Your Guest is Your King

When I first arrived in my village I brought along the book "In Sorcery's Shadow" by Paul Stoller to read. The book is about animism in the region I live in, with a big focus on the larger town of Mehanna. It just happens that Mehanna is at the end of the unpaved road that i live in, so I hear about it often. But, it is still about 70k from my village, and I hadn't been there yet. So a few weeks ago Rachel and I gathered our mosquito nets up and we were off to Mehanna. The chief of my village gave us the name of a contact he had that we could ask for when we arrived. After a long day of bush taxi riding and sitting at a nearby market we arrived in Mehanna. Upon arriving Mehanna, we showed up at the shop and asked for my chief's contact, Issifi. The women sitting there called Issifi, and told him he had guests. Really? Yup, there are two annasaras here asking for you.

So about an hour later Issifi shows up as he had also been traveling. After we greet him, I explained how I got his number. Then with a smile on my face, I told him "We will sleep in your house!" So with that, we became his guests. He started leading us around the village, brought us to his friend's house so we could wash up. After our walk around the village we decided it would be best to sleep in the school as it would be like giving us our own house for our stay in Mehanna. When night time rolled around the school teacher set us up an enormous mattress to sleep on, complete with pillows and sheets. A sweet treat when we expected to just be sleeping straight up on the ground! For dinner, they set us up with a table, tablecloth, chairs, and a few amazing pots of food with an enormous fried fish on the side. Oh those luxeries! After dinner they even brought us come cokes! And with it all we didn't lift a finger!

After a great night of sleep we woke up the next morning to...more food! An enormous bowl of fried eggs with a side of bread! And when I insisted they didn't have to do it for us...what do they tell us? "Your guest is your king" A Niger proverb. And wow, we were definitely the kings, (or queens?) of this village! The second day we hung out at market for a few hours then made our way back to Babagade. We didn't see any crazy sorcerers but sure did experience Nigerien hospitality.

Conclusion? I'd highly recommend showing up at a random village in Niger and telling some random person you will be sleeping in their house for a few nights. Hospitality at its best!

Monthly Rambles...

Well...almost two months, I'm a little behind with the blog. What was my welcome back to the village after returning from Ghana? Mom's of every little baby boy in the village, and every little boy coming to my house, pulling down their pants to show me they've been circumcised! And they were so excited about it! (Circumcision is part of Muslim culture). Definitely gave me a good laugh....

It's been a more or less typical few months in the village- a few weddings, many babies born, and sadly a few babies died. A pair of twins died just days after being born, another little girl that was 2 weeks old died. And unfortunately hunger season has started. I was talking to one of my friends, asking her about how many children she has (although it's generally an impolite question in Niger, as its a sign of how much money one has). She told me 5, but then started naming off all of her children that have died. Shocked, I found out that she has given birth 13 times, 8 children have died. 8. An incredible number that's still almost unbelievable to me.

When I was talking to another villager, I was asking her questions in an attempt to figure out the family tree of the village. After I had written down about 15 people, she busted out with "I married my grandfather." Umm, seriously? No, no this can't be. God is big. Wow, you married your grandfather? God is very big. In the bush in Niger they really only use the terms "child", "mom" "dad", etc, so they don't tend to use uncle or cousins. But finally I broke it down with her, and she married her great-uncle. Still shocking, to say the least.

Other village news? The water pump in my village broke. So I've been going to the next village to fetch water. A 12 minute walk with 20 liters of water on your head isn't the easiest. But, then that pump broke. So next up? the river. But at that point the 20 minute walk through mud and water was just a little too much, so I sent a kid. They did fix the pump in the next village so it's back to fetching my own water.

All that, and I bought 2 goats and 3 chickens! Being an anasara (white person) walking 2 goats on a leash back from market has never gotten me so much attention! One goat will be killed and eaten next month when my parents visit, and one when i leave in December. Although I'm afraid I am already becoming to attached and won't be able to kill either of them!

