Camille has been waiting all her short life to be old enough for “Take Your Child to Work Day.” First, they were “sworn in” by the ambassador. Later they tried on the 40 pound jackets worn by the marines, made a call on the radio, cashed a check, learned how to read an xray and filled in at the consular desk, I guess.
Ambassador Allen and her new crew.
I haven’t made a dress for myself since the lavender dotted-swiss number in high school (can’t you just picture it?) Wrap around dresses were popular then, too. I got this pattern from this Japanese sewing book, I want to make everything in it.
Something unbelievable is happening! I went home to deliver a bunch of packages for lunch and while driving back, saw some unusual dark clouds forming over the horizon. Within 10 minutes of spotting them, they where upon me and behind them I could see a rolling tidal wave of dust, falling down like a moving wall. It really looked like you could surf down the pipeline as the dust cascaded down the pike. I parked the car and as soon as I got into the chancery building, it hit us like a hurricane. The blowing dust blocked the sun like a heavy fog. The courtyard I crossed to the health clinic blew fierce wind and micro grains, like sandpaper, lightly grazing my exposed arms and face. The palm trees were swaying like upright wet noodles and several unripe mangos fell out of the trees like granades waiting to explode. And now it rains; a down pour which brings with it a cool and pleasant temperature. The heavy storm continues. Now I know what they mean when they say "Harmattan."
Votes poured in to select the new chef at the embassy, a stack of votes for one guy, a single vote for the other guy. The good news is, Leopold won, hands down. The bad news is, we gave away Jennifer and James cook! He worked for them Monday through Friday. We had him cooking for us on Saturday, I thought for sure he wouldn’t continue with us if he got the job at the embassy, but he insists it’s not too much. But he is too busy to continue during the week next door. After all the Fulbrights have done for us! They did cleverly have Leopold teach their housekeeper how to make a lot of dishes though. So today is Friday, which means Leopold is going to come and sit and discuss with me what to prepare, and then make a shopping list with all the prices, then we figure how much money he needs. This time spent sitting figuring out menus and shopping and prices is a job Peter’s Russian grandmother would have loved.
The kids are requesting onion rings for tomorrow. Here he is with rice, fish in a ginger sauce and salade verte.
Walked out the gate to go next door and take a picture of Norma’s pool for the movie and this was coming down the street.
I had a chaotic week at work. My visa needs renewing and my evaluation is due. The school board meeting was on Wednesday night and I’m responsible for writing a report to the ambassador. Amina was getting ready for her nursing conference in Vienna and we had a large herd of patients.
Friday after work, I had to go over to the American International School where I was one of the judges for the science fair. I was astonished to find such elaborate presentations on complex subjects utilizing the scientific method. The students presented their projects and were very enthusiastic and prepared. They talked about what motivated them to start their research. They sited their refrences and resources. They stated their hypothesis and talked about their data collection and possible variables which might alter the results. Their findings were impressive and all deserved an award. The topics I judged were on photosynthesis, lasting flavor of sugarless vs sugared chewing gum, bottle rockets, and comparison of how time is perceived when compared to males and females. The last one won first place.
Later that night, I took the kids to the open house where all the students were displaying their projects to their families and there was an awards ceremony and Italian dinner. Dina stayed home to get some much needed time alone.
Saturday we had some friends over and made a nice BBQ. It was my fist attempt without my cook. The charcoal here is quite small and burns very fast. But it turned out great and the kids played and swam until dusk.
Yesterday, Dina arranged for us to pick up several kids from the orphanage and bring them home for lunch and play. It was a rich experience. One of the girls is deaf but such a joy. Her facial expressions and movements are so graceful. She smiles and points. We signed some with her and she seems to know quite a bit of sign language. The boys wanted to touch everything. One kept puting in a CD and ejecting it, then playing it at different volumes with the remote until I had to ask him to stop. They played muscial instruments and ate Raisin Bran and chocolates after a big pasta lunch. They ate ravenously and asked for more. Taking them back was hard. Part of it is the emotional feelings but also the beauty of these kids. They are so alive; expressive and loving. I was afraid that I would be depressed but I found a feeling of hope. That these children get fed, washed, clothed, sheltered, and most importantly, educated is more than most of the other children their age here in Niger.
