Cashing the Blank Check

So far the most daring thing I've done was to agree to volunteer for two years with very few details of what that actually meant. At times it felt like I had signed my name to a blank check on my life's account. While there are still many lingering questions about what my village post will look like, who I'll work with and what I'll accomplish, this first month of training has been very intense and well thought out. There are multiple daily sessions of language, cross culture and medical training. Our tainers are almost exclusively Nigerien's who have incredible reserves of motivation, patience and humor. Their introduction to the culture and country has been incredibly hospitable and the warmth and forgiveness of Nigerien's comes through in every class and conversation.

My first few days in Niger were spent on the training compoung with the 36 other Peace Corps trainees, getting over jet lag, getting used to sleeping under the stars with our mosquito nets and getting to know each other. I have since been renamed Sahiya by my wonderful host family where I am awoken before sunrise by the call to mosque that is broadcast over loudspeakers placed around Hamdallaye, a village of 4,000. This is often accompanied by the sounds of nearby roosters, donkeys and goats that walk freely through the dirt streets.