A Celebrity Life

Hard to believe for some, but I've pretty much become a celebrity since moving to my village. Everywhere I go people are shouting my name, Kadija, to come sit with them, to pound with the women, to see/hold their babies. Although the celebrity life ends quickly as I'm treated like a non-gendered 9-year old. My villagers walk me to and from my village, constantly bossing me around. When they found out I went swimming in the river, all of my villagers lectured me, "There are animals in the river that will eat you!." I kept explaining that there were many other people bathing in the river, we were a mere few feet from the shore, and I can swim.

Since I'm the first volunteer in my village this first month was spent explaining the mere basics of my life: I have no kids and am not married (Nigerien women marry young and have kids young, ASAP); "I drink special water, it has medicine in it"; "No, I don't want to get fat"(Nigerien women like to be fat, as it shows that their husbands have enough money to eat that much); "No, i don't bathe in the river"; "my name is not white person"; "No i don't pray 5x/day(then they look at me like I'm crazy, as Kadija is the name of Mohammed's first wife). Normally after i explain things, they all just stare at me and say "God is BIG!"

Another chunk of my day is spent talking about the well and going to the well. Each morning i walk out my door with my bucket and everyone that sees me asks if I'm going to pump water. After pumping water my villagers watch as i carry the bucket on my head like I'm a spectacle, even though i look the same as a Nigerien. Then, when i see them later that day they ask me if i went to the well this morning, then they tell me they saw me go to the well. And i go through this every day, normally several times.

Being friends with a white person here is kind of prestigious. My villagers love carting me around and being seen with me. And when they take me somewhere, such as a baby naming ceremony, everyone crowds around me to talk to me. Every single person makes sure they can talk to me, pass me their babies. I'm kind of a big deal.

So, I've just really been hanging out, studying Zarma, and sweating excessively. We're not supposed to start any projects till we've been here 3 months or so, to gain respect from the villagers. Hot season is officially here. It was over 120*, in the shade. I actually happen to live in a place on earth that is the hottest that humans inhabitat. There's nothing like taking an afternoon nap and waking up drenched in so much sweat i feel like i just bathed....