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I stole this from my friend Mike's facebook page. (See his amazing design work here.) "Are you keeping up with the elections?" he asked. "Yeah! David Cook won!" I said.

It was an unplanned arrival but Dina always finds a way to travel in style. We left DC in a panic. Our luggage was overweight by a few pounds in 4 of the 8 suitcases so we had to redistribute the weight. Now forgive me for asking but, why does it matter how the weight is distributed if it can all go within the guidelines of the allotted weight? Time was running out and we were flinging our underwear out of our bags to find something worth "redistributing". Thank you to the young female passanger who helped us drag all of our bags to the x-ray check-in away from the ticket counter. I never got your name.

In New York, the flight was overbooked. No surprise there since we were flying on Delta Airlines. It was packed with lots of Russians and more of their kids. Just as we were getting our ticket swiped, Dina hears the overhead announcement that they are offering a business class flight on Air France to Moscow via Paris plus $400/person to anyone willing. Once I stopped to ponder this, it was easy to agree that by not doing so was simply stupidity on our part. An hour later, we are seated in business class; Stefan has his dental chair in the horizontal position with his night shades on and his ear plugs in and the cocktail waitress is serving us champagne (I'll post the picture as soon as I am able)! Although I should note that the only difference between business class and steerage on the last leg of the flight between Paris and Moscow was a simply a curtain.

So we arrive in Moscow and we are completely out of our minds from jet lag and business class hospitality when we slowly realize that there is no one there to pick us up. The woman at the information booth is curtious yet with an undertone of irritation. I ask for assistance calling the American Embassy. She instructs me to buy a phone card from the bar and hands me the Russian phone book to look up the number. But my appologetic kindness prevailed and she did finally look up the number for me and even paged anyone who was listening to come to the information booth and help Mr. Chordas who is waiting for them (equivalent of our "white Curtesy phone"). I finally get through to the Embassy and after a series of transfer calls talk to someone who will help retreive us. A van comes 2 hours later to pick us up. Bad traffic we are told.

Exhausted, we are brought to our apartment in the heart of Moscow. We are all too tired to comprehend out surroundings except to say, "wow!" Our sponsors had left us some homemade lasagna and a nice bottle of wine. A new and dear friend had delivered some excellent pastries (thank you Moscowmom).

This morning I woke up to a view of birch trees, spruce, and a lone pine out our bedroom window. My office is literally less than 200 feet from our front door! I hear Russian everywhere in the Embassy and Camille is already playing with the DCM's daughter (second only to the Ambassador). Stefan has also made friends on the playground. I miss Niamey and the States but I am excited to be here!

Sat under the stars and pine trees of Mt. Shasta drinking wine and Amuk cooked, of course. Biggest laugh: me and Tanya almost wet our pants because we couldn’t figure out how to make their bed. Or maybe when Serge told me “If you have one watch you know what time it is. If you have two, you never know.” Abe taught me four new guitar chords, which doubled my repertoire. Thanks to Jeremy and Milla who provided a great venue for four-day house party, and they weren’t even there.

No matter how well you try and prepare in advance, time slips away and you spend your last minutes running around trying to get everything done. Leaving Niamey was no different. But in the end, I got done what was needed.

I was supposed to do early check-in at the airport so that after the 4th of July celebration, I could take my time and not have to sit in the hot airport 2 hours before take off. But the expeditor forgot me which only added to my already stressful day. Seeing Pierre and Zourie for the last time had already made me a wreck.

Running late to the fete at the Ambassador’s residence, I put on a borrowed suit. The jacket was a bit snug and I tied the tie forgetting to look at it in the mirror on my way out the door of my office. There were a lot of people (more than I could say all my personal goodbyes to) but it was quite nastalgic with the Ambassadors’ speech and the Marines carring the flag to the bugles playing our National Anthem. It was sweltering with humidity and they ran out of ice early on. Everyone was dripping with sweat. The view was fantastic though; overlooking the river and the table top bluffs on the other side which I had run during the hash.

At 9PM, people were starting to leave and I was anxious to get back to my office, grab my luggage and get dropped off one last time at our residence to take a shower before being taken to the airport. As I entered the hall in the health unit, I saw myself drenched in the full length mirror. The knot in my tie looked remarkably well considering I tied it without looking. But it extended too long beyond the last closed button, giving the appearence of a striped arrow pointing down at my crotch. Nice exit strategy!

After my shower at home, I took one last look at our home. It served us well for two years. Amina and Kasumi drove me to the airport and dropped me off. Every camel and Nigerien we past I tried to take in for the last time. Fighting back tears, I said my thanks and goodbye to Amina who made this tour an “E ticket” ride (back in the day, Disneyland used to reserve the “E” ticket for their wildest roller coaster rides).

The plane lifts and I kept every last light reflecting from Niamey in my sightes until they where no more.

I arrived this morning in Paris to a world that seems light years ahead in time. Not so much a parallel universe but more like an intersecting one with rare bisecting lines. The young woman in a mini skirt with an open crash helmet and those huge fashionable sunglasses on her vespa with her dog at her feet made me look. But Niamey is such a nunique place. I will always remember.

