Save a horse, ride a camel (Friday Sept 1)

Since I wrote last, there's been a lot of stuff that has happened. Last Sunday, we had the day off from training, so me and abut 8 people went into Niamey to go use internet and go to the American Rec Center (by the way, the best place on Earth). So our only option to get from Hamdallaye to Niger (about 30 km) was public transportation, by either bush taxi or bus. We caught a bus for 250 CFA, or about 50 cents. Souleyman, my health training teacher happened to be on the same bus. Well anyway, this bus is like 100 years old, there's about a million people packed on it (we were standing), its about 500 degrees outside, and I didn't eat breakfast that day bc it was these greasy donut things that I just couldn't stomach. Needless to say, I passed out!! It was bad news, but thank God I passed out into Souleyman's arms and was with my friends!! Learned my lesson, never take African public transportation on an empty stomach.

Anyway, we make it into Niamey ok, and went to the Rec Center. It is most fabulous. They have a swimming pool!! we must have swam for like 6 hours...and tv and air conditioning!! It was a huge treat....best part, they even had american food. I had a cheeseburger, chocolate milkshake, french fries, AND sweet tea. I think I'm pretty much going to go into Niamey for the Rec Center for every Sunday for the rest of training. Well we had another fiasco on the way back to Hamdallaye, but at least this time I didn't pass out!! We had to take a bush taxi back in, and for those of you who dont know, bush taxis are pretty much how everyone gets around in Africa...THey can be a station wagon or a van, and they have to be at least 20 to 30 years old, probably the doors dont even close and they tie the doors shut, and there is not limit to how many people will fit in there...Imagine with the heat and 20 sweaty people in the back of a van!! Its not a rare sight AT ALL!! And 9 times out of ten, there are like 2 goats tied on top...Basically they're no fun, but what can you do but laugh?? So anyway, there were eight of us, and we somehow comandeered our own station wagon, but it was definitely 4 in the middle row an 4 in the back, all with no air conditioning and the hot sun...Dont worry I got pictures, they are hysterical.

Im sad because my little host brother Mamansani is still in the hospital in Niamey!! Kids get sick here so much. I hope he comes home soon...appanently, from my broken hausa, I have deciphered that at least he is better, according to the rest of the family.

This is a funny story, So in Hamdallaye where we live, there is like a section of town where the richer people live (meaning they have electricity), and theres a few PC trainees with those families....And we're split up with families according to what language we speak...SO basically I live in the back of town in what is definitely the poorest, so we've termed it the Hausa ghetto!! There are like 8 of us back there in the ghetto, so we stick together. This week, we had this really good good dinner (by good, i mean there was cheese!!! yum) up at site, and they asked us to do like a poem, or song, or anything in the language that we are learning...so me and the rest of the hausa ghetto (represent) translated the words of "ghetto superstar" into Hausa and performed it in our most thug clothes that we brought to Niger...It basically brought down the house...I took some funny pictures.

We are all getting anxious to know where we will be placed in country!! I can't wait to find out where my village will be for the next 2 years and who in PC that I will be around. We find out our site placement on Friday Sept. 8, and then we do this thing called "live in" where we go live in our future village for a week and start buying everything and making sure the hut, etc. is ok, then we go back to hamdallaye for one final week of training...So that will be from Sept. 13 - 18...I'm excited to go meet my village!!

Ok so I will also be getting my cell phone, probably around the week of the 18th - 25, so be on the lookout for the number and see if you can maybe get a calling card i would love to get calls!! Ive been decorating my hut, and its finally feeling homey...I bought this really pretty tapestry like thing in Niamey of girraffes in the sunlight and mesas, and between that and my big UGA flag, my hut is looking good!! I could use some decorating tips ( :

I can't believe that tomorrow is the first football game and I wont be there!!!!!!!!! Please send me details of tailgates and the game!! I hope you all that can go or watch have a blast...Me and my fellow football fan Kristy (Notre Dame) are going to wave our flags proudly tomorrow...we're also going to teach everyone the fight songs hehe...

So now I am in Dosso, all of us health trainees have come down here for a little field trip...unfortunately we are not seeing the giraffes this weekend, like I thought, apparently there wasn't money in the budget. today we went to a health clinic (gidan likita) to observe and see some volunteers work. We saw some baby weighings, some sensabilizations on hygeine, and a cooking class for the mothers of malnourished children on good nutritious food to feed their babies. It was great. I am so excited about my work here, I definitely see it as it will be gratifying...Its fun to meet the other volunteers, and see them speak this language that I am struggling so bad with, speak it perfectly!! SO i have faith that the language will come...We also met today the most powerful religious leader in Niger!! It was so cool, we were really lucky to meet him...He is the sheik, and i think there are only 3 of them in Niger...Apparently on the major muslim holiday of Mohamed's birthday, people come from alllllllll over west africa to come meet and be blessed by him. He was the coolest nicest guy, and he offered us blessings on a long life and a lot of money!!

I miss you all a lot!! Send letters if you get a chance, i want to know about your exciting american lives ( : Thanks for reading!! Hopefully next post I will have my new address and where I live!!!

Lots of Love!!!!!!!!!
Katie

Ps Niger is just getting more beautiful every day...It is just beautiful in about a million ways, i can't wait for yall to see pics