The weeks keep flying by so fast I can hardly keep up with them. Older volunteers always said that your last few months go by way too fast, now I'm beginning to see what they mean.
Last two months until the official Completion of Service date (December 10th)!! Two months of a new place to live, finishing things up, and planning for the future. With new changes taking place; PCVs moving in to Niamey, a few people getting ready to leave; the house I was living in is getting two more PCVs- so peace corps is letting me live in a nearby apartment for my remaining two months. Yesterday I officially moved in- big change #1.
Big change #2: I officially got the position! Working with Sahara Wildlife Conservation , I'll spend one more year here in Niger, in the Zinder region, working in Ostrich rehabilitation and conservation as a project assistant! I'm so excited! To move back to the bush and use more Hausa language, to continue to work with wildlife here in Niger (though I will miss my baby hippo here at the zoo!!) and see and work with the people of Niger through an NGO perspective. Especially because I hope to work toward a Biology/Zoology/Wildlife Conservation career, this will be a great experience and I am really excited!
I'm just beginning the extension-of-service process for the job, once I finish (in a week or so), I'll have all my information; when I start the new job, the dates of my home-leave, et cetera. My plan and hope is that I can take my home-leave somewhere around mid-december (it's a month long) and then start the new job in mid january, but we'll see how it goes.
I have to appologize- I feel like the past several posts have been nothing but updates, and a little short on the stories and experiences. Here's one to help make up for it:
Ramadan was last month, and here in the city it was a whole different experience than back in the bush. Either way, I love the Ramadan fete- everyone is dressed in their best for three days, plus good food and sharing, and the best part is everyone is so welcoming even for someone who is not Muslim, nor participated in the month long fast, I felt included in the festivities.
This year, before the fete I was told that the Zoo hosts a festival for the three days of fete. This included a live concert and dancing for most of the day, games and carnival-style stands where one could win prizes, food of every flavor, shape and size, and, of course, the animals were always there for viewing. Not knowing what to expect, I arrived early on the first day of fete- all the workers looking a little frazzled like they were preparing themselves for a long day. By 11, the gates to the grounds were packed by about 50 metres with a loud, pushing mob of people excitingly awaiting to enter the Musee. The resident vet spotted me and beckons me over- he glanced down a long list and says, 'Balkissa, you're stationed at the hyena/jackal area.' Oh. no problem.. I wasnt exactly sure what was going on.. give tours? answer questions? No, crowd control. 'Keep kids from climbing the fence and sticking their hands in the cages.' Ok. So I head down the hill, to my new location, where another keeper (assigned to the nearby chimpanzee area) spots me and waves me over. 'Balkissa! here's your stick' and hands me a long broom-handle like stick.
If you've even been to a nigerien event- sporting events, concerts, whatever, there's usually a couple guys with sticks working as crowd control.. trust me, the sticks arent just props.. I was crowd control for the hyenas and jackals. Surely the crowds wouldnt be that bad? Wrong. everywhere you look, a sea of people- crowding to see this and that, pushing to get up as close as they can to the cages. HOW many times can you ask politely for someone to GET OFF a cage before they even hear you??? No idea, they never heard me when I asked politely, and I had to result to loud cranky yelling. While I did get pretty good at yelling at people (I can say 'get down', 'stop that' and move away' in 4 different languages...), I admit I probably wasn't very good with the stick- I didnt use it very much, mostly on rude teenage boys who just laughed when I yelled at them for kicking the jackal cage- and even then they laughed still, because I hit them so lightly... in which case I resulted to shameing them, telling them they had no respect, Allah knows all, etc. That usually worked.
It was a long three days, thats for sure. I did enjoy seeing everyone in their new ramadan outfits, and it really wasnt too bad with all the delicious fried food being sold right behind me. Plus the musee staff came around each afternoon to give all the workers a meat sandwich and yogurt. So, maybe a tiring celebration, but still fun!
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