Creature Feature

This blog entry is dedicated to my sister Pat --- the quintessential animal lover, and to our friend, Tye, the veterinarian. 


Other than the giraffes, which really are spectacular here, we have not seen much "typical African wildlife."  No elephants, no lions --- not even a snake!  Well, I did see one yellow snake after he was dead.  No thanks!  Now camels, burros, goats and sheep (which look like goats) can be seen anytime up on the road or in the village, and if you travel to the river in the capital, you can see hippos if you are lucky, but for true daily interaction, we have the following:

Cute Lizards!

Lizard Climbing on Our Window Screen

I love the lizards!  They are cute and FAST and everywhere outside, and sometimes they get caught inside the classroom - entering through the cracks or the old swamp coolers!  They like to scamper all over the outer walls of our house, inside the screened porch.  The ones outside that are into the gardens have changed to beautiful colors to match the foliage.

Beautiful Colors

The "blue" in the lizard above is really a bright purple, just matching some popular ground cover around the area!

Still My Favorite - The Chameleon!

The chameleon is not as prolific as the other lizards, but he is magnificent!  He "saunters," rather than "scampering" like the others, and can get mad if bothered.  In the picture above, he is "on alert," since someone poked him with a stick (not me!).

Walking Stick

These are the brown version of the green ones we see often in the northwest.  (Sorry, Tye, if I am misrepresenting any of these biological specimens!) 


I am pausing to enter a "disclaimer," to let you know that the following information contains pictures of "creepy crawlies" and may be disturbing - as they are to me when we find them in our house!

Cockroaches 

I reduced their size, but still . . . These things are as big as they look and are FAST!  But I am getting faster!!!  It is impossible to keep them out of the house!  

Scorpion

This was one of our first "welcome to Africa" greeters!  He had just come inside --- but not for long!  I have only seen one, however, one of the med students who was here in the fall, was collecting them to take home as specimens. I hope he got them all!!!  Hmm . . . what is the airport security ruling on scorpions . . . ???


And LAST, but unfortunately NOT least, we have the "mijikunama," which translated means "Husband of the Scorpion!" (Good luck!  They deserve each other!)  In English, that would be "World's Largest, Most Freaky Spider" (WLMFS)!  Before I reveal him, here was my first encounter a few weeks ago:


I was sitting in my chair reading when I heard this scratching noise.  When I looked up, there was  WLMFS (see above) strutting with great attitude across my lampshade, like he owned the place.  After trying to put him down with insect repellent (yes, I know he is an arachnid), I was starting to think he did own the place!  I finally trapped him under a cookie jar . . . and put a candle on top for weight.  I was prepared to keep watch all night to make sure he did not escape, when a friend stopped by and set him free!  Question:  Did WLMFS come alone or was he on a "friends and family come free pass?"  Answer:  The latter!  We have seen 4 since then!  They, too, are fast!  What is it with speed and African critters???  Enjoy:

Mijikunama in the Sink!

Mijikunama Captured!

People here say the Mijikunama will not hurt you; he is just "playfully aggressive."  So is an alligator!  Go play with someone else, I say!!!


And the prize for most versatile, most prolific critter here goes to . . . (drum roll. . .) . . . the ever-present, ever-living  EARWIG!!!  I have no pictures, sorry.  African earwigs appear to look the same as northwestern earwigs!  But the amazing thing to me is that they can successfully live flattened, between the pages of books, stacked at the bottom of boxes, with several other book boxes on top of them!!!  When you open the boxes and get to the bottom of the books, and shake the pages, they fall out by the dozens, and crawl away!  How do they do it?  Unfortunately for them, they alone are NOT fast.  I have reduced their population significantly!


So I am thinking that the next time I see some travel brochure that promises "adventures for the retirees," I shall look to see if they are traveling to Niger!   

Sharing the Road - 1

In the classroom here at Galmi Day School, we have embarked on a new adventure - poetry!  We are not just reading poetry; we are writing it!  Oh yes!   Where was "Poetry for Dummies" when I was in elementary school???  Kids today have it so easy!!!  Poetry has "formulas!"  Who knew?  You no longer have to be a rhyme mime to be a poet; just follow the rules of whatever kind of poetry you want to write, and - voila!  You've got poetry!  

