Katie Evans Niger, Africa PCV

Last week in Niger

2009-08-28T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm in my last week in Niger, going through all of the medical checks and writing all of my final reports. I'm having some issues with my plane ticket because everyone (except me) seems to think it's fine for me to have 5 layovers and switch airports from JFK to La Guardia in about 3 hours. I'm a little stressed out! Everything else has been going well, and I'm hoping not to do any work this weekend and spend my time with my friends who are also leaving next week. The chateau started in the village last week and the village was happy. We ran into a couple of problems in regards to who was giving a part of their field for the chateau, and how the village was going to deal with having only one well for about two weeks. It's Ramadan so everyone is hungry and cranky, but it will be fine once the building is done. The villagers are all very thankful to everyone in America who helped fund the chateau and who sent sunglasses and other presents throughout my service. Another volunteer will be sending me a picture when the chateau is completed and I'll be sure to post it so everyone can see. Thank you all for your support while I've been living in Niger and I hope to see you all soon!! Love Katie

March 2009 the Villagers

2009-03-27T07:29:00.000-07:00

Fistula Translations

2009-01-29T08:48:00.000-08:00

Doctors perform operations in the capital city, Niamey,to correct fistulas caused by the lack of medical attention available to pregnant women. Katie translates between the doctors and their patients in Hausa. Other volunteers also participate translating Zarma, and French.

This is the second time Katie has been able to participate in this program and has indicated that it has been a very rewarding experience for her.

Happy Holidays

2009-01-16T11:48:00.000-08:00

Hello again everyone! I'm still here in Niger, and in health! Hope the holidays went well, I was missing America, but things were good here. So, my chateau project is coming along, Rotary is still finalizing the budget approval, but we're hoping to get everything ready soon! As for me, I'm enjoying the village and the cold season. It's nice to sleep inside in my sleeping bag. It's nice to be able to go the whole day without sweating. But of course, every season has it's postitive and negatives, and for me the main drawback to cold season is all of the nasal infections. How do I get the infections you may ask? (only if you've never been here during cold season, otherwise you know) Well, cold season is also dry season, which we all know causes hard boogers. And it really hurts to blow your nose if you have them, so you have to either pick your nose or farmer blow it. It draws much less attention to just pick it, so that's my normal choice. And because you never know when and where you'll need to pick, I occasionally pick it after playing with dirty children and keep ending up with impetago(sp?) in my nose. I have gone to the Med Office in the past, but it's embarrassing to be told to "be cleaner" when I'm a health volunteer... So, I've stopped going, and I have come to accept the fact that I'll have a sore nose for a couple months. So for anyone planning on coming to Niger during cold season (November-February), bring hand sanitizer or wet ones and avoid it all together, because it's impossible not to play with the cute little kids everywhere you go.

Nigeriens on the "Edge"(eyewear)

2008-12-13T06:32:00.000-08:00

Katie uploaded some pictures of her villagers wearing the sunglasses she brought them. Hopefully she'll be able to put a few more up, but check these out for now! She packed 3 suitcases when she went back to Africa after her visit. One contained food (oatmeal, jerky,powerbars, crackers and such) the other two contained as many sunglasses as she could pack, close to 300. Fifty were confiscated at customs in Niger-so the officials are going to look pretty cool, I guess! I'm not sure how she is determining who to give them to-maybe she'll give us a clue the next time she is able to post. Enjoy the photos (Katie's mom)

2008-10-28T08:06:00.000-07:00

Little boys take cattle out to graze

Playing in the millet field

The necklace contains traditional "medicines"

Dan Sara

2008-10-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

Homecoming! Donation UPDATE-from Katie's mom

2008-09-05T07:10:00.000-07:00

We are counting the minutes until Katie comes home. She is ill again and in Niamey for about a week and then she'll be on her way home the 16th!
We have very exciting news about her sunglasses request. So many of our friends have brought some by, Thank you. Also Edge Eyewear surprized us with an additional gift. Their original donation of 48 glasses miraculously became over 400!!!! We are overwhelmed. Now of, course comes the challenge of getting them back to Niger. Katie is planning to check an extra bag which will be much cheaper than shipping them.
We are also still struggling to get support/donations for the water chateau. Your prayers are a blessing, please continue to keep this project in them.
Thanks
Katie's Mom

Can't wait to come home!!

