Well…it’s been a while! As many of you know there was a second security scare in December and we (all of PC Niger) went through a second consolidation similar to what I went through last January. This time around we were not allowed to write about it publicly, hence my absence from this blog (but don’t worry, we are all safe). Now I am back in action! The last few months have been a little rough. Three of my best friends and 50 of my other friends all left the country in a rushed and unexpected manner due to terrorism evacuations. Everyone is fine, but PC Niger is a changed place. My last blog entry was about all the work I was excited to get up and running, and this one will be more like an update on why those plans changed.
As of now I will be COS-ing in September of this year, 3 months earlier than my original departure date. I will be leaving with the other education volunteers instead of with the agriculture volunteers whom I came to country with. I am not quite ready for such an early departure, but not sure if I really want to change my mind and remain in my village until my initial December date. If I do leave in September I will most likely be replaced with a new education volunteer who will take over. If I stay until December my village will be PCV-less for 9 months. In addition, I am considering applying for a job in Niamey which begins in September, and extending for an additional year. This option would give me some great experience with NGOs, and would challenge me to get back into the swing of an 8-5 work day. But…I would be away from America for that much longer. In short, I am at a crossroads and am very unsure as to which path I will take.
In terms of work, my English Club is up and running and I am working with 2 teachers at the Hanscom School in Lincoln on a pen-pal correspondence program. My neighbor Hailey and I are starting a Girl’s Empowerment Group and hoping to coincide it with painting 2 large world maps at each of our schools to teach these girls about women around the world. These groups will most likely end when school does in June, and I am not sure what I will do yet over the summer. School opens back up in October, and as of now I have no idea where I will be at that point.
The weather is great here. Cool at nights and warm during the day. My mom and brother are leaving the states to come visit me in only two and a half weeks! I can’t wait to see them and to show them Niger! This country is really starting to grow on me. But maybe that’s just because winter here is such a great time of year. I hope you all had a fantastic time over the holidays and a happy, happy new year!
Much Love and Stay in Touch!!
4 comments:
Hi Annette,
I was a PCV in Dosso from 1976 through 1978. I worked as a lab tech at the hospital. My daughter, Jessica, was in the training group that was evacuated. Tell me, is Pat (Patricia) Alio still there? She married a Nigerienne nurse
Hi Annette,
We're watching developments in Niger closely and have you and your mom and brother in our thoughts and prayers. Please be safe. I know that change is tough and yet, I know that you can make the best of any situation. All our love, Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Arlo
Dolores, I've never met Pat, but I'm not in Dosso all that often. Was she in Kiota or Dosso? I hope Jessica is doing well in Madagascar! Send her all the best for me.
Thanks Uncle Arlo, it was quite the week we had here when they visited. They got a real taste of how upside down a typical day can turn. But now we're all safe and happy, and politically things are looking pretty good for the people of Niger. Send my love to everyone!
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