Hey- I'm here!

Well I made it here to Niger, and I only have about 10 minutes left online so I have to be really quick about writing this- it's going to be sporatic- stay with me friends.
First of all, I live in a mud hut, just like you would picture a mud hut. There is no electricity or plumbing of any kind, and it's really not as intense as it sounds. It is, however, very small. And it has a thatch roof. I live in the consession of a family. It's a wonderful family, and they are all very patient with me and my cultural faux pas. There are baby everythings around me all the time- humans, goats, sheep, dogs, chickens, and so on. They wake me up nice and early because I sleep outside under the most beautiful sky I've ever seen and a mesquito net.
The culture is a tad different than America. It's an almost entirely Muslim country, guided by tradition rather than study of the Koran because most people aren't educated enough to know how to read the Koran. Polygomy is very apparent, which I'm still trying to get used to. The biggest culture shock has been the transition into the gender roles here. The men do the work, control the financial affairs and all decisions of the family, and drink a lot of tea. The women are super moms. They carry their babies on their backs with pieces of cloth all day while cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the rest of the family. Men and women don't socialize in public at all, they never touch, not even a handshake. I think the biggest challenge when I get to post (I'm in training right now, by the way) will be to integrate into these new gender roles.
Another challenge is bugs. I know, it sounds silly, but they are invinsible here. They dont die! And they are everywhere- it's crazy! But on the upside, I'm winning the war on bugs in my hut.
They're going down...
The training I'm going through right now is 9 weeks and then I get send out into the bush somewhere. It's very intense and very hard. There's no internet acess, so sorry if you feel like I'm ignoring you, I'm really not. I'm learning Hausa, which is a verbal language, and therefore hard to learn visually. But we have some of the greatest language teachers in the world, and I'm learning quicker than I thought I could.
I love the people I'm here with, we're all bonding very quickly simply because we're so out of our element. We all do stupid things (like the time I accidentally told my teacher he was too old to dance rather than too scared to dance...oops!) and luckily the Nigeriens are wonderful people who laugh at us when we don't quite get it right. We also get a kick out of how quickly we've conformed to the dress code (no shoulders, tight fitting clothing, or anything above the knee.) Any flash of knee is scandalous at this point. It's quite funny.
It's crazy how much I miss Mexican food, air conditioning (it bloody hot here!) and easy and fast communication. And of course I miss my friends and family, so write me letters and send pictures! Or anything cultural (like news clippings or concert programs- yea we're that sad) because I feel so very far removed. But overall- I love it here! It's wonderful. I wish I could say hi to everyone personally, but I don't have time to get on facebook, and I'm not magic, so I can't. But know that I love you, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. Thanks for reading, I MISS YOU!