You met the one little girl the other day, she had a pot on her head. Her name is Amiata.
Way in the background, by the car, right in front of our house, in an orange shirt, watching me taking pictures and waiting to give me cash and the car key for my errand to the drinks store for a case of mineral water, half a case of Biere Niger and half a case of pineapple soda, you can see Le Patron–everyone calls him that and it CRACKS me up, and it cracks him up that they call ME Madame le Doctor, I mean, what a promotion I got–Peter.
Air France tickets on sale. For example, if you want to fly from Seattle to Niger, only $1500 round trip, in September, just in time for the Cure Sale. All US points of departure are on sale, but they are going fast, so look now.
Yesterday Jennifer and I visited the French gym, a really nice facility opened and now languishing since the Francophonie games held here in 2005. As we were backing out in our car the guy working at the gym said, “Don’t go out in your car tomorrow, they’ll be looking for cars like that to throw rocks at.”
The teacher-student strikes are in full swing. Zuri said people were walking down the street this morning with sticks. “Don’t do sports this morning,” she told me, which is how she refers to my little jaunts to the stadium. Tires are burning in the streets. Jennifer is trapped up on campus at the University. One side has declared that whatever happens is the other side’s fault for taking so long to come to an agreement.
But it’s calm in the house, the kids are on vacation, so there is no drop-off, pick-up–Camille is writing an animal story on the laptop, Zuri’s braiding doll hair, Stefan is having the gardener blow up a yoga ball. Peter went to work early and has to stay late for a meeting, until after dark when things are calmed down. So we’ll sit behind our walls and hope they get things resolved and wait out the rock throwing. It’s too hot to protest past much past noon anyway.
I placed an order with Powell’s Books last Wednesday. On Friday the books left the warehouse and are speeding towards me. I’ll tell you when they get here, just so you can see what it’s like. I’m dying for:
Everyday Fashions of the Thirties as Pictured in Sears Catalogs a Dover book
Rosie’s Walk, a picture book for Stefan
30 Heirloom Projects with Complete How-To-Knit Instructions by Melanie Falick, I love, love, love her Weekend Knitting, in spite of it’s problems,I can’t wait to lay my hands on this.
Around the Year by Elsa Beskow, can’t believe we don’t already have this, and they had a used copy!
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. Anybody read this?
The King in the Window by Adam Gopnik, recommended to Camille by the charming 12-year-old Dev, who we met in Rome. It’s about an American boy living in France, and written by the guy who wrote the delightful Paris to the Moon.
I picked up a copy of Pinocchio in Rome (but the book’s in English, c’mon) and started reading it aloud to kids while we were there. It’s great to read a book about a naughty, naughty marrionette, who then feels bad, only to be terribly naughty again. Stefan loves hearing about someone who is so badly behaved. “Read another chapter,” he says. All the chapters are really short, and have spoilers as chapter headings: “Pinocchio weeps upon learning that the Lovely Maiden with Azure Hair is dead. He meets a Pigeon, who carries him to the seashore. He throws himself into the sea to go to the aid of his father.” As Pinocchio says, “Mamma mia.”
We got comfortable with our life here in Niger. The things we missed were kind of stored away somewhere to keep ourselves from craving and obsessing. And periodically, between net-grocer shipments, we think of something we should order but it often gets forgotten before the next order is placed.
Rome was kind of a tug back in the sense that there were all those stimulating visuals and tastes. Gelato twice a day! Candy stores and pasta shops. Is that bacon cooking that I smell? I couldn’t finish my pizza and salad and had to ask for a box to take it back to the hotel to savor later. “You’re not Italian,” remarked the waiter.
Coming back to Niamey was different. We still love it but oh how I miss that coffee! There certainly is a difference between a plate of Italian cookies vs a Nigerien wheel barrel mound full of green and red peppers. Both can be stimulating and overwhelm the senses. But I think you tend to miss the ones you can’t get.
So it pleased me to the bone when I received my birthday care package from my loving family on Wednesday. I thought perhaps I might get a book or a CD (they know me well). But this delighted us all like Christmas! There were chocolates, dried fruits, boullion, organic pastas, cookies, and easter candies. There were two CD’s and not just a book, but books; some for the kids and 6 for me! We hadn’t expected these suppressed stimulants for at least another 2-3 months.
twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?" 