teamosweiler

It’s 14 November 2022. Seriously, I’m not even going to try and catch you up on the past 6 years. Well…I’ll try:

DC was great and Vic was going to retire but then he got one last assignment….

Belgium! Moved in Summer of 2017 and I got a job at a church which meant…

I GOT ORDAINED!! That was awesome.

Then there was this global pandemic and rather than move after Victor retired in August 2020, we stayed in Belgium for my job.

And just to keep a loooooooooong story short… remember our new “son” we met two posts ago? Well, he lives with us in Belgium. Yeah, it’s a long story.

Ok, I think that’s it. Will I continue this journey? Or will I just leave you hanging for another 6 years?!

Stay tuned to find out

I am coming to the realization that I’m not very good at keeping this blog updated.  It’s been quite a few years ago that I created it, mainly for my family to read, but my posts are few and far between.  We have lived in Washington D.C. since September and I haven’t even finished telling stories about Africa.  Perhaps I will look back at reflections while moving forward.

Words cannot describe the adventure we had in Ethiopia.  And so I bring you these photos.  I’ll reflect upon the journey in another post.

Of course, my internet is too slow for me to even try and rearrange them into chronological order so you are going to experience our entire trip from end to beginning.

Addis Abba and National Museum: Lucy’s home

Axum and house of the Ark of the Covenant (or so we are told)

Lalibela: home of our new “son” Asefa- unfortunately I didn’t get a good photo of him.

Gondar and Simien National Park

Bahir Dar

The dunes…

Just another place we can hang out in Niamey.  I’ve been to the dunes twice- once without and once with Vic.  It’s a nice place to visit if you’re totally into sand.  Really, it’s just one big dune and a variety of small dunes but still a lot of fun.

Once a month a group of us will head out to an orphanage on the outskirts of town to spend time with a few dozen kids.  People will bring clothes, toys and books.  It’s so fun to see the kids get to know the people who come each week and vice versa.  This orphanage is run by an Assemblies of God mission and the director is from Ghana.  Unlike the government orphanages that turn kids out when they reach about 14 years old, this group allows children to stay until they can go back to a family member or sustain themselves in society.

I love visiting this place and I will miss these kids when I leave!  There are defiantly a few I wouldn’t mind taking home with me but I know that they are in good hands and Niger needs them to become the next leaders!

The kids will usually sing some songs and dance for us when we get there.  They are so funny and love to laugh!

One time we decided it would be fun to bring some music and teach the kids line dancing! We taught them the Macarena and the Electric Slide. That might be my favorite experience so far!

After singing and dancing, we get out the books, crayons, toys and start to play. Some of the kids like when you read to them and some of them love to read to us. There are a few books about the U.S. and we share what it’s like to live where we come from.


I can’t describe the great things that are happening in this little corner of the world. You can’t save everyone, but you can help the ones around you. It doesn’t matter if you are in a third world country or your own neighborhood there are always kids out there that need to know they are important, intelligent and worth being loved.

Rabat was laid back compared to our time in Marrakech.  We stayed at a fantastic riad in the middle of the old part of town.  We had to wind through the market just to find the side road to turn down only to make another turn and yet another turn to get to our place.  It was fabulous.  A riad is really just a big house turned into a hotel that is hidden in the twists and turns of older parts of town.  Ours even had it’s own little hammam where you can get scrubbed down, bathe and then get a relaxing massage.

One of the best parts of Marrahech was the train ride to get there.  There were snow covered mountains that dominated the horizon and a cliche blue sky.  The train tickets were so inexpensive, we traveled first class for our whole time in Morocco.

The center of Marrakech old town boasted a World Heritage Site where all kinds of people could be found.  By day you can find snake charmers, small musical groups and a variety of things to buy.  At night the whole place converts in to one big outdoor cook out.  There are lines of tables and tents with each one beckoning you to try their delicacies.  It was a bit too cold for us to eat outside so we chose one of the few restaurants to eat outside of the square.  This was not a foodies type of town.  We ate well, but it was not easy to find a place that didn’t reek of tourists.    When we found a place to eat, we ordered the traditional tagine and it was AMAZING!  The flavors are nothing like I have ever tasted and the meat was so tender it melted in my mouth.  I was going to take a before photo but it was too delicious and I couldn’t put my fork down to pick up the camera!

On our last day we took a carriage ride around the city and stopped at a botanical garden (Jardin Majorelle).  It was absolutely lovely.  We wouldn’t have thought to venture that far away from our area of town but I’m glad we make the trip.

We had some rain in Marrakech but most of the days were clear and sunny.  There were some amazing sunsets and beautiful views to be seen.

