Ishtar News has moved!

After blogging for two seasons, I have decided to set up a blog in my own name. For the continuation of Ishtar News, click here.

See you soon!

Esther aka Ishtar

July keywords

"A few posts ago", I wrote that I would posting July month's favorite keywords "in a few days". Well, that was nearly two weeks ago, so, not wanting to be the one to create false hope, here they are!

I am pleased to see that you've been busy speculating on what keyword topped the list after "Ishtar" (the main protagonist) and "Hanna Grönberg" (one of Ishtar's main commentators and good friend (and also a very international person with a naija style social network)). The correct answer was not "Sunbathing" (although if you would put together all the different forms of Swedish sunbathing that has been typed, it might have turned out the winner!) nor "Heartbroken", but actually Vision-Pioneers. Here's the list!

1. vision-pioneers

Ah, didn't know people were that interested in finding out what my sister went to after her dissertation. But here's the link, in case you didn't know how to find it...

2. sunbathing, sunbathing sweden, sunbathing in sweden (plus a 100 different versions!)

Why this is such a top keyword, I have no idea and I will not even speculate on why Swedish people’s sunbathing habits are such a huge global issue. Why isn’t anybody interested in “Nigerien people delighting in the sun?”

3. african reflection foundation.org

Didn’t know such thing even existed!

4. aid not helping famine

That depends on what kind of aid you’re talking about. If you refer to cash hand-outs, then no, I agree that isn’t helping. If you look at Eden’s work however, you’ll see that they've had great results!

5. barber in africa

Well, seeing I don’t like to have my hair shaved all too often, I actually don’t know an African barber personally. But perhaps that is a project for the future? Having my hair shaved African (male) fashion? Maybe something to make a poll about... Who thinks Ishtar should shave her hair? A friend of me actually offered me €300 once for shaving it - then took it back when he realized I was actually considering doing it...

6. best country to raise your kids

Still topping the charts! I actually wrote another post about it.

7. bororo feast niger celebration date 2007, bororo men images

You have them right here!

8. cancerians born on the 18th of july forecasts 2007

I am sorry to say but I have absolutely no idea what you’re referring to! This is worse than the Alsacian riding school – although this time, I don’t know how to put together a picture!

9. cia agent portraits

And why exactly am I being associated with those…?

10. daniel zinder, wedding

I am still not marrying Daniel in Zinder!

11. desertification due to livestock - pictures

You should read Eden’s article Desertification – a Threat to Sahel.

12. hausa lessons

I’ve been thinking about giving out Hausa lessons on my blog, but first I need to learn the language!

13. horse foal gestation 367 days

Yes, but in order to have anything to say about that, your mare first needs to be pregnant. After that, she needs to carry her foal without loosing it, which mine unfortunately did. I may try again though!

14. how is beauty protrayed in africa

You really want to know…? From where I come from, a plump healthy body with a broad backside is as “deluxe” as it gets. Funny thing really that my friends in Africa dream of looking like the average Swede, while all my Swedish friends dream of looking like the average Nigerien. What is it with us humans and wanting to achieve what is the furthest away from us???

15. ishtar blogspot sahara race track

No, no, you got it all wrong… I used to be involved in Zinder’s race track, but that’s not located in the Sahara desert.

16. ishtar forest, ishtar sport, square of ishtar

Interesting, interesting. And all these things can be found where…?

17. june 2007 iam from cypruse looking for job here is my email address

Ugo Daniels, did you write this?

18. june 2007 iam from nigeria looking for job here is my email address

Ugo Daniels, did you write this one too??? Didn’t know you were done with your studies…

19. kano jalla

Yes, I am hurrying off to Kano! “Jalla, jalla” as they say in Sweden nowadays after the movie...

20. living as an expat in tunis

Now that was a very, very long time ago and experiences that happened when one is four year old are not know to stick in one’s memory…

21. love versus hate

Yes, I wrote a post about that having been inspired by the NewAfrican. You will find it here.

22. move nigerien

Not exactly sure that you are thinking about… Why would I want to be moving Nigerien people around…? The whole point with Eden is helping them achieve a sustainable life right where they are.

23. nairobi

Niamey is actually the capital of Niger, not Nairobi. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, which is different country. Many African bloggers reside there.

