heya,
tomorrow is eid in niamey. i know you guys are doing it wednesday (icbwayland.org), so i think ill be able to call my mom right after namaaz and talk to most of you!
the computers were down, hence the lack of blog entries. i have class soon, but this weekend was awesome. for now lets just say we were out til 4 in the morning saturday, i got singing lessons from a famous singer here and i played some softball.
love naye/ ayesha
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
nigerien dish
so they have this rice and bean dish here, and you put caramelized onions and a chili sauce on it. its called SHINKAFADAWOCKEY (sp?). no joke, thats what its called. i like to randomly shout it...
love naye/ayesha
love naye/ayesha
cars
so there are a lot of scooters here, along with a lot of cars. most are hatchbacks, like the taxis... and there are soooo so many taxis here, probably 5 taxis will pass you in one direction in a minute, no exxageration. they all stall at the petite marche, and its a sea of taxis. then there are 3 varieties of toyota sedans that exist. then there are the random cars that you look twice at. like the one bmw x5, or the one vw suv, or the couple of toyota suvs.
but this is what makes me kind of really happy. they have one variety of minivans here, the TOYOTA PREVIA. and it only comes in one color, that sky-silver blue that we had when i was a kid. same interior and everything. and ive also seen a couple of party jeep cherokees! love it.
love naye/ayesha
but this is what makes me kind of really happy. they have one variety of minivans here, the TOYOTA PREVIA. and it only comes in one color, that sky-silver blue that we had when i was a kid. same interior and everything. and ive also seen a couple of party jeep cherokees! love it.
love naye/ayesha
Saturday, September 20, 2008
PICTASSSSS
a fellow nigerien
tamumu's blog:
http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?TripID=2211
love naye/ayesha
tamumu's blog:
http://www.blogabond.com/TripView.aspx?TripID=2211
love naye/ayesha
a note on the wildlife
so outside my building, there are always frogs. some are big, some are small. i might not always see one hopping along, but i frequently see them flattened out into the dirt, with their guts hanging out of their body and flies all over it;.
i rode a camel! we went to the baleyara market outside of the city, where they sell livestock. we paid the guy who owned the camel 5 bucks and i took it for a ride... pictures to come i hope!
love naye/ayesha
i rode a camel! we went to the baleyara market outside of the city, where they sell livestock. we paid the guy who owned the camel 5 bucks and i took it for a ride... pictures to come i hope!
love naye/ayesha
malaria madness!
AND THE FIRST VICTIM IS...
hasi the conquerer!! aka my roomie!
how sad, it takes 2 weeks for malaria to start showing symptoms, so she must've gotten it right when we got to niamey. shes a trooper though. she went to the clinic for 2 nights, and by the second night she was as good as new... kind of. shes on meds and feels nauseous still. but shes alive and fairly well!
she gave me some advice after her experience: don't get malaria.
love ayesha
hasi the conquerer!! aka my roomie!
how sad, it takes 2 weeks for malaria to start showing symptoms, so she must've gotten it right when we got to niamey. shes a trooper though. she went to the clinic for 2 nights, and by the second night she was as good as new... kind of. shes on meds and feels nauseous still. but shes alive and fairly well!
she gave me some advice after her experience: don't get malaria.
love ayesha
a day in the life...
A typical day in the life of naye:
i wake up at around 7, climb out of my mosquito net, brush my teeth, wash my face, change, and the first thing i do in the morning (4 times a week anyway) is get bread (buru) for the 15 students in the program. i walk out of the cfca (where i live) and go to the bread guy on the corner. he hangs out at a wood shack, and i pay 800 cfa for 4 baguettes (sp?) of bread... thats 2 dollars. he wraps scrap pieces of paper from a local school around the bread and i take it back to the dining room. soumana, one of the cooks, boils water and i make tea with powdered milk and sugar cubes. i take a piece of bread, and put peanut butter anddddd condensed milk on it. i know, it sounds nasty, and it actually looks nasty too. but the peanut butter isnt sugary enough, and it makes your tongue stick to the top of your mouth. so sweetened condensed milk is good.
