face on pretty beads and outfits

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

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TOP 12

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

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.

Some kids from my village

kids from my house

IST

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!!