Bonjour from Mauritania

Bonjour and asalam aleikum from my new home in Mauritania. My apologies for not setting this up before I left. As you can imagine, I had my hands full with last minute goodbyes, buying the necessary equipment, and loading up on chocolate and other now unavailable goodies...hint hint, care package senders ;)

In any case, after a year-and-a-half journey and much to-do, myself and the rest of my crew have arrived safe and sound after a very long journey. Little sleep was to be had on the 9-hour flight over, and, unfortunatley, the bus ride from Senegal to Rosso, just over the border in Mauritania, provided little more repose. That said, we were treated to an hour of creative dancing and amusing children just before we crossed over in the ferry to Rosso. I've come to realize that it's the little things like MC Hammer moves, new friends, and a sense of humor which make 7 hours bus rides and the fish bowl feeling tolerable. [Fact - I now know what it feels like to live like a fish, every move, word, and signal analyzed and interpreted.]. It's an interesting feeling, and I know I should only expect more of it. We are now and forever will be Toubabs (foreigners) :).

Once we arrived at the site, we were greeted by a humungous gathering of local staff, PC staff, and other volunteers - all so warm and welcoming. As we were running late, we quickly received a tour of the facility including the last frontier in plumbing, Turkish Toilettes. Without going into too much detail, it basically involves squatting over hole and using water from a marakesh rather than TP to clean yourself. Intimidating as it was, we all quickly adapted. What other choice did we have for the next two years? We then proceeded on to a lunch of rice, fish, and vegetables. I volunteered to eat with 4 other Mauritanian men and was able to practice my french and meet some of my language tutors all at once. Our conversation was jumbled but intelligible. Hopefully, it bodes well for the rest of my linguistic acclimation which I will be tested on tomorrow. Esperez-moi, "Bonne Chance!"

The remainder of our first day was spent in the typical Mauritanian fashion - resting, reading, conversing, sprinkled with a mid-afternoon snack, pre-school style. Later, we had a similar dinner of couscous and vegetables and then slept under the stars as a group. Fortunately, I have found several other committed vegetarians, and the PC is willing to provide adequate meals for this week alone. After that, it's up to us to figure out our eating arrangements with our homestay family and explain our eating restrictions if we choose to do so. Apparently, many Mauritanians remain confused by the vegetarian lifestyle, and those PCV's who stick to the diet often find themselves somewhat stunted socially if they do not make further adjustments to meet with community members. In any case, I'm still making up my mind about remaining a vegetarian. Regardless, I have resolved to eat fish so that I can get enough protein - a fact which I'm sure is a comfort to my parentals.

Our second day started off early with morning prayer waking us at 5:30am roughly. As much as I wanted to stick in the proverbial earplugs, I found the chanting absolutely gorgeous. It reminds me of the mid-day calls to prayer overheard in some areas of Accra, only magnified 10 times. As much as I would love to record, my good friend, Miss Staci Raab, informed me that to do so is against Islmaic law. In any case, thus far today we have had some brief overviews to administrative policy, cultural cues, and language lessons in all 4 of the local languages. As you can imagine, the latter was my favorite. In the afternoon, I was able to venture out into the Rosso market and try out my skillz. Alas I'm not ready to handle the full course of greetings, but I was sufficiently pleased with my Hassinaya (Arabic) "Asalam Aleikum" and response.

Other than that, I feel fine, and I'm having a great time. As much as I miss some of my creature comforts and my family and friends in the US, I don't regret my decision in the least. There will be hard days and hard weeks, and I know I will want to go home at least once. But when the skys turn black, proverbially or litterally with a sandstorm, I hope I will be able to maintain some perspective and a sense of humor. I also plan to recite a favorite phrase of mine which is also, coincidentally, the name of my blog, "Timshel." For those among you of Jewjish descent, you may have heard this word before. Those familiar with the passage on Cain and Abel in the Bible might also recognize it. Most generally, it means "Thou Mayest." I discovered it first in John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" and have been hooked since. This one word is captures human nature and its potential for both good and evil; taken a step further, one might say that it means we are defined by the choices we make in life. In an increasingly globalized world in which identities are both explored and boiled down, I find it comforting to look not to those elements which might divide me from future friends and family, but to look to those choices and actions which define us now and will define my time here.

One final note before I sign off - I do have my cell, but it costs me a lot to call everyone back home. My number is as follows: 011 222 420-3981. If you download Skype Out ($60/yr), you can reach me easily in my new home among the camels and the scorpians.

Dinner is ready. Pictures to come. My love to you all!

~ Coll