. JOCELYN deWalle, from Terrace, has been working in Niger since January as a missionary and teacher. Submitted by JAIME S. SPYKSMA WHEN JOCELYN deWalle asks herself. over. to her friends house, she normally doesn’t think twice, but in Niger, she pinched herself’ for doing so after realizing that the house was a small _. hut with a bed and a lamp in’ it. It’s all part of the process when learning and living in a different culture than Canada. DeWalle, a former Ter-. race resident, has been liv- ing in Niger since early January, experiencing life in that Third World country. Besides developing: friend- ships, she has been helping. her aunt and uncle, Joanna and Ary Vreeken, who are full-time missionaries. She has been teaching local resi- dents how to speak English, visiting orphanages weekly and touring around the area to learn more about the re- gion. “I have been wanting to go to Africa for many years,” ’ says. deWalle, who used to - attend Centennial Christian’: - She is learning that. her life in Canada has been comfort- able and the cultural differ- ences are immense. “99.5 per cent of the pop- ulation in Niger is Muslim, _ 80 the women always wear, long. skirts and, five times a day, there is a prayer time which is heard from outdoor speakers at every mosque.” DeWalle said she finds - SUBMITTED PHOTO Out of Africa -» the locals. very, friendly and | willing to strike up a conver- sation. And she quickly learned that Nigerians. are attracted to unique aspects of western culture. For example,” the locals love writing utensils — particularly pens. “I was at the market one» day and 1 was bartering for a price,” said deWalle. “I “would not .go over $5, but the man wanted $6. so I = - When she opened up her purse and he saw her pens, he said, “Fine — $5 and one _ of your pens.” As part. of her English teaching, she has taught stu- dents how to play “Boggle.”. -DeWalle says trying to explain things to them in English-is tougher than it seems because they will not _ understand slang, so she has to be very clear. about her plans when re- turning to Canada in May, ' deWalle’s experiences have. shown her that life in Canada is something to be extremely ; thankful for. “Many of us live in com- | fort and have no idea what goes on in some parts of the world,” she said. “If we ac- tually knew everything (that actually goes on in these countries), different actions. : would be taken to be of help, - not only in ministry, but'in — a lot of other ways, such as food education and health awareness.” © | www.hawkair.ca Although she is unclear ... Legion Notes - Contributed by CMDE PETER CROMPTON IT. HAS been a very good three months at the Branch, however, we must continue to give our. members and our . guests good reasons to keep coming in. Summer tends to be slow around the premises, and that is understandable. We still need volunteers to install the gutters and to paint the exterior of the building. There was no response to my _ Pleas last year. We also have lights to be installed in the. smoking area. All these small projects will improve the looks.of our Branch, and make it that much more comfort- / able to be in. 0 On the sports scene, our singles pool tournament is still : progressing, and should be completed by the end of April: Cmde Erie Vallee did us proud in the Provincial Cribbage ° singles by finishing in second place. Ladies pool continues for a while longer on Thursday nights, and the Wednesday night darts is still going strong: Our Honour and Awards night goes on Saturday,” April 9 at 8 p.m. All those receiving awards should have been noti- ' fied by now. On Sunday, April 10, our Ladies Auxiliary will be host- ing a spaghetti dinner at the Branch. This includes salad, gar- © lic bread, dessert and coffee or tea. Tickets are $8 for adults, $4 ages 12 and under. Everyone i is welcome, and it all gets underway at 5 p.m. . Our Saturday Jam sessions and c our meat draws are still being well attended. We seem to be getting more musicians involved; now we, need some members and guests up there dancing. wo - Jazz/Blues band Paul and Friends, Wingin’it, Copper Mountain Music,- Honky Tonk Outlaws, Borderline and Moonlight and Rosie, along with the other artists, are to be. congratulated for their talent and time. The Tina Turner Tribute was well attended and received; | on Friday, April 29, we will have another tribute artist in town with a tribute to Rod Stewart and Jon Bon Jovi. Tickets are $15, ‘Coming events: _ April 1: Steak Night April 5 at 7:30 ‘p.m.: Next Ladies Auxiliary Meeting April 12 at 8 p.m.: Next General Branch Meeting — April 20 at 5 p.m.: Veterans April dinner WE WILL REMEMBER THEM | 4 CRIME: lll ¢ TOPPERS | E635