Pension Tellit Agadez

It is currently holy month Ramadan. Just about ev**y memb** of staff has asked me wheth** I will try this fasting thing for at least a day. As you all know I do love my food, but to ent** into the spirit of things I thought I would give it a go for a day. Obviously I picked today, Sunday, because it would be doubly difficult to work and not eat at the same time (I feel really sorry for our cook...he has to produce delicious meals and can't eat). Ev**y day at half past four ...

It's Saturday morning and I have internet connection! Only because I am in Maradi. The head logistician took our modem away from us because it only works 90% of the time. I handed it over with a heavy heart because I knew it would be weeks before I saw it again. Upon arrival in Maradi yesterday evening, we were informed that the internet connection in the office didn't work. We traipsed all the way (in the heat and me with a violent tummy bug) to an internet cafe, where again we ...

I've been back in Guidan Roumdji for one week now and it feels like I never left...the time in Scotland seemed like a dream but at least I have some books to show for it (although most already read by now. Help!) A big thank you to Kerry for sending me the Sopranos DVD (one of my favourite quotes from the Sopranos is by Livia Soprano: "The world is a jungle! If you want my advice don't expect happiness. You won't get it, people let you down. It's all a big nothing ...

I was showing my admin assistant a picture of Kerry yesterday and explaining that I was a twin. She asked me if there were any special powers between us. I said not really. She said that here twins are seen as being a bit different and can wish scorpions and serpents into someone's house. She told me a story of a twin putting a curse on his father, as his father had displeased him, and he couldn't go to the toilet all day. He had to appeal to the grandfather to get ...

Unfortunately there is no opportunity to go to Maradi this weekend as some of us have to work! Naturally there was a power cut at about 2 pm (during my siesta) so I chose to go to the office earlier than usual, as we have a generator there which makes the ceiling fans work. It is just absolutely intolerable without them! Ivan the logistician has thankfully found a couple of "restaurants" in the village. We asked around and were directed to a little hut with a bench and a ...

Finally, the moment we have all been waiting for and the reason we are here: the hospital (or rather Intensive Care Unit for malnourished children - CRENI in French) is now open. Luckily it is only ten minutes' walk (in beating heat) from the office, so I keep on finding excuses to go up there. The first day it opened we got 17 admissions. First the mothers go to a day centre (CRENAS) where their children get weighed and measured. If they are deemed to be critically ...

Aft** Niamey, we headed to Agadez, which is a full day away from Niamey... a v**y long trip. It has the feeling of a forgotten tourist town. Each child knows one French phrase, "Bon jour! Donne-moi cadeau." (Good morning, give me a gift). Agadez also hosts an ancient mosque constructed from sticks and mud- a v**y beautiful site. We w**e also lucky to be received by the Sultan of Agadez. We sat and drank cold wat** (which is bett ...