Notes from a Broad
Niger is in West Africa and is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. I spent two of my four weeks in the capital city, Niamey. I also visited a small village called Tapoa and one of Niger's wildlife preserves, Park W. Sandwiched between an internship at IBM and my spring semester at Purdue, this journey into a completely different culture provided a wonderful respite from the rush of American life. I didn't wear a watch there- things happened when people got around to them, and time was measured by the flow of daily tasks instead of the ticks of a clock. The land was beautiful and the people were very friendly and thrilled to have a guest. I met quite a few Peace Corps volunteers during my stay and many of them asked "So are you going to join the Peace Corps and come to Niger?" Ummm, no. I have the utmost respect and admiration for what they're doing, but it's very nice to be home (blizzards and all).
Sunday December 20
This place is truly amazing, both in the cultural differences and the striking
similarity in all humans. Peace Corps is really an incredible opportunity,
but I don't think it's for me. At first I felt kind of selfish and guilty
for not wanting to make the sacrifices these people have made, but if we
all walked the same path, it would be a noisy and destructive procession
indeed.