2008-07-27T12:35:00.000-07:00

So I'm coming home September 16th and I am so excited to see everyone!! The thorn is out of my foot and I went to the dentist and I'm all better. I'll be home for 3 weeks, and I don't know if I will have a cell phone or not, so everyone send me a message on Facebook or my blog and let me know if you'll be around Glenwood/Omaha/Iowa City at that time! Can't wait to see you all!!

Update from the States-Katie's Mom

2008-07-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Katie is planning a visit home in September! We're all very anxious to see her. Her 1st anniversary in Niger is upcoming, which is also exciting.
In notes home recently she mentioned that she is suffering from TMJ and has stepped on a thorn bush that will probably need medical attention.
The Chateau project still needs funding which is discouraging for her, but we have some great news too that Katie is unaware of...........
She mentioned that the villagers suffer from cataracts at young ages and would like to take sunglasses back with her when she returns to Niger after her visit. She has asked me to collect discarded sunglasses from our friends. I just spoke with the manufacturers of Edge eye wear and they are generously donating 4 dozen sunglasses for Katie to distribute to her villagers! I've added a link to their site to Katie's blog. Thanks for your support and prayers. Katie's MOM

Vacation in Benin

2008-05-29T00:33:00.000-07:00

I just got back from Benin last night at midnight, we were on the bus for 24 hours because it broke down for 7 hours in Parakou. Over all it was an amazing trip, it was very relaxing and beautiful. I went with my friend Alisa, and we were planning to go to the beach for a few days and then move on to some different places and museums, but we liked the beach so much that we just stayed the whole time in Grand Popo. We went on a pirogue tour on the Mono river and saw mangroves, shrimp fishing area, coconut harvesting, a voodoo village and a portugese castle. We went to some local restaurants and stayed on the beach most days. We loved the hotel that we stayed at. It was called the Lion Bar and it is run by some Rasta men who were the nicest people we met on our trip! We bought some jewellry and some souveniours and had a great time. I wish I was in Peace Corps Benin!!

2008-05-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again, sorry it's been so long since I last wrote!! Work is going well in the village, the goat loan project hit a snag when all of the goats got sick, but we called the vet soon enough and he came out to the village on his motorcycle and gave them all medicine and they are all fine! The murals went well and everyone likes them a lot. I did a couple of art classes and the kids are corresponding with Emily's class at home and they drew pictures and sent questions about America and Em's classes responded which everyone loved. The wanted to know if we all plant millet and sorghum and if we go to the well for our water every day. They are learning a lot about America and I know that everyone back home is learning a lot about Niger through the letters. I would like to greet Mrs. Welcher's classes in Sioux City and Mrs. Feeley's class! I hope you all have a great summer and keep writing me!! Right now I am getting ready to go on vacation with my friend Alisa, we're going to Benin for a week to relax on the beach and do some touristy things down there. I will be sure to post pictures soon, hope all is well back home, I miss you all!

New Baby and A CAT!

2008-03-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

I had a great week in the village, we had a kwamiso, did some baby weighings, did a new mural on vaccinations, I played soccer with the 16 and under boys and then my older guys had a game against another volunteers village and we won 3-1. They want to play the Nassaras, so we're trying to get a good team of volunteers together to play against the guys in a tournament that we're going to have between all of our villages. I'm excited. Friday and Saturday I'm reffing in a young girls tournament that a couple of volunteers are having, I'll try to take pictures and stuff. I'm spending the month of April at post (in sha allah) so I will hopefully have time to write you a long letter about everything. I have my camera at post so I'll take pictures there as well. My mom in the vill had a baby girl, her name is Kadeja, she's cute. I'm happy to have a little baby in the family. I also got a cat his name is Razak and I don't really like him but oh well. It's my 8 month anniversary in Niger today, crazy how time goes so fast!!

Slideshow-Fulan Celebration, Doctors Office, Baby weighing and more!

2008-03-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

Your latest photos slideshow on Flickr

cow cart between serkin Hausa and Dan Sara

2008-03-11T09:19:00.001-07:00

cow cart between serkin Hausa and Dan Sara, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Sommer and Kate on cow cart

2008-03-11T09:18:00.001-07:00

Sommer and Kate on cow cart, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Sommer and Will painting mural

2008-03-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

Sommer and Will painting mural, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

village boys in front of mural

2008-03-11T09:15:00.003-07:00

village boys in front of mural, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Paiza, afraid of camera

