This past week I had my first experience in taking a “Bush Taxi” into the city. On the way to Maradi, my team of three was joined by a dozen other Hausa men, women and children in the back of a truck. We shared raisins and orange tictacs (which they confused for medicine) with everyone and they attempted to teach us a few words in Hausa. It was a good exchange!! In Maradi we get to swim in the private club, eat fries, drink cold beverages, use internet service, and go to the post office, bakery and grocery store. I always feel spoiled and but I am very thankful every time I jump into that pool!

Life in Ly On Kara was a bit slower and even hotter this week. We took a map of the world around the village as we went to visit the different compounds. Many people were shocked to see how many places existed in the world. They couldn’t comprehend the existence of so many continents and large bodies of water because many people only know their own village and have only traveled as far as they can walk in one day. We taught the children that the earth is round and that we had to take several airplanes to travel from America to get to Niger. They were excited and amazed to learn about this.

We visited Toda, another Fulani village that is located several kilometers down the road. They wanted Brittany to look at one of the children there who had been severely burnt by a hot mixture of milk and millet. It was a little baby girl, about one year old, who kept trying to crawl even though she had 2nd and 3rd degree burns all over her legs and feet. Even though Brittany is a paramedic in the States, she has more medical training than most of the doctors here in Niger! She helped clean the wounds, put antibacterial ointment on them and then bandaged the legs. Then we instructed her family how to care for the wounds each day until they heal. We will be bringing them more medical supplies each day when we check on the baby.

Ramadan ends next Tuesday and every village will be celebrating in their own fashion. Ly On Kara will be no exception!!! The chief and his children have promised to show us Fulani songs, dances and games when they break their fast on that night! After Ramadan, my team will focus more in the upcoming weeks on teaching English and health/ hygiene lessons in the village. There are also several people interested in hearing stories from the Bible.

Never a dull moment

This week I had the opportunity to travel to a neighboring Fulani village, Marafa, and have henna done on both my hands and feet!!! Many West African tribes believe that henna is beautiful and it is performed on women and children for special occasions such as weddings and to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The Fulani do their henna differently than most, however, because they dye the entire soles of their feet and their toenails as well as the tip of each finger on their left hand. (The left hand is considered unclean in this culture and not used for eating, waving, or offering an object to anyone.) First the Fulani clean the feet and hands, and then use a razor to cut up electrical tape into intricate patterns which will be placed on the sides of each foot and on the palm of the hand. They pound their own henna, and then use an ammonia based salt mixed with ash to change the color from deep orange to black. The entire process takes hours to complete, but the result is a unique design which lasts several weeks.

Our village also held a baby naming ceremony this week! When a child is born, it is not given a name until 7 days later during a morning celebration. The father of the child will choose a name, whisper it into the baby’s ear and tell the religious elder of the village. It is the religious elder who then shouts out the baby’s name for the rest of the family and neighbors to hear. The mother and the baby stay inside their hut the entire day and are not seen by anyone. They shave the baby’s head and pour a mixture of water and milk over the child as an act of initiation into the Fulani tribe. Then, they slit the throat of a sheep as a sacrifice to Allah and the meat is distributed among the different compounds of the village. Since it is currently Ramadan, people hung out in the chief’s compound all day until sunset and then celebrated with food and tea.

My teammates and I have taken turns with fever and stomach illness these past couple weeks. The heat is insane and it is becoming daily routine that an ant crawls up my skirt and bites me in the butt. So life in the village is a challenge each day- but I am filled with the Joy of the Lord and He is my strength!!! I welcome each morning as I rise with the sun and I am thankful for each exciting experience. I look forward to the upcoming weeks as we visit in the village and continue to form relationships with the people we meet!

Life in "The Bush"

This week, my teammates and I moved out into a Fulani village, several miles outside of Guidan Roumdji, called Ly On Kara. This little village sits in the middle of millet and corn fields and consists of 10 small compounds. It is definitely NOT on the map!!! We live in a hut inside the Chief's compound along with his two wives and 12 children. I sleep outside under the stars every night, enclosed in a bug net and surrounded by chickens, cows, camels and a horse. Life is much slower in West African villages but the women and men work hard in the fields, pounding millet and drawing water from the wells. We rest during the hottest part of the day. This month is Ramadan and many of the people are fasting during the daylight hours. They wont even drink water or swallow their own saliva. I have to be very careful to eat and drink in the privacy of my own hut or behind a tree!

I have been given the Fulfulde name "Tetdari" which means my mother gave birth to me on a cold day.