Arrival in Niger

After a pleasant flight (they served lunch and I could watch movies, I’m too used with short flights within Europe!!) I finally arrived at Niamey airport. The flight took 5 hours from Paris. I found it curious that the runway wasn’t fenced and people where sitting in the bushes and looking at the airplane. I went through the passport control and the yellow fever immunization control. The woman at the desk said I looked pretty on my passport photo, so my first impression of the Nigeriens are that they’re friendly =). At the airport, my supervisor Guillaume picked me up and drove me to the IRD.

On the way I got my first lesson about living in Niger. At a red light, some kids came to the car and wanted to sell stuff and begged. When one of them showed that he wanted something to eat, I thought I could give him the little snack pack I got on the plane. Luckily when I was about to open my bag, the light went green so I didn’t have the time to give it to him. They saw though that I have reached for my bag so they tried to follow us. Guillaume then told me it’s not a good idea to give away stuff in that way, because I will get a whole bunch of people after me then, and won’t be able to control it. So now I know!

At IRD I was presented to everyone who was there. I don’t remember much though of everyone’s name and what they do. I guess and hope it will come with time. After that we drove to my villa. It’s just around the corner, so I can walk to work in the mornings. Outside the villa a man with a camel passed by, it made me feel I really was in Africa.

The villa has a big fence around the garden. In the garden there’s a little cabin for the guard. We have one at daytime, and one at night. It’s not because that the risk of robbery is big, the guards aren’t armed. It’s more about that people on the outside know’s there is always someone there at the house, so they don’t enter. Then Guillaume left so I could unpack and install myself. Soon after that my housemates arrived!