And most importantly....the machine at Babagade is up and "fufuing" rice! I can't thank everyone enough for the contributions back home.....and the women can't either! They are constantly showing me their hands telling me they won't suffer anymore! They love buffing their enormous calluses!

Unfortunately my camera broke...so until my parents come I don't have any pictures to put up...so stay tuned for the pictures of the rice grinding machine!

and we're back

Wow. Wow. Wow. when I visited America everyone asked me if I felt culture shock. My answer- not really. I felt like i clicked back into my American self. But this time, after traveling around West Africa? Holy shit. I don't quite know what to say to give these countries justice. As soon as we crossed the border into Benin--it was green. Ghana, they have sidewalks. Crosswalks. Not only do public restrooms exist, they offer toilet paper. Heck, they even sell toilet paper on the street. Women in Burkina Faso, a country more similar to Niger, wear pants. Ride bikes. It was like just crossing the border into Benin was a whole new world. All in all it was interesting to see Niger in comparison to its neighboring countries.

But....Vacation was amazing. After a quick few days through Benin and Togo we reached the destination we'd been dreaming of for over a year: Ghana. Before getting to the ocean our first destination was Wli waterfalls. Barbara, Claudia and I did the roughly 2 hour hike to the upper falls. After an extremely strenuous 2 hour hike (wearing flip flops) we got a chance to swim in the waterfalls. Heaven at last. All while speaking what felt like a foreign language, ENGLISH!
Then on to the ocean, sunbathing, and just lounging on the beach. The ocean was amazing though, almost took Barbara out a few times as she came panting out of the waves. (Near death experience number 2.) We bummed around the coast for about a week then headed up to Kakum national park. Kakum has a canopy walk, consisting of 7 bridges up to 40 meters over the tropical rain forest, unique to Africa. Although I think it was a little above my thrill level as it turned into a major thunderstorm when we were in the middle! I think my knees are still shaking from the walk!

Finally we said goodbye to the coast and several long travel days later found ourselves in Dogon Country, Mali. We spent about 3 days hiking around Dogon, going village to village, up and down the cliffs. Dogon people have an extremely unique lifestyle as they live in the cliffs. Thousands of years ago they moved to the cliffs to escape tribal enemies. Originally it was the Tellem people that moved into the high cliffs, using black magic to climb up the walls. Although none of us were able to get into the high houses as today even scientists wonder how they got out there. Our guide was insisting they used vines but who knows. Being in Dogon country actually turned out to be the most relaxing, enjoyable part of our whole trip as Dogon people were laid back, friendly, and overflowing with culture.

But soooo good to be back in Niger. Made me appreciate Nigeriens. No hassles, no getting ripped off, no one grabbing me as i walk to market.

So it's back to speaking zarma and in 2 days back to Babagade.....

But before then, here's a Vacation by the Numbers:
(see Flickr site for more pictures)

# OF.....

...days on vacation: 26
...countries visited:5
...cities/villages visited: 24
...hours spent in buses/bush taxis traveling: 73
...Fanmilks consumed(i.e. ice cream in a bag): 62
...hostels without running water(or broken): 7
...number of screaming matches over taxis ripping us off: 7
...languages we learned to say hello in: 10
...hard boiled eggs consumed on a bush taxi: 27
...braids on my head: 204
...stamps in my passport: 14
...nights slept in a shared bed: 18
...times we almost ran out of the current currency: 3
...times Barbara almost died: 2
...West Africans that want a mohawk thanks to Claudia: a lot
...villages visited in Dogon Country: 7
...times I was hit on by men I didn't want to talk to: too many to count
...times getting ripped off: I don't want to think about it. Far too many.
Favorite place? A tie between Wli falls and Begnemoto in Dogon country


Two Weaves and a Mohawk drinking fresh coconut juice oceanside

Swimming at the Upper Wli Falls

The canopy walk at Kakum National Park

Crossing the ravine by a "ladder" in Dogon Country

V A C A T I O N

Well, almost….Next Friday morning Barbara, Claudia, Kim and I are catching a bus outta here. The next 3 ½ weeks will be spent traveling Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Barbara and I got our hair braided yesterday so we're ready to go...and we’re headed straight to the beach!

