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

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.

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.

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)

Little boys take cattle out to graze

Playing in the millet field

The necklace contains traditional "medicines"

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

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!!

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

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!!

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!

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!!

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

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

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

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

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