Now officially sworn in as a volunteer and with pre-service training behind me, I am in the regional capital of Zinder, counting down the days before I first see my village. The difference between trainee and volunteer must be very confusing for anyone who is not versed in Peace Corps protocol and fluent in its many acronyms, but the past 9 weeks have been spent outside of Niamey, and this is the first time any of the 10 trainees assigned to this region has seen Zinder. We are all posted in bush villages that are 2 to 7 hours away by bush taxi from here. We have a “hostel” in Zinder where we will meet once a month for team meetings, cooking, and hanging out. We use these four days to replenish supplies, bank, and “be American.” The Zinder hostel is a palace with its huge library and DVD and VHS collection, and I couldn’t be more pleased: I knew I had found my Nigérien home when the vetted volunteers greeted us newbies on our first morning with homemade bagels and pancakes.
Zinder is a quick 15-hour bus ride from Niamey, which is best spent passed out on Benadryl. We made the move after a swear-in celebration and sad farewells. It will be three months until we see any of the volunteers sent to other regions. Volunteers in Niger are strictly forbidden to ride motorcycles…unless they’re in the Zinder region, and it which case it's that or walking because there are no taxis. I had never ridden a motorcycle, but last night I had my baptism by fire. I was incredulous when, wearing an ankle-length wrap skirt, a backpack on my back, another pack on my front, and carrying a guitar case, I was handed a helmet and told to hop on a motorcycle with a guy who would take me to the hostel—in sha allah. I made it with very few scratches (kidding) and now a motorcycle ride with just one bag seems like a limo ride.
I will be installed in my village via Peace Corps vehicle in 3 days. In the meantime, I must go shopping for essentials such as stove, mattress, buckets, pots, pans, etc. and food for one month. Of course there will be food in my market town, but not much more than basic ingredients like rice and beans. This is like planning for a really long camping trip. There was a volunteer who lived in my village a year ago, so there are reportedly a few pieces of furniture already in my house, as well as a dog that she “gave back to the villagers” but might just automatically come back to my house.
Last year there was a security situation and all PCVs were consolidated. Volunteers had to stay in their regional capitals for more than a month, but the new stage that was training at that time was whisked off to Madagascar to restart training and serve there. So, my stage has no “sister stage” and volunteer numbers had gotten very low until we showed up--our group nearly doubles the team at Zinder. The previous volunteers are very grateful that we are replenishing the ranks, but I must admit that it was only around week 6 when I stopped hoping to likewise be shipped off to Madagascar. The thought of two years of tropical beaches of course still sounds, well, delightful, but Niger has found a soft spot in my heart. It may be cold season buttering me up for the heat to come, but I like it here.
It will be one month before I will see the internet again, so sai hunkari. I can't wait to report back on my village. Don’t hesitate to comment or email. I love to see your name pop up in my inbox and I will reply! And as always, letters letters letters!
No comments:
Post a Comment