Welcome to my neighbourhood.....

This is the street upon which I live. All of the houses have locked gates that need to be opened for entering. Some of the homes have daytime guards and all of them have night time guards. We have a night watchman. He speaks a little English and I speak a little French, so we can exchange pleasantries. The first time we met he jokingly told me his name was Smart, I think he was just being smart. He sweeps my walkway and step and does some gardening for all the homes on the compound. There is a house in front and another apartment beside mine, all of which house missionaries. There are shops of all kinds at the end of the street.

Every day on the way to and from school, we cross over the Niger River. It is rainy season now which lasts until the first of October, and then the rains stop. It seems that after each rainfall the water in the river has risen. Islands that were quite large in the middle of the river when I first came, have become smaller. With the disaster of last year's flood, a flood wall was built around the school to protect it from the rising tide. We are hoping that it will not be tested anytime soon.
The Nigeriens use the river for washing themselves and their clothes. Pants and shirts are draped across the guard rails to dry on Saturdays.
Driving across the bridge is rather like going through an obstacle course. There are another cars, motorcycles, bicycles, donkeys pulling a load of sticks or produce, and people walking. I have not seen a camel on the bridge yet, but they do use them in the city to carry loads.
The call to Muslim prayers can be hear throughout the city during the day and night, a reminder of the hold Islam has here and how much the Light needs to be shone.