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Out on the dunes and home again for Christmas

The holidays have been very pleasant. The temperatures were in the mid 80S to low 90S. Not a snowball in sight. I never received a single work related call.

We spent Christmas Eve afternoon out on the sand dunes of the Sahara dessert with some embassy friends. We had a picnic with Dina's homemade biscuits, German ham, French cheeses and wines, Nims, and sodas for the kids. Our Land Cruiser performed superiorly to most of the other 4WD vehicles who got stuck in the sand and we helped push out. 

As dusk approached, we watched the ever changing shadows form from the dunes and saw a beautiful orange sunset out on the plateaus of the horizon. The kids rolled down the steep sandy slopes and we sang some Christmas carols to a group of Nigerian natives who came out of no where and shared in our festivities.

We each opened a few gifts from my family and Dina and I watched a movie (Meet the Fockers) and wrapped gifts late into the night. The kids woke us up early with excitement. Santa came and left presents! I drank some strong coffee and we had breakfast while opening gifts and listening to Christmas music. Stefan played with his wooden track for cars and trains. Camille got horseback riding gear and lots of good books.

Our friends came over around 2PM and we started cooking and baking while the kids played and we sipped Lillet, wine, and snacked on hor-d'oeuvres. Dinner was great. Dina roasted a turkey (or perhaps a peacock) with stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Sirianna made a Finish raspberry linzer tort served with homemade ginger snaps and lace cookies. Zuri stayed to clean and help serve. A very relaxed evening.

It's been quiet at work. Many folks took vacation for the holidays. The kids are on their two week break. Camille is riding horses with a group of kids her age. Stefan got his dream come true remote car from Grammie and Grandpa and they got other great gifts that preoccupy their time.

Next comes New Years!

Santa arrived on a camel

Tis the season in Niamey

We took the "Denver spruce" tree out of the box and assembled it. We played Christmas music and the kids helped decorate the tree. It looks pretty good! Especially after a few glasses of wine and a full meal. The only thing that's missing that could make it better is one of those tree shaped, pine scented, air freshners people hang from their rear view mirrors to use as an ornament.

I got a little nastalgic thinking about those smells from the kitchen my mother always created, fogged up windows, and sneeking a peak at the gift tags to see which presents where for me when I thought nobody would notice. On Christmas Eve, my grandfather would sit by the tree and put on his reading glasses. Each one of us would take turns going up and choosing a present for him to read the label out loud and then take it to that person. We would have to sit and wait until the gift was opened before the next person could go and get another one. It would take half the night but we loved it.

I miss our families and friends. It may be in the mid 80's outside without all the fanfare here but friends are still calling "you who!" and inviting us over for holiday cheer. It's great to see the traditions that everyone tries to maintain wherever we go. We celebrate Christmas and try to bring all those traditions that we were raised with to our home. And the kids are excited that Santa WILL come to Niamey; snow or shine! And that's what Christmas is all about.

can't stop

Camille says it's a perfect day, she has a lunch-time play date, and then the Christmas show in which she can watch all her American friends perform tonight.

Embassy familes here get to see AFN, American Forces Network, which is the tv for the military. There are no commercials! Instead of commercials, there are motorcycle safety tips, introductions to each of the US state capitals, and highlights of the national parks in the US. I love it. It's like PBS all the time. AFN is showing all the Christmas classics on the kids channel for the next few days. Last night was Rudolph. I finally love tv.

I'm borrowing the Fulbright's internet connection. I am really on a downhill slide with this internet business. The company that installed here, right next door to us, says they are out of equipment until the end of the month, which could be Nigeriene for "never." I don't know if I'll ever get the internet at home, and this thought makes me want to stab someone. I only have so many hannuka candles and books to return to the kindly Fulbrights, oh and look! I just happen to have my laptop with me!

Meanwhile I made clothespin dolls with kids. In the Santa Lucia pagents in Portland they have the little boys wear elf hats (Camille made this one, and the fimo dough cardamom rolls in a bottle cap-tray) and pretend to be Lucia's little brother, who is named: Stefan. Isn't that too good to be true?

If you had no job and no internet and no shopping to do for Christmas, what you be doing?

christmas corners of my home

What I want it to look like.

What it really looks like.

Restful weekend

We've pretty much gotten most of our boxes unpacked. Read some. Our chef came on Saturday and made these delicious chicken buns with shitaki mushrooms.

