A letter from Kara VanderKamp in Niger
September 6, 2007
Dear Friends,
It’s so pleasant to hear the sound of the rain on my tin roof at night. So far, it has been a good rainy season, which means that the people in Niger will have a decent harvest this year. However, the rain is often preceded by forceful winds and a lot of dust in the air. Not too long ago, a Nigerien friend came to me one morning and told me how part of her mud house fell down during the night due to the rain and wind. She was forced to pack up her kids and her few possessions and move into her parent’s house until her husband could repair their home. My understanding is that this is not unusual. There are also the problems of open sewers overflowing, houses being flooded and roads being torn apart. So, it seems that the rains are both a blessing and a hardship.
Kara’s soccer tournament was modeled on the World Cup except for the rule that each team had to have at least two girls.
The last time I wrote, I told you that I was toying with the idea of organizing a soccer tournament at the church’s primary school. With the help of a few teachers, the tournament was very successful, as everyone involved had a good time. Being modeled after the World Cup, all of the students in the top two classes (comparable to fifth and sixth grades in the United States) had the opportunity to be a member of a team. With a little encouragement, each of the teams had at least two girl members. This was not a very popular idea in the beginning, but when all was said and done I think everyone was happy with the arrangement. In fact, now that it’s “summer vacation” several of the girls come to my house to play once or twice a week.
I also taught English as the same school to the two oldest classes for a few months on Saturday mornings. Although I was a teacher for several years in the United States, this was one of my more interesting experiences in this capacity. It was my first time teaching English as a second language as well as the first time I taught in a second language. The oldest class was manageable, with 40 students, but the second class had more 80 students! I know that the cultural relations experts out there will balk at this next statement, but I have to say that kids are kids, whether they are in Niger or in the United States! It was amazing to me how similar the behavior of these Nigerien students was to that of the students I taught in Chicago. Admittedly, I felt very successful when the majority of the students were able to say basic greetings, count to ten, sing “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and play “Simon Says.”
One of the bonuses for me in having spent so much time at the school is that I will often hear my name shouted out as I drive through Maradi. The reason this is significant is because in a remote place like this, foreigners are often pointed out when seen. For example, whenever I’m in the village or driving around, people will often “greet” me by yelling “annasara,” which means “foreigner.” I probably hear this 20 to 50 times a day, depending on what I’m doing. It’s refreshing to hear my name instead of “foreigner.”
One of the highlights of the past month was the first annual Evangelical Church of Niger (EERN) Education Conference. For the church’s education committee, this was the culmination of a year’s work. The purpose of the conference was to flesh out the church’s vision for education, disseminate information regarding this vision and lay the groundwork for the church’s department of education. I really don’t think that the conference could have gone better. The education committee did a fantastic job of organizing, hosting and facilitating this event; all of the goals were accomplished. It was exciting to have had the opportunity to be a part of this groundbreaking work.
It may come as a surprise to many of you, but my time in Niger is coming to a close. It is amazing how fast the past two and a half years have gone by. My plan is to fly out of Niger on September 11 and then spend a week visiting friends in Switzerland. After that, I will head back to the United States, where I will spend the next three months speaking in churches and at other functions, telling people about my experience and the work being done here in Niger. If anyone is interested in having me speak at your church or to a group, please do not hesitate to ask, as I still have some open slots. You can send me an email at karavk@yahoo.com.
I'll see you when I return to the States!
God Bless,
Kara
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 319