2008-03-11T09:15:00.001-07:00

Paiza, afraid of camera, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

doctors office

2008-03-11T09:14:00.003-07:00

doctors office, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

women in line for food

2008-03-11T09:14:00.001-07:00

women in line for food, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

baby weighing

2008-03-11T09:13:00.005-07:00

baby weighing, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

doctor at the food distribution

2008-03-11T09:13:00.003-07:00

doctor at the food distribution, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

baby measuring

2008-03-11T09:13:00.001-07:00

baby measuring, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

cute kids

2008-03-11T09:12:00.003-07:00

cute kids, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

women in cart going to market

2008-03-11T09:12:00.001-07:00

women in cart going to market, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Ali

2008-03-11T09:11:00.003-07:00

Ali, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Fulan Celebration

2008-03-11T09:11:00.001-07:00

celebration close up, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

face on pretty beads and outfits

2008-03-11T09:10:00.001-07:00

face on pretty beads and outfits, originally uploaded by eecmichelle.

Flickr

2008-03-11T09:06:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

TOP 12

2008-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

top twelve things people say to me daily:

What they say:
1. Bata jin Hausa! -She doesn't hear Hausa (Hausa)
2. Fofo! Comment tu t’appelles? -Hey (Zarma) What’s your name (French)
3. Ina zahi? -How’s the heat? (Hausa)
4.Ça va?- How’s it going? (French)
5.Bonjour! Cadeau?- Good Day! Gift? (French)
6.Bonsoir! Cadeau?- Good Evening! Gift? (French)
7.Nasara! Nasara! Cadeau?- Foreigner! Foreigner! (Hausa) Gift? (French)
8.Ina mijinki?- Where’s your husband? (Hausa)
9.Kina da aure?- Are you married? (Hausa)
10.Dommi ba ki da namiji?- Why don’t you have a man? (Hausa)
11.Zani Amerika tare da ki- I’m going to America together with you (Hausa)
12.Zamu da aure, ki da ni- We are going to marry, you and me. (Hausa)

My reply:
1.Ina jin Hausa kadan kadan yanzu, sai hankuri! I hear Hausa a little right now, have patience!

2.Fofo, Bani jin Français.- Hey, I don’t hear French.
3.Akwai.- There is.
4.Ça va bien, Ça va? -It goes well. How’s it going?
5.Bonjour, babu cadeau -Good day, there is no gift.
6.Bonsoir, babu cadeau. -Good Evening, there is no gift.
7.Babu cadeau -There is no gift.
8.Bani da namiji- I don’t have a husband
9.Bani da aure yanzu.- I’m not married now
10.Saboda ina da aiki sosai- Because I have a lot of work.
11.A’a, babu tuwo cikin Amerika.- No, there’s no (pounded millet) in America
12.To, ba ni rakumi hamsin- Ok, give me 50 camels.

I also have a story to tell you...
Today I went to the tofu lady to buy some tofu, and she isn't very nice, so it's always a fun experience. Today it was even better because she was just setting up when I got there and she was just taking her time and these two little Hausa boys came up next to me and started chatting in Hausa. I was buying tofu for a couple other people at the hostel as well, so the first comment was "tana saye arbain!" (she's buying 200 CFA worth!), and then the other little boy said "namiji ne ko mace ce?" which means..."is it a boy or is it a girl??" So, I sadly turned and looked at him and said "Ni mace ce" or "I'm a girl"... So, pretty much they couldn't tell if I was a guy or a girl and they thought I was a huge pig!
So, if you're a girl and ever visiting Niger, especially in the bush, wear a skirt and earrings and don't wear a baseball cap, because it throws them off.

6 months in

2008-01-29T03:15:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I just celebrated my 23rd birthday in Africa, which is crazy to think about. I had fun because I got to see a lot of my friends because I am in Niamey for the week. I'm here getting shots and going to a Peer Support Training where they're teaching a couple of people from each team in country how to support/be there for people who need to talk. After that I'll be back to Maradi for a meeting with a woman from the US who is working with Seeds of Africa, they are giving goats to women with malnourished children. I'm hoping to get them to come to my village to help some of my local women. After that I am finishing up my proposals for some paint so I can do some murals, and a proposal for a water chateau so that my villagers have access to uncontaminated drinking water. I am really excited to finally be working, time goes by a lot more quickly when you have something to do, I have a CHA training in Maradi from February 12th-17th, so I will be traveling a lot in the next month. Well, I'll write more later.

