a light show of the constant lightening that flares on the horizon. We sleep outside under mosquito nets. I hope the rain holds off, but from what I’ve heard so far the season has not yet produced the much needed rain yet.
I’m in Africa. Wow. It’s still so surreal. I hear children laughing, clapping, and playing in the village down the hill. No drums or dancers around a roaring fire. Guess the real Africa isn’t like that.”
---I was wrong, the real Africa really loves to dance, but we wouldn’t get our first taste for another couple days when we had a culture fair in the compound. ---

Orientation

Philadelphia, Pensylvania July 23-26

The city of brotherly love and all that. Came in on Monday, the 23rd, around 10 --- My plane was late cause, get this, they had a leaky coffee pot. No kidding.

The last couple days have been very busy between our orientation activities and last minute runs to get sun block and passport photos (CVS has a great deal of 16 pictures for $7.99 if your looking). Sorry Mehran no pictures of that wall. Our orientation was mostly about team building -- for those of you who know Preston Howard, we actually built a machine. Can you believe that?!?! Someone else out there does that kind of stuff!

Didn't actually learn anything about Niger or what I would be doing, but I do know that I should be aware of my surroundings and what the Peace Corps three goals are:

* Provide trained men and women to those countries needing and requesting them
* Promote a better understanding of Americans in foreign countries
* Promote a better understaing of those in foreign cultures in Americans

I must say that those goals match pretty well with the goals that brought me to the Peace Corps in the first place.

And if you're wondering, I am doing this so that I can help people out (of course), so that I can do something to repair what I feel is a tarnished image that much of the world now holds for Americans after our recent "endevours" around the world, and so that I may do something that I feel will help me grow into the person I am meant to become.

We all need a little adversity in our lives, and this is a way I can add that while at the same time doing some good. I think it is important to understand how the other half of the world experiences life so that I can have a much broader world view.

Funny anecdote from training:
An optimist views the glass as half full, a pessimist views it as half empty, and a Peace Corps volunteer sees that he can take a bath in that water.

This will be the last post for a couple weeks. I am told there is no internet access at our training site so until I get some time in Niamey I will not have a chance to write or read any electronic mail.

BUT! I now have a physical mail address (see sidebar). Feel free to write!!!

Sannu!

Welcome! to my first attempt at a blog. I'll be posting here about the experiences I will be having in Niger over the coming two years of work with the Peace Corps. I'm not extremely internet friendly but I do have a myspace page ( http://www.myspace.com/jjkelley83) and a facebook page if you're so inclined, though I probably won't be checking them all that often.

Let's start off with some brief facts about Niger:

It's about 3 times the size of California, consisting of roughly 4/5 desert or semi-desert land in the North and 1/5 of arable land in the South of the Country.

Niger is a stable and mostly safe place to live, though very poor. Average yearly income is only $200 US.

They speak French in Niger among the local languages, of which Huasa and Zarma are the two most dominant (Sannu is Hello in Hausa).

Check out the wikipedia site on Niger: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger
The CIA world fact book: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ng.html

I'm flying out of Seattle on July 23, 2007 so expect more updates once I reach the country.

Wish me luck, stay in touch.