Speaking Hausa in a public place

As I was shopping yesterday with my sister and sister-in-law (looking for fancy outfits for my sister's dissertation in two weeks), I got a phone call from Yaronbaba.


I haven't had much time lately and have been thinking about calling him a number of times, but just haven't found the opportunity. Then he calls me from Nigeria! A friend of his (or could it be his former boss?) introduced himself in English, saying that he was calling for YB, and that he would "now be passing on the phone". My first thought was something close to panic, realizing that I haven't spoken Hausa for so long! I was certain that I wouldn't be able to express myself. But the words came back quickly enough and I did a fairly good job.

We passed greetings, talked about the horses, about work, about tiredness, then advancing to when he would be going back to Zinder. On a more advanced level: I let him know that Ali was currently not in Zinder taking care of the mares, which YB was under the impression that he was. He promised me he would be back first thing after the races on Sunday. It was fun talking to him, fun hearing his voice again, and even more fun was realising that everybody was staring at me, trying to comprehend what foreign language I was talking in!

When I came back in the evening, I was really pleased. Not only did my sister find a great outfit; my not-so-rich jockey used his own money to call me; just to make sure that everything was alright and that the relationship was still going strong. Relationships in Africa are so important; I'm just so glad to see when I'm not the only one making an effort and when people actually invest their time and money just to bond - not to ask for anything.

Ishtar

A telephone call and a riding lesson

I woke up this morning after seven hours of sleep from a telephone call from Nigeria. It was Ali and Yaronbaba. I didn't know at first if something had happened, and in Niger, phone calls are complicated matters. People shout to one another - even when the line is good - and as they are shouting, they cannot hear what the other one is answering; and so they keep calling "what? what?" until they run out of money. As calling is expensive business, I didn't want to waste their time finding out if anything was the matter, but Ali spent three minutes trying to explain who he was (but he didn't have to because the line was so good that I had no problem recognizing his voice) and where he was calling from, in case I had forgotten. I was happy that I was alone in the house, because finally I shouted "NAGANÉ, Ali!" (=I understand) and I could hear him laughing as he told Yaronbaba beside him: "She has understood!" Then Yaronbaba was on the phone, just wanting to say hi and asking how Arwen was and then it was goodbye. Lol, it was a sweet gesture and I really appreciated it.

After that, I had brunch consisting of fillet & horseradish, fried eggs, fruit (guava, grapefruit and the most wonderful orange I have ever tasted!) and coffee - no bread. That was very nice... Then I spent the morning doing housework of different kinds; making yogurt, ironing, cleaning etc. Time went too quickly and at 2 pm I had a rendez-vous with Emmanuel (age 10). I had promised to take him horseback riding because he has been so eager to help YB and me with the horses. YB was really happy when he heard about this deal, and on Friday evening when I checked with Emmanuel if he had asked his parents for permission; YB gave me a contemplating look and said: "You don't forget anything, do you?" I do though, I just try not to! Anyway, Emmanuel was thrilled when I arrived at 2 o'clock. Fifteen minutes later we were out on the street with two horses, him riding Sahara and me walking Arwen. He did a good job, and it shouldn't be long until he'll be able to follow me out in the bush.

Ishtar