The Camel Express
NEWSLETTER OF THE
FRIENDS OF NIGER
Volume 14 - SPECIAL
EDITION
July 1999
With about ten days to go, there is one major addition/change
to the schedule for FON Reunion '99. The FON Supper/Social scheduled for 7
PM, Saturday August 14 will be a Burger, Brat & Beer Fest (BBB&F)
chez Niger RPCV Jim Martin. Jim
was with the first PC group in Niger - arriving there in 1962 and spending
his time as a teacher in Zinder and Maradi.
The
BBB&F will be taking place at 1768
Lincoln Avenue in St. Paul - about one mile from the St. Thomas campus
in St. Paul. A nominal price will
be charged at the door. Looks like
the perfect event for an August evening in Minnesota.
All other events are as outlined below. In the case of some of the events, additional
information may not be available until we arrive in St. Paul. Members of the FON Board will be available at
the conference site - including Jim Schneider, Gabriella Maertens, John Soloninka and Larry
Koff. Notices will be posted
at the Koch Commons, the location for NPCA Registration and information
exchange at St. Thomas College.
Thanks for the help received from Angela Kieffer
and Ron Dube re: the previous request for help securing music and
flags from Niger. Bring photos, videotapes, slides, audiotapes,
etc.
FON Board President Jim Schneider will be staying
at the Student Apartment Residence, arriving Thursday, August 12.
For further info, contact Jim Schneider - lorenz3@magi.com
- or Gabriella Maertens - gmaertens@earthlink.net. Any further update will appear at the FON
website - http://www.friendsofniger.org.
See You in St. Paul!!!
This special summer
edition of The Camel Express has been produced specifically to provide
a bit of information to those of you who are planning - or might still plan
- to attend the combination FON Reunion '99 and NPCA National Conference.
First - some clarity
regarding the two events. Every two
years, the National Peace Corps Association (NPCA) holds a National Conference.
In 1999 the conference is being held on the University
of St. Thomas campus in St. Paul, Minnesota from Thursday, August 12 to
Sunday, August 15. So - the Board
of FON thought it would make sense to sponsor a FON reunion to coincide with
the NPCA conference. Many of you had
asked for a reunion-type gathering and the Board felt that we might benefit
from the arrangements being made by NPCA. That is how Reunion '99 came to be set
for the period Friday, August 13 - Sunday, August 15.
This up-date will
not contain a lot of information regarding the NPCA conference because all
those of you who are NPCA members have received a pile of info directly from
NPCA. And, to clarify - while we hope
that many of you have decided to register and attend the conference - the
conference is separate, though parallel, to the reunion and participation
in the reunion events does not require that you be a conference attendant. For those of you who are members of FON, but
not NPCA, and those of you who are members of neither see Some NPCA Events
below for info on conference events that you may be able to tap into.
Friday, August 13
- 4:30 PM - Reunion Registration and First Contact. This will be the first opportunity
for those of us who arrive on Friday
to find each other, meet each other and spend some time together.
For this purpose, NPCA has set aside a room for FON at the conference
site. To find us (as rooms have yet to be assigned) go to the NPCA registration area at Koch Commons
on the St. Paul campus of the University of St. Thomas. The people at the NPCA desk will know where
we can be found. We have arranged
for a slide projector and screen as well as a videotape playback unit and
monitor - in the expectation that some of you will bring video material that
you'd like to share. Someone has already
volunteered to bring a selection of music from Niger. If you want to be sure to hear your favorite tunes - bring them
along. Tables will be available for displaying photo
albums or whatever else you might want to share. Coffee and juice should be available nearby. At some point there will be an informal exchange
- not a meeting, but an opportunity to welcome each other. The room is available to 6 PM. Drop by at anytime.
Friday, August 13
- 7 PM - FON Supper & Social. Blue
Nile Restaurant & Lounge, 2027 E. Franklin Avenue, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Arrangements have been made for a communal African-style vegetarian
meal at about $6 per person. Meat and other side dishes can be ordered individually.
The restaurant is run by an Ethiopian family and has an excellent,
long-standing local reputation. The eating area is non-smoking. The attached lounge and bar features live African
music and will provide a great venue for social activities after supper -
dancing, talking, singing, etc.