[Two boys cross a footbridge between houses in Ganvie, Benin] Notice: This is going to be a long blog entry and it’s also probably going to be the last real entry on this site.  For your listening enjoyment, I’ve included an interesting track of traditional music from Benin>. Approximately two months ago Kristin and I headed [...]

[Fulani herders lead their livestock to be judged at a local cultural event] I can’t seem to find the time to finish up a blog entry.  Niger has been keeping me unbelievably busy.  Let’s see if I can get this up today……  ————————-5/7/2009:Many Native American peoples used sweat lodges as an important spiritual tool for ceremonies [...]

[Overlooking Lake Geneva from Observation Park] Geneva Day 1: Menu(Arrival Day through Day1):Quiche LorraineTotelini SoupBrieAppenzeller (Cheese)Home made fondant drop cookiesBaguettesStawberriesMandarine OrangesMadelinesBaguette w/ raspberry jellyEspressoCroque MonsieurPearGueyereSloppy JoesBaked Potato OK, so there’s no doubt I’ve been enjoying the food…  Really the entire experience has been incredible so far.  We’re staying in a beautiful apartment in the heart of Geneva.  It [...]

13h30, GMT+1:I made it off the African continent!  I’ve got about an hour before my mom, sister, and brother in law arrive so I’m going to jot down a few notes on the trip so far.  The trip from Niamey to Ouagadougou to Casablanca was fairly painless.  One of my carry on bags got stuck [...]

[AIDS education event in Dosso] A couple nights ago it rained for the first time in about 6 months.  It was what Nigeriens call Mango rain.  Mango rains are actually just very brief and light showers that supposedly help sweeten the mangos that are rapidly coming into season.  I believe these light showers are created by [...]

[Dusty day along the stadium wall in Dosso] Just kidding…  There’s no snow here.  Just 105 degree temperatures and lots of dust being blown in by the Harmattan winds.  My sister, on the other hand, is getting snow days off from work in Athens, GA! [My sister, frosty, and brother in-law in Athens, GA] Unpleasant weather aside, everything [...]

[Me and my dad in the Tal Desert near N'guigimi, Niger] Draft!!!!  Be Patient and the final version will be up tomorrow!  Iri ma kani bani! February 6, 2009, 23h40 GMT+1: Hello World.  So I have less than two hours before my next adventure begins.  I’m going to try to summarize the last two months in about [...]

[Me and my dad in the Tal Desert near N'guigimi, Niger] Draft!!!!  Be Patient and the final version will be up tomorrow!  Iri ma kani bani!February 6, 2009, 23h40 GMT+1: Hello World.  So I have less than two hours before my next adventure begins.  I’m going to try to summarize the last two months in about [...]

[Dogon Country: Morning stroll near Ende] I’m back home in Dosso after a nice break from Niger.  Nearly two weeks ago, my friend Russell arrived in Niger.  It was his first trip to Africa and he was my first visitor since I arrived here in January.  The first night we didn’t do much.  I accepted a [...]

[On the road near GidanMuni] Demyst, Halloween, the election, random visitors from the US, soccer, the inner workings of Nigerien commerce……….the last several weeks have been busy.  Almost immediately after I returned from my trip out east, it was time for the newest volunteer trainees to leave the training villages and experience life with a PCV [...]

Just a quick entry to commemorate the occasion….  It has been a great night.  I hung out in Dosso with some of my best friends here in Niger.  We made pizza, calzones, and soft pretzels.  We created our own electoral maps and hung some cool posters from designforobama.com.  My friend Kaylee decided to knit a [...]

[Date Palms of Gidan Muni] I made it back to Dosso!  It’s hard to believe that I left a little more than two weeks ago.  It feels like was gone more like a month.  Overall, the trip was a successful one.  I worked with a few people at the national radio station and talked with other [...]

[Woodabe Festival near Tahoua] A little more than a week ago I left my home in Dosso to visit a few radio stations, visit a few other volunteers, and see more of Niger.  Since then, I’ve spent more than 24 hours traveling on buses, bush taxis, and by foot.  The first stop was Badagishiri, one of [...]

[Eid Prayer outside of Dosso] Monday was Eid, the Muslim holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan.  It was a great time to be in Niger.  Around 7am everyone started heading for an area outside the city of Dosso, where prayer would be held.  I planned to go with a team of reporters from [...]

[The village mosque of Harikanassou] A lot of people ask me about the languages spoken in Niger and how useful my French skills are, so today I’m going to dedicate most of this entry to language. There is little doubt that learning a foreign language has played an integral role in getting me to where I am [...]

[The village of Yeni north of Kiota] Hey, I’m back!  I returned from Niamey Sunday morning and I am still recovering from something along the lines of a sinus infection.  I’m feeling much better now.  Nearly two weeks have passed since my last blog entry and a lot has happened.  Last Monday, before I even went [...]

[Afternoon prayer in Niamey] Yesterday, as I arrived the radio station on my shiny anasara bike, I felt multiple stinging sensations on my neck. I was being attacked by ants. The small black ants of Niger pack a punch. A single bite will sting for several hours and remain visible for several day [...]

[Catterpilar in a nearby millet field] I made it through my first day of fasting without too much trouble. I joined my counterpart, Ousmane, for the somewhat ceremonial process of breaking fast. I entered his house for the first time. A table was already out covered with an assortment of pots and pitchers. [...]