24. palm tree sweden

I hate to be the one to tell you, but there are no natural palm trees growing in Sweden. It’s a cold country! You will find a lot of palm trees in Africa however, especially around the coast...

25. peace

Yes, we like that!

26. people born in sub-saharan live in sweden

Lol, this is the direct opposite of myself! I was born in Sweden but now I live in sub-saharan Africa…

27. reasons for a dog, reasons having a dog, reasons for having a dog, reasons to having a dog, best things about having a dog

There really is no end to it, is there? Either you have a dog or you don’t! Do you really need anyone’s permission…?

28. riding fast on a camel

No, no, no, I never do that (being such a sensible girl). Truth is, I can hardly keep myself ON a camel. However, I like to race my mare and that hits about 55 km/h. So much for being sensible..?

29. snygging english, snygging means, snygging swedish to english translation

You never give up, do you? Very well, I will say it now, once and for all. “Snygging” in Swedish is “Gorgeous” in English, but used in much more informally.

30. sultan palace zinder

Nostalgic about it? Here’s a post, showing the palace and a very, very blue Nigerien sky!

31. things to take to nigeria

Well, first (and mainly), I would recommend a winning smile, a lot of patience and your FRIENDSHIP! In other words, never go to Nigeria without your humour! If you wonder what I mean, read the comments on the post Departure Approaching...

32. who is ishtar

Well… Who am I? Sorry, not in a philosophizing mood today. I'll give you a clue though: she's a pretty cheerful blond girl working as a volunteer in the heart of Western Africa. Next question please!

33. "anette b" volunteer niger

Yes, Anette is coming back and will be staying for a LOOOONG time this time! You can read about it on her blog!

More keywords coming up next month. Hope you enjoyed them!

Ishtar

My mistake

After some consideration, I have decided to remove my recent post "Will technology solve Africa's problems?" because it just didn't feel right. One of the things that I have so greatly enjoyed since I started blogging has been the pleasant atmosphere at Ishtar News. Perhaps not so surprisingly since the general note of my writing has been positive and/or constructive? Anyway, Friday evening saw me frustrated and in defense mode, adding an unnecessary salty note to my response which I actually thought I had outgrown by now. Although there are always points to be made and added about "the packaging of Africa solutions" as Izz so neatly put it, there was nothing constructive about me going into somebody else's turf and having my say when I had nothing constructive to add. Hence my mistake. :-)

That said, I may very well rewrite an article about technology vs life quality (or a similar subject) at an other time, but then on a constructive note! Life is just too short to dwell on the things you don't agree with.

Copyright Eden Foundation

As for romanticizing about poverty, this blog will just have to speak for itself. There is no glamor about poverty, but there can be genuine life quality nonetheless. If it weren't so, I don't think I would long so much for the 45 degrees Celsius, the slow-slow pace forward (remember what I said about non-existing stress?), the constant electricity cuts & water shortages that hinders you in your work and makes your computers melt; as well as the cockroaches creeping out of your shower or the geckos in your wardrobe - unless there was something really special that outweighed it!

Copyright Eden Foundation

And that reminds me: tomorrow, Nettus and I will be booking our plane tickets to Niger - hurray!

Ishtar

Ishtar News statistics

Since the 1st of June when I started looking at the statistics (prior to then, I was only blogging for the fun of it - still am by the way!), Ishtar News has had over 1000 unique visitors. Visitor loyalty is a 46%, meaning that every second person who ends up here comes back again. 54 people have come back more than fifty times. Now being really B!G (as Izz would say!) on continuity, I must say: I like that! I'd rather blog for a handful of people that I "know" myself (whether we've met in person or not), than for an entire community that only writes a comment in the hope of leaving a trace. By the way, I am reading everywhere about people getting rude and hostile comments on their blogs. Luckily, my blog is still so small that it hasn't happened to me!

That said, I will be posting July month's favorite keyword (what is it with people and their unhealthy interest in Ishtar's sunbathing habits?) in a few days. In the meantime, I created a little poll for you to enter what keyword you thought was the top July keyword, after "Ishtar" and surprisingly, "Hanna Grönberg" - my restless friend who has a very wide global social network. I'm honored to be your friend Hanna!

