A Day in the Life During Language Immersion
8/28/10
The four of us sleep in one room, side by side on our thin mattresses, our mosquito nets collectively forming a yellow cloud that hovers over our sweating bodies. At four A.M., we’re unwilling roused from our slumber by the high-pitched cajoling of a young boy yelling “Fwanke da MI-ya.” He’s selling the Nigerien equivalent of donuts and is doing it at such an ungodly hour because it’s Ramadan and 98 percent of Niger cannot eat once the faintest hint of light has trickled into the sky.
We groan, mumbling cusses at him in a language he will likely never understand and fall back asleep. I wake up before the other three girls and somehow manage to escape from the maze of mosquito nets and step outside into the mud that the nightly rains have bequeathed upon my yard. I used to curse the rain for making us sleep inside and for staining my sandal-clad feet a permanent brown. Now I know better than to deride the lifeline of the hand to mouth, agriculturally-based economy of Niger.
I shove my weight against my front door, grunting until it pushes open on broken hinges. I run. Down the muddy streets I sprint, dodging cow turds, chickens, goats and even the occasional child who decided to play in the early morning mud. I’m free—finally alone after almost two weeks of constant togetherness as the four of us Peace Corps Trainees attempt to master Hausa, the most widely spoken language in Niger, with the help of one incredibly patient teacher. I run faster.
I pass women clad in bright African prints, many of them wearing hijabs that leave only their faces visible under the pink, yellow or blue folds of the cloth. They remind me of brilliantly-colored butterflies until I catch a glimpse of the towering bundles of wood and millet atop their heads and realize that Nigerien woman are anything but butterflies.
The rains have been good this year and the fields I pass are full of flourishing millet, peanuts, squash and beans. Last year the crops failed and Niger found itself once again begging for international food aid. There’s a vicious cycle of droughts and desertification here in the world’s poorest non-conflict country but you’d never know it from smiles and laughter that fill the muddy streets.
I return to the house and hide behind a blue and pink curtain to splash cold water over myself in an attempt to feel clean. Our teacher, Konate, enters the yard with a loud Salamu alaikum, Arabic for “Peace be with you.” We answer Alaikum salam “And also with you” and begin our daily Hausa lessons.
Sometimes we go on field trips, navigating the crowded streets while uttering constant greetings. Sunnana Laila I tell the thirty children forming a parade behind us, giving them my new Hausa name of Laila. Sannu da aiki I say to a man in the process of cutting out the innards of a goat splayed across a mat. Barka da zuwa I tell one of the town’s V.I.P.s as he wizzes past us on his motorcycle.
We return to the house tired but exhilarated by our new-found ability to communicate and excited to prepare dinner. We fry sweet potatoes and try to make burgers out of lentils, laughing at our attempt to create something American amidst a world so foreign.
judy says:
So great to read your latest blog, which I just discovered. My husband and I are invitees to Niger and will go to staging Oct. 18 with departure for Niger on Oct. 22. We are an older couple and are trying to learn Hausa a bit so we can keep up with the intense language training we’ve heard is ahead. I will be in Health and Dave in Agriculture. We are eager to get there and see what it is like. Your blogs certainly give us some ideas. Are you having any problem with the malaria meds? How do you feel about safety where you are? Are there any other married couples in your group? What about older volunteers? Just curious? Maybe we’ll get to meet you at some point. How often do you get to use your computer? Is cell phone coverage available in your area of Niger? Thanks for any comments. Judy
Lisa Curtis says:
Hi Judy. Thanks for reading! That’s exciting that you’re coming and wow impressive that you’re already learning Hausa. I’m not having any problem with the malaria meds–I have had a few amoebas which have sucked but I’ve survived. Niger feels very safe. Other than the occasional pickpocketing or robbery we haven’t heard of volunteers having many problems. On the robbery note, bring combination locks, they are the best and are not available in country. There aren’t any married couples in my stage but I know of at least two in country (both in Maradi region) and there are a few older volunteers although most of us are in our twenties. I know the country director has mentioned that she is hoping to have more older volunteers in Niger so hopefully your stage will have more. I get to use my computer at most once a week during Pre-Service Training. I think it really depends on where you are posted how much you get it in ville but at least once a month. Cell phone coverage is pretty good although it does cut out quite a bit. I hope that helps and I’m looking forward to meeting you!
Lisa
Samantha says:
Judy! I’m also leaving Oct 18th for health!
Lisa, really great to read your blog. Looks like you went to Whitman for college? I’m from Seattle, but I used to visit my high school friends there every year, great little place.
Very much looking forward to meeting you both!
Lisa Curtis says:
Hey Samantha! I did go to Whitman and absolutely loved it. Washington is a great state. When did your high school friends graduate? I just graduated three months ago but if they graduated anytime in the past three years there’s a good chance I know them–Whitman is such a small school.
Anyway I’m looking forward to meeting you!