But before then...Came into Niamey earlier in the week to start getting visas, which are pricey! Then my group that I swore in with is all heading to Hamdallaye tonight for mid-service training. Although we're a lot fewer than when we started, down to 25 out of the 37 people.

As for the bush? Been super busy! Tring to get all these pepinieres of trees started/planted before leaving for vacation. Several villagers are starting a pepiniere to outplant as live fencing when the rains come. I’m also working with the men again planting nearly 2000 gum Arabic trees in a pepiniere. And the motivation this time? When my parents come they’ll be helping transplant the trees to the field. After all, what’s better than two “old” annasaras planting trees in the desert?!

What else? Babies and weddings. A woman in a nearby village gave birth to 4 babies, all girls. I can’t even imagine the pain she suffered. When I went to see her and the babies at the doctors office the next day, she was lying on the ground and could barely lift her head to greet me. Later that day an ambulance took them all into Niamey. Rumor has it one has died so far, three are still in health. God is big.

And weddings? About 2 months ago Fati, 33 years old, showed up in my neighbors house. When I asked my villagers they told me she is my neighbor’s daughter, had been living in Niamey but just got divorced for the second time. A few weeks ago a man from another village showed up at her house to give her mom the bride price: 100,000 CFA and a cow(worth up to 400,000 CFA). Six days later her stuff was packed and she left Babagade for her 3rd marriage. As her eight year old daughter watched her leave she was screaming in tears. Sad but kind of interesting, she didn’t take any kids from her previous marriage, including her 3 year old son. One marriage ends, another beginning...

On another note? I’m learning Nigerien sign language! There are a few deaf people in my village and nearly everyone can communicate with them. So I figure it's my turn to start learning. The funny thing is though when I’m signing, other villagers that are warching will tell me “I swear to God Kadija, you hear Zarma!” Well, what’s to hear?

And lastly, a plea to everyone reading this, even if we’ve never met: something has happened in my life- I have finished every puzzle in my Sudoku book. Every single puzzle. So please, someone send me a new book. I need some way to fill those long 120 degree days. Here’s my address:
Lulu McCourt
Corps de la Paix, PCV
Gotheye, Niger
West Africa

Thank you and Allah loves you.

I Love This Country

There's nothing I love more than lying on my millet stock bed, in my mud house...with my stomach aching like crazy...going to my hole, err bathroom, every few minutes...feeling like I'm going to vomit. All this knowing I have to walk 2 hours the next morning to catch a bush taxi...to get to Niamey...to see my doctor. Too sick to cook I was eating up all the granola bars that just came in a care package from my dear Grandma. Oh, and Nigeriens pounding on my door all day and night Tuesday to greet and bless me on my health. And its 110 degrees. Amoebic Dysentery, Bacteria, and bleeding from the intestines, aka shitting blood. I love this country.

Other than thinking I'm dying, what have I been up to? A few weeks ago Barbara and Elyse came out to my village to help me paint a world map on my school. Went well, got the map painted. Unfortunately, when they were around my gas tank was having some problems, well not really working at all. So the solution? We cooked over a 3-rock stove. I kind of felt like a circus act as what felt like the entire village came to watch me cooking over fire. But we were still able to make pretty normal food: tuna samosas, zhatar bread, tortillas, potato chips. And since I just bought a dutch oven, I was able to make bread! My villagers were all doubting me when I was putting it in, but an hour later it was like magic- a loaf of bread came off the fire!



Anything else? I painted the door on my house lavender. My villagers are jealous and even want their door painted too. See new pictures I've posted. So, as soon as my stomach returns back to a normal state I'm getting out of Niamey and back to the life au village.

