Ain't no Walk In The Park

Life in Africa wouldn't be easy. I knew that before joining the Peace Corps. Immersing yourself in another culture is never easy but everyone kept saying that this was going to be so hard and I nodded in agreement. Still, it did not fully register because after all, twice already, I have moved to a new country, made friends with locals and learned their way of life. After a month in Niger I can say with confidence that none of those experiences will compare to the challenges that I am and will have to face here in Niger. This post will shed some light on what I’ve learned after one month in country but also identify the simple pleasures that keep me from breaking down.

The greatest challenge is culture. It really is an overused word in many ways because it doesn’t have a clearly defined meaning or rather; its meaning is too broad. I will use it to describe three main aspects of life in Niger and how these aspects pose a significant hurdle that needs to be climbed or circumvented in some way before I can actually start considering Niger my home. These aspects are gender roles, religion and humor.

Gender Roles are extremely clearly defined in Niger. Men and Women are expected to perform completely different tasks and should not cross those borders. Women in the house, men on the field or busy conducting other income generating activities. Men control the money and thus the household. The gender roles go beyond work though and that is when things get really tricky. As a woman there are a million subtle norms on how to talk to men including a bunch of topics that are off limit. Touching a man is considered extremely suggestive even if it is just a hand on an arm as you’re making a joke. We should never allow a man into our concession, night or day and should never go anywhere with a man after dark even if it is work related. This may not seem like a big deal; just avoid men and things will be fine. Well given that all leaders, political, business and otherwise are men this is very hard since most people we work with will be men. In addition men are more likely to be literate and have education which will generally make them more interesting conversation partners since women’s conversation is limited to the immediate whereabouts of the village. I must admit that this is not a well tested statement but I was asked to provide an account for how I think being a women will impact my service in an extremely man dominated society and this is my understanding thus far. It may very well change once I get to post and get to know more women my age. The thing is, most women my age are already married with at least a few children who will make finding common ground hard, or so I imagine. Still, I am glad to be a female Peace Corps Volunteer because my understanding is that male volunteers have an even harder time bridging the gender gap since talking to married women is off limits unless their husbands are present which of course can limit what can and cannot be said. Unmarried women are also mostly off limits since any serious conversation would be viewed as a coming on with the intent of marriage. At least as a female volunteer, our foreign status gives us the ability to talk to men (in public) on a different level than a Nigerien woman would almost to the point of night and day. A perfect example is from demystification weekend when we went and had dinner with the school director. It was accepted in her village because they worked together but our Demyster; Liz, explained that the Director had once told her that there were only two women that had ever had dinner with him since childhood; his wife and Liz. It just wasn’t done. When Liz asked why it was alright for her to come, the Director explained that it was different with her. She was educated; and Annasara.

It is important to understand that gender roles are SUBTLE. At first glance it would appear that men and women have equal status, and in a way they do. Women are free to say whatever they want and generally go wherever they want whenever they want. I know that men are valued more only because of what I’ve heard, not because of what I’ve seen. There is plenty more to learn but because I will always be on the outside, not quite the social status of women but certainly not as men, it will most definitely be the greatest challenge to determine what the system is and where I fit in.

A final point links to the next big challenge; religion. Polygamy is completely accepted in Niger since Islam allows a man to take up to four wives “as long as he can provide equally for all of them”. In reality this isn’t always the case. More on that when I actually get to know a polygamous family and can report more on the details of how that impacts the family dynamics and gender roles between husband and his wives but also between the wives.

Nigeriens are predominantly Muslim (98%). They follow the pillars of belief on Allah as the one deity, prayer 5 times a day, Ramadan, alms to the poor and the pilgrimage to Mecca (even though most people can’t afford the last). That being said, people do not let religion interfere with business or politics. As I understand it Niger is and has always been a secular country which means that there is little chance for conflict based on religious divides. The biggest issue I see with Islam is that people use it as an excuse not to seek medical assistance for themselves or their children because Allah will determine when and where you die no matter what you do. The school Director at demyst who mind you is highly educated man said about his smoking when I commented on it: “God will decide when it’s time to die”. At least alcohol use is never an issue since Nigeriens holds alcohol and drugs as strong cultural taboos.

A final challenge at this point lies in understanding Nigerien humor. They joke all the time and it’s almost impossible to discern when they are serious and when they are joking. In addition, jokes can be extremely, even at my limited language ability. Yesterday for the first time, I had to lock myself up in my private concession for a few hours just because I got tired of listening to my host sisters repeat everything I said and then laughing out loud. I know people often insult each other as jokes and although I am perfectly aware of this it is going to take some serious effort and time to get used to. Nigeriens laugh all the time at each other and themselves and I really hope that I will grow a thick skin fast so that I can take part in this instead of feeling hurt when they laugh at instead of encouraging my attempts to learn their language.

Still, there are many highlights with my life in Niger thus far. Small things that I have never experienced before and might never enjoy again. Here follows a list of such treats:

- Taking a bucket bath at dusk after a hot day which means sitting on a small stool with a bucket of semi-warm water (getting warm in the sun), a bar of soap and pouring cups of water to wash away the sand and dirt that gets into everything. All this as the sun is setting

- Heading to the market in the morning means greeting at least 10 people on the short walk, most of whom know my name at this point and give me big encouraging smiles as they wish me a good morning. While at the market I exchange greeting s with the sales people since I buy the same thing every morning and am slowly becoming on familiar terms with Fati who sells Fari Masa and Daoda who makes my coffee.

- Talking to the language instructors in between classes can a lot of times lead to laughter since they understand where we are coming from and have no problem pointing out and ridiculing the peculiarities of their own language and culture and how it compares to western culture.

- Sitting on a mat last Sunday doing macramé with strings I brought from the US while my host sisters braided my hair in well over twenty tiny braids. This took over two hours to do and I enjoyed every moment of it.

- Lying in bed after dinner, looking at the moon and Mars. Never have I been so conscious of the moon’s travel across the sky. I can tell it’s bedtime by where the moon stands in the sky. I wish I remembered the constellations from Astronomy class but I have a feeling the ones in Africa’s sky are different from the ones in the Boston sky.

- At night is also when Teri and I share a debriefing of the day. We discuss our worries about site announcement, we gossip about other volunteers and the staff and we get to know each other. I hope we get placed close to each other so that we can easily keep in touch.

Speaking of site announcements, they happen TOMORROW! Thursday August 14 is when I learn what my home will be for the next two years. Next blog entry will include all the details I can get about my assignment.