Winter is coming here slowly. Nights get chilly, but every now and then the afternoons make their way back to 105. And that is when thoughts of jackets and Brooklyn and crunching leaves and scarves and lattes creep into my thoughts and make me remember all that water that stands between me and home.
I went to my new village for a week, and though it had it's ups and downs, my new house is beautiful! I have a small mud hut as a kitchen, and second bigger one as a bedroom. I am replacing a married couple so I'm inheriting two double beds-one inside, one outside (with metal frames!), a cot and 4 chairs! Room for anyone and everyone who wants to come visit :) It's like a little slice of paradise in the middle of the Sahel. My houses are contained by a millet stalk fence (or concession wall) to keep the goats and chickens out; and to offer minimal privacy from my few and far off neighbors.
As PST (pre service training) comes to a close, it is hard to believe that it has already been nearly 2 months since I stepped off the plane. The little things that remind me I'm not used to Niger are becoming more and more normalized... The wild bray of the donkeys I wake up to each night, the chickens and lizards I have to chase out of my latrine, making sure not to put my hands or feet anywhere I haven't looked first for fear of scorpions, the gray haze that settles on top of the villages as they burn their nightly trash fires, and remembering not to walk in front of a man while he is praying lest he would have to do his three washings all over again.
I am thinking of everyone at home sitting under rooves, maybe with tea, driving on paved roads and flying through subway tunnels. I am thinking of you waking up before the sun as the winter mornings get darker, and how by sundown here I am so often getting ready for bed. This place is good for thinking and art and learning how to have different kinds of conversations. I am trying to absorb what I can.
I will keep you posted. And love hearing from you all.
P.S. There is currently a black snake living in my latrine. Maybe #1 on what to change about my new home. xx
5 comments:
dear annette,
thanks for the update. i just read the whole thing aloud to sebastien who is home vomiting all over me. just think: it could have been you!
he says he forgets what he wants to tell you. we will send a package soon.
Oh, Annette, I got all screwed up with having an account already, which I don't remember - I thought I'd saved what I wrote, but I'm not sure - I'll have to look around for it...
Re your blog, nobody told us about it till your email came today, so I started by answering the earliest entry. I'm still planning to send letters!!! Now let's see if I can get this to register - OXOXOXOX Gma
Annette!!! Grandma & Grandpa here - Why were you in the infirmary??? Are you OK now??
I don't know how much space I'll have here, so I'll just pick up a bit here & there from your msg - Um: the teacher in me says you gotta learn not to put an apostrophe into 'its' possessive - only when it's (sic!) a contraction - so Niger is living up to its (sic! but not in the infirmary yet!) reputation as you-know-what... (Were you referring to widespread diarrhea???) Guess you passed your language test(s?) - Congrats! Gosh, we wish we could see pictures of your houses (!) and all the other things you describe - do you have a camera? And how long are the days at this time of year? I'll have to look see how your latitude compares with ours (in reverse)... And, um, have you dislodged your black tenant from the latrine?
We love you!!! OXOXOXOXOXO Gma & Gpa
Hey! I finally got my comments posted - both with your Dec 3 entry because I didn't know how to make things come up where I wanted them - I guess I've got it more or less figured out now... How are your felines doing??? Better not tell Mischief - he'll be jealous! - You say you don't know exactly what to expect?? Why Annette, what kind of a PCV are you, anyway?? - Gosh, you're gonna have to translate & explain all the pits & bieces when you come home - you know, explain that 'Beeri' doesn't mean alcoholic drinks, and 'yesi' doesn't mean uh-huh... What did you find for an outfit for the ceremony?? Did they tape it so we can watch at home??? Wish we could watch Nigerien TV - but I guess you won't be on that often... Wes just came in from *man*handling the ice on the balcony outside our bedroom - there were huge chunks 3-4 inches thick - so far, the balcony has remained intact - finger-crossing time! We love you!!!! OXOXOXOX Gma & Gpa
Dear Annette,
Just reading your new amazing new life has left me exhausted--and admiring. Two of your goals that touched me most are "decorating my new mud hut" and "sitting and talking with my neighbors in Zarma."
I know you're an earnest farmer-in-training right now, and I do admire you for it, but I confess that I also look forward to the (eventual! eventual!)
transformation of your charming prose into glorious poetry.
As for the title of your memoir, how about "There's a Snake in My Salonga"?
Best always,
June
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