Day 4 Photo a day: Table

Day 4 in the photo a day challenge:  Table

  

Everyday this little table is sitting on the sidewalk in front of our house.  Always with a little tablecloth. Our neighbor sells food she has made to neighbors or passers-by until it is gone.  Today the Harmattan winds were nastily blowing sand and dirt everywhere.

 As I was walking home from the office, I noticed lots of tables sitting on the sides of the roads.
Many were empty, waiting to be used later in the day.  This table, which is close by our office, is used by a meat seller.   He isn't there everyday, but the table sits on the side of the road, with rocks holding down paper, waiting for him.

Day 3 Photo a day ; Letter "P"

Day 3: Something the begins with the letter "P" 

Pole, pipe, promenade, pretty ladies ...I was desperate! 

Yesterday I saw all kinds of "p's" and today nothing showed up so I stood outside my gate until I saw this scene walk in front of me. 

House hunting in Niamey

Only those who have tried to find a rental house in Niamey can truly empathize.  We are not moving but we have a wonderful couple coming to join us in 3 short weeks so we are looking for a place for them.

How could I forget so soon the intricacies of the house hunting process? It was only 2 years ago that we spent a month looking at every kind of house or non-house available.  The process goes like this:

1.  Find a "démarcheur" ( the man who knows where the empty houses are since there are no signs, no ads, etc. )  Each area of town has one, they just have to be found.  It seems like they are all older men.

 2.  Go pick him up at his house and he joins us in the hunt for the first house:  "turn right here, left here, go straight... "

3.  Arrive at the gate of the first house.  Listen to our guide call and then wait for the neighbor to arrive who has the key to the house.

4.  The neighbor arrives with the key, but doesn't have the key to the gate to get into the yard.

5.  After more phone calls and discussions and speaking with other neighbors and waiting, we find out there is another gate that isn't locked on the other side of the yard.

6.  Enter yard and house.

7.  See bedroom, termites, bedroom, missing ceiling pieces, bedroom, bathroom...no kitchen.  Where does this door go?  Oh, that is the office for a lawyer!

8.  No thanks.

9.  We repeat to the man guiding us to the houses:  we want a house with a kitchen and bathroom INSIDE the house.  Non-negotiable.

 Next house.

9.  Beautiful 4 bedroom house with inside kitchen and several bathrooms.  But we notice as we walk in that the place next door is a mosque with a large loudspeaker about 10 feet from the master bedroom. No need for alarm clock, Kirk and Becca!!

We'll keep looking!

October is Over?

I can't believe I didn't post once during the entire month of October.

So, to get my mojo going, I decided to do the "photo a day" challenge again as I did once last year. I am using a list for November from fatmumslim.com.au.   Some of the photos will also be posted on facebook as I'm doing it will a group of other Niamey missionaries.  Hopefully, if you check back daily, there will be a new post about life in Niamey.

Day 1:  Fruit

The city is dotted with colorful outdoor fruit stands.  The variety depends on the time of year and the availability as much of our fruit is imported from neighboring countries.  Most of it is sold by the kilogram.  Bananas are 600 cfa for a kilo.  That would be about $1.50 for about 2 pounds of bananas.   The oranges are either orange, yellow or green even when ripe.