I think everyone is familiar with "Acrostic Poetry," the kind where you use each letter in a word, name, etc. to begin each line, such as with the name "GALMI" . . .

          God     

          Abounds     

          Loving        

          Me        

          In spite of my sin!

Our class will continue with "acrostic" poetry, since it is so handy for any topic you choose to study, however, today we moved on to "preposition poems" which are way more fun, but a little more challenging, also!  In a preposition poem, you pick a simple activity to write about, but you must start every line with a preposition.  What?  You don't remember what a preposition is?  Hang in there; it will all come back to you.  So I am attempting to write a preposition poem to introduce my latest collection from sights and sounds of Galmi --- "Modes of Transportation," or what I entitle "Sharing the Road - 1."  Following my poetic efforts will be pictures I have collected revealing ways people move through their lives in this corner of the world.  It is a little "rough," but here goes:

 on my head,

around a cover,

out the door,

down the path,

over the rocks,

among the lizards,

through the dust,

toward the gate,

outside the compound,

under the sun,

away from security,

to answer the question

of every walker,

"Amid so many vehicles,

over what span of time,

(minus God's protection), 

until injury is mine?"

  These are just a few of the ways to be challenged while walking in Galmi:

Many Many Motorcycles

Sharing the Road

Always Room for People!

Bush Taxis

What's a Little Extra Furniture to Haul on Top Such A Big Load!?

Can You Say "L-O-N-G?"

                                             

Hauling --- Could be Anything!

Believe it or not, the above picture shows one of the most dangerous "road travelers!"  The burros are so docile looking, but depend on someone to "drive" them.  I once got run into by one of these wheels when I was FAR off the road!  Luckily, no injury!  On another note, this is the way many things are hauled around town.  The barrels could hold water or manure;  I hope they know which is which!

It really IS "Everywhere You Are!"

We do enjoy an occasional coke!  "Diet" or "sugar-free" coke is almost impossible to find!  You have to go into the capital (8 hours away) and even then, know where to look!"

Bus Station

                                       

Vehicles Get"Run Into The Ground" Here --- LITERALLY!

                                                   

'Nuf Said About Donkey Carts?

Hospital "Parking Lot"
(No yellow lines.  No take-a-number.  No fees!!!)

So MUCH Weight!

The More The Merrier --- or The More The MONEY?

Who needs BEAUTY???  If the wheels roll, you've got transportation!!!  Priorities!  If you can squeeze any more people in it, you've got money!!!  Priorities!

Favorite Vehicle on the Compound!

Favorite Vehicle For OFF the Compound!
(Spendy --- BUT only 2  hours to the capital, instead of 6-8 by car!()

[TOTALLY off the subject:  I have noticed when I have gone back to look at some of my blogs, some pictures are gone and all I see is "white space with a caption."  I don't know what happened to them!  They were there once!  I will try to replace them.]

African Church - Galmi Style!

A couple of weeks ago it was "ladies' day" at the two African Christian churches which most people on the compound attend in Galmi.  Although I can understand little of the languages spoken (including sometimes the English translation!), the services are colorful, spirited, and the Word is preached fervently!  My personal opinion is that photo-taking is out of place, put since many were doing it on this day, and the nature of the day seemed a little more "party-ish," I jumped at the chance to record visually more of the richness of this unique corner of the world.  I appologize for blurry and dark pictures.

Ladies Choir

I have recently learned that quality of clothing (including amount of "bling" it displays), is very important to people here, and special events call for special clothing.  One way that occurs is that women in a group will have clothing made all out of the same fabric pattern.  So all the women in the choir were dressed alike.  It makes sense; we have (or used to have ) "choir robes," or, for occasions, "themed" colors.  Why not here?

All Dressed Alike

When this choir stands to sing, it is powerful music!!!  Loud, long, rhythmic, and accompanied by drums!  It reaches your soul!

Dancing Through the Congregation

At one point in the service, the women from the choir got up and started dancing through the congregation with these silver trays in front of them.  We later found out they would hold "refreshments" (rice with sauce, eaten with fingers)  for after the service.

