A little more reality and a little less tourism... just a little though.

Today was hot. I don't know how hot, but we Oregonians find it a bit peculiar that everyone keeps referring to this time of year as "the cold season." It's spring here and come April the temperature can get up to 120 degrees. Angela (a new friend - attends Sahel Academy) says that April is ok because it's dry heat. But when the humidity comes in May and it is still that hot, that's when it gets really difficult. The way I see it, we've got it great right now. What Oregonian doesn't need a little sun in January?

I say that today we got a little more reality and a little less tourism because our first "outing" today was to a Nigerian church. I'm constantly struggling to find the right adjectives to describe what I am seeing each day... cool, neat, interesting, exciting; they just don't work. They're all wrong. I still haven't figured it out so, for lack of a better word, it was just amazing... no... incredible to visit this church. We mostly observed as they sang loudly in Hausa and some in French. I wasn't expecting to hear the familiar tunes (Amazing Grace, Rock of Ages, etc); I was expecting/hoping to hear more of their music and less of ours. I was also suprised at the many similarities between this church gathering and a western church gathering (the order of service, the communion, the singing, etc) and I found myself wondering what it would be like if the influences weren't so strong. Though, I praise God for those who faithfully and courageously brought the gospel here. It's wonderful (again, not the right word, but it'll do) to see the national believers in this setting. They were incredibly warm in their welcome to us; the pastor extended his welcome to us in English and once the service was finished everyone came up to extend their hand in welcoming gesture.

So far I've photographed a lot of animals, not a lot of people. But it's the people who are really grabbing my attention. I find myself staring. I don't intend to, but it's the only way I am able to absorb it all. I so want to spend enough time here to really get to know them. It's fun having the Laus here now, and over dinner Alicia helped us to understand just a few of the greater cultural differences between us.

Well, after our 3+ hour "traditional" Nigerian church gathering, brave Cindy (new to Niger as of August - teacher at Sahel Academy) took us to the zoo (aka museum national). She and Angela warned us of the conditions, but said that her friend Rose was working there and would give us the grand tour. Rose was wonderful! She is in the Peace Corps and came to the Niger zoo after spending a few months in the bush. She has a visible passion for exotic animals. When she came to the zoo she inherited a mass of malnurished, under-cared-for animals. From all that she showed and told us today, I get the sense that her work has made a significant change in the quality of life for these creatures. It was so much fun to meet her; she struck me as incredibly adventurous - very energetic and very friendly. We got to see her and Nicole (another zoo worker) later on at church in the evening (English service at the academy).



To keep this as brief as possible, I guess I should sign off now. There is so much more to say; we're learning and experiencing so many new things every moment it seems. Tomorrow Shaun and I get to visit a family in the bush. This is what I have really been looking forward to. I want to get out of the city and see Africa the way its people see it. And I want to get to know those people. 11 days is so short. I'm already hoping for a return trip.

amy mccormick

P.S. I apologize for any spelling errors. The browser thinks we should be writing in French and is theresfore underlining everything as a spelling error. It's 11:30 pm here and I am ready for bed.

We've already had a great time with the Laus. They got in late this afternoon and we attended church and then shared a meal together. Hello to everyone back home in the states from Niger!