Randoms of Niger

Dearest Readers,

It’s been awhile. Tom got the wireless internet working, but there’s a funny thing about wireless, it only works with power! However, we have had a lot of power outages recently, so the internet hasn’t really had the opportunity to show us its best, but it’s still a huge blessing!

Blessings are typically accompanied by prayers… Prayers for our water pump would be much appreciated. I don’t know much about the situation, but I think the Pastor said it would cost around 500,000 francs (1 USD= 460 francs) to get a new pump for the village.

Here’s a bit of humorous pieces for you... (maybe you won’t think they are as funny as I do, so I used asterisks if there is a side story)

1. Last night at dinner we were reading our devotions, and it talked about Mary Poppins*. As soon as Tom closed the devotion, Laurey whispers to Marie, “Can you believe Mary Poppins is in the Bible?”

*The girls really enjoy Mary Poppins

2. I have discovered it’s much more exciting to take a bucket bath in the dark. On the same note, I have decided to not shower bucket bath on the days we go to the swimming pool in Maradi. Actually, to get really personal, I bet I only bucket bath on the days I run jog until I see something that’s demanding to have its picture taken.

3. Every day, the guard greets me in Hausa, the guard and I exchange our greetings, which is actually like a paragraph.. and then the girls laugh because I said something wrong. I’m learning Hausa is tonal, but the tones are much more difficult than Mandarin Chinese. Hopefully next week I’ll be able to surprise the guard by asking him something.

4. Running in sand is a great way to exfoliate your feet at the same time! I always have to dump my shoes when I get back!

5. Ellie always loves to ask me “Does you mom make ____?” Almost every night before dinner, Ellie will ask me if my mom makes whatever we have for dinner.. Sometimes I can say yes. “Yes, my mom can make pizza!” But usually, that is followed by “Well, my mom makes it best!”

And some fun facts:

1. The Tureg people (in Northern Niger) can survive on nothing but camel milk for days! Actually, camel milk has full nutritional value! I can’t wait until I can try some camel milk, but if it tastes better* than whole milk, I’m not sure what to do!

*I love whole milk.

2. There’s a chance I am going to get to learn how to make yogurt! Making yogurt is on the list of things that I have always wanted to know how to do!

I hope everyone is doing well! Send me updates: kinkadea1@gmail.com

Typical Day

Yesterday, someone asked me what a typical day consisted of here in Niger.. So, here it goes.

I spend my entire day fighting off ear wigs.

I’m joking, but have you ever seen one? We just sprayed for them yesterday, but the spray made most of us really itchy.

Here is a more accurate description of my “typical” day:

Occasionally, the wonderful Mr. Boyfriend calls me just as I am waking up. Then it is time for breakfast before school starts at 8:00. Marie and Laurey have Bible/Prayer, History, Hand-writing, Language Arts and sometimes Literature/Reading before our 10:30 break. After break, we have Science, Math, and anything that wasn’t done in the morning. We usually also do some activities depending on the day and lesson.. Fridays is piano day! It’s usually a pretty full morning for school. Each day, I am surprised at the depth of Sonlight Curriculum. How many of us learned about Ancient World History in 2nd grade? I don’t even think I could locate the 7 continents.

After school, we have lunch around one.. My afternoons currently consist of picnics, trampolines, preparing the next days lessons (though I struggle to pronounce many of the Historical names), reading (for myself and sometimes to the girls), reading the Bible, checking my email to see if I have a student teaching placement, and lastly learning/practicing piano. The last one is quite the task, but I think it’s a great thing for the girls to learn, and I can’t expect them to learn without staying ahead of them!

Dinner is around seven, and following dinner I usually watch some Gilmore Girls on my computer and reading as well as working on a few special projects... We are still lacking running water, so if I’m feeling dirty enough I might take a bucket bath.

Weekends here are really relaxed compared to my 12 hour Fareway days. (I miss you all!) On Saturdays we usually go to the pool in the early afternoon and eat lunch there. On Sundays church is around 9:00 with a Bible Group in the evening.

I have also been using the “More with Less” cookbook a lot, but I’m afraid my English Muffins will never work out in my favor.