Our last weekend was busy but enjoyable. Camille had horseback riding and then brought over 4 friends for a sleep-over until the next afternoon and the only reason her party ended was because they had – you got it- more horseback riding! Dina and I were invited to our Nigerien friends' house for lunch and then the DCM's for a very nice dinner with a few other embassy colleagues. The African food was so good, only to be followed by a sit down cous-cous. I discreetly loosened my belt to the last hole. We arranged for Stefan to be dropped off at the Marine House to watch, "Horton Hears A Who," so everyone was happy.

On Saturday, Dina made blueberry pancakes for the slumbering slumber partiers who each kissed me on each cheek and loved the pancakes so much that they asked for more! Leopold came and made them burgers and fries plus a mango fruit salad for a late lunch. Dina and I touted around Niamey running a few errands and enjoying the sights as we found them. Then dropping the girls off back at the equestrian club and checking our emails before going to another dinner party to welcome the new School Director of the American International School. It was very nice. The host made escargot and everyone brought a variety of dishes to share; none the least was true romance.

Sunday was down time. A day of liesure. But we did manage to get do visit the people we sponsored who took two of our kittens so we could see them one last time. They are more bulk than Mignon (their brother). Maybe it's that American Fancy Feast they feed them? As opposed to our Nigerien Lizard Gizzard. But they were fun to watch and we all went to watch the sun go down and have brochettes one last time at the Grande Hotel.

Monday escaped me. Dina closed down her office only after firing off her final Sahel-O newsletter. Tuesday was also a blurr. We made a trip to Wadatta to shop for Toureg jewelry. I took Camille and her friend Marielle to the equestrian club one last time to say goodbye to her favorite horses. She fed them carrots and I watched her pet them and whisper, "remember me" in their ears. On the drive back she said, "I didn't realize I would miss Niger so much!" But that is what this place does to you: it attaches itself to your back where it seeps into your soul so that you don't see it. But you feel it and it becomes a part of you.

I watched them walk away as they entered the airport. I called Murielle who manages the restaurant upstairs to let her know they were departing. She came down and somehow got me in. More hugs with tears in our eyes. Once they got through the x-ray Murielle invited me upstairs to the restaurant where we could see the entire plane sitting on the tarmak. She made me a gin & tonic (a double) and I watched them board the aircraft. Once it started scooting towards the runway, we left. And as I drove out onto the road towards Niamey, it took off and flew right over us. Goodbye my dear family. Be safe.

So the desktop computer gave me the weirdest message in the world, and then died. Bricked, as my computer fixing nephew says. I tried everything while having a two-day panic attack and all I could get was the bong and the fans. The end of Idol and I lose my computer? In a country where I am the only mac resource? Wah! So I've been living off the laptop for a week. Yesterday I came home and the computer is up and running. Perfectly. Zoueha says she dusted it and it came on. This is not the first time she has repaired a piece of electronics she knows nothing about by dusting. She is starting to scare me.

Right when American Idol tour tickets went on sale, the show was rebroadcast and Camille was in the tv room, "Mom, David Cook is on right now and I can't believe you aren't in here!" "I'm trying to get concert tickets!" Talk about Sophie's choice. Right as I was trying to buy tickets, of course, the electricity goes out, purchase interuptus. It was only out long enough for me to run around the house once, freaking out. I made Peter look at where our seats would be and he said it doesn't matter where the seats are, he knows I will be running down to mosh pit, if they'll let me in. And yea! I can't wait. I hope it doesn't start three hours late, and that the minister of popular culture doesn't give a long-winded speech before they bring on the singers, like certain other concerts I've been to recently.
I've been saying for weeks that I don't care who wins, just please don't make David Cook sing a mall-purchased cheese ball of a song celebrating this is my now, this is the corniest song of my life that I will forever be associated with. I think the artistic freedom that would come with the silver makes more sense for him, and I sort of hate to see Archie lose. The finals show is going to be shown live here in the middle of the night, and Nina wants to stay up and watch it with me. Isn't she the best SIL ever?
Oh my gosh, I just read that Archie is going to sing Imagine again, and DC is going to sing a U2 song, Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For. They do listen to us. Unless the Cook camp is just teasing us, which you know they love to do. And let me go on the record now, I am NEVER watching American Idol again.

We left the condo at 5:15 am yesterday and got home around 9:30 am today, Portland time, 5:30 pm Niamey time. Wow, is that a long trip. Next time we stay over in Paris, just to stretch our legs and not have to spend more than 24 hours of solid travel time.

Pierre and Zoure were here to greet us, Zoure all dressed up with gold earrings and everything. A lot of big trees have been trimmed in the yard making the house brighter than ever. It’s so clean, Zoure came a few days early to clean and it’s bigger than I remembered. Peter’s nurse brought over a dinner she left in the fridge.

We wandered around the house and then ran to our favorite corners. Camille is watching “That’s so Raven” I’m on the computer and Stefan is playing with cars. Peter had to run to meet a regional medical officer who is taking our same plane back to France tonight at midnight.