Loving it in Niger

Brian called and said he loves it in Niger and is having a great time! Training is going well, it's only a 2 minute walk from "home" to training. Being the first time I've had opportunity to speak to him, I had lots of questions. Here are some things he shared with me:

Bus trip - cheap - only 50 cents american money for a 1 hour bus trip; but i guess you get what you pay for as the bus trip not only took people on board, but also goats and people carrying their chickens, holding them upside down by their feet. Maybe next time he'll pay for the upgrade - lol.

Weekend Getaway- a group of them went to an americanized recreational area and enjoyed swimming, eating nachos and drinking milk shakes (not made of millet!). YUM.

Family - Brian is enjoying his host family who he's been with for almost a month now. They treat him great. Oh, and one of their lambs just had a couple cute baby lambs.

Health - he's doing well, except for that bout of violent vomiting where he needed medicine - after a couple days the nausea and tiredness ceased. All is well again.

Food: "millet jello" is what he called his nightly dinner - I hear he's lost weight. A couple times he's had some mashed potatos or pasta at lunch. I asked if he wanted me to send dried veggies & fruit and that sounded really good to him.

Weather: It's hotter and more humid than at home, but he usually can find shade during the day.

Language: he's continuing to learn french, and will start on his Zarma soon.

Other: at market, he found cheese and crackers and ate the whole thing in one sitting - mmm, mmm, good!

The local bar soap is very harsh and irritates his skin. He was thankful that Katelyn offered him some of her soap.

Will and Brian set up a hammock and enjoy resting on weekends with friends.