Barka nda Jingar! Barka nda Giri Bareyan!*

Greetings, world, and Happy Holidays! Here I am in Dosso, having just celebrated a wonderful Christmahanakwanzika with my wonderful team-mates, and enjoying a couple days back in "civilization." Of course, the bright city lights, street traffic, and bustling market crowds keep reminding me exactly why I am so happy out in the Bush; by tomorrow, I will be very ready to head back home! But for now, I am glad for a chance to use the Internet, listen to music, take showers, and sit on a real COUCH. So many things we take for granted back in the States...like comfortable furniture.

Recently, I've found that exercise - yoga, bike riding, lifting small children - is very therapeutic here. When the monotony of village life gets to be a bit much, and I can feel myself going somewhat insane, all it takes is a little stretching or pedaling to help clear my mind. Reading, taking photographs, and writing poetry have also become important parts of my daily/weekly routine. Finally, at the end of my first three months, I am allowing myself space to breathe! To use a term from a recent read (John Brunner's Stand on Zanzibar, thanks Munki!), I feel like this place has "digested" me. Niger has been slowly, patiently working its magic on me, trying to convince me to follow a more local pace of life. Thus far, I had resisted, instead forcing myself to run at 110% all the time until I began to feel somewhat burned out. And when I reached that point of being stressed, frustrated with myself, exhausted, even homesick, Niger was waiting for me, calmly ready to accept me into the flow of village life. Instead of hours, minutes, seconds, the day runs on the Sun's time; every once in a while, a call to prayer will sound out, reminding me that the day is, in fact, passing. And then night falls, the stars come out of hiding, and the whole village falls asleep. It's a familiar cycle, and for someone accustomed to busy schedules and constant motion, it can (eventually) be very cathartic. There's a lot to be said for the simple life!

With that in mind, most of the pictures I've got to share this time are mostly laid-back, aesthetically pleasing, or just plain fun. No work here! So enjoy the beauty of some African adventures...and, as always, my cat.


A gorgeous African sunset, as seen from my yard.


I try to encourage art whenever possible in Sambera's youth. So when they drew a portrait of me in the sand...I didn't have the heart to point out that "floating" ear.


The usual suspects at my house, playing a dancing game. I love the sense of motion in this photo! (There is an accompanying video, if I ever have the time to upload it)


Cold Season sunrise; one of my favorite parts of morning bike rides in the bush!


Russia, doing her version of lazy yoga. Have you ever seen a more content animal?!

So, as you can see, life here is coming along just fine! No giraffes yet, but I am ever hopeful. Next month, keep on the lookout for more frequent blogging as I will be in the Niamey-ish area for more training! As always, thank you all for the stream of emails and letters; the support is what keeps me going! Take care, and Barka nda Jingar! Barka nda Giri Bareyan! ("Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!")

Kala tonton,
~Mich

A Little Existential Food for Thought....

While sitting inside my mud hut the other day, I came across this passage in the book The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison. It caught my attention, and after reading over it several times, I realized that it has described (in far more eloquent words) exactly the sense of humbleness I feel when gazing out at the plains of the Sahelien bush. Here's the passage:

"Surely...the great mountains of the world would serve as a present remedy if man did but know it against our modern discontent and ambitions. In the hills is wisdom's fount. They are deep in time. They know the sun and the wind, the lightning's fiery feet, the frost that shattereth, the rain that cloudeth, the snow that putteth about their nakedness a coverlet softer than a fine lawn: which in their large philosophy question not whether it be a bridal sheet or a shroud, hath not this unpolicied calm his justification ever in the coming year, and is it not instance to laugh our carefulness out of fashion? of us, little children of the dust, children of a day, who with so many burdens do burden us with taking thought, and with fears and desires and devious schemings of the mind, so that we wax old before our time and grow weary ere the brief day be spent and one reaping-hook gather us home at last for all our pains." - Lord Gro, Chapter XXV of The Worm Ouroboros

In short, this passage begs the question, Why should we allow ourselves to get so caught up in the mundane? Up against the everlasting beauty of this world we live in, what do our trivial, day-to-day problems really matter? So what if I couldn't find bread at the market this week? So what if my neighbor's toddler pooped on my bed? Tomorrow is always another dawn, and all things have their due course. Enjoy this moment while we can, for it will never come again.

Unless, of course, you are a Time Agent or own a Tardis, in which case a little temporal displacement never hurt anyone.... ;)

'Til next time,
Mich

Poisson, Peuls, and Parasites, Oh My!

Greetings, friends! Here's an unexpectedly early post for this month, thanks to the little Giardia bugs currently making themselves at home in my GI tract. I've come in to the regional capital for treatment, and between swallowing antibiotics and sleeping for 13 hours at a time, I figured I might as well make use of the Internet here to connect with the rest of the world.

Since my Thanksgiving update, I've already had some fun adventures back at post. Last Wednesday, I traveled 40 km (via open-back cargo truck) to the large market town of Ouna, right along the Niger river. It was an absolutely breathtaking place, where one can buy a variety of exotic goods, including fresh fish, "lemu hari" (a citrus-ginger juice), and Fulani jewelry and garb. I also picked up a beautiful "tangara" mat for decorating my mud house, which is gradually being transformed into a cozy home. All in all, my third month was off to a good start. Hard to believe it's already December!

Speaking of which, I imagine that the weather back home must be starting to get cold. Some of you may already be seeing snow, or at least feeling the freezing temps that mark the onset of Winter. For me, this Holiday Season is going to be quite different: 90-degree days, not a hint of rain in the sky, and no Christmas trees or festive decorations to mark the time of year (Niger is, after all, a 99% Muslim country). But as we prepare to celebrate resourcefully as a team here in Dosso, I will always be thinking about my friends and family back home, and wishing you all a wonderful season of shopping and snow-filled streets. Drink an extra hot, marshmallow cocoa for me this year!

That's all I have for updates today. Until the end of December, take care, and enjoy a few new pictures from the Nigerien bush!

Kala tonton,
Mich


Showing of my PC pride with henna for the Tabaski celebration day.


Russia keeping guard at the door, protecting me from the neighbor's wandering chickens. She's getting so big!


It's all "Home Sweet Home" here in the bush!


A view of the Niger river from Ouna, a beautiful sight :)