Every once in a while, you have to step back and think, "What the hell is that goat doing in my house?" It's times like these that make you realize that you're not in the West anymore, that animals are a natural part of life here that cannot be avoided. At post, in a village of less than 1000 people, of course one must expect a certain amount of animal interaction. The cow walking into your concession and eating the fence. The lizards that scramble over walls and rooftops. The camel parking lot at market. These things have become so natural that they don't feel unusual anymore.
However, it's when you go into Niamey, Niger's capital, that you feel like you're in the twilight zone. The largest, best developed city in the country abounds with dirt side streets and roaming livestock. It's impossible to know who these animals belong too. They just wander through the streets. I don't know where they go or what they eat, but they're there. They're always there.
A few examples. Today we walked into our hostel in Niamey, the regional hostel for Tillaberi and the national hostel for all the Volunteers in Nige, and we were greeted by a VERY pissed off ram. Probably fully aware that it was just waiting around to be eaten tonight. Don't feel too bad, goat pizza is very tasty. Or take the example today when I wanted to cross the street, but couldn't see around the camels hauling fodder along the side of the road. I just needed to take a guess and hope I wasn't killed by the crazy Nigerien traffic. This traffic doesn't even need to include vehicles. The other day we were driving back through Niamey and saw a heard of sheep in the middle of one of the largest, busiest roundabouts in the city.
Like everything else in this country, some days you just have to sit back, relax, and never think "Am I losing my mind, or is that donkey riding shotgun in an open-backed truck?" More than likely it is, and that is not unusual.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Dude, I know! No camels or lizards here, but I'll be walking home from school and have to run from a goose that wants to eat me before I eat it - and then it will be taken down by a dog that slightly prefers the goose to me. It's so strange what you can get used to.
Hey Sterling, it looks like you are off to a good start! I am Jessica's mom, and I have a dvd of the swearing-in ceremony in March, including an interview with you in Zarma. Well, I HAD this dvd, and I will get it back from Alex's parents in a few weeks; then I plan to send it to YOUR parents, but I need their address. If you leave their address as a comment in Jessica's blog (just click on my icon...)I won't publish it, but will use it to send the dvd when I get it back. OK?
Hello how are you
I just read an article about you
well i manage a website about Niger
www.niger1.com
Post a Comment