When traveling abroad, bathing is something that I often find optional. Shower if and when you can. The showers at the Konni hostel were outside. I'm normally a morning bather, but with the cooler temperatures, it wasn't practical. It was best to wait until the afternoon, when the water had a chance to warm from the sun. Oh, and at the hostel, showering was an out-of-doors experience. It was a first for me. In Girl Scouts, we had a bath house. But not here...just an open shower. Well, it wasn't OPEN. It had the mud walls, but there was no roof. Just look up and see the canopy of trees and look on the walls to see the lizards.
Speaking of, they were EVERYWHERE in the Konni hostel. I was a little startled by seeing them scurry about at first, but eventually got used to it. The most alarming thing was the last day in the hostel, a lizard kept running on the INSIDE of the screen. I said something about him wanting out, and Jeanel told me he lives there. THEN I saw several HUGE lizards on the inside of the walls. "Yeah, they live in the library," she said casually. I'm glad I didn't know that the first 2 or 3 nights I slept there!
Above is lizards on the inside of the sleeping area screen.
This is the inside area of the photo from the lizards. If I remember correctly, the Peace Corps volunteers in Konni built this sleeping space with a roof over it in the last few years. The platforms are for putting a mattress to sleep. Even in the screened areas, sleeping with mosquito nets is common.
And speaking of mosquito nets, this is one of the outdoor sleeping areas.
This is where I slept for a night or two. I was in one of the side little buildings, but still required a mosquito net. Surprisingly, it was chilly ... bordering on COLD at night in Niger. I borrowed a pair of flannel pajamas from Jeanel. I enjoy sleeping outside, but after my first night of doing so (which resulted in a nasty sore throat), I slept inside for the rest of the trip.
~~~Now, in Jeanel's village~~~
The his is the main room, with her kitchen area. To the left is the gas stove top she has. According to Jeanel, most of her village cooks on outdoor fires, so having indoor cooking as an option is a luxury.
When I was quizzing Jeanel about her village and living there, the one thing she said she could not live without was her water filter. It's not the most eye-appealing thing, but it kept us from getting really sick from the water. To help filter the water a little more, she uses a cloth to strain the water from the well when her "water girl" brings the water in the evening.
And lastly (for now, anyhow) is cleanup. Washing dishes is done with room temperature water, and some soap. Not an elaborate process, but was done with the last rays of light in Jeanel's house.
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