Photo Journal - A Day in my Life

Every so often, people ask me what I do in a day .... a day for me is constantly changing - pending current projects and curve balls sent my way!  So, I thought today - I'd provide a photo journal of my day.  (Though, not everything has a photo.)\

2 am - airport run .... teammates have arrived back home in Niger!!

4am - sleep ... another four hours and then my work day will officially begin (why did I schedule a village day after a midnight airport run??!?)

9:30 
Pick up trees at a tree farm down by the river.

10:00 - head to the village - encounter:

Road Rights Dispute

Rush-Hour Traffic

11:15 - arrive in the first village
Here, I discover two things:

1)  The village representative has headed to the city for the day - despite arrangements for him to vaccinate the chickens of his village.  I leave him his five trees ... and prepare to head to village 2.


2)  I cannot leave for village two until  I change my tire - yikes, that's a bad one.  I wonder what I hit on the way down the hill.

11:45 - arrive in the second village
They have not pre-gathered the chickens ... but they make fast work of the job!  47 chickens are vaccinated!!

1:30 - head to third village
The village representative decided, after we arrived with the trees for his area last week, that he does indeed now want trees, so I have returned with his 3 trees.  I forgot that last week he moved to the fields, so I left his trees by his hut and called him to let him know they were there.  The sand here is getting soft and catches my tires, this will have to be my last trip here.  I pray I don't get stuck as there is no one around to help me!

2:15 - arrive in the fourth village
I drop off 10 more trees which were forgotten in the last trip.

2:45 - arrive in the fifth village
This is the home of my village guard.  I drop off 11 more trees - and he has bought more chickens and these are vaccinated while I am there and have vaccines.  But, he - I believe - is scared of the needle.  So, I myself now am doing the vaccinations!!

Good thing that I'm not scared of the needle!  I am scared though of them spurring or pecking me - but he keeps a good handle on their feet and necks ... only one tried, and was unsuccessful in breaking skin!  (phew!)


4:30 - arrive home
Where was lunch you say??!?  Yeah ... my tired brain thought that I would be home by two (not sure why?) ... basically really bad planning.  So lunch was a bowl of popcorn at 4:45.  I sure am looking forward to supper soon!