Outrunning a Dust Storm

While my friends and family are braving tornadoes in Kansas, I am braving dust storms! (For the record, I prefer dust storms.) Yesterday (Friday) evening, as we were driving home with our taximan, we noticed an orange haze in the sky. Dust. Rapidly moving dust. When you're stuck in traffic and there's a dust storm encroaching upon the city, there's only one thing to do: pull out the camera and start snapping pictures. They turned out excitingly well. 

Crossing the bridge.

 Everyone was packing up their merchandise, hailing taxis, and leaving in a hurry!

 The corner of our street. Almost home!

Our taximan pulled up to our house just as it hit!

Those poor people still at the pool!

Anyone want to guess the color theme of these pictures?!

  

"And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street"

Coming home after school and swimming laps at the American Rec, these two kiddos were sitting outside our gate. The moment I stepped out of the taxi, they immediately started asking for "photo!" 

How could you say no to this?

Before entering the gate, I also saw this:

The cow was actually in the gutter, but right before I was able to snap a picture, this man came to chase him out. 

How unfortunate. 

For me. 

Not for the cow. 

He was very glad to be out. 

The poor thing was getting panicky tramping back and forth in the rain garbage gulley. 

Mr. Happy Cow now has full privileged access to the sidewalk!

I wasn't the only one intrigued by the cow-rescue.

Almost just like loaves and fishes, when you pull out your camera and start taking pictures, the audience keeps multiplying. No leftovers, though. I did say almost.

 Don't you love their expressions?!

Have I shown you the drawbridge to my castle? 

(There are in fact two draw-bridges, but I never use the thin one. Would you?)

Yes, it is taken up and let down every morning. 

The garbage in the moat is our modern defense mechanism to defer any unwanted guests! 

But seriously, this is how we get from the gate to the street!

I am convinced Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was inspired by West African culture when he wrote the children's book, And to Think that I Saw it on Mulberry Street.

Oatmeal cookies, hippos, and swimming in dust!

Alas, spring break is over. The beginning of the end is upon me...referring to the fourth and final quarter, of the school year of course. Here's a little glimpse of what my last few days of break consisted of.

I made oatmeal-raisin cookies. Dad's favorite. When I eat a cookie thinking I'm about to indulge in some creamy chocolate goodness, only for my taste buds to be viciously deceived by a shriveled dried grape, I do not like oatmeal-raisin cookies. As a friend once said, oatmeal-raisin cookies are why I have trust issues! Truth! However, I will admit that I like oatmeal-raisin cookies when I know ahead of time that the dark specks are indeed raisins. 

Upon retrieving the ingredients for my baking, I realized my butter that needed to be softened was very much not. Solution: place the butter in the 110 degree sunshine pouring in through the window. 

 The batter was endless. It was an oatmeal-raisin cookie baking marathon. 

(Don't tell Dad, but I snuck a few craisins in the mix! teehee!)

Besides baking, I have done a lot of swimming. Friday, my friends and I headed to a hotel pool for a fun afternoon of swimming and laying out. Unfortunately, Friday was also the day that a dust storm decided to blow through. It's hard to tell in the pictures, but outside was just an orange-hazy dust-globe. 

 These are two of my good friends here: Ruth and Crystal. 

Ruth is holding the monstrous pepper shaker.

 This is what Jess's sun-bathing looked like! 

We found ourselves in a difficult situation. Get in the pool, and you'll be coated in dust the minute you get out. Stay out of the pool, and you'll find yourself inhaling the fine dirt and sweating profusely! Despite the less-than-perfect swimming conditions, we all had a fun time!

Saturday, my parents and I set out with our Taximan a few kilometers outside of Niamey to see the hippos in the river. You can read a detailed experience about it on my mom's blog. 

 My dad kept singing the "hip-hip-hip hippopotamus" song! 

Do you know it? 

You should. 

It's fantastic.

This is the most we saw of a hippo. Mom has a better picture on her blog. I was expecting to see many many hippos. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. My heart was very sick!

Thankfully, the pirogue ride was pleasant and the conversation between my Dad and our canoers highly entertaining. I was glad I went.

That pretty much sums my the remainder of my break...in pictures anyway. Had a wonderful Easter weekend, spent one last afternoon at the pool on Monday, and today, the teaching began again.

A Morning Walk on the Beach!

Last Saturday morning, Mom and I decided to go for a long walk along the Niger River. The temperature outside was still cool since it was early morning, and we had a lovely time. Here are a few of the sights that we happened upon.

 Gardens!

 Our little red path...just like Prince Edward Island, right?!

Maybe not quite...

 Hard manual labor.

Only men work in the gardens.

 Rice Fields

 Wild flowers!

 A beach! With a motorcycle! Troy, just think of all the fun you could have.

Two empty canoes.

Who wants to race me to the other side?

 Notice the jersey of the boy on the left.

That's right.

He knows what's up!

 This dude has beastly balance skills. Enorme!

So friendly!

 I had a reason for taking this picture of someone else's laundry, but now it evades my mind.

Well, it's not quite like walking in the English countryside. 

Okay, it's not at all like walking in the English countryside.

But, it was refreshing nonetheless.