i do my reading or go to my community placement until 12:30, then we get lunch. then we have naptime!!! i nap from about 1-2, and take a nice shower. its the hottest part of the day, and i wake up in a pool of sweat. so a shower is nice. then class starts up again at 3, and can go until 8:30 at night.
after class i read, write in my journal, watch a movie, or go out w/ the ppl here to the neighborhood bar. dont worry, i buy a fanta. there are a lot of bars here!
when i walk in and out of the grounds, i talk to the staff a lot. my bff is hama, hes the day guard. he teaches me zarma and he's patient with my lack of language skills.
at night i tuck my mosquito net under my mattress, think about all of you (i have pictures up on my wall), and snuggle with teddy. oh yea and i sweat a lot.
the power goes out a ton, and the internet poops out with it. my hand crank flash light is really coming in handy!
love naye/ayesha
i wake up at around 7, climb out of my mosquito net, brush my teeth, wash my face, change, and the first thing i do in the morning (4 times a week anyway) is get bread (buru) for the 15 students in the program. i walk out of the cfca (where i live) and go to the bread guy on the corner. he hangs out at a wood shack, and i pay 800 cfa for 4 baguettes (sp?) of bread... thats 2 dollars. he wraps scrap pieces of paper from a local school around the bread and i take it back to the dining room. soumana, one of the cooks, boils water and i make tea with powdered milk and sugar cubes. i take a piece of bread, and put peanut butter anddddd condensed milk on it. i know, it sounds nasty, and it actually looks nasty too. but the peanut butter isnt sugary enough, and it makes your tongue stick to the top of your mouth. so sweetened condensed milk is good.
i do my reading or go to my community placement until 12:30, then we get lunch. then we have naptime!!! i nap from about 1-2, and take a nice shower. its the hottest part of the day, and i wake up in a pool of sweat. so a shower is nice. then class starts up again at 3, and can go until 8:30 at night.
after class i read, write in my journal, watch a movie, or go out w/ the ppl here to the neighborhood bar. dont worry, i buy a fanta. there are a lot of bars here!
when i walk in and out of the grounds, i talk to the staff a lot. my bff is hama, hes the day guard. he teaches me zarma and he's patient with my lack of language skills.
at night i tuck my mosquito net under my mattress, think about all of you (i have pictures up on my wall), and snuggle with teddy. oh yea and i sweat a lot.
the power goes out a ton, and the internet poops out with it. my hand crank flash light is really coming in handy!
love naye/ayesha
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
a note on food...
so the food is freaking amazing here...
the cooks, bizo and soumana, have been cooking for homesick bu kids for a while now. yesterday we had pizza and nutella crepes, today there were enchiladas.
today was the first day i fasted, and also the first day of class. after class was over (at 8:30!) i had leftover chilli and fried dough (nigerien specialty). and now i am satisfied.
love naye/ayesha
the cooks, bizo and soumana, have been cooking for homesick bu kids for a while now. yesterday we had pizza and nutella crepes, today there were enchiladas.
today was the first day i fasted, and also the first day of class. after class was over (at 8:30!) i had leftover chilli and fried dough (nigerien specialty). and now i am satisfied.
love naye/ayesha
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
zarma
by request:
fofo!
Hello!
mate ni go?
How are you?
banay samay samay walla!
I'm really REALLY good!
ay ya amerik boro no! ni binde?
I'm from America... and you?
ay fun boston kwara!
I'm from Boston!
ay ma naye!!
My name is Naye!
to.... kala tonton!
Okay.... See you later!
love naye/ayesha
fofo!
Hello!
mate ni go?
How are you?
banay samay samay walla!
I'm really REALLY good!
ay ya amerik boro no! ni binde?
I'm from America... and you?
ay fun boston kwara!
I'm from Boston!
ay ma naye!!
My name is Naye!
to.... kala tonton!
Okay.... See you later!
love naye/ayesha
Monday, September 8, 2008
day 7!
OKAY SO TIME TO BLOG.
in my defense its been a bit hectic (internets been shotty and i've been taking advantage of naptime from 12-3). current state of things. its 11, and im sweating. i'm actually sweating all the time, and i have a coat of sweat, baby powder, deet bug spray and dirt all over. i love niamey, but its wayyy too hot.
tomorrow is the last day of orientation. this past week we were in intensive zarma and hausa classes, and we familiarized ourselves with the city a bit. zarma is easier than hausa, and zarma is spoken by everyone in niamey.... sooo i will be takign zarma. i can speak some already, and i practice my newly learned skills with the kids and the staff at the cfca.
fofo!
mate ni go?
banay samay samay walla!
ay ya amerik boro no! ni binde?
ay fun boston kwara!
ay ma naye!!
to.... kala tonton!
its such a cute language.
back to the cfca. disregard the map i put in the beginngn of this blog. its inaccurate. i live closer to the stad, and i take classes where i live. the bridge is the most unsafe spot in the whole city, and they told us to never go there unless we're in a taxi. apparently ppl live under the bridge. the taxi fare is fixed. its 200cfa, which is about 50 cents. SWEET DEAL. if youre going really far though, its 400 cfa.
some highlights thus far:
-peace corps day: we learned about the peace corps and went to the bar that the peace corps ppl hang out in. we've been goign to a lot of bars. since not a lot of ppl drink anyway and its ramadan we see the same ppl everywhere we go. i get a fanta, which costs just a bit less than a dollar.
-haro banda: we went to haro banda, these huge sand dunes that are mesa-like. ill put up pics i swear. haro banda is on the other side of the river. i thought we were just going to get out of the van and take pictures of us standing in front of them, but our prof took us up to the top. half of us were in flip flops and skirts, and all of us were slipping down the mountain. the cliffs are pretty steep and the pebbles arent held in place bc the rainy season washed the mud away. it was an awesome view.
-embassy day: met the ambassador, cool woman. we ate fries, met george the giant turtle, and swam in their pool. hottest pool ive ever been in im pretty sure it was 85 degrees if i remember correctly. the embassy is weird, its a little america that you can stay in forever if you choose to do so.
- bellisimo: HOOKAH BAR AND DANCE CLUB so fun. i didnt smoke, dont worry, its ramadan. but i did dance to songs like "barbie girl" it was so funny. highlight of the night: all of us on the dance floor singing no woman no cry.
okay thats some stuff, im being so antisocial so ill update soon! with pics hopefully :)
love naye
in my defense its been a bit hectic (internets been shotty and i've been taking advantage of naptime from 12-3). current state of things. its 11, and im sweating. i'm actually sweating all the time, and i have a coat of sweat, baby powder, deet bug spray and dirt all over. i love niamey, but its wayyy too hot.
tomorrow is the last day of orientation. this past week we were in intensive zarma and hausa classes, and we familiarized ourselves with the city a bit. zarma is easier than hausa, and zarma is spoken by everyone in niamey.... sooo i will be takign zarma. i can speak some already, and i practice my newly learned skills with the kids and the staff at the cfca.
fofo!
mate ni go?
banay samay samay walla!
ay ya amerik boro no! ni binde?
ay fun boston kwara!
ay ma naye!!
to.... kala tonton!
its such a cute language.
back to the cfca. disregard the map i put in the beginngn of this blog. its inaccurate. i live closer to the stad, and i take classes where i live. the bridge is the most unsafe spot in the whole city, and they told us to never go there unless we're in a taxi. apparently ppl live under the bridge. the taxi fare is fixed. its 200cfa, which is about 50 cents. SWEET DEAL. if youre going really far though, its 400 cfa.
some highlights thus far:
-peace corps day: we learned about the peace corps and went to the bar that the peace corps ppl hang out in. we've been goign to a lot of bars. since not a lot of ppl drink anyway and its ramadan we see the same ppl everywhere we go. i get a fanta, which costs just a bit less than a dollar.
