March 2005
Vol. 4, No. 10
Hello Everyone,
We wish you all early Easter greetings as we celebrate our Savior’s
resurrection and victory over death!
This has been a quiet month after the two groups of volunteers
left Niger. We certainly have been able to catch our breath. Indeed,
most of my time has been spent at the computer, catching up with
communication, filling out reports and things like that.
The hot season starts in March and I’ve found it is by
far my most difficult time in Niger. It isn’t just that
temperatures start to reach 120 F. There’s also the fact
that things start to slow and sometimes shut down. The simplest
projects somehow become too burdensome to accomplish, especially
if others are involved. There’s just no initiative to be
found and everything seems to go into “maintenance mode.”
My work is inherently collaborative, so when it becomes difficult
to get responses from others, there’s little I can do to
advance.
I am trying to see if I can work on my Hausa during the next
few months. Niamey isn’t the best place to try to progress
in Hausa because it is in historically Zarma territory and, as
the political capital, it mostly uses French in daily life. Yet
Hausa is widely spoken in many communities and there are several
people qualified to teach it here.
I thought you might like to have a fuller update on Marie-Florence
in this newsletter. January and February were tough on her as
she traveled with the volunteers and us to the interior. Her world
was all mixed-up with lots of new faces, new places and a routine
that changed each day. She was very glad to return home and without
a doubt, she really started to “take off” with this
newfound stability. In the last month, she became very comfortable
walking and, yes, even climbing. She can now descend a chair or
a bed without falling. She opens all lower cabinet doors and loves
to pull everything out. She is even starting to mimic mommy and
pulls out the broom from behind the door and tries to “sweep”
the kitchen floor. We were able to find a toy cleaning ensemble
in Niamey, so now she can sweep, mop, and dust! Our house is definitely
showing evidence of a toddler now! |
