Orientation, driving and street food, OH MY....

Wow, I can't imagine that just a week ago I was in Florida saying goodbyes and packing my things. I had no idea what I was in for. This week in Africa has been so different for me; asking me to adjust to a place where nothing works the way I know it. It has not been as hard as it could have, and I know it will get worse, but for now I am having a blast, having a new adventure everyday and loving it. When we arrived in Paris our departing flight was already late so we knew we would not arrive on time to Niamey. When we landed though we had to wait another hour on the plane because of some problem with the "parking spot." It was not that big of a deal, we just had more time to talk to the Nigeriens seated next to us. By the time we got off the plane, we were three hours late and were sure that we were never going to see our luggage again. But we were wrong. After we left the passport stamping desk and the yellow fever vaccination checking station we waiting a grueling 45 minutes around the baggage carousel and retrieved all of our bags. Between the three of us we had 12 bags. The drive home was quite the introduction to Africa because the main road was blocked off for some unknown reason. The three truck caravan had to meander through the back neighborhoods to get back to the guest house. We passed houses and entire villages made from millet stalks weaved together to form walls. This is common here. The millet stalk mats are sold by the roll all over the city. Driving here is not as typical as one would think. It is quite crazy. I described driving in Ecuador while I was there like playing a race car game. This is nothing like that. Driving in niger is more like driving a 4 wheeler everywhere. The streets are mainly dirt with a few exceptions in the city. Then, the dirt roads are bumpy and even hilly so that you almost can bump your head on the roof of the truck if you are not careful. To make matters worse, there are taxis, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians everywhere! I am not discouraged about driving, It is actually quite fun! But that is just me. During these days we have learned all about Niamey and where to get what we need. We have visited grocery stores, markets, vegetable stands, where to refill our gas bottles and coke bottles, pharmacies, clinics, bakeries, and where we can get other supplies as we go. They encouraged us to drive as much as possible so that we can know our way around. They are so smart. We have eaten street food twice now. There is a stand right down the street from our guest house that has good rice and beans and cooked manioc. Today for lunch I paid 200 cfa for a bowl full of it and was only able to eat half of it. It is so good. (200 cfa is about 45 cents) Our guest house is located on the same road as the French and American Embassies, as well as the american recreation center. They play softball there every Saturday and have a pool, playground, and basketball court. I don't know if I'll spend too much time there, but it was nice to see. This afternoon we are going to visit the tailor. We haggled for fabric in the market a few days ago and are having african clothes made. I can't wait for that. Please keep our upcoming language study in your prayers, we start with Hamani, our language tutor, on Wednesday, as well as our upcoming trip out to Birnin Konni on the 15 and 16th of June. Other than that, please write and let me know what is happening in your lives. I would love to know and to be able to share it with you.