(Above is a picture of the wadabi traditional male dancers and Niger flag)
We arrived at the Niamey International airport at around 2000H on the 8th of August 2002. Having flown for 2 days from Alaska, via Seattle, then Washington D.C. through Charles de Gaul airport in Paris with a 1 & 2 year old, the last thing you want to hear is that you have to wait at the airport “just a little but longer”. We ended up waiting at lease 2 hours for the expeditor to clear all in coming Americans through customs. By the time we got to our new house in the Yantala area, I was barely hanging on to sanity.
I must admit I underwent major culture shock. I was not prepared for how different West Africa (especially Niger) was from East and Southern Africa. The poverty level was overwhelming and I, like many others made the mistake of judging Niger “from its cover”.
Well, we ended up staying in Niger for 4 years. I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to say goodbye given how long it took me to settle in. The people are not only physicaly beautiful but also warm and welcoming. To this day I have never felt safer in any other country as I did in Nige. I made the most amazing friends who are now like family to me. From the chapata (local greens) introduced to me by my friend Sally Ide whose mom is the only person that can make them right. To the Yassa Chicken that my friend Amina Abdoulmoumouni’s sister Mimi made for our farewell party to Don and Ambassador Allen my tennis opponents (I guess this is not the best place to mention that the Ambassador did in fact beat me 7-5 despite having an openly bleeding knee the whole time we were playing but we do have a re-match date so watch this space.) The children at ‘Bernard and Jose children’s home’ where I volunteered and to all the wonderful people that we met in Niamey, we miss you all and remember the Dickey home is your home too.
More on Niger visit www.niger1.com
