I had always wanted to go to Morocco, just not like this!

I promised this a few weeks ago, and I am sorry for the delay. After you read this, I hope you might understand why I could not write sooner. I feel alternately bitter and numb about what has happened, yet excited about where my life will lead me. I have been itching to write, but shy and also lazy about corresponding to my friends and family about this issue. Procrastination has been my method of coping with the fall out of evacuation from Niger. For those of you who have contacted me with heartfelt messages and genuine requests to spend time with me, I owe it to you to shake myself out of my self-indulgent mood. Re-adjustment after Peace Corps service is not fun, but the best way to get over the shock is to dive right back into my life and to realize that while I may be a bit different, I still fit in with those who have loved and supported me during my time away. Without further ado, my literal adventure in Niger comes to an end with this post, but will continue to live on in my heart and memory as I move on to life, to Life, L’Chaim!  
With gardening going, I had also begun a pen-pal correspondence between a classroom of middle school French students in America and English language students in their final year of Nigerien middle school. I was having a great time acting as the go-between for both cultures as the students exchanged letters: Nigerien students wrote in English and American students wrote in French. I had high hopes for the success of this program, nothing sustainable really, just a glimpse into another culture and linguistic development.

At midnight on Friday, January 7, 2011 four armed men walked into a bar located within walking distance of Peace Corps Niger’s administration bureau and the volunteer hostel, removed two French nationals at gunpoint and fled with the hostages for the Mali border. Over that weekend, the Frenchmen were killed before or during the rescue attempt…details are still unknown. Over the weekend Peace Corps Washington discussed PC/Niger’s history of security concerns and decided to suspend volunteer operations in Niger until such time in the future that volunteers can return to Niger to live and work without restriction. I was called with the news of evacuation at 10am Wednesday, January 12th and was given one day to pack and to make provisions for my house, cat, projects and friendships. I was picked up by the Peace Corps the next morning around 9am and taken straight to the capital. I was not allowed to return to my regional hostel to collect my belongings, so my friends who were able to do so, sorted through my trunk and pulled out any items I requested. As I had not been into my regional capital since the end of November, there were many items in my trunk that I did not know about and were therefore left behind. Including one of the three original copies of a land donation to my women’s Union.

I was flown out of Niger Friday morning at 7am to Casablanca, Morocco and then bussed to the capital where I would stay for the next week of a “Transition Conference”. The majority of Niger’s volunteers joined my group on Monday.