We new Volunteers, as part of our integration into our individual villages must spend the first month of our service at "post." We're free to move around our clusters, which are sub-regions within the larger regions of Tillaberi, Dosso, Konni, Maradi, and Zinder. We're allowed to visit the Volunteers within a few kilometers of us and move about to our market towns, etc. This was far and away the hardest time I think any of us have had so far.
Part of the reason for that is that it is officially hot season in Niger. The forecast today is a high of 110 Farenheit; tomorrow it will reach 112. Tonight the low is projected at 84 Farenheit. Luckily we do not have much humidity, although with rainy season around the corner, I've definitely been feeling a bit more humidity these past few days. These aren't anomalies either; this is the average temperature for this time of year and the ten-day forecast calls for temperatures between 107 and 112. The lows are usually in the mid-eighties. For those of you reading in Celsius, that's an average high of 43 and a low of 27 Celsius. I believe that qualifies as f***ing hot.
This is how I have been spending my days: The sun usually wakes me up about 6:30. I pull a bucket of water from the well for my bath that day. I make coffee and usually have leftovers from the night before. I spend the morning walking around the village. I sit and chat with the old men or the people working, and I'm usually home again by 11:30. I sleep, read, drink koko, and generally try to not move until abour 4 or 4:30 because of the heat. After that I go out and walk around the village some more and chat. I go home about 6:30, take a bucket bath, and eat dinner. After that it's usually dark. Without lights or electricity, I usually go to bed around 9:30 or 10. Most of my day is spent on mundane texts, hanging out, and avoiding the heat, but it's so important that I learn the language these first two months while very little agricultural work is being done.
The sole redeeming factor of hot season, as I've said to a few of you in letters, is that it coincides with mango season. They are amazing. Luckily I have many mango trees in my area, and I have a friend who always gives me the best he has whenever I visit. If it weren't for the mangos, I don't know how anyone could live in this country during hot season.
I think that's the end of this post. Sorry for the length, but it has been a month. Hope everyone is in health. Kala tonton.
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2 comments:
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Sterling,
I don't think I ever told you how amazing you are. So... you are amazing. I hope the intestines are treating you better these days. Lots of luck and I look forward to reading your next post.
Life in Staunton, VA, is pretty mundane. I've finished my first year of graduate school with better grades than I ever had at Wabash, and now I'm getting ready to write my first thesis. I think it's going to be on the evolution of Machiavellianism and Marlowe's use of Machiavellianism and his introduction of the Machiavel into English drama. Sounds like a lot of fun, huh?
I'm writing from Florence at the moment, although I'll probably be back in the states before you get this. This is a three week class/trip including Venice, Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Florence, San Gimignono, Pisa, Luca, and Rome. We're studying art and architecture in and around the Italian cities used or mentioned by Shakespeare.
Well, I should go. Good luck, friend.
Brett
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