Last Days

On Thursday, a power surge ruined the power cord to my computer. While the computer is fine, I'm unable to use it, and therefore haven't had the opportunity to keep up with this blog. A kind friend is letting me use her computer tonight, but unfortunately, I can't seem to download my pictures. I'll put the pictures up next time. I'm guessing that this will be the last entry I make until I return to the States on Friday.

I have spent the last few days at the school trying to finish up art projects, interview students, and take pictures and film of the activities. Most of this is for the Art Auction benefit in April, which will be held in Grand Rapids, MI. Since the Tsibiri school is about 25 minutes away from where I'm staying, each day I bring my lunch and stay for the entire day. In Niger, there is a two and a half hour break from 12:30 - 3pm. Normally, people eat and then rest for an hour or so. Instead of resting, I've been using the extra time to work on art projects, which I've really enjoyed. On Friday, some of the older girls used henna for an art project. Nigeriens use henna to paint designs on legs, feet, arms and hands of women. It's a lot like a tatoo but only lasts a week or two. While the girls were working on the project they were talking amongst themselves in Hause (the local language). It was a fairly lively conversation. When I asked them what they were talking about, they explained to me that they wondered if I would let them paint the henna designs on me. So, I'm now walking around with a pretty flower design on my arm.

On Saturday, I went to the school to continue with my student interviews. It is really interesting talking to the students and finding out where they come from, how big there families are, what they like about the school, and what they want to be when they grow up. What has amazed me the most is how many of the children - Muslim and Christian, girls and boys - attend the school because their parents believe this is where they will get the best education in Niger. There are even children from Niamey, where there are already many good schools. The more I talk to people, the clearer it becomes that the Tsibiri Mission School is great school. I was talking to the Peace Corps volunteer in the village the other day, and even she said that the students at this school were different than those at other schools. It's not just that they are academically ahead, it's also that they act differently than many children in Niger. They are kind, respectful and honest. It's really encouraging to hear that.

On Tuesday, I will take the bus from Maradi to Niamey. I'm expecting another hot long ride! I had the choice of taking the 5am or 8:30am bus. I chose to go at 5am because I figured I would get at least 3 or 4 hours of reasonably cool weather. My plane leaves at Midnight on Thursday, so I'll have 2 busy days in Niamey.

See you soon!

MY TRAVELS TO AGUIE

Yesterday, I traveled an hour east to visit the Aguie Christian School, another Remember Niger Coalition supported school. It has a very encouraging and interesting history. It began as a preschool in a storage room at the church's Bible School (the denomination we support). The picture below shows the outside of the very first classroom. The school began when the adult students at the Bible school wanted a place for their children to attend school. They took it upon themselves to start the preschool. Each year since they have added another classroom. Once the school grew to include 3 grades, they decided to move to a piece of property closer to the village, which the church owns. This gave them more room and made it more accessible to children from the village.

The really exciting thing about this project is that those involved have done this with very little outside help. Unfortunately, that means that many of the structures are temporary and made of grass. This is a problem because dust whips up into the students' eyes when the wind blows during the cool season and, during the rainy season, rain falls through the structure and ruins it. The top picture is taken inside one of the temporary classrooms. Not surprisingly, when the teachers were asked about their number one need, they responded by saying that they are desperate for permanent cement classrooms. Last fall I applied for a grant through the Presbyterian Church (USA) thank offering for the construction of a school building. We'll find out in March or April if we will receive the funding.

A NIGERIEN MEAL

I had dinner with Ibrahim, Hadiza and their son Samuel yesterday evening. Ibrahim is the president of the education committee and the permanent secretary of the EERN (the denomination the Remember Niger Coalition partners with). Ibrahim and Hadiza, who are around my age, live in Maradi. They were two of the first people I met when I arrived in Niger in 2005. At that time, they lived in Niamey (the capital). Ibrahim took it upon himself to help me settle in Niger, which included traipsing all over Niamey in order to take care of the paperwork necessary to live there. I have fond memories of being "stuffed" in taxis with hot air blowing on my face while we went from one government building to the next. I remember one time getting into a taxi that was already full of people (that's the norm in Niger). I sat next to a man who had fries covered with sauce in his lap. To me, it looked like a mess. He graciously asked me if I wanted some of his food. I declined. In Niger, it's not polite to eat in front of someone without offering some of your food.

Last night, the food we ate looked a lot more appetizing! Hadiza is a wonderful cook. We had a traditional Nigerien meal, which began with a fruit salad as an appetizer. Actually, I'm not certain that eating "fruit salad" is a Nigerien tradition, but the mix of papaya, pineapple and banana was really good! In Niger, a typical dinner consists of a tomato sauce over couscous, rice or pasta. Our sauce had chicken in it and was served over couscous.

STUDENTS CREATING ART

One way the Remember Niger Coalition supports the schools in Niger is by giving teacher training scholarships to future teachers. I met with two of the scholarship recipients this morning. It's always a lot of fun to talk with the new students because their stories are so interesting. Alissa is 21 years old and just finished high school. I know her father well because we served together on the church's education committee when I lived in Niger. He's the director of a public school in a rural village and is very committed to expanding educational opportunities in Niger. Allissa told me that he encouraged her to apply for the scholarship and teach at one of the church's schools if she is able. She has two older brothers who are currently studying at the University in Niamey (the capital of Niger).

