On Teaching in the RIM

Peace Corps Volunteers serve in a variety of sectors, including Health, Agroforestry, and Small Enterprise Development. My sector is Education -- Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). I have mixed emotions about this assignment. I've had some experience teaching in the States, and I've enjoyed it a great deal. However, I'm not sure how I really feel about specifically teaching English here. Am I sending the message that these kids need to learn English so that they can be educated/employed in a "better" country and leave this place behind? I don't want that to be the connotation, but what else is the practical use of learning this language? In any case, as of 1999 here, English education is mandatory from middle school onwards, so my presence is helping meet the demand for trained teachers.

Teaching holds an interesting position in Mauritania. It demands more preparation than many other professions, with four years of university and one year of pedagogy. Teachers are respected and well-regarded within their communities, but they are paid quite poorly. My language teacher says he was earning $100/month after 16 years of experience.

The conditions of the school buildings are, far and wide, nothing like we are accustomed to in the States. Water-damaged, paint-peeling walls and dirt floors are par for the course. There is frequently a shortage of seats, with students crammed shoulder-to-shoulder into what benches there are (understandable when they pack as many as 90 kids in a classroom at times! I am fortunate because my classes will probably only be around 50 each). Books are rare. The teacher writes notes and exercises on the blackboard, and students diligently copy it all down into their notebooks, which are their de facto texts. Allah help you if you have sloppy handwriting. I laugh now when I think about how grumpy my coworkers and I all used to get when the photocopiers would break... I won't be having that problem here! ;)

Yesterday began Week 2 of a three-week "Model School" for us 15 TEFL trainees to do some student-teaching and observing of veteran teachers. We have a slew of real, live Mauritanian kids (middle school and high school) who have signed on to show up to English class every day and keep us on our toes. So far I have taught four classes and really had a blast. (Keep in mind, these are kids who have volunteered to come to school on their summer vacation, so they are generally quite eager to learn and participate!)

The best-laid plans...

Well, I prepared a blog update that I was going to post for you all last week, after we got our permanent site assignments. Buuuut then the internet wasn't working at our training center the night before we were leaving. And then I got sick and had to be left behind at the center while everyone else went out to visit their new homes! BUT everything worked out in the end -- big thanks to all my fellow PC-ers who took care of me (and shout-out also to antibiotics). And due to the magic of the internet, I am still posting that entry right now as if it had been July 21st. Don't be confused. ;)

So Dar el Barka is AMAZING! I could not be happier with a site placement, honestly. It is right on the river, absolutely beautiful. For me it is the perfect happy medium between a village and a city. We have some of the amenities of a city (running water, electricity, cell phone service, some corner stores, a big market once a week) without all the litter and traffic and crowds. And they just built a brand new building for the middle school, so it's really nice. I am pretty excited.

I was also given a new name -- again! When I arrived to Dar el Barka, they asked me my name in America, and I told them. Then they asked me my name in Mauritania, and I declared proudly, "Houley Sow!" And they said, "Nope! Your name is Raky Mamadou Wane." (The first name is pronounced "Rocky," which I find rather awesome.) They chose to name me after the mayor's wife, which is a big deal because I guess she is from a pretty important family. All I know is when I introduce myself, people seem to be really impressed! This could also be because of my amazing Pulaar skills. I kid.

One more thing: I have a new and improved mailing address. The old one still works because it's just the Peace Corps HQ, but this one will reach me faster. Please USE it!! You guys don't want me looking like a big loser over here, do you? Mail equals life and wealth and power! Just kidding, but seriously. 94 cents can buy you my undying affection. It's that easy! Check it, over in the right panel.

DAR EL BARKA-bound!

Today was a very important day for all of us back at the training center. They announced our permanent site assignments -- aka home for the next two years!! My placement is Dar el Barka. Let me tell you what I've learned about it:

Population: 7,000 people (although population counts here are extremely flexible)
Location: On the Senegal River, 60 km west of Boghé (the departmental capital in the south Brakna region). It's right off a brand new paved road, which is a big deal because it makes the town much more accessible than previously.
Language: Pulaar and French
Ethnic Groups: Pulaar and Black Moors
Assignment: I will be teaching English at a middle school, which they are trying to turn into a boarding school to accommodate students that live up to 40 km away in less accessible villages. The school currently has 202 students (78 female) in four grade levels.

Annnnd that's about all I know right now. The UN and World Vision have active projects there, so that's encouraging. I leave tomorrow to go visit this new place for a week, so I'll let you know all about Dar el Barka when I return, of course!

I was surprisingly wistful to leave my village PK7 on Saturday. I will be gone for 12 days, and my family was very sad to see me go. It really is home right now.

Bonus reading material: here's a good article talking about the refugee repatriation issue in the south of Mauritania. We have several of these UN tents on the fringes of PK7.

La vie en PK7

Staging/arrival pix

Finally!