Another day in their life??

Well it's been a tough couple of days. When I came to Babagade just over a year ago my first morning I walked out my door and there was a baby naming ceremony, (ie baptism) in full swing. My neighbor, Ramatou, was the mom of a new baby, Umu. Since little Umu was born the same time I got to the village I often followed her growing up over the past year. We even celebrated her first birthday a few weeks ago.

This past week Tuesday afternoon as I was leaving my house another friend told me that i should go to see Ramatou as her daughter is sick. I don't think there was anything anyone could have told me to prepare me as I walked into her house for what I was about to see: Ramatou was holding Umu in her lap as Umu's eyes were rolling around and she was constantly moaning. As I choked back tears, Ramatou let me know that Umu had only been sick since the Tuesday before. Within 2 hours, Umu had died. Ramatou, probably in her late 30's, has given birth to 9 children, now only 5 are living.

The funeral was equally shocking. The men took the body almost immediately to bury in the cemetery. The women sat in the house and grieved while the men sat in a group outside. They grieved through the night and the next morning, but by 10 am or so it was back to life as usual. Not a single person shed a tear, including Ramatou. In fact, the women of my village told me that if Ramatou would have cried other villagers would have insulted her. Is that really fair, a women isn't allowed to cry over her own child's death? It was by far one of the saddest sights seeing a suffering child, but nearly equally shocking the way death is just another day in their life.

back to da bush

After being in Niger for a while, my sense of compassion became oddly dulled.... dirty, naked, hungry children, began to seem sort of normal, and the filth and frustration of the poorest country in the world seemed less shocking. Returning from America allowed me to see it with the eyes of the first world, again. The compassion in my heart grew in my first week as I saw the children's torn clothing( or none at all), their malnourished distended bellies, and their toys consisting of dead rats and cow dung as play-doh. Instead of seeing my friends, my home, I could see Niger for what it is: one of the poorest countries in the world. Seeing the poverty with fresh eyes had reinspired me and gave my projects a new importance.

Unfortunately...sometimes, I wonder if this place can possibly change. I received such a warm welcome when I returned from America, and I was excited to work on my projects. So just a few days after being back I tried to round up the men to do work with the gum arabic trees. After an hour, only 4 men came. What? In a village of over 1000 people there are only 4 capable men? The other men, all sitting around idly, even had the audacity to ask where the money is that I brought for them from America because "America has money."

So if "the developing world" continue to bring them food aid, water pumps, health care, etc. will they ever change and work for themselves or just keep on waiting?

Aside from my frustrations, it's been a great couple of weeks back in the village. I didn't sleep much, since everyone in the entire village came to greet me. Additionally, shortly after I got back my next door neighbor got married (bride: age 15, husband: age 30+?). The celebration brought lots of people from the area to my village, as well as three nights of blaring crazy music and 3 days of random people wanting to see my house. And what do you do at a Nigerien wedding? You eat! Dance! Give money!! Women sit around gossiping and every few minutes more food gets passed around. For 3 days. It was fun, and everyone was happy. With a new bride and groom they decorate the house and give them furniture, dishes, and hang cloth on the wall. The new bride even got a chandelier!





My projects have picked up, so I've been busy planting Moringa with the women, tapping gum arabic trees with the men, and working with the school for GLOBE (environmental education). About 2 weeks ago I figured out that only 1 out of 12 girls in the 6th grade class can read/write. The literacy reports say that about 15% of girls in Niger can read. But in the bush, i wouldnt be surprised if that number was more like 1-2%, as I don't know a single older woman in my village that is literate. What to do? I'm trying to organize a literacy group with the school girls. Sadly, they just don't have the time to come, since the parents make them stay home to get the housework done. I'm trying to figure out incentives to have them show up at my house....any ideas?

I also saw a piece of wildlife....

....a crocodile!! look closely

I'm in Niamey for a couple days to load up on project supplies then back to the bush on weds....