Author: place2place

Our internet fiasco has taught us to slow down. Way down! The wheels turn slowly here in Niger. It is not an instantaneous society like in the US. There are advantages to slowing down but it takes some getting used to if you come from a place where fast food is FAST and check out lines aren’t usually used for socializing.

Last week, Dina was going to come with the kids for lunch here at the embassy. One of the reasons was that it is the day that they serve capitaine (the local fish) and she hadn’t tried it yet. I was forewarned that they run out early and to reserve it in the morning before others get to it first. So I requested it at 9AM for 1 O’Clock. Dina arrived with the kids just before that and we waited and waited. Finally, at 2:15, they brought us our fish! It was superb! Fried and cooked to perfection on a bed of fantastic potato salad (not overly smothered in mayonnaise). That was an exceptionally long wait but not unusual. I’ve waited over a half an hour before. Relax! It’s OK! It’s coming! They are making if individually fresh from scratch!

Daily, my nurse tells me (rolling her eyes) something to the effect of, "they are going to change our doors in the clinic because they want to install a special light." They take off the door, lay wiring all over the hall across the threshold, and disappear for a few days. "They are promising they are gonna do it tomorrow," she tells me every day.

And then there’s the sore subject of the internet at home. People tell us options are available but it all takes time (ours) and nothing has panned out. There is an antiquated phone line which relies on land lines that are corroded and frequently flooded and short curcuit. Those who have it say it is problematic at best and frequently it is on the blink. You pay by the minute and they often receive bills for time they know they weren’t on line.

Then there is Dougouney! Some magical satellite phone you buy and plug into your computer. It costs about 40,000 CFA/month (~$80) for unlimited use. Sounds great! Until they come and look at the MAC and ask where the CPU is? They have no cable to connect to a MAC even though the contents on the box of the satellite phone says it contains a MAC cable. Maybe we can buy one for ~$64 dollars but no garantees.

"Have you heard of WeeFee (WiFi)?!!" Your computer picks up and sends wireless messages. But our neighborhood doesn’t have it. Ahhhhh! But there is an internet cafe about a half a mile from us that does. "You need a repeater," we’re told. It strengthens the signal. But we don’t even get a weak signal so that was also a no-go. Waaaa!! But wait! Rumor has it, that we can buy an antenna and get WiFi!!! That’s where we’re at! It’s made in Germany! That sounds promising. It’s gonna cost an arm and a leg but if it works, we can utilize Skype (free long distance calling on the internet)! Two hits, one stone! We’re keeping everything crossed! I wonder if they rent or we can buy a sputnik?

Things do get done. And every day, there is the call to prayer. I hear it in the mornings, during the day, and at night. It sounds Eastern and the people flock and kneel on their prayer rugs facing east. Some are Toreg, some are Zarma and Hausa. Others are indestinguishable in origin. Five times a day Amina covers her head with a scarf, kneels and prays no matter how busy it is. She tells me that she does it to acknowledge her gratitude to God and pray for peace in the world. I have inadvertantly disturbed her prayers on two occasions and felt like an intruder but she smiles and tells me not to feel bad. "Love and peace are not sacred" she says.

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.

I’ve been having a few nights of vivid dreams accompanied by insomnia. They say that both are quite common with the antimalarial medication I’m taking (Mefloquine). I don’t mind the dreams so much. At least not so far. They are different from my dreams in the past, mostly because they are in such crisp living color.

The first one I noticed, I was standing on a steep hillside overlooking a beautiful Caribbean bay. The water was royal blue and the sky was clear and sunny. There were a couple of people I didn’t recognize a little closer to the water form me when all of a sudden, a Medivac helicopter came swooping down over my head in the direction of the water and crashed into the bay! I was stunned and tried to run and help but my legs felt like they wouldn’t move forward very well (as so often happens in my dreams when I try to run). I could see the helicopter lying on it’s side on the bottom, submerged in shallow water and started yelling for the others to try and help when I woke up.

Last nights I dreamed I was in a near car crash while in a taxi and the driver was laughing because he didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak… whatever he spoke! Like a mad lunatic, he drove me over a wall and we plunged toward the ocean (also royal blue) as he continued to laugh hysterically. There was a building rising strait up out of the sea with a swimming pool on the roof top surrounded by sun bathers. I woke up before we hit water or could recognize anyone.

The most menacing thing about it was I couldn’t fall back asleep for 2-3 hours after! Just laying there thinking about nothing. I finally got up and read a medical journal about treating acne. Great!

Both dreams involved water and I’m here in the sub Saharan desert. I’m also a Pisces. Perhaps Yung’s dream analysis might be my next book.

It rained so hard last night I thought the roof would leak. This morning while driving to work, I could see washed out streets and people huddled under grass thatched huts with no walls cooking on an open fire, trying to stay dry. A young girl was tying her baby onto her back while three little naked kids stood next to her standing in the down pour rain, waiting for there millet cereal and slice of baggette. A motorbike pulled up to me while I was at a stop light. The passenger was a beautiful young woman holding an umbrella over herself and the driver. Three young children were turning over their donkey cart and climbing under to stay dry. Even I got wet just walking the short distance from the parking lot to my clinic. My nurse, Amina came shortly after, drenched to the bone, so happy and all smiles because of the rain; lifes blood to Niger.

