Starting to miss things

Everything is good. We are adjusting to life here in Niamey. The sharp contrast is wearing off and I’m not gaping as much or as often as I was.

I am starting to miss little things such as the morning newspaper every day, and one stop shopping instead of going to multiple markets and not necessarily finding what I am looking for. We’ve placed an order on net-grocers (on line)for brown sugar and oatmeal, salsa and whole wheat flour. Other things are surprisingly readily available. We have a great french bakery ("Delice") with breads, coissants, and pastries.  We found a woman who delivers handmade tortillas, bagels, and pizza, plus a fish guy who has the freshest catch sold at an intersection with fish he pulls out of a cooler plugged into a tree(?). I’ve identified pike (which they call "Capitan"), catfish, perch, and carp.

Last Friday, I got off work at 1PM and my nurse, took me to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. It was surprisingly good considering I haven’t seen but one Asian here in Niamey. If anything, I would say it was Chinese with probably a French flair! For instance, the sweet and sour sauce was definitely a lite tangy sauce rather than that glaze they use in the states. The crispy chicken was probably a lean duck with dark meat on the breasts but tasty. So we are beginning to discover little comfort spots.

Boston University has a student exchange program with the University of Niamey. We were invited guests at their welcoming ceremony and had a great time. They had African dancing and music from different regions of Niger and the natives gave each student a Nigerian name. It was hot out but the kids were pacified by all the cold Coke and Fanta that seemed to be passes in an endless supply along with appetizer plates of salted green olives, popcorn, dates, and sweet roasted peanuts.

We were driving home Sunday evening when a boy ran out right in front of the car. I had to brake hard to keep from hitting him and the car behind me swerved to avoid me but lightly clipped my back bumper. A large crowd immediately gathered and the driver stopped next to me and got out of the car. I was told to always carry my radio with me and had it so I called the embassy. The marine guard advised me not to get out of the vehicle and to either drive to the embassy or somewhere that I could assess the damage safely. The other driver was trying to talk to me through the window and I lowered it slightly. He apologized and got in the car and drove away. The regional security officer heard me on the radio and called me right away and instructed me to drive to a safe place which I did and he met me there within 10 minutes. There was no damage to the embassy vehicle but the guy who drove away had a broken headlight. All told, there were no problems but a very good lesson in safety and security. They do take very good care of us here.

Our housekeeper (Zuri) is from Benin. She is probably about twenty eight years old and has 3 kids. Painfully shy, she barely says two words but does a very good job of cleaning house and occasional shopping. We also have a gardener and pool man, Pierre, who keeps our garden one of the most beautiful in Niamey. And our pool is divine (we can’t tell if he’s putting any chemicals into it but it’s so clean)! Luxuries of living at a hardship post!

The kids started school a few days ago. Both came home very happy. Camille told me she likes her teacher a lot and made some friends. Stefan only reports that there are 6 other kids from Portland, which means 6 other white kids are in his class. He also drew an elaborate picture of the bathroom toilet which required much description and we still don’t have a clue what he’s talking about.

Last night I had to stay late with a patient and when I was walking to my vehicle, the largest flock of  parrots I’ve ever seen were flying into the embassy trees in the courtyard to roost for the night. It was dusk as I drove home with a blazen sun in my rearview mirror. The car in front of me was a small taxi sedan which had a skinned cow with it’s head and hooves cut off, hanging out of the trunk.

Every day, I see things that my eyes cannot quite believe. Not because I am so ignorant but because it is such a different world than where we come from. The world is small but there is much to see, live, and experience.