Last before site-installation

Last day to enjoy extreme creature comforts like running water, electricity and internet for quite a while. Tomorrow I go to live in the bush for month straight. This is the first blog post I am writing in real time rather than retroactively uploading. I am camped out at Amendines’ which is a restaurant run by Lebanese targeting rich, white people such as myself. Best of all: they have free wifi. I have already been here for three hours responding to emails uploading pictures etc and have no problem sitting here for another three while ordering another caffe frappe.

Shopping is almost done. In a typical Maria-fashion I went crazy at the prospect of decorating a two-room house of my own and managed to spend a full month’s pay in one day. Oops. I guess it’s a good thing then that my village doesn’t really have a market so there’s nothing to spend money on once I get to post.

Happy was the day of September 13 when I proudly proclaimed that I had made it through PST without getting sick once! Naturally I should have kept my mouth shut because sure enough, Come Monday I start hearing funny noises from my stomach and when we came back from Tillaberi having visited 13 different men in prominent positions I learned that I had finally been indoctrinated into the Amoebas Club! 360something cases of intestinal parasites per year in Niger, one of which can now be claimed by me!

Yesterday Ricky, Jessica and I, all with delayed installation dates were out getting some (non-alcoholic) drinks chit-chatting about our first month in village. I tune out for a second and when I refocus, I realize that Ricky is negotiating with the waiter. I listen in and soon realize that I am the product being negotiated! Ricky is asking for three camels but the waiter is hesitant and eventually they settle on two with the condition that I have to go live in Mali for a year. At first, I am flattered. Camels are expensive and I wouldn’t mind riding one to Mali. Then I learned that Ricky had gotten the three camels for another girl in our training class the night before and my happiness turned to disappointed at not being of equal worth. In the end I was so distressed by this inferiority that I called it off, telling the waiter that I’ll go with him to Mali when he’s old enough to grow a beard. This will probably a couple years away and by then I’ll be done with Peace Corps and out of Niger so if the waiter does show up with camels, he will have to find someone else to give them to if he wants an Annasara wife.

Jessica and Camel.

BTW; Jessica was voted 'Most likely to Marry a Host Country National' in the superlative awards ceremony. I got 'Most Talented' because of a fire performance at Cafe Langue.