er1nh posted a photo: Despite the amazing gardens, it's still a dusty place, like the rest of Niger.

er1nh posted a photo: It's great to see Nigerien girls running around!

er1nh posted a photo: Jenn's secondary school girls soccer team at practice!

er1nh posted a photo: A view of the gardens from a hill. You can see how quickly they end and the desert beings!

er1nh posted a photo: Little shop of horrors?? No, just a BIG cabbage!

er1nh posted a photo: Men preparing the garden for planting.

er1nh posted a photo: In the gardens, with the runt of the carrots.

er1nh posted a photo: Ali in his garden. The gardens have an intricate irrigation system. The gardens are raised up, and water is diverted into them. The plants are in rows and each row can be watered at different times.

er1nh posted a photo: Walking through the canals in the gardens, from which each garden is watered.

er1nh posted a photo: After the lakes, we went to see the gardens. Scott, a soon-to-be PCV, will be Jenn's neighbor in the adjacent village. They prepare for our walk through the gardens by rolling up their pants! (and skirt)

er1nh posted a photo: The second lake, which is much larger. In rainy season the two lakes will grow and become even bigger!

er1nh posted a photo: The man is on a tiny raft, made out of two bowls. He paddles out into the lake and then catches fish with small nets and his hands! Apparently it's extremely difficult!

er1nh posted a photo: The magnificent oasis!! This is the first of the two lakes. I've never seen so much water in Niger! Ali was our wonderful guide.

er1nh posted a photo: Jenn, at her house with Haoua. Haoua is a Peace Corps Young Girl Scholar, a program that supports some of the secondary school girls who come from the bush. For children who live in small villages in the bush, to go to secondary school they have to move to the biggest town in the area, and live with either family members or a family that takes them in. Haoua is one of the best students in her class, and we read an English book together!

er1nh posted a photo: This is one of the most loaded up bush taxis I've ever seen. This pic was taken from the bus window on our way out to Zinder. The bus was stopped in Tessoua for a minute, and we saw them loading up this truck. The round blue things are plastic tea pots that are used to pour water when washing.

er1nh posted a photo: Fulan girls in traditional clothes watch the event.