-haro banda: we went to haro banda, these huge sand dunes that are mesa-like. ill put up pics i swear. haro banda is on the other side of the river. i thought we were just going to get out of the van and take pictures of us standing in front of them, but our prof took us up to the top. half of us were in flip flops and skirts, and all of us were slipping down the mountain. the cliffs are pretty steep and the pebbles arent held in place bc the rainy season washed the mud away. it was an awesome view.
-embassy day: met the ambassador, cool woman. we ate fries, met george the giant turtle, and swam in their pool. hottest pool ive ever been in im pretty sure it was 85 degrees if i remember correctly. the embassy is weird, its a little america that you can stay in forever if you choose to do so.
- bellisimo: HOOKAH BAR AND DANCE CLUB so fun. i didnt smoke, dont worry, its ramadan. but i did dance to songs like "barbie girl" it was so funny. highlight of the night: all of us on the dance floor singing no woman no cry.
okay thats some stuff, im being so antisocial so ill update soon! with pics hopefully :)
love naye
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
day 2!
it makes me so happy that you ppl are reading this. keep the responses coming!!
so its so hot here ive been up since 5:30 because its a sauna. its like pakistan in the summer without the air conditionign basically.
a note about the wildlife thus far: lizards (huge ones) on the walls, cats, dogs, and a BAT. shoutout to meryum.
the naming ceremony: the CFCA is where im living. they invite the community, and i think about 100 ppl showed up. the staff, their families, and americans who feel obliged to come. we met a marine who sadi that they show new releases at their place. we heard music, and saw some DANCES. sooo good im so excited to take the dance class. tonight we're trying out the instruments to see if we want to learn to play.
pronounciation of naye
1) "na" as in na na ba baa (shoutout to mubarak and rosie's dancing troupe)
2) "ye" as in yay... but minus the last y.
not fasting yet, kind of worried about dehydration.
on the agenda for today:
tour of the museum
zarma lesson
meeting peace corps ppl (shoutout to sarah)
love naye/ayesha
so its so hot here ive been up since 5:30 because its a sauna. its like pakistan in the summer without the air conditionign basically.
a note about the wildlife thus far: lizards (huge ones) on the walls, cats, dogs, and a BAT. shoutout to meryum.
the naming ceremony: the CFCA is where im living. they invite the community, and i think about 100 ppl showed up. the staff, their families, and americans who feel obliged to come. we met a marine who sadi that they show new releases at their place. we heard music, and saw some DANCES. sooo good im so excited to take the dance class. tonight we're trying out the instruments to see if we want to learn to play.
pronounciation of naye
1) "na" as in na na ba baa (shoutout to mubarak and rosie's dancing troupe)
2) "ye" as in yay... but minus the last y.
not fasting yet, kind of worried about dehydration.
on the agenda for today:
tour of the museum
zarma lesson
meeting peace corps ppl (shoutout to sarah)
love naye/ayesha
day 1: Niamey, Niger!
hey so technically its day 2 (past midnight).
fun fact of the night: cranium (best game EVER) was created by a former BU student that did the Niger program. go figure! so they have it here im so excited.
today was jam packed (orientation). tours of the city, bank, and a naming ceremony!
ill describe it later, but from now on ill be referred to as naye. if a mother has several children, her favorite is her naye. (true? i hope so!)
love naye/ayesha
fun fact of the night: cranium (best game EVER) was created by a former BU student that did the Niger program. go figure! so they have it here im so excited.
today was jam packed (orientation). tours of the city, bank, and a naming ceremony!
ill describe it later, but from now on ill be referred to as naye. if a mother has several children, her favorite is her naye. (true? i hope so!)
love naye/ayesha
Monday, September 1, 2008
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