2007-12-01T01:36:00.000-08:00

Some kids from my village

2007-12-01T01:27:00.000-08:00

kids from my house

IST

2007-12-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!! I'm in Niamey right now getting ready for In Service Training. I am excited to see all of my stagemates and have fun doing more American type things like going out to restaurants and shopping!! I have a few things to talk about today that I haven't had a chance to comment on in the last month because I haven't had access to the internet.
A few weeks ago a couple of volunteers and I were just finished with a radio show and waiting for a bush taxi at the tasha. We were all 4 sitting on the edge of a prayer ring, which consists of a few cement bricks stacked about 3 high in a rectangle. The volunteers I was with were Allie, Will and Lachlan. We were just sitting and talking when a man walked up to us and addressed the guys in french/hausa and started telling them that he was sorry, but "the women" had to move, it was ok for the boys to sit where they were, but Allie and I would have to get up and sit somewhere else. I asked him if it was ok if we just sat in front of the bricks instead of on them, but he said no, and we all just awkwardly sat there not knowing what to do. Eventually Allie and I got up and so did Will and Lachlan and we walked across the street and sat against a building. That was the first time I felt discrimination at all for being a woman. For the most part, being a foreigner in Niger puts us in a different category and no one really treats us different than the guys. It was a crazy experience that I think I needed to realize what women here actually go through. I have never felt like I was less than anyone else, and I still don't, but I realize that women here are shown every day that they aren't able to do the things men are, and I guess it's shown me very blatantly what I need to work on here in my village. Thanks for listening!!

First weeks at Post

2007-11-19T08:09:00.000-08:00

October 20, 2007

I finally got my mail, one card from August 2nd.

I've been in my town for 17 days and its still weird. I don't know >1/2 of what anyone is saying to me. I live in a fenced area the size of a normal yard in town. There are about 10 houses (including mine) and about 30 people. I have 3 "moms", Amina, Tini & Hawa and 1 dad, Mati and a ton of little kids and babies that I don't know who goes with whom. I also live with goats, sheep and a loud cow, a mom chicken with a limp and her 20+chicks and a rooster that goes from 5:30a-7. There are about a thousand lizards in my concession who love to eat the trees my "uncle" Ali keeps planting for me. Now I cover it with my wash bucket when I leave my concession.

For the most part my days follow this pattern:

Wake up from prayer call 4am

wake up from rooster & women pounding(millet into flour) 5:30a

Get out of bed because people keep knocking and asking how I slept 6:30/7 make oatmeal (or eat granola bar now, thanks!)

read some English books 7-8a

Sit on mat in family's yard and talk to little kids or boy who's trying to learn English or go to doctor and sit and talk to the doctor and nurse who are trying to learn English 8:30-11/12

Come home eat,read,relax 12-2p

Go to my new Hausa tutor's house 2-?

Come home talk to family a bit go wash and relax and in bed by 7:30p.

The people in Niger never sleep and the women pound from 5:30-11P. The sun goes down around 7P & I lay in bed a lot but don't sleep much.

I walked to my market town alone last week & it was very scary. 2 hours wandering in sand and millet, but I got there. Once harvest season ends & the millet is gone, it will be all sand and way harder.

I generally walk to market but get an amalanke (ox cart) back because it is very hard & far and hot!

I talked on the radio in Mayahi with Allie Lachlan & Will about diarrhea & how to make salt/sugar/water to help the kids and it was scary. Men told us we sounded like little kids talking, but since I hate people hearing me, I was proud of myself. I would have never even talked on the radio in English, before.

I've only cried twice so far. The 2nd day here & today because I miss you all & your letters and packages were so nice.

Swearing In and Celebrating

2007-09-28T07:03:00.000-07:00

Katie, Elizabeth and Me before swear in
Swear in at the Ambassadors house

Training is done!

2007-09-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!! I am excited because training is finally over!! We have our swear in ceremony on Tuesday the 25th, and everyone is looking forward to the festivities. The following Saturday we're all being shipped off to our villages where we have to spend the whole first month alone! I am really nervous about it because when I went for live in the villagers all felt it was necessary to tell me that they loved the last volunteer and that I don't have Hausa. I am hoping I will be fine and meet some nice patient people to help tutor me in Hausa so I can function in the bush on my own. I took my first cow cart ride during live in 2 weeks ago, and it was pretty nice, I had to ride 1 1/2 hours through sand and millet fields to my market town and then catch a bus taxi for the 3 hour ride to my regional capital/hostel in maradi. Things are going well, I love to get mail and packages like every other PCV, and I hope to hear from you all soon!! Katie

