Getting Along in Niamey

We eat in Niamey! But what, you ask? Here is a picture of us hanging zith our local millet cake guy. Millet cakes are fried carbohydrate deliciousness that can be dipped in a red spicey powder for a little zing! Two hundred CFA (just under a dollar) buys several.

Our house is only a few blocks from 'Nigelec Central,' the main power generator in Niamey. A constant waft of dark gray smokes out of the stack. Sometimes the low frequency hum speeds up and more and darker smoke boils forth. When our neighborhood is quiet the plant can be heard in our house.

Holy Smokes!!! Is that a camel? Sure it is. Rumor suggests there may be camel races late this year...

'Nigelec Central' serves as a landmark for taxi drivers taking us home. With a subtle wave of the hand from the roadside, a 'taximan' will bend his ear to hear your destination; if it is on the way his other passengers are traveling, he will most often give a simple nod to get in. The price is understood to be 200 CFA, unless the distance is far, wherein the price doubles.

Groceries in Niamey

Just wanted to show a few pictures of where we buy groceries here. We go to the local open-air market for produce, rice, and beans. Here it is.


And we go to the supermarket for things like yogurt, granola, cookies, and other random items.

Visit to the Geography Department

Tuesday Hilary headed to the Geography Department at the Abdou Moumoni University of Niamey. This university is the national university, and the only one in the country. The geography department has about 35 new majors a year, and even offers a PhD. Here is a picture of what the street looks like leading to the department.



Here, Hilary met with Prof Motcho, one of the leading scholars on urban geography of Niamey. They discussed Niamey urban form for hours, and gave some really good ideas on where to head next in her project. The history of Niamey is so interesting, and it seems like we are just beginning to scratch the surface. Niamey was a small village on the banks of the Niger river until the French moved their colonial capital here in 1920. In the 1930s a series of fires ravaged the ancient part of the village, and this enabled the French to go ahead with their ideas of urban reform. Very interesting stuff. More to come on this as we learn!

End of Ramadan

Sunday was the end of Ramadan, the month long fast in Islam. During this month, the only food and water consumed was before the sunrise, or once the sun had already set. This fast is used as a way for people to think about those less fortunate than themselves, to experience hunger and thirst, and hopefully also compassion. Arriving in Niamey in the middle of the fasting month was both interesting and difficult. It was interesting to see people living in a less developed country meditating on the situation of those less fortunate than themselves. In the words on Ben Harper, I felt blessed to be a witness of such extraordinary times.

Sunday was a big party! People were out and about in their finest clothes, eating and talking the whole day with friends and family. Here is a picture of our guard and his wife celebrating early on in the frontyard.

We walked around a bit on Sunday, enjoyed some chicken and couscous, and took in the sights. The streets were busier than I had ever seen them! I was glad to see people eating together!

Niamey, Niger

Chris arrived first in Niger, at 4 am on Sunday morning the 6th. He had a 15 hour layover in Casablanca, Morocco (which he now calls “Casa” because that’s what the locals say). He spent just a little time on the outskirts of the city. Here’s a pic.


Hilary arrived later on Sunday the 6th, at about 6 pm. Embassy folks were at the airport to pick us up, and even brought us some pizza! It was so nice to have support. Monday was our first full day together in Niamey, which was spent unpacking and running errands (thanks to a very helpful guy at the American cultural center). He took us around town to the market, where we exchanged some money and bought some essentials, and to a cyber café where we wrote the essential email to the parents telling them we had arrived. We almost got lost on an evening walk in our neighborhood. Here are some pictures of our house.







This week we are just doing the basics. Getting used to the area and figuring out how to do the daily life tasks (still have to figure out what we do with trash!).

Colorful Colorado!

Hilary’s family hosted us for a wonderful week and a half. Hilary’s mom pampered us and fed us well, and Hilary’s dad made sure we had things in order. Both were much appreciated. Hilary’s sister and her family visited one weekend, and it was so wonderful to see them. We all went to a Richard Cheese concert (if you don’t know Dick Cheese, check this out: http://www.richardcheese.com/). Olivia, our 18 month old niece, is doing new things everyday. She enjoyed hissing at Chris and hanging out with Hilary.



We also got to take in some of the Denver sights, including a Rockies game (which was insanely hot and they lost). We reconnected with some great friends and explored downtown Denver.

From Denver Chris headed to NYC for a few-day extravaganza before Niger. He enjoyed the MOMA and spending time with John!

From Magical Missouri to Leoti, KS

Before heading to Colorado, we had to do two things in Kansas. First, we went to Lawrence and kicked it with Hilary’s advisor and fellow graduate students. We are barbeque, sweet potato fries, and drank some beer. It was great. Cristin housed and fed us well, and Shimantini and Dimitra were delightful!

With Lawrence behind us, we headed west to Leoti (pronounced Lee-oh-tah, kind of like Yoda), KS to see Hilary’s grandmother and uncle/family. We hung out, ate some key lime pie, introduced my grandmother to Skype, rode a merry-go-round, and drove on some beautiful Kansas back-highways. Every time we got off the interstate, Kansas becomes beautiful. Don’t trust what you see from I-70.