The city was truly magical but I will have to say, I thought I was going to die a few times.  In between those buildings is a maze of shops with narrow streets not wide enough for a car.  However, people will ride their motorcycles, bicycles and scooters at amazing speeds.  I don’t know how we didn’t get run over or even witness anyone else get run over the whole time we were there.  It was utter madness.  And the craziest part was that not one pedestrian batted an eye.  It was like the most normal thing in the world.  

Isn’t Victor cute?  It’s so nice to take a break from the heat and dust!This was a trip we will never forget!  I have fulfilled a childhood dream and it won’t be soon enough for us to return.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to travel to Morocco.  My first memory of meeting someone from another country was when my dad brought home a guy from Morocco who was studying with him on a course.  His name was Abed…I think…and I was about 5 years old.  I was intrigued by his accent, his skin color, his “differentness” and I loved everything about it.  Morocco!  What must life be like there?!  It seemed so different from our little New Jersey suburb.  You might even say that this could be the point in my life that I decided to become a traveler.  One day, when I grew up, I was going to go to Morocco.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, that day happened.

Our visit to Morocco started in Rabat.  We stayed with my friend from college, Sarah and her husband Corey.  They were fantastic hosts because they let us be lazy and taught us a new board game!  It was fantastic.  Here are a few photos around Rabat…

The weather was cold and rainy but that’s just how we like it when leaving Niger!  There were a few sunny spells and our walk to the seaside was absolutely refreshing.   The Cathedral in town was absolutely stunning but we couldn’t go inside.  I think we had to be Catholic…or maybe I’m remembering that wrong.  The photo above makes me think of how god deals with our stupid questions: the answer is all around you.  

There was a Roman village at the edge of town which was absolutely beautiful.  It reminded us of our travels in Europe and we marveled at the distance the Roman Empire conquered.  

Next stop….Marrakech!

When I first arrived in Niger, everything was new and fantastic.  However, there was very little in the way of museums, arts or culture.  Don’t get me wrong, it exists but it is few and far between.

One day when I was driving around the neighborhood, I noticed something special at one of the shacks at the end of my street.  Most of these little shacks sell goods like food, clothes, auto supplies or hair cuts; this shack sold paintings.  The guy running the shop was not only the owner but the artist.  I stopped by one day before Christmas to see if I could pick up some gifts for my family.  There were some great paintings and one kept catching my eye but I really try not to buy myself stuff presents around Christmas.  Just seems a little weird.  I ended up buying my dad and step mom a painting and had a nice conversation with the artist, even if my French isn’t really that great.

After Christmas, I stopped by the shack again to say hi to the artist and introduce a new teacher from the school.  He asked me to come by the next day because he had a gift for me.  Surprised, I stopped by again the next day and he had what had to be a painting all covered with cardboard.  He told me to open it when I got home and it was revealed to be the painting I was eyeing before Noel.  Yeah, I met him once and he just gave me a painting which is sort of like food from his table.  I was floored.  It was then I realized that we were going to be friends.

After that I tried to look for ways I could be a friend rather than patron.  First I learned the artist’s name: Boubacar.  Next I noticed that each day he sits outside his shack and paints while sitting on a bench with the canvas balanced on his leg.  Yes, that’s right, he painted with one hand holding the canvas and the other holding a brush.  He needed and easel: problem solved.

And that’s how it all started.  Since then I’ve sold a few of his paintings to friends in the U.S. and made postcards out of his work to get the word out about his art. I’ve also made a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/boubacardjiboartiste

Our friendship is one of my favorite things about living in Niger.  Sometimes I just go hang out at his shack to chat and practice my French.

For the past year I have wanted to attend a football match at the stadium in town.  It finally happened.  About a month ago, the Niger national team played in an African Cup qualifier against Cape Vert and I went along with my dear friend Brian and Valerie (now residing in DC…so sad).  Brian had a friend who is connected to the football scene in Niger and we experienced the VIP treatment: sweet seats and A/C refreshment room at half time.

We got there in African fashion, just before the players came out to the pitch.  They played both national anthems and then it was time for kick off!   I was surprised how well both teams played.  Not quite Premier League but better than MLS.  Of course, Cape Vert scored three goals in the first 15min but the crowd never died down.  After each goal, the people in the stadium would clap and pump up the Niger players.  They even had a “marching” band that played music after the goals of the opposing team (I say “marching” because they were all dressed up but never marched…I was disappointed).

The crowd was electric and contagious.  I couldn’t help but get into the spirit.  Niger did finally score a goal and everyone went wild!  What a glorious moment.  You would have thought we won the African Cup then and there.