Lindsey Gray

Political Science, Class of 2007

I expected that Nigériens would be miserable and completely unhappy. This is simply not the case.

Nigériens are some of the most hospitable people I have ever met. On Christmas Day, a convoy of people waited for us about halfway between Magaria and Yekuwa. These people were some of the most important people in the village, and they had been standing there for over three hours, just waiting to escort us into the village. I certainly did not expect this type of thing to happen before I left for Niger.

I had imagined that Nigériens would resent visitors from the first world because we are considerably wealthier than they. In fact, it was just the opposite. All of the people at the development meetings that we attended were so happy that we had come all the way to their village, and expressed hope that we would be able to tell people about Niger when we got back to the United States. They also expressed gratitude, as they understood that we had traveled a long way to get to Niger.

We believe that people can control their financial futures if they work hard enough. In a place like Niger, this is simply not the case, as there are limited opportunities for upward mobility and development. I did not expect Nigériens to be so organized and goal-oriented.

My trip to Niger was perhaps the best experience I have had in my life up to this point.