View Toward the Front From the Back of the Church

In the picture above, the women are seated on the left, the children in the middle, and the men on the right, with the three sections spanning the width of the church.  Even in Christian churches and events, men and women are separated.  There are two choirs - the women on the left, and on the right, the youth choir. 


The young woman in the next picture grabbed me and wanted me to take a picture of her and her baby.  Why not?  Both were beautiful!

Young Mom and Baby

On this occasion, there were other lighter pieces to the worship service.  There was a skit where a mom wanted her daughter to marry a Christian, and the father wanted her to marry a rich boy.  In addition, they had fun at our expense with "ransoms!"  A person from the congregation would get "kidnapped" and set on a chair in front of the congregation.  Then anyone who wanted that person "set free" would put money in a basket.  When enough money was raised, that captive was set free!  It was fun and funny, and the money was used to help expenses for the women's retreat in a couple of weeks.


The women from our compound were not forgotten!  We came to the front, faced the congregation, and sang "His Name is Wonderful" in English, French, and Hausa!  This also raised money in a rather unique way:  There is a tradition, that when you really like a song, a performance, a message, etc., you walk to the front and put money in a basket.  If you REALLY   REALLY  liked it, you put the money on the forehead of the presenter!  So of course, when we sang, the men from Galmi compound started sticking money on our heads as we sang!!! (More retreat funds.)  It was quite the  humorous event!


Here are some scenes from after church:

Serving the "Refreshments"

Typical Church Clothng

Baby Daoud (David)

The two boys above are sons of my classroom cleaner, whom I really like, and with whom I cannot communicate except with gestures and smiles. But her baby David and I get along well, because he is a baby and I speak "baby!"  All of her children are beautiful, as is she!


Well, that about covers our experience with African Christian church, except that, yes, there is a Sunday school for children and a youth group for teens.  And the "official" time for church is 9 to noon, but the "African time" could be "9-ish" to "noon-ish," or longer!  People come and go throughout!

Always Something Interesting Here!

OK, so I am working at the sink and hear this rackety sound, which turns out to be a pick-up towing a set of wheels so wide they have to be hand- lifted over the rocks lining the “roadway” through the compound!  From my kitchen window (my porthole to all things interesting here), I see at least 6 - maybe 8 - young, healthy, strong African men working on the process of moving a “container!”  

Jack 'er Up!

Now you need to understand that containers in the past have come maybe once every six months, bringing anything too large to transport personally, such as bicycles, sewing machines, appliances, crates of medical supplies, furniture, etc.  But since they cost more to send back than to keep, the compound has many containers around.  (Remember, Galmi was a mission station back in the 1960's!)  Some empty containers are at the shop, a few have been tucked away out of sight, some have been covered with the "mud-cement" mixture that becomes the outer surface of dwellings here, and some are just standing like sentries outside the missionaries' homes.  Gardens have been planted around them, one was made into an artist's studio, but most have just become a not-much-noticed part of the landscape one sees every day here on the compound.  There is much beautiful to look at here on our daily "comings and goings" (and I am enjoying a beautiful hibiscus on my way to school), so the containers don't get much attention.  But NOT TODAY!!!  


Apparently, the one framed by my window has a new destiny!  And it must be an important one to take so much manpower on a lovely, relaxing, Saturday morning!  Here is the process I see:
          1.  Dig out around the container - by hand
          2.  Swat gnats!
          3.  Jack up one side.
          4.  Swat more gnats.  (At least they were not bees!)
          5.  Keep jacking up and moving wheels to center.
          6.  SUCCESS!!!

          

Wheels Under!

Only TWO Wheels???

          7.  Attach tow bar to container and pick-up.

Attaching Towbar

          8.  Check for obstacles.

Obstacles?

          9.  Pull 'er out!

Bye-Bye Container

Bye-Bye Hibiscus!

Mission accomplished!  Only casualty:  one beautiful hibiscus!  The former art studio has gone to the village, and I say, "Good luck pulling it through the narrow paths that separate dwellings up there!"