There was a going away party for a couple and it feels sad since they are both good people who I have become fond of as well as had private personal consultation with their medical issues. I am privy to more information than most people (so I know more about them than the average Joe).

Dina went to parent teacher conference and the kids are doing well. We expected the usual somber mood that the French teachers usually give at the first conference, like; "we hope your child improves or they will have to stay back a year." But this time, both were very positive. Stefan is speaking French at his level and well liked by his teacher. Camille's teacher recognizes her maturity and he is impressed with her French considering it is her second language. "Bravo Camille!" he wrote on her report. This makes parents very happy.

Yesterday, my friend Gary came over to search for bugs! Dina and I have been getting bit by varmints in the night. The bite itches beyond belief but we cannot find the parasite. We suspect bed bugs but there are no tell tail signs of blood smears etc. Gary happens to be a pest control specialist. He could not make any definite conclusions but we have a plan to control and eradicate now.

I got a phone call from a friend here who I found out is pregnant with triplets.  I am excited for her and her husband. Triplets! Wow!

We went to Stefan's playmate's 7th Birthday party. She is Stefan's favorite friend and it's really cute to watch them play together. The theme was ladybugs and her mom, made a delicious Finnish cake, decorated with a ladybug and later, a ladybug pinata bashing!

Back at work now and wondering where the weekend went.

I'm Baaaack!

I back and I'm trying to deal with the usual administrative things, catching up on patients charts, seeing patients, and the call at 7AM on Saturday morning from someone who has "a bit of a  tummy ache" and do I think they need to take something for it?

Uh? "Who is this and what time is it?"

And a regional psychiatrist is visiting so I have to act "normal" which is challenging. I don't think that they know that I think they don't know sort of thing.

So I'm trying to get breakfast ready and get everyone up to send the kids off to school, get to work in time for a meeting and prepare for a "community assessment" with the shrink when Stefan wanders into the kitchen in his planet underwear and asks, "who made God?" He drew me a martini glass with a smirk face on it on a bookmark he made me and described it as "a very happy Mr. Martini." I'm still not sure what it means or what gave him that idea. He scarres me.

Next week; my regional medical officer comes for a visit...

wide load Camel and a sign

First time out with our very own car yesterday. I've seen people carry all kinds things on motorcyles here, armloads of rebar, jerry cans of water? fuel? I mean any minute of the day you will see someone go down the street with something surprisingly inappropriate on a motorcycle. But yesterday I saw the prize winner: two guys on a motorcycle carrying a sofa on their heads.

Why I'm afraid to drive:

and what does this sign mean? In four minutes you'll lay an egg?

From Niamey to Paris and Back

As you already know, I had to urgently take a patient to Paris. Foretunately, it all turned out fine and the patient continues to do well.

I knew I had left Niamey the minute we got onto the plane. We had just left the airport and were loaded onto a bus to take us 100 feet onto the tarmack to board the plane. Rediculous! As soon as we entered business class, we were being offered champagne and/or orange juice before we could get our seatbelts on.

The flight was uneventful and the patient remained stable. We arrived in Paris at 6AM and were taken to the hospital by ambulance. We spent most of the day doing exams and procedures. She is a star patient and handled the crisis very well. My hotel was only a 10 minute walk from the hospital and a 15 minute walk from the #1 metro line.

Surely you didn't expect me to go to Paris and not get Dina something! Did you?! I only wish I had more time. But I did manage to eat the worst meal I've ever had (shocking for France!) and also had the smoothest cafe creme with a pear pastry and pan au chocolate for breakfast the next day to make up for it , shopped and walked the rue Rivoli from the Concord to the Bastille, and took in the sites and smells of that decadent city! You just never know where to look it's so visually stimulating.

I left on Wednesday night and returned Friday late afternoon. The final shipment of things we sent from Oregon, our vehicle, and the mail (which hadn't come in over a week) all arrived in my absence. Even the bike that we found in DC and snuck into the car made it all the way to Niamey (Thank you Tyotya Lana)!

Now I'm back and trying to catch up. It was stressful because of the circumstances but all told, it was great to be in Paris; even if only for a Medevac stint! It's not the same without you love.

Happy Santa Lucia

Not suppose to be celebrating until the 13th, but in Portland the Scandanavian Fair is this weekend. So, in celebration of ablesceever: