On January 20th we were fortunate enough to be invited to the American Cultural Center to watch the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. The Cultural Center is a great resource in Niamey with a small library and Internet for research as well as English classes for Nigeriens. They hosted us (PCVs) and staff as well as their English students and teachers. We all crammed into their small auditorium with people sitting on the floor and in the aisle as well as having to stand in the back. It was great to watch it with PCVs and Nigeriens alike--we cheered, jeered, and cried together. It was an amazing experience and we were all so happy to have been able to witness history, again. We’re all looking forward to walking into the Peace Corps bureau, and all other U.S. federal buildings here in Niger, and seeing Barack Obama’s picture hanging up instead of George Bush’s.
The title of this entry is something that Nigeriens have been saying to us since the election, whether it was a neighbor, friend, or a passerby on the street. It was exciting to hear it because it seemed they were just as anxious as we were for Obama to become President.
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