I forget where I left off with the actual writing, but I will try to update a bit about the last week or so. January was a hard month from me motivationally. I am coming up on my one year of service, and feeling like it isn’t nearly as challenging as it was, but also isn’t accomplishing much. That combined with the difficulties of making a new community my home while not knowing a language and not knowing how stable the Niger Peace Corps program will be, had me really questioning my motivation. Plus, there is just something about giving up everything in Guinea and coming here to start all over that makes it difficult to want to stay.
But I think I am coming out of that, and looking forward to a couple of projects as soon as this IST (in service training) is over. This will be my second one, courtesy of having transferred. They are fun for a little while but I suspect I will be longing to get back to my village after a few days. Still, its good because I get to meet an entire stage of volunteers and its always good to know more volunteers when you don’t really have your own group.
So the road between my mayor’s office and my house is flooded and has been since December. I wade across it on my way there and back, which hasn’t really caused me too much concern, despite the animal waste and stagnancy of the water, but the other day as I was walking I saw a flat, brown-colored worm swiming through the water. It was about three inches long. A leetch? I have no idea, but now I am probably going to get tested for schisto and hook worms just because I figure it is likely that I have something from that water. Also, I think by the time I return the water will have receeded and won’t be an issue until next year, when I should have a bike.
My cat has been catching mice, so hopefully she will do fine without me there, and other than that I don’t know that I have a lot to report. My scouts group got their uniforms, and were so excited that we all cleaned the mosque and they made me wear one. Its hard to refuse when it means so much to them, and I tried hard not to let my disdain for things like uniforms and team spirit show. I wonder where I got that from? I was never much of a fan of ’school spirit’, but I don’t really know why I affected that attitude.
My region is down to only six volunteers, so this weekend we took over the backroom that used to belong to our team and made it our own. It is pretty sweet, and for the first time I have a place at the hostel in Niamey where I feel like I can just hang out without being around other people. Right now the hostel is full of the stage coming in for IST, and their excitement at seeing each other is making me remember our IST in Guinea and how good it felt to come in from site.
I want a voice recorder so that I can do some voice journaling or something, and maybe a small cheap digital camera that I can take with me for unexpected photo opportunities. I will have to talk to some people about that, maybe there is a way to get it brought over or something.













   

