Three cups of tea

"Cold" season has arrived to Mauritania, although don't be misled by this misnomer; the unforgiving sun still beats down at 100 degrees just about every day. At night it does cool off a bit more than in the summer, and the breeze blows as my family wrap themselves in sheets and say, "It's so cold! Tonight, Africa is like America!" It is probably 80 degrees. So far the biggest change is that I actually have the option now of sleeping indoors -- before, it was too stifling even to consider.

I love my adopted family in Dar el Barka. Smiles and laughter abound at their busy little compound, with 17 people who live there. Three months in the village and I still haven't figured out how they're all related! There are a clear Baaba "Father" and Yaay "Mother" (everyone calls them that, regardless of whether you're actually a niece or grandson or in-law). Beyond that, I just think of everyone as my sister or brother. Their names and approximate ages:

- Hamet Abdoul, 63/M
- Kadia Moussa, 54/F
- Fati Sidi, 30/F
- Samba, 25/M
- Molel, 20/F
- Aïcha, 19/F
- Mariam, 17/F
- Kadia, 15/F
- Jeynaba, 14/F
- Alassane, 13/M
- Goggo, 11/F
- Aïssata, 8/F
- Abdoul, 8/M
- Fatimata, 3/F
- Amadou, 2/M
- Samba, 7 mos./M
- Raky, 6 mos./F

Teaching is keeping me busy, as I struggle to create a curriculum relevant to students' lives here. The other day I was planning a vocab lesson on pastimes and hobbies, and I had a lot of trouble choosing which terms to include. Obviously, there was no "go to the movies," "surf the internet," "go to the mall," or "play video games." But even many of the things I myself do for fun here, without electricity, are far outside the realities of these kids: read books (for fun?), write in my journal, write letters, listen to the news, cook (for fun?!).

One activity I had no doubt about including was "to drink tea." It is a HUGE part of Mauritanian life. Always in three rounds, the whole process takes anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours. The amazing thing to me about people here is that they can just... sit... endlessly! They lie on the matela foam pads and contentedly let the minutes pass, periodically murmuring thanks to God. Me, I grow too restless and consequently always bring something to busy myself with -- a book or a crossword. You can take the girl out of America...

It was fitting, then, that a book I just finished during such endless tea sessions was Three Cups of Tea (Mortenson/Relin). It tells the heroic true story of a mountaineer-turned-humanitarian who has, against great odds, devoted his life to building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. (I teared up often while reading it, but I always tried to wipe my eyes quickly because I couldn't imagine trying to explain to my family, in Pulaar, why looking at a book would ever cause one to cry!) Greg Mortenson's endeavors are awesomely inspiring.

It is the sad truth that Muslims today are so terribly misunderstood by much of the West. The extremely-misguided extremists poison the name of the faithful masses. At its heart, Islam is a beautiful way of life that promotes peace toward ALL people, love toward family, kindness toward strangers. Mauritanians -- even the poorest among them -- have shown me this so evidently in their ceaseless hospitality. It breaks my heart to know that some Americans would hate these people, my family here, just for bearing the title "Muslim." My praises to Mortenson for transcending petty cultural misunderstandings to accomplish the great task of providing education to those who have been denied it. For surely it is by EDUCATING ourselves -- with knowledge about the world and about each other -- that all doors are opened!

And that is why every night, my sister Goggo kneels in the dirt, with a flashlight in one hand and a pen in the other, as she diligently completes her homework.

And that is why I am here. To teach, but more to learn.