Niger - the Place Where I Live

My name is Jake. I live in Africa. More specifically, I live in the country of Niger. You've probably never heard of it if you live in America, but you may have heard of its Southern relative, Nigeria.

Anyway, I think it's fun living here. All the natives speak French, since Niger was colonized by the French in the 20^th century. However, many of them also speak local languages that were here before the French came, languages like Zarma. I go to school with some of them, although not many can afford to come to it. Luckily for me, I can walk to school if I miss the bus, because I only live about a fourth of a mile away.

I have very few luxuries that most Americans take for granted. I only have ten channels on TV, and one is the guide and the other is always news about the military. I only get Pop-tarts one month of the year, after our family's vacation time, and we only get two for the three years. I have very few friends, not because no one likes me but because our school, which is Kindergarten all the way through 12^th grade, has a total of about seventy students. More than two thirds of these are below sixth grade. There are no malls, cinemas, McDonalds, train stations, or public bus service, or even real tarmac roads.

Everything is always either dusty or wet from the alternating dust storms and rain showers. Most of the houses are the same color because no one can afford a luxury like paint. It is almost always more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit, even in winter, and in summer has gotten all the way to 120. Canned soda is a novelty since it has to be imported, so we have to get ours from glass bottles. Finally, since everyone here speaks French, I can only scrape away at conversations with people outside my school.

However, I have many advantages here, too. First of all, I don't have to worry about being "cool" or "popular" because the school is too small for that kind of silliness. Secondly, I can act any way I want to act, because everyone here laughs at everything and makes light in every tunnel. Lastly, I know that I won't have to endure it for long because I'm coming back next year. Niger is definitely a fun place to live.