But more fun than watching the removal of the container was watching Phil "interact" with all of this!  (Sorry, no pictures.  Use your imagination!)  First he is the "casual-observer-with-coffee-mug-in-hand." Then I see "consultant" as words are exchanged.   As coffee mug is set aside, he moves into "geologic field examiner," exemplified by kicking mud in a few places, and finally, we see "engineering inspector," as he steps back to watch the results of all the labor.  The final role is "historian," which should produce such amazing pictures that National Geographic will be compelled to offer us large sums of dollars, euros, British pounds, Nigerienne "cfa," or whichever type of money we happen to be dealing in that day!

So . . . as can be said of life here, "Never a dull moment!"

An Education on African Education

Last Thursday I had the privilege of visiting an elementary school in a nearby village.  It was quite an education!  For me, that is!  Apparently I was not the only one who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, as there were 12 of us, I think.  No worries . . . 

Glory, Christina, Phil, Nancy

You're not in Africa unless you have at least 12 in your 8-passenger van!  The ride to the town of Dessa was very bumpy, to say the least, and somewhat like an "Indiana Jones" adventure ride!  We left the main highway and headed north about 30 minutes away.  Soon we could see the little "hats" on the onion storage huts, letting us know people were soon to be spotted, also!

Harvest Storage Huts Ahead

Onion Storage Huts

After winding through the narrow road between mud walls and homes, we spotted the school!  

The 3-Room School

We first visited the third grade class which occupied the concrete room with the blue windows and door.  The approximately 40 students sat at "table-desks" of two and consisted of all boys with the exception of 4 girls.  I saw very few books, but the blackboards which wound around the room were filled with beautiful French writing.  The children stood and sang the Nigerienne national anthem for us.  Each student also stood and said his name for us, but like 3rd-graders everywhere, they were quick to sit back down, and I missed most of the names.  I too-quickly generalized when my thoughts were, "Oh, they are so SWEET!!!"

Third Grade Classroom

Next we visited the 2nd-grade class in the mud - and - brick (middle) classroom:

Second Grade Classroom

No desks here!  Just little children sitting on the ground with a few supplies, slates, etc.  Their teacher (in black shawl) was very young-looking.  I saw no books.  No manipulatives. Children came to the blackboard, pointed a ruler, said something, and sat back down.  There were more girls in this classroom - maybe half girls and half boys?

And finally, we had the chance to see what a K-1 classroom looked like --- in the straw classroom:

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Class

These children also lined the perimeter of the small straw classroom.  The little girls are wearing the head coverings, and the unseen rest of the class was about as many as you see here.

Let's review:

Phil Outside The 3-Classroom School in Dessa

Straw classroom --- Grades K-1;  Mud Classroom --- Grade 2;  Concrete Classroom --- Grade 3;  A husband who will go anywhere in Africa with me --- Priceless!!!

We gave each student a pencil and a "tootsie pop" sucker, and left some for each of the three  teachers, also.  Then we followed the 3rd grade class out for a game of soccer, played with the brand new ball we brought for them:

The Teacher Gets It Organized

The Soccer Field-No Slippery, Ugly Grass Here!

Meanwhile . . . back at the ranch . . . oops, I mean back in the classroom . . .  which was left "teacherless" . . . 

Take A Picture of Me!!!

Everyone wants to get into the picture!  But they all crowd too close!  Finally I got something, but note the contrast:

How Girls Take Pictures

How Boys Take Pictures!!!

This was so funny to me!!!  

And about my earlier thought, "They are so SWEET . . . "  The only girl smiling here, had just succeeded in elbowing and shoving the boys out of the way with the toughness you might see on a football field!!!  I guess they haven't had the "Bully-Proofing" curriculum yet in Africa! 

The two men in the picture below were "school officials" -  one being parent organization president, and one being on the school board, I think.

Watching Out for the Needs of the Children

And the last picture, before my camera ran out of power:

Soccer Shoes

I was "touched" by the boy with the huge shoes.  Usually children wear basic "rubber" flip-flops, but I saw many bare feet.  The plastic shoes, molded to look like "dress shoes" or "fancy sandals" are seen frequently also.  I think these were being passed around to those with no shoes so everyone had a chance to play soccer!  

Just about EVERYTHING here is fascinating and has a "story" to go with it!