Now I only need to find a picture that matches with this post. Won't be easy, for rare are the moments when I have been working with statistics in any kind, and even rarer are the times when a photographer caught me doing so! I do however have pictures of me fiddling with the camera!

Isn't it amazing what blonds can do these days? We're turning into a high-tech species!

Ishtar

What people type to find my blog...

Ever wondered how people find your blog? I had a thorough look at the keywords used to find Ishtar News, and it gave me such a good laugh that I just had to share... :-)

1. heartbroken

One of this site’s top keywords – so much for me trying to show a positive attitude!

2. is riding a camel safe?

Well, I for one didn’t feel comfortable; I guess it’s all about the camel and your relationship to heights! If you're interested in my personal experience, look at the post Learning the art of riding a camel. At least I didn't fall off!

3. sahara race track

Sorry, Sahara does not have a race track, unless you see the entire desert as a track.

4. chocolate eating gallop poll 2007

Now this one is hilarious and I cannot even answer it, as just keeps on making me laugh!

5. jockey saddle

Yes, I’m looking for one as well, so let me know when you find one, ok? Actually, a good tip is to looking for racing tack. I couldn’t find a jockey saddle on the web until I looked for “tack”.

6. african carnival

I’m into blog carnivals, actually. The Beautiful Africa Blog Carnival to be more precise.

7. we'are very tired after long essay

Yes, we certainly are, but I won’t be blogging much more about that now that I’ve finished the course!

8. time for you to make an effort

You don’t like my blog? Not posting often enough? Not sure I can help you though! Blogging about working as a volunteer is actually seconded by the work itself…

9. news about desertification in 2006-07

You should go to Eden, I have only mentioned desertification briefly so far.

10. lazy niger

I never said that!

11. alsacian riding school

And what exactly would we be talking about then, if I may ask...? Something like this?

12. eden south of tanout

Yes, that would be us. But this is not the project site; go to Eden Foundation instead.

13. niger sport newspapers

Ah, need to go into sports, do I? Well, in a sense its pretty easy because the variety is limited. In Niger, you have wrestling, horse racing and football. Period.

14. best country to raise children is where?

I told you it was Niger but you didn’t believe me… Why don't you go answer the quiz?

15. "there is always tomorrow"

Oh, yes! Africa explained in a single sentence.

16. what custums come with the running of the bulls

Sorry but this one is above my understanding. Running with the bulls? Hey dude, have you seen their horns???

17. dan zinder, wedding

Not marrying Dan in Zinder, no.

18. "[my full name] " +"niger"

You got it! Sorry you didn’t leave a comment so that I could see who it was that’s gone looking for me!

19. working days in sweden

I have far too many of those. Please do not remind me…

20. snygging in swedish

Snygging [“handsome”] in Swedish would be just that, snygging. Or were you actually wondering what snygging was in English? Sorry, I don’t offer translation services…

21. western media exaggerate poverty in africa

Bingo! You hit right on! I've got two posts here, Cash Handouts are Not Helping and Niger in the News. But the best post is the article on Eden's website.

22. pictures of signs of impending birth in mares

Sorry, my horse didn’t give birth in the end… No pictures to show except of all my speculations around her non-existing belly. Still love her though!

23. sunbathing sweden photos

Wouldn’t show them for anything in the world!

24. miss niger

Well, you actually inspired a post of your own. You should go and have a look!

25. camel, training a, stubborn

Sorry, not into camels.

26. aid to foreign countries needed

Aid needed but should be directed towards a sustainable solution only.

27. women's daily life in zinder

Well, I can really only show you mine, can I? If you stick around however, I might start posting some people portraits.

28. reasons why niger is a least developed country

Hey, don’t put pressure on me! This is advanced level – and here I was, taking things a bit easy…

29. national celebrations in niger?

Lots of them! And lots of postings on this site! Look at the side bar!

30. hausa outfits

Ah, want to see me wear those? Will have to think about that one… Here's the closest posted on this site!

These people however do it better than me:

31. nigerian jockeys

Sorry, I have Nigerien jockeys… And I’m not handing him over!

32. holy cows uganda

Can’t really understand what you found in my site since I speak of neither holy cows nor Uganda, but you did stay for a while… The only cows I have presented are very skinny ones:

Copyright Eden Foundation

Hope you enjoyed it!
Ishtar