It is my first time in Africa and I am glad to be here in the Sahara! I am visiting Niamey, Niger (14 Degrees North, 2 Degrees East) while I am here and am glad to be! The people were quite a culture shock at first with their large, colorful, interesting clothing and their horse and camel racing, but once I got more comfortable they were really nice and grateful to have me there. I went to the Niger river and watched people practice some prayers. I had trouble with communication and speaking french because it has been quite a while since I have needed to communicate in french. I do, however, understand quite a bit of Islam, Niger's main religion, because of my recent travels to western Asia. In the northern part of Africa, the landscape is flat and full of sand. (I am in the largest desert in the world after all). There are occasional hot winds that make you feel like you are in a giant oven, but so far I haven't encountered a large sand storm. I also met a man who, from what I understood, gave me a little information on some recent events in Niger. He told me that Niger banned slavery in 2003, but it still goes on illegally. He also told me that they had a president named Tandja who tried to change the constitution to gain even more power, but he was ousted in 2010. Well, it is time I get out of this hot, dry land and travel to the Congo basin!
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