twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?"

place2place

  • no one ordered the agouti

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    Up some stairs, on a outdoor terrace, under some strings of half-funtioning lights, we ate dinner last night at Maquis 2000, (say ma-kee-deu-mill) my new favorite restaurant. Choose huge beef brochettes, chicken, capitain (river perch from the Niger) pintade (guinea fowl) or agouti (river rat.) Each entree comes with either an entire plate rice, a serving bowl of a tomato-polenta-aspic kind of thing, or a pile of fried plantains. Your chicken, fish, beef or whatever comes grilled, smothered in onions and tomatoes with a pile of fresh garlic, ginger, peppers or lime. About $10 a person. This is my plate of capitain gingembre. I want to go back next Friday.

  • starbucks in niamey!!

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  • club equestre

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    Sunday was an “international” riding event, meaning people came from Burkina for a jumping competition. Camille and her friends are happiest at the equestrian center. Also she has so much freedom, I wonder if she will miss it after we leave Niger? Now she goes to the equestrian center twice a week for lessons, she goes an hour early, just to get the horses ready, and on Saturday she goes all afternoon for games. The birds in the trees, the smell of the horses, her nice riding instructor, Hassan who says ça va, ça va a million times; sweet moments.

  • african easter

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    Last year we found white eggs to dye, but this year we had to go with what the local chickens lay. I think they turned out so pretty. And tomorrow is a holiday. I love it that Easter Monday is a holiday in a country that’s 97% muslim. How’s that for a tolerance?

  • mouloud holiday

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    Tomorrow is Mouloud, the prophet Mohammad’s birthday. We are suppose to stay up all night tonight praying. Then tomorrow we get a day off work to sleep.

  • seriously

    All I can do right now is sit around waiting for my super slow internet connection to download all of David Cook’s songs. He’s like Clark Kent: when he talks he’s normal, but when he sings, good lord.

    Watch it and develop your own crush.

  • after-marshmallow soup

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    During the break Camille made wool mice for the kittens and Stefan flew 100 paper airplanes. They blew bubbles, played on the swings, swam, went to riding camp, played checkers, knocked down miles of dominos, read books and we made marshmallows.

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    As soon as the marshmallows are cooling in the pan, you make the antidote: carrot cabbage spinach soup.

  • eight weeks old

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    I don’t like it that I have a favorite, but this kitten is the coolest.

  • drink a bottle of wine and tell me this isn’t hilarious

    Tyler_2I don’t know how people lived overseas before and survived without the internets. I mean, I’ve got the worst internet service in the world, and still I can stay in touch with friends and I get to see pictures of my new nephew playing poker at age four months. Staying in touch is the best thing, but being able to order stuff is way up there. We can have just about anything sent (and we’ll get it two weeks to two months later), as long as it’s not a liquid or a firearm (they are especially strict about the liquids, once in a while we can sneak in a firearm.) So just today I ordered vacuum cleaner bags, the game of Life (Camille’s request) and a teddy bear for Stefan’s Easter basket. But sometimes we have faux pas. Peter recently ordered five pounds of decaf instead of the real deal. How is that going to help him get going in the morning? When he made that order, he must have already been drinking decaf. I’m trying to figure out how to blame it on Netgrocer, but I recieved a weird package today. I ordered some baking supplies, including baking soda. Sixteen pounds of it. I’m going to have to read the side of the HUGE box to learn about all the things I can do with sixteen pounds of baking soda.

  • vacation continues

    Croissants

    Stefan gives a thumbs up to hot chocolate and croissants for breakfast.