On Saturday night, we went to the Grand Hotel to sit on the veranda overlooking the Niger River and have a few drinks. They offer brochettes (grilled beef on a skewer) with a salty spice powder you dredge it in! The Nigerian beer goes well with it. It has two giraffe on the label. We watched a beautiful sunset and Stefan played on the play structure there. Camille was invited to a sleep-over and didn’t come with us this time. The hotel has wireless internet so we took the laptop and sent a few e-mail. Also snapped a few pictures with it. A slice of heaven!

Bonjour!

WE had a super smooth ride. I was worried about getting through the security screening at Dulles International. Not because I was smuggling but because of all the lines. But because we flew business class and had diplomatic passports, they wisked us through ahead of everyone else and we sat in the Air France lounge for an hour before boarding! Help yourself to free drinks (Champagne in an ice bucket, Stolichnaya, Tangueray, VSOP cognac’s Wild Turkey, Beck’s, Heineken; nothing but the best)with french cheese plates and pate! I love this job already! We were giddy!

The flight from DC to Paris was very comfortable on business class. 7 1/2 hours. Arrived in Paris where once again we were treated to the Business lounge with coussants, french coffee, and again, all the spirits you can drink (and they do drink in the mornings). Then the flight to Niamey without any problems (5 1/2 hours).

The kids did great. Well behavied. Interesting observations and comments. The stewardess asked Stefan if he might see an elephant. "Yes!" he said, "but not any whales!"

We were greeted at the airport and again wisked through ahead of all those poor travelers standing in line. It was 30 degrees celcius.

The ride to our house was so interesting. People waking right up to and even in the street where cars whizz by at 50 MPH. Women dressed in African garb balancing pots on their heads and men on with their faces wrapped in scarves on camels, donkey carts, and motorcycles. Beggars and mamed, the police and crowded market places. The huts look like Mexico. Then Niger River was surprisingly beautiful with green grass and shrubs growing all around.

Our guard was standing in front of our house in the hot sun and opened the locked gate. We entered the compound and the gate was closed behind us. The house is large and square shaped made of stucco. Given the heat and the palm shrubs, it reminded me of Davis.The inside accommodations are quite nice. We got new furniture and the rooms are very spacious. There’s a filter on our drinking water and the beds have mosquito netting canapies covering them. We swam in the pool which was very clean and refreshing.

Today is my first day at work. I’m being introduced to the Ambassador and everyone else here at post. My clinic is quite well equiped and stocked. Amina, my nurse is so nice!

We are working on phones and getting e-mail set up at the house. A trip to explore the market too!

The extended stay in DC has allowed for some idle time. There were still a few errands to run, arranging for new travel orders and trying to get our title for the car. But mostly we had time to reflect upon our stay here at the expense and hospitality of our generous government. We really are treated like dignitaries with luxurious accommodations, excellent training, a car loan, and per diem pay. After twenty-six years of patient care, in this past month, I haven’t seen one patient! How can this be work? It seems unreal, like I might wake up to find this has all been a dream and there is a waiting room with lots of people wanting to be seen.

We decided to go to colonial Williamsburg. This township has been preserved as a historical landmark. Thomas Jefferson resided and studied law there. The citizens wear 18th century attire. The buildings are all preserved and maintained to fit that era. There are shops and working farms and businesses just like they were in 1776. It’s an interactive step-back in time.

Camille rented a costume and Stefan wore a three-pointed hat, the kind the minutemen wore. We saw how they cooked in a kitchen\ on an open fire and used smoke houses and salt cellars. We watched how baskets were made from white oak trees and sapplings. We toured the home and plantation of a wealthy lawyer and saw the washrooms, laundry, and kitchen areas of the slave quarters next to the fields and livestock. The shoemaker, the wig maker, the iron smith, and general store were all in operation and horse drawn carriages moved down the streets. We bought slices of watermelon from an open market. We visited the courthouse and saw the stockades and heard how people were brought to trial and judged at that time. When Camille rented the costume, she was given a letter requesting her to run a few errands at the post office and book binders for Miss Betsy Woodruff (who had to go help her sister, who had taken ill, and care for her 10 children.)

I had made reservations for dinner at the Shields Tavern which served an all you could eat fixed meal in the style of that time: sesoned greens with vinaigrette served with biscuits, kettle braised beef with field mushrooms and vegetables, roasted sage-rubbed turkey, root beer glazed ham, cornbread stuffing with gravy, buttermilk mashed potatoes, stewed furits, green beans with tarragon-shallot butter, and pumpkin bread pudding with vanilla bean sauce and a fruit cobbler for dessert.

An evening stroll down one of the main streets concluded our day there. We really enjoyed it. At first, I expected it to be a real tourist trap but I liked how nothing seemed commercial and how the entire town is set up to give you the experience of eighteenth century Williamsburg. Even the people strolling down the street in costume say “good day sir” and tip their hats to the ladies and engage you in conversation of the day (1776). One lady (not a woman, said the printer) commended us on having taught our daughter to read.

The basket-weaver lady had made a woven bird feeder and cardinals were flitting around the feeder. It was a thrill to see cardinals for the first time.

Overall, it has been an incredible experience here in the Washington DC area. Tomorrow we will check out of the hotel and drive our car to Lana’s who will care for it until they pick it up to ship to Niamey. She will drive us to the airport. We will miss the museums and fireflies and continue to think about our friends and family.