Although I'm leaving my village in 1 month, I'm not yet leaving Niger -- I decided to extend my service for one year. I'll be further East in the country in a new region that Peace Corps Niger would like to open in the near future. Right now, another volunteer and myself will move out there to begin work and site development. I'll remain a CYE volunteer, working with schools and the local Inspection, but I'll also be able to partner with a number of NGO's, such as Care and Save the Children. I'm looking forward to the new challenges, including learning yet another language, and to the new opportunities, like working more with NGOs.
By extending for one year, Peace Corps gives me a month of home leave to take during that time--I'm not sure about dates right now but I'll be sure to let everyone know. Also, I don't know what my new address will be so please do not send any packages to me in the near future. I will no longer be in the Maradi region and I don't know what my new post office box will be. Thanks!
Everything is winding down in village and I'm hoping to celebrate my departure with villagers and have a party my last week in village--this usually means slaughtering a ram or two, maybe some couscous or pasta, and sodas. I'll also wait until my last week to hand out gifts I have for friends, neighbors, and coworkers; otherwise people who I don't know or don't like will keep asking about gifts for them. It seems my last 3 months are a lot like my first 3--just spending a lot of time sitting and talking with people, not a lot of work. Of course, now, I'm more established and I speak much better Hausa. My final months are also less stressful because, as I said, I'm not leaving Niger yet, so my good-byes aren't final now. Peace Corps is planning on placing a new volunteer in my village in a few months, so I hope I can come back to visit.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
0 comments:
Post a Comment