Goats and other things

Another month has already rolled by...my how time flies! We have been in Niger for 2 weeks shy of 2 months already! There are times when it feels like we just got here, and other times when it feels like we have been here for a lot longer. Nathan has started preschool and has had a rough time but is into his second week and getting better. The hard thing is that the school is French and though he is in a bilingual class (his teacher is a very nice woman from Québec who speaks English), most of the people around him are French speaking. So, the adaptation continues for him. We know it is just a matter of time before he will be excited to go to school...we are just waiting for that time! :)

Rog and I have also started language classes and it is so much fun. We have started with African French and are very fortunate to have an educated, very knowledgeable language tutor. He has been giving us many insights into African culture, which makes up a huge part of learning the French spoken here, which is very different from the French spoken in Québec! We will do this for another couple of weeks and then the same language tutor will start us on learning Fulfide...the language of the Fulani people.
We are also patiently awaiting the arrival of our container and the moving into our house. Our house (as you can see by the pictures below) is being worked on still...but we are excited because it will be so beautiful once we get it all done! In the meantime, we are still so thankful to have the guesthouse that we are staying in (which houses our team office, short term teams and interns).
It is true that a picture speaks a thousand words...so here are many words below.

Rog with our teammate Lisa wearing his African shirt (first and only so far)

Nathan being a model while Lisa demonstrates how to put on a head scarf

Rog took a trip to Teppe, a village our team has been working in for a while now

We should never complain about how uncomfortable our beds are...no wonder malaria is so prevalent!

Nathan and Jaelyn playing in the sand at the American Recreation Centre (we go almost every week for "fun")

our first trip to the sand dunes! Can you see my kids in this picture?!

Bennett, Ariel, Joseph, Jaelyn and Nathan digging a hole. They had sand in every possible orifice after this.

Jaelyn and Nathan playing Monopoly with Iyla and Elise in their living room.

Nathan has become quite the fish! When we started coming to the pool, he would hold on to me for dear life, he then moved on to a flotation device embedded into his bathing suit (we inherited this from Iyla) and was willing to swim around by himself. He then moved on to water wings with his regular suit. He now wears NO flotation and loves to do screwdrivers in the water!

Jaelyn and Nathan hanging out

Rog and I in front of our house

Rog and Paul working on our house. In the background on the right is our kitchen.

Our living room...the floors will be so nice once they are clean!

Can you see the termite tunnel? They made it to the ceiling :*(

Our kitchen

Nathan gets ready for preschool by learning to write his name!

Jaelyn's memory verse for the week...Psalm 100:3. She wrote it on the chalkboard for her pretend class.

Nathan drew Larry the Cucumber and Bob the tomato. Can you tell  which is which?

Chalk time with Uncle Richard

Jenissa and I got a picture together

Auntie Merinda ever ready with activities...thanks for bringing puzzles and books to keep the kids occupied!

Nathan's first day of preschool!

I managed to wean him off his naps so that he would not wake up so early in the mornings, but some days,  he can't survive without one!

Our favorite director and his family

at the Niger Vocational Training Centre

There is a short term team of women here now teaching a group of girls how to sew.

Miriama and Aminata...sisters that are our translators. Rebecca, this picture is for you!

the next few pictures are a tribute to the animals here...so this is at Nathan and Arielle's school...went to pick them up one day and saw this!

right next to the guest house...the garbage truck is picking up our garbage as a herd of cows walk by...a stray cow is left to find its herd

You know the goats are hungry when they are in the garbage! I wonder if they just dump our garbage on the side of the road for animals and people to pick through...probably...
Below, I was driving by and had to take a picture of this. I have found that it is common!

Thanks for reading! Will try to keep updating! Oh, an update on the temperature...the lonely planet has described Niger as having 2 seasons....hot season and hotter than hell season...and it is only hot season now!:) We are surviving! Thanks for your prayers...