Other typical day things may include:
…Going to Maradi
…trying to use my Hausa with the guard (or others)
…Running (this is interesting considering the amount of sand that accumulates in my shoes)
… waiting for the power to come back on
For those on the count-down, I think we are down to 90 days left in Niger.

Beauty

This weeks lesson…

Find beauty in everything.

Did you know a single ant can carry an entire peanut quickly across a picnic blanket?
Did you know you can laugh for countless hours while playing various versions of Duck, Duck Goose?
Did you know you can also laugh for countless hours watching three children jump on a trampoline?
If anyone can learn from God though the beauties of Niger, they can also look into their own lives each day. I’m going to pose a challenge for each of us this week. Find beauty in something you have never made the time to notice. When you find yourself frustrated with the world take a look around and discover something beautiful. Take note of what you discover, and return to it each day.
Also, studies are wrong… never go to bed angry. The Bible says, and I trust the Bible more than a study.

Cats & Lizards

As I was typing this in a email to Curtis, I decided everyone might like a little humor in the middle of the day… (some will not find this humorous, and I think it would be better told in person.)

For those of you who don’t know this, I grew up in the country. I used to put mice in buckets and spun them around so they would be easier for the cats to catch. I know this sounds in-humane, but it was just part of living in the country. Yesterday there was this lizard stuck in the chicken around the turkeys. The lizard was stuck, and I thought he was dead because he wasn’t moving. When I realized he wasn’t dead, I tried to use a stick to get him out, but it wouldn’t work. Tom said the cats eat lizards, so he got this cat to come and get it. Easiest catch of this cats life, right? Not true. The cat tugged on the lizard for a second, and then gave up. I’m pretty sure the turkey ended up getting the lizard in the end, but I thought it was so funny that cats in Niger can adopt the same lazy quality as cats anywhere else. :)

I also need to mention that Laurey and Marie were throwing scraps to the turkey while I was poking the lizard, and if an orange peel hit me in the process, I would scream; which of course made everyone die of laughter.

First Day of School!

Do you know how to tell the difference between an ape and a monkey? A monkey has a tail, but an ape doesn’t.

Science Lesson One: Complete! (among other things!)

The first day of school was a success! We are reading the Red Sails of Capri, and doing lots of other fun (& educational) things! Our classroom has a timeline that we created on Friday, but we haven’t gotten to any figures for it quite yet. I am grateful for my education at Central—it’s tough to teach two different grade levels at the same time! After school, the girls also told me Sylvia would invite them over of an afternoon story… Thank goodness my awesome friends back in Ames got me the complete set of “If you give a Mouse a Cookie!”

In other news, we have been lucky enough to keep our water buckets filled with water from a nearby mission site.. maybe by next week we will have own supply of running water! I also haven’t had the opportunity to talk to my family much, I sent my mom a text, and tried to call Dad last night, but the internet is too slow. (Which is also why I haven’t uploaded any pictures!)

Today the girls and I cleaned up the classroom a little, and did some educational games. Saturday we get to swim at the club, and Monday is the First Day of School! Wish me luck! I also got cooking supplies for breakfast and weekend meals.. I tried to make granola last night, but made some mistake and just made clumps of oats. I was missing some ingredients.. so I will blame that. If anyone has any suggestions of foods that would be easy to make, send them my way!

Things that need some prayer attention:

Pray for the water pump to get fixed. It appears we won’t have running water for over a week. I think we have to get some oxen and pull it up from the well! We filled up enough buckets and bottles, but the swim tomorrow will be a great chance to get the stink away. ;)

Pray for my mother. Her horse passed away in an accident last week. It takes my mom awhile to find a horse she is attached to, and Lucy was a great horse. It’s hard to offer support over the phone while I am away.

Pray for disciples. Always. After seeing pieces of a country that it 99% Muslim, it would be very hard to be a Christian living among this community. Pray the Christians have the courage to stand out and speak about Jesus to the Muslims.

Pictures appear to load a little faster via facebook, so check the link I posted last time for picture updates!

Maradi!