Mamsour, who is 22 years old, goes to the same teacher training school and is in the same class as Allissa. While he did not grow up in a Christian family, Mamsour became a Christian when he stayed with his uncle during high school. In Niger, it's not uncommon for children to live with relatives in different cities in order to be able to attend school. During that time, his uncle, who is a Christian, introduced him to the church. Mamsour already knew he wanted to be a teacher when he graduated from high school. So, when he heard about the scholarship, he was confident that that was what God was calling him to do.

ART & ART AUCTION

One of the reasons I'm in Niger is to collect art from the students at the boarding school, which the Remember Niger Coalition supports. The art will be auctioned off at an Art Auction Benefit in Ada, MI (just outside of Grand Rapids) on April 16. Early on it became clear to me that in order to collect art, it was necessary to provide art lessons...

I've had so much fun teaching art! For the past few days, I've given art lessons to three of the oldest classes (that would be 4th, 5th and 6th grades in the US). During the first morning, I walked into the class, introduced myself, and explained to the students that I was going to teach about art, and more specifically, how to draw an animal. I was a bit surprised when the children responded with blank faces. It was pretty clear that they didn't know what I was talking about. Naturally, I assumed they couldn't understand my French. However, their teacher explained that they didn't know what art is because they don't have a lot of opportunities to view or create art in Niger. Wow! How do you explain "art" in a second language?! Needless to say, I kept it simple and quickly went on to the activity for the day. We spent the next hour sketching a lion step by step. The students were thrilled with the results of their work, as was I!

Today, I taught the 4th grade about the Rock Art that can be found in the Sahara Desert in Niger. I explained that we don't know who drew the animals and people on the rocks, but it's quite old and famous. I had the students imagine that they were in the desert when suddenly they came across a huge rock. What would they like to draw? What is important and/or interesting in their lives, which would be worth drawing on the rock? Some of the things they picked were chickens, elephants, taxis, water buckets, flowers, houses, and siblings. After they practiced drawing these things they drew them on sand paper (which is the "rock") with crayons. I'm really impressed with their level of creativity. They turned out very well! You'll get to see the final results at the Art Auction in Ada, MI on April 16!

For more information about the Art Auction Benefit, you can visit our website at RememberNiger.org.

FRIENDS & BUSES

I left Washington DC on Monday afternoon and arrived in Niger on Tuesday evening. There was at least 3 feet of snow in DC when I left, and upon arriving at 5pm in Niamey (the capital of Niger) the temperature was well over 100 degrees! Normally, the cool season lasts from December through the end of February, but this year there were only a few weeks of cooler weather. So far, the heat has been bearable, and, quite honestly, I'm trying to soak up the rays before I return to cold and cloudy Michigan.

I spent most of Wednesday changing my money from dollars to CFA, running errands, and catching up with friends. The picture above is of my friend Hannatou and her children Ilia and Jolie. This is the family I lived with for 8 months when I was here from 2005-2007. It's always so much fun spending time with them! Hannatou now works for the American Peace Corps as an administrative assistant. It's clear that her colleagues really appreciate her. In fact, they recently gave her an award and certificate for her excellent work, which was signed by the American ambassador herself.

As I mentioned in another posting, on Thursday, I took a bus 8 hours east to Maradi, where I'm staying for the next 2 weeks. The boarding school that Remember Niger supports is only 15 minutes outside of Maradi. Riding on a bus in Niger is quite a bit different than in the United States. While it looks deceivingly like an American coach bus from the outside, it's missing two important things that I believe are critical for a journey across Niger. These buses are not equipped with air conditioning or a toilet. While this is not a problem in the cool morning air, it's a bit challenging when the sun rises and the temperature starts soaring above 100 degrees. You feel like you're driving along in an oven with hot air blowing on you. And, although you are sweaty and thirsty, you don't dare drink too much water for fear of having to go to the bathroom. Fortunately, on this trip I was able to find a pit latrine at one of the stops. However, I don't want to give the impression that the trip was all bad. In fact, overall, it was interesting, quick (only 9 hours long) and relatively inexpensive - which are all good things! And, my Nigerien friends were there to greet me with an air-conditioned vehicle when I arrived.

Coup

I just wanted to give a quick update regarding the coup in Niger. I've received quite a few emails regarding my safety. I can assure you that everything is peaceful in Niger, and life seems to be continuing on as normal. I was fortunate to get into the country a couple days before the event occurred. And, I was riding on the bus from Niamey to Maradi on that day. Really, I wouldn't have know that anything was going on if someone hadn't told me about it. So, as of now, it seems like it will remain a relatively peaceful country. I'll let you know if I hear anything new.

Niger Trip

I leave for Niger this afternoon and will be posting new entries as often as I am able. Unfortunately, the internet connection in Niger is very slow and not reliable, so I probably won't be able to upload as many pictures or post as many entries as I would like. However, my hope is that this blog will provide insight into what life is like in Niger and give more information about the schools, teachers and students.

Welcome!

Thanks for visiting the Remember Niger Blog! The purpose of this blog is to keep members of the Remember Niger Coalition updated on events and happenings.