Katy is in Niger, West Africa

Bonjour, y'al! Here I am in Niger. It is very hot, very very hot and dusty. It’s 41 degrees centigrade and I don’t want to know what that is in Farenheit but suffice to say it is well over 100.

Niamey is a “capital city in the middle of the bush” says the guidebook and that appears to be true. There’s really not much here that I can see, anyway. Arriving into the airport was fine, and there was only one other plane at the airport and it looked out of commission. The airport was “under repairs” and a bit confusing, in that there was no wall stopping you from just leaving the airport and the security. Also, I hadn’t been issued a visa number. That turned out not to be a problem.

The “Grand Hotel” where I am staying is not Grand in any way (and the website makes it out to look quite different) but it is a hotel. It’s actually more like a motel. The crazy thing is that it is not cheap to stay here. But this is all new to me.

There are apparently no ATMs in Niger—a fact I didn’t read til I got on the airplane but should have guessed—and the hotel has to be paid in either AmEx, Diners, or cash. I only have $240 and the hotel is $100 a night, so I am not sure how that is going to work out for my five nights here. [Update—I found out. CARE will pay and bill my project. YAY! Problem averted.]

So what does it look like here? It pretty much fulfils my expectations. There are few paved roads and lots of dirt and dust flying around. Since arriving, I haven’t been able to see the sun because of the clouds of dust that sock in the capital. Lots of people riding around on motos, and lots walking as well. Little cars flying in and out. It feels very provincial.

Women mostly in traditional dress, and as it’s a Muslim country, they tend to be pretty covered up including a head scarf but their face visible. Yes, lots of colorful printed outfits and elaborate headscarfs and many men in traditional dress as well—large baggy ornamented shirts in bright colors and long pants. There are some who wear very plain clothes and a type of headscarf that wraps under their neck and piles into a top on their heads. Many men (and I think women?) have scars of cuts from their lips drawing towards their cheeks, or near their eyebrows, or nose. Must be some kind of Nigerien tattoo. I don't know.

The most exciting thing? Occasionally there are camels and donkeys walking down the very non-cosmopolitan streets of Niamey. It is a sight to behold when you’re buying mangoes and suddenly there’s a camel next to you.

There are few trees and it is hot. Real hot. Lots of people sit outside, apparently well adjusted to the heat, or knowing somehow that it is cooler. The food I’ve had has been mostly Senegalese—fried fish, or some onion & sauce stuff & fried rice. But the best food has been the fruit. It’s mango season! For dinner last night I ate a mango.

Even though I would probably do it again because it saves $1500, I don’t exactly look forward to spending my weekend here. The country director told me not to walk outside alone, and I have absolutely no clue what I’ll spend my weekend doing. I leave at midnight on Sunday, and what I’ll do until 10pm is … hard to conceive. When you don’t know anyone here, it feels like there is nothing to do. I’ve heard there are some giraffes to go see nearby or some hippos and a museum…but I am not feeling too great about doing that stuff alone.

The End.