In Niger, we travel much like my family back in Iowa. We pack snacks, and only stop when someone is yelling “Baba, I gotta go potty now!” We made good time, and I am settled into my apartment. We had some great food, and watched one of the movies Tom’s family sent for the kids and now it’s time to get ready for bed. Tomorrow, I hope to organize all of the teaching supplies as well as stock my fridge for breakfasts and weekend meals! The internet isn’t going to be the best, and I am limiting myself (for budget and practical reasons) but expect to still see lots of updates! Hope all is well with everyone!

I am going to try to upload pictures to facebook... (wish me luck!) and this link can allow you to view them, even if we aren't friends... (it it won't let me know)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150767535365371.724597.508325370&l=1b82cf2ad6&type=1

Giraffes!

Today was the day to take the truck on a test drive before making the 10+ hour drive to Maradi. We "test drove" to see the giraffes. They were beautiful, we got to see seven of them in a big open range. Pictures of a giraffe and skull/leg are below!


The two teachers (Anna will come to teach when I leave) are pictured with the kids below! Some of you that know the kids will notice how much they have grown!

New blog!

Random updates!

I have decided to make my blog more specific. This blog will be the basis of my stay in Niger, and then I want to update people specifically on things they are interested in. I am hoping this causes some more interest.

I have also started a new blog, and you are welcome to check it out. It's www.andweliveasimplelife.blogspot.com That's And we live a simple life put together.

P.S. If anyone ever sends mail, it's BP 250 Maradi, Niger 4000. It will take about three weeks for anything to arrive.. but maybe just give me a heads up.. Mail isn't just put in a box outside the house. :)

Todays adventures

If anything, Niger is going to teach me more than I ever wanted to know about myself and my world vision. What a blessing.

Did you know...

... In Muslim culture you get further in life by doing good works? This causes a multitude of problems. The first that comes to mind for me are the people that continue to beg because they know they can get things from Muslims who think they are getting farther in life by giving to the people who do not help themselves. I am still learning a lot about Muslim culture, but

... Peace Corp in Niger has shut down because they feel it is unsafe to be here, even though the majority of the problems have had nothing to do with the United States?

... You can make very tasty mac and cheese out of "real cheddar" and powdered milk?

... If you are patient, your luggage will arrive sooner than expected.

... the RCA has a great exchange set-up with the EERN (Church in Niger)? The RCA has a partnership and we are living among the people training them to do a variety of things to help them better sustain themselves. The RCA did not come here and set-up a church. They came here and helped an already established church. They have their own style, culture and system alined with Christian beliefs and missionaries are here to support and live among them. Not make them more American.

... Kids here have such an opportunity to learn languages. French is the national language, and many speak some English, but in Niamey, there is also Zarma and some Hausa. What an awesome opportunity to make your brain work.

In other news, I have received one update from the states, and I am glad that ISU won. I have gotten to talk to both of my wonderful, supportive parents today. I also got to tour an International School. Visit www.sahelacademy.com for more info, but I'm confident I would recommend this school to any teacher or student.

I would love some more updates from the US (or any other country you may be in).

Prayers & Blessings!

Arrival

It's 2:30 PM and I am in Niger-- however, my luggage isn't.

It'll be found soon enough. Going through baggage claims with limited French was entertaining and I met some cool Chinese people who also didn't speak French..

All of my thoughts are random, and I hope to give some more details later. :)

It's beautiful here, the capital is my new home for the next couple of days.

My Pit-stop

I have made it to my first put stop-- New York City! Curtis and I left really early, and Gwen (his mom) met us there. We also had a surprise visitor.. Dad!

I have a few things to share:

1. Traveling alone is.. interesting. When you have to go to the bathroom, there isn't anyone to hold your pillow... There's also no one to try and wake me up when the plane lands or they have food for you. There's no one to snuggle with or laugh about silly things with, I miss Dani. The plus side: I always fall asleep before the planes even leave the terminal.

2. I didn't forget my anti-malarial, for those who were concerned. I have them, and I will take them. Photo to prove.



3. My google voice number works to call. 563-265-5374. That's 563-ANKLES4.

4. I keep thinking about doing something exciting since I'm in New York City.. but I think some Chinese take-out sounds good. The nearest bus stop is over a mile from my hotel.


Love and prayers are going out to all you! Feel free to comment or email!