Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

So today is Thanksgiving Day!!! (When I actually post this it won’t be, but it is as I type)
There are a lot of things in Niger that could cause one to complain, like the heat, the poop everywhere, the lack of any common American comforts, and the children incessantly yelling “fo fo” at us. However, in honor of the holiday, and as a good way to keep my sanity, I decided to make a list of all the things I am thankful for here in Niger. So here it is:

• A supportive family back home
• My awesome new friends
• Mosquito net
• American deodorant
• Oriba yeno (a yummy pop here)
• Core day lunches (twice a week we get fruit and salad!)
• Letters and packages!!!! (It’s seriously the best thing ever)
• The American Rec. Center
• My Nigerien family <3 they are super nice
• The most beautiful sunrises/sunsets imaginable
• Internet (which doesn’t really happen, but for like 5 minutes when it does I am super thankful)
• Headlamp
• Battery powered fan
• The orange store and the friendly man who works there (this is where we buy drinks and snacks)
• Egg sandwich guy (Nigerien version of Micky d’s)
• Petit surprises
• Tondi’s amazing laugh (He is our training director, aka. Nigerien dad)
• AC in the infirmary
• Not having to be working a boring desk job
• Starry nights
• *A recent addition: Last and not least I am so eternally thankful for my wonderful grandfather who recently passed away. I would give anything to be home with my family, but I will always have a million memories of his friendly smile and twinkling blue eyes. The last thing he ever said to me was that I was beautiful and he loved me, so I couldn’t ask for anything better. Rest peacefully with the angels Grandpa. I love you.

This is the first major holiday I have ever not been with my family so it’s been rough, but the staff here in Peace Corps and all the trainees have been great and we came up with our own thanksgiving dinner of chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, fruit salad and some yellow cake. It was delicious! (Not even close to Louie’s though :)

Being away from everyone really puts a perspective on the importance of family and I am so thankful to have such an amazing one! And thanks again to all my wonderful friends who have been so great over the years. I have always had such good friends and so many awesome memories and I don’t want to miss out on your lives for the next 2 years, so send me letters or emails or Facebook messages… anything to keep me in the loop! Because even though I am so far away and am having great amazing experiences I still really care about what’s going on back home. And believe me, we have a lot of opportunities here to just think about stuff and I mostly just wonder what everyone I care about is doing.