i heart taxi brousse

There are days when I'm in my village. I look around I feel like, 'How could i ever leave this place?' I see my friends, my family, my niger mom- people I've lived with for the last few years. It'll be a tough day when I leave Niger...

And then I get on a bush taxi. Bush taxis are supposed to hold 19 people, three rows of 4 people each, one row of 5 people, and 2 people in the front with the driver. Not luxurious, but the problems come when they decide to just pile more people in the taxi. Put a kid on your lap. Squish another person in, no problem. Keeping in mind Nigerien women are big. You also have to be alert for the peeing babies that get handed around.

And then the stench. When it's 120 degrees and you're in a car with people that don't wear deodorant, you can imagine the smell. Add in the smell of animals....and it's like each bush taxi makes its own soup.

The car? A piece of shit. You're lucky to get a car that will start up. But if it doesn't? No problem, everyone gets out to push. After that, 9/10 times there are car problems. Flat tires. But leave it to a Nigerien to solve any car problem—they are thrifty people. The other problem is the seats which maybe had cushion at one point have none now. It’s all worn down so you're pretty much sitting on a piece of wood that you’re lucky if it even has a back. Comfort. True comfort. Sometimes I've gotten in a car and there are chickens running around my feet.

Although most bush taxis are covered, to get to Gotheye from my village (about 30k) all that’s available is open back trucks. The great thing about an open back truck is you can just load people on- no limit! Animals too! I've been on some trucks with over 30 people loaded up in the back.

The people? They like to harass anasaras!! They don't leave us alone. I mean, I know I'm cool but seriously that cool that everyone in the car insists on talking to me, asking to marry me, giving me their babies? I guess the answer is yes, I am cool.

My favorite bush taxi yet was the other week where there were about 15 goats on the top of the car. Well when you’re driving 100km/hr and a goat starts peeing, it was like a spray for everyone in the car, kind of like a shower.

And that's only the bush taxi ride. It doesn't include the 6k walk and three boats it takes for me to get to Niamey. Describing a bush taxi doesn't even give it justice.

Normal? Not normal? You decide. But be thankful for the sweet public transportation of America.



**also, see new pictures on flickr account

En brousse

Another month in the bush another month in review…

-UPDATE: Firstly as an update to the July blog about visiting Mehanna. Well about a week after returning to Babagade I got a bush package sent to me via bush taxi containing 45 eggs from the school director in Mehanna. I was ecstatic to receive it as it’s nearly impossible to get eggs in the bush. I called the school director and thanked him. Another week later I received another package containing 35 eggs. When my villagers saw me open it they looked at me in all seriousness and said “Kadija, you know he wants to marry you!” Okay, enough! So, I never called him back as I was busy with my parents coming a few days after. But he preceded to calling me every single day over and over, sometimes up to 12 times a day! He was even calling the schoolteacher of my village to track me down- creepy! And then….he showed up at my house, even more creepy! I yelled at him, told him I was busy. You’d think he’s learned a lesson. But no, he’s still calling. I guess that’s what I get for living in country where you “buy” a wife….

-One story my villagers keep telling me:
One night when my parents were in my village we were eating dinner with about 10 other villagers. My mom wanted a chair so my dad got up and got her a chair. Then she needed to wash her hands, so my dad brought her water to wash with. Finally, my dad brought my mom a bottle of drinking water. Sounds normal, right? Well, all of my villagers watched and couldn’t’ believe what they were seeing. They all laughed as in Nigerien culture men sit around nearly all the time just waiting for women to wait on them. They don’t even get water for themselves!

-Interesting sometimes the Nigerien concept of money. The other day I had on my new Chaco sandals my parents brought me. One ofmy friends asked me how much they were- I told her very expensive(Nigerien sandals cost about $.80-$1). She asked me if they were more than $1. Well, yea, a lot more. More than $1.20? Yes. But maybe that’s why they keep telling me America has money!

-The other day my friend told me how happy I must be that my parents brought me lots of money when they came. I told them in America when you turn 18 years old you have to make money for yourself. My friend looked at me confused, and asked, “What do women do, become prostitutes?”

-At the beginning of this month the fast of Ramadan started. I forget how cranky everyone gets! The 2nd day of Ramadan I told my villagers I would fast with them. So at 5 AM my friend Katumie came banging on my door long enough to make sure I woke up and got out of bed. So I ate breakfast and went back to bed. During Ramadan Nigeriens break the fast at the end of the day with kool-aid and tasty food. Since I didn’t have anything before sunset Katumie brought me what Zarmas call “kopto”, which means leaves in Zarma. Since it’s rainy season the women go around picking the weeds from the ground and boil them like spinach. So I was starved so I was eating quickly- but then I noticed a funny black round thing on my fork.. As I picked it out I looked more carefully I noticed it was a pellet of goat poop. Yes, read that again- goat poop. Only in Niger.

-I had some apple scented dishwashing soap sitting out so one of my friends asked me what it is. Most soap in Niger is in teh form of bar soap so she had never seen liquid soap. I opened it for her and she smelled it….”This smells like candy!” She loved the smell so much she started rubbing it all over her body! She needs lotion, not dishwashing soap!

This week I'm in town for my Close of Service conference....crazy I'm leaving this country in less than 3 months...