Moving on toward service

2007-09-17T13:04:00.001-07:00

Hey mom/emily, my new email account is marpcvs@intnet.ne and just put my name in the subject line and I can get it once a month at least. I just had my live in and I saw my new house and met my villagers. I tested intermediate low on my last LPI which is where we have to be to move in to our villages, but I definitely don't have Hausa yet! I am hoping it will come soon because my one day and night alone in the village were hard and lonely cause all the people were saying I didn't have Hausa and it was hard because they all talk so fast and at the same time, they understand that I have only been here for a little while and my dad's brother was walking me around and introducing me to everyone and telling them that I had hause kadan kadan, and if they made fun he was like "well do you speak english" so that made me feel better. I looked at the school and the likita where I'll probably be working at least a few days a week. I'm really close to 3 ag volunteers who have been in country for 7 months and they all have a lot of effort and want to set up a stand in our shared market village and teach the people different lessons each week. They also want to have a tourny to all of our different villages where we could teach our villagers all the different lessons on health and growing things and taking care of animals and different things like that. I'm excited because they all want to help us out in the beginning of our service and I think it will be nice to work with other volunteers on projects. Tell Emily that I want to do a project with her students and the kids in my school where we draw pictures in any medium (here it will most likely be crayon/colored pencil drawings) of "what women do" like what they do everyday that matters to them and write a little description, and I'll have my kids do the same and I'll have a contest here for the best ones to possibly create a mural about what women do in Niger to raise awareness that women do a lot here, and I can send some to emily's class and she can send hers here for a cross culture/art lesson. This is one thing I KNOW i'm going to do, so I really want her to take it seriously and help me out because this is one of my secondary projects and so it's kind of a big deal to me and I think the kids would really love it. I would also like her to send me a picture of her class who is drawing the pictures like a kids picture with the picture they drew and i'll take a picture of my class. I don't know what age group I'll do, so she can just do all her classes because I Have all age ranges in my school and none of them are artists because they don't have anything to draw on or with or have the time to really do it, so just be aware that all my drawings will look like really little kids drew them. Tell her to start that now and send it so I can get it by the time I learn Hausa enough to do it and before school starts to I can talk to my inspector about me coming to the school and talking about it. Also, if the church or anyone want to sponsor some of my projects I have a bunch in mind that will only need a little bit of money to happen, but i'll have to write up a proposal if it happens. i will write up a proposal and email it to you and you can give it out to people and see if anyone is interested. We have a radio show in Mayahi which is a couple hours from my town but I'll probably go there once a week to do that we are going to do skits and do sensibilisations on health and different things for the surrounding area. Also there is a food distribution NGO about an hour from me that 2 of the Ag volunteers want to visit and see what they're doing and I am going to go too to see if there is anything I can do to help. We aren't supposed to do any work in our first 3 months at site, but I don't know if i can handle doing nothing but chatting and learning hausa for 3 months, so I am going to go help the older volunteers and see what's out there and help how i can before I have the language down. Ok, so I rode an amalanken sa today for an hour and a half, and what it is is a bull pulling a little cart and me sitting on the cart. my village is very bush and is that far from my market town through millet fields during rainy season and through sand the rest of the year. I can't take pictures of it yet because if my villagers knew I had a camera they would bug me even more than they do now, so I have to wait til i have the language to tell them to leave me alone before I can break that out. My house is cute, and Beth left some Iowa flags so I decorated with that and I bought some sheets for my door and window curtains. Today we rode back to Maradi on a bush taxi which was a pickup truck with like 30 of us in the back of it and some on the roof and some hanging off the back, I met up with William who is a volunteer in my market town and Ali who is from Mayahi where the radio station is and we rode together. Today is Will's birthday so we're going out to eat at this outdoor restaurant where you can buy skewers of meat and french fries so that's pretty exciting. Tomorrow we have to catch the bus back to Niamey which was about 12 hours to get here, so probably about the same to get back. We have swear in on the 25th and then we're installed on the 30th of this month. I'm excited to be on team Maradi, everyone seems really nice, and I am glad to have so many people with so much effort so close to me and they are all excited to include me in their projects which is really nice. I love you all and miss you, and email me as often as you'd like at this new address and I'll be able to talk to you more often and for free!! get international texting!!! Bye for now, sorry it's so long and probably boring....Emily do the project!!!!!!

My Arrival-Staging group July 27, 2007

2007-09-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

September 2007-Training at Hamdallaye

2007-09-06T11:27:00.000-07:00