Thanksgiving, nisa daga iyali da abokai ("far from family and friends")

Wow, I've been in my village for 2 months. The time has gone fast. I've only been sick one time, thankfully. I've been doing a lot- visiting schools, practicing language, sitting and talking with folks. They say these first months at post are the hardest, as we're still working on language, getting used to the climate, figuring out our work, and so on. It can be overwhelming but also rewarding. People are so curious about why I have come here. I have had many wonderful conversations. And people making fun of me, in Hausa, for not speaking Hausa well. Haha! Life is motion. There are nice people and jerks, loud and shy people, here, there and everywhere. We are all human, and we too often forget that.

I've been blessed to have a wonderful family as my closest neighbors- Souleymane, Rekia, and their 6 kids (2 others have passed away). I often eat dinner with them, drink tea, play soccer, go to the fields to harvest crops like millet and corn with them, and more. They are very patient and kind and warm to me. Even if I speak less Hausa than their 3-year old daughter Aichatu! They are so happy and positive, even though their life is so hard. Amazing.

Last week was the Muslim holiday of Tabaski. This holiday commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac for the will of God. There is a big prayer in the morning, and then each family slits the throat of a goat, guts it, lets it dry in the sun all day, and then the next day eats it. I made myself watch the whole process. Intense. So much meat! After the slitting, I walked around the dirt roads of my village. Every house I went to to greet people would give me meat! AH! Eventually, I started hiding it in my pocket to feed to my two kittens. My pocket was pretty foul by the end of the day, but my kittens were happy! People are decked out in their finest clothes; I rocked my sick African Grand Bubu. So baller. Kids (and even some adults!) demanded Barka da sallah! relentlessly, as I gave out bags and bags of candy. Quite a day, for sure. Meet your meat, right?

I've been reading and writing a ton here, as I lack the distractions of Internet (only once a month!) and TV. It's refreshing. I've been reading: Chinese poetry, Genesis (yes, first book of the Hebrew and Christian bibles), Walt Whitman, cheesy fantasy and sci-fi (oh how I miss Star Trek and Babylon 5!), and Guns, Germs and Steel. I've been especially interested in this last book. It's pretty well-known, and some of you have probably read it. It's a history of the last 13,000 years of human civilization, since the end of the last ice age, when the rise of agriculture led to sedentary society. See ya later, hunting and gathering! Way passe! The book goes on to describe the reasons why various societies developed how they did. Diamond finds that geography is the ultimate determining factor in human history, as opposed to any racial differences. Fascinating book! Check it out, if you haven't.

Soon will be a great Thanksgiving feast with my fellow volunteers. Team Maradi, woot! I hope all ya'll's went well, over there, back home! Know that I think about you. Oh, and I got a new address:

David Christian Metting, PCV

BP 291

Maradi, Niger

West Africa

Getting mail means so much to me, so write! I am still trying to write, but there is too much to say. Be healthy and happy!