I apologize for the long absence (yet again!). As I mentioned in my last post, I returned to Hamdallye in December for In-Service Training (IST) which was really wonderful. Unfortunately, towards the end of our training, some landmines were set off in Maradi and Tahoua killing and injuring several people and Peace Corps Niger volunteers were put on "Standfast" which meant we were not allowed to travel anywhere. It lasted until almost the end of December and after that I was anxious to be able to get back to my village after having been absent almost a month and didn't get a chance to make it to the Internet. Things have calmed down here considerably though and I don't anticipate anymore problems ("Enshallah," as Nigeriens say!).

For the month of January, I have basically continued to work on trying to improve my Zarma language skills, recently enlisting the help of a woman neighbor. Every afternoon I head over to her hut and chat with her and her children while she cooks lunch. She has a lot of patience and "effort" as people are fond of saying here, and my language is coming along slowly but surely.

As Cold Season is in full force, I've also started gardening with the women of my village. After the Harvest ends and Cold Season begins, many Nigerien men head off to neighboring countries like Ghana and Cote D'Ivoire to look for work and earn money to help support the family back home. In their absence, many women begin Cold Season gardens to keep the families fed and also to help supplement their husband's income. The most common crops I have seen are lettuce, onions, and squash. Due to the Standfast, I got a late start gardening and have decided to keep it simple and plant lettuce, cucumbers, and carrots. So far they have been doing well and I've really enjoyed spending time with the women in my village and sharing in their work.

Another great reason for working in the gardens is that it has helped me bridge the Nigerien "Gender Gap." As a volunteer working in the mayor's office, I am usually speaking French and interacting with men, which has made it difficult to connect with the women in my village who generally don't speak French and don't hang out around the mayor's office and other male dominated areas. I've been continuing to go to the mayor's most mornings, but they are in the process of moving into a new building just outside of the village, so work has been fairly slow for the past few weeks.

Throughout January I've also continued to do weekly radio broadcasts in Birni with a neighboring volunteer. Our topics have recently ranged from discussing how Americans celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years, to sensibilizations on the importance of good nutrition and hand washing. It's always a lot of fun despite the terrible transportation we have to take, which consists of open back trucks filled with grain sacks, livestock, and tons of people crammed into impossibly inhumane positions. Nothing of value comes easily here!

That's all for now. Hopefully I will be able to post again next month.... If "God Agrees" I will, as my villagers would say!