Then on Christmas Eve it was off to Nouakchott, our promised land. Strange that I'd been in this country over six months and still hadn't seen the capital. Lonely Planet describes Nouakchott as "hastily constructed," "lacking charisma," "discombobulating," "shambolic," "unbelievably filthy" -- but for us it is truly, to borrow phrase, a land flowing with milk and honey. Peace Corps put us all up in hotels that blew my mind... Real beds! Hot showers! Western toilets! Bathtubs! TV! Remote-control air conditioning! Fridge! Wireless internet! And don't even get me started on all the amazing things you can eat here that aren't available most anywhere else in the country -- cheese, ice cream, pizza, Italian & Chinese food. We didn't know where to begin! Plus our country director generously hosted all 120-some of us PCVs at his home for an exquisite homemade dinner.
Although Mauritania is an Islamic republic and all its people are Muslim, ex-pats are free to practice their own religion. So a group of us found the one Catholic church in Nouakchott and attended mass on Christmas morning -- what a cool experience, about 400 people from all over Africa and Europe. And I also squeezed in some time to watch my favorite "It's a Wonderful Life" on my laptop. It was about as good as Christmas could get without being home!
After all that, my training sitemates and I headed back down to PK7 to visit our old host families for a few days. When we asked the taxi driver to let us off on the side of the road, he was sure we were mistaken, because it's definitely the middle of nowhere. But as we walked through the sand, past the power plant that does not power PK7, our families spotted the white kids lugging hiking packs and came running to hug us all. They were sooo overjoyed! We were served endless tea (of course), and my family made a special trip into Rosso the next day to buy the finest fish they could afford. I am continually humbled by the amazingly selfless Pulaar people.
The next stop on our agenda was historic Saint-Louis, Senegal, the former capital of all French West Africa and now a quaint little beach town that many call a "run-down New Orleans" (no surprise, as the French influence is still quite evident, and the town hosts an international jazz festival every May). My mom asked me if Senegal is much different than Mauritania. When you take the ferry across the Senegal River, the people still speak the same language and have the same religion and come from the same families -- the border town even has the same name -- but it's an entirely different world. Immediately. Over 90% of the people are Muslim, but they are almost all black (unlike in Mauritania, where there is racial tension between the roughly equal numbers of Arabs and blacks). Dress is much less conservative in Senegal. Alcohol is not prohibited. Infrastructure, i.e. roads and available transportation, is infinitely better. And even in the smallest corner stores, there is such a variety of *things* that you just can't buy in Mauritania. Potato chips, roasted peanuts, and yes, beer -- we were impressed again and again.
It was hard to leave, but all the first-year PCVs made our way back to Nouakchott for our Early Term Reconnect conference, where I am now. We were surprised to find out about this mess in Gaza (hard to keep up with the news when you're on the road), and even more surprised to see the reaction in Nouakchott. Mauritania is one of three Arab countries to have diplomatic relations with Israel, and many people here are not too happy about that. There were some marches this week, some tires burned and rocks thrown, but nothing you all should worry about. We watched some of the demonstrations from afar, high up inside the Peace Corps Bureau (it's in the tallest building in the country). We are safe and sound, as we were assured yesterday in person by the U.S. Chargé d'Affaires to Mauritania. Just makes life a little more interesting...
5 comments:
Happy New Year, Julie Ann! We must be kindred spirits -- I, too, watch "Wonderful Life" every year! It's one of my favorites, as well. Just ask Ryan and watch him roll his eyes... ;o)
Great pictures -- glad you are enjoying some of the comforts of home.
Take care of yourself!!
Vicki
woo hoooo!!! partyin' big time for the holidays!!! and i thought OUR trips were exciting - we went to east texas and then north texas!
seriously, though, you're so awesome and your work is making the world a better place and i know it's not easy and i'm glad you're getting a well-deserved break, and time on real beds with real showers! - ricky d
aw yay i'm glad you enjoyed some comforts over the holidays!! and that's so neat you got to attend Christmas mass. keep enjoying your vacation, and hopefully i'll talk to you soon! Love you
Did you ever think, say five years ago, that you would be rejoicing over showers, toilets, and a bed? Kinda makes one look at things in a whole new light. I'm glad that your Christmas was memorable and spent with some of your "new" friends there. Hope you got a little surprise from here, too. Blessings as you continue your work and learning there.
Aunt Dot
julie,
it might be too early for this; you're prolly too busy to even consider it. i'll say it regardless: please write a book. i'll buy it and read it and love it and then buy more for my friends. :)
much love,
mandy
Post a Comment