Dreaming The Life

More Human Than Human

2010-10-24T23:52:00.002-04:00

It's been quite some time since I took the time to let my readers know what has been happening. It boils down to being in Toubabadou. Let me tell you it is AMAZING!

I know a lot of our fellow volunteers end up prolonging their Peace Corps experience and serving the people they stay another year or even longer. We aren't going to be those people. We had a lot of good times, but nothing significant enough that I would trade more time away from friends, family, and my native culture.

The British Isles were a true pleasure. This leg of our journey home was overwhelming at times, so much diversity and so many people and choices at stores. We stayed with some friends of a friend in London and it was everything I had hoped it would be. The British Museum is officially one of my favorite places in the world. We lost and found our luggage and moved on to the cruise ship.

The cruise ship was another world, we have never experienced such luxury and the contrast between our cruise and our PC service was staggering. We ate a lot, visited loads of places, took a pilates class, and met some interesting people along the way. Due to weather we were not able to visit Northern Ireland or Iceland but it was a great trip none the less.

We docked in NYC, NY. We came in at 4 in the morning and seen the Manhattan skyline and cruised right past the Statue of Liberty all lit up. It felt like the perfect way to come home. We were able to hook up with some former PC RIM friends and stayed with one of their families it was great.

My dad came and got us in NYC and took us to Philly. We reconnected with part of my family and were showered with gifts and spent some good quality time off and on for a couple weeks. We went to South Carolina to visit Kristy's father and found more PC RIM friends over the week we were around. Over a week ago we came back to Ohio gathering things we left behind with beloved friends and family here and there. Soon we shall go Toledo back to where we started, to catch up and move on to the western part of these here United Sates.

In the few short weeks I have been back we have had high and low swings for serious and silly reasons. I have noticed how much people have and how much is wasted without much of a thought. I have noticed both inspired and uninspired individuals living the best they can manage. I have remembered what I was looking for when we left for Africa and why we wanted to relocated out of Ohio. I have realized how much we left behind and how much there is left for us yet to do.

Coming To America

2010-08-26T17:55:00.002-04:00

So here it is folks, this is my last post from Africa. Over two years ago, I like many others before me, set out to make a dent in the world. I learned that the world dents you right back. I am a better person for having come and ridden this bumpy road.

I think that the biggest dent in me is the America shaped one. I appreciate my liberties and culture more now than I ever thought I could. I got all teary eyed when I was thanked on behalf of the U.S. govt and for serving my country.

Some stuff, I will miss about PC life and stuff I do miss about home.

I will miss

Slow days
fresh food
big sky's
stars
baobab trees
naps
choosing my schedule
seeing a noticeable difference

I do miss
people
soft things to sit and sleep on
consistency
food
fast internet
being a classroom teacher
America

Thanks for reading, I will post a couple more times about our trip home and the readjustment but there is a light at the end of this tunnel.

I'm Afraid Of Americans

2010-08-21T10:37:00.002-04:00

In 1 week Kristy and I shall begin our journey home. Here is a vague outline of our itinerary (a detailed one would be a silly thing to post for the interwebs to see).

Banjul to Dakar - fly to England

Dakar to London - hang out a few days until we board cruise ship

London to New York - pit stops along the way are England, Ireland, N. Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada

New York to Philly

Philly to Baltimore

Baltimore to S. Carolina

S. Carolina to N. Carolina

N. Carolina to Ohio

Ohio to Colorado

Colorado to Arizona - Oh yeah if you haven't heard, we are planning on moving to AZ when we get back, inshalla

The locations in the states are too many for me to write, or I don't know the city's name. Hit us up we will make it a point to see you, but our time (read - money) is limited. How we are going to be getting around in the US is still a mystery, we have no transportation.

Disclaimer - Returning from PC will be an adjustment for us. You will have to be a bit patient with us. We aren't used to a lot of things Americans take for granted anymore. We mix different languages into our speaking. Our mannerisms are going to be different. We don't know what has happened in American culture for the last 2 years, some references are going to blow right past us. We are gonna want to do a lot of the stuff we haven't been able to for a few years. Some of it is gonna spook us a bit, we'll get through it, be patient.

After all this, we want to see you, all of you. We miss you and love you. Any chunk of time away from people makes us grow in different ways. We are still the people you knew and you are still the people we knew there has just been different stuff that has happened to all of us.

Superstar

2010-08-09T07:54:00.003-04:00

This is going to be quick and dirty.

Life trucks on a break neck speed living in Fajara with less than 2 weeks until we close our service. I have so much paperwork that I am putting off that it's not funny, yet I do it. I am not looking forward to all that American responsibility, bleh, but I'll take it in stride. I'll have to.

I posted some pictures in an album called Mustaches, Tire Swinging, and Good-byes click on the link or visit the Picasa album. There should be some small pictures on the right hand side of my blog that will take you there. Go look at them now, there will be a test later.

Last Caress

2010-08-05T08:46:00.002-04:00

So much of our time as of late has been occupied with "last times". It's the last time we will do this or see this person, it is exhausting and invigorating at the same time.

Although we moved out of our village a couple weeks ago we didn't say goodbye until yesterday. Yesterday we braved the ferry crossing for the third to last time :) and visited our main job sites and our family compound, for the really last time. We shall miss the friends, family, and colleagues that we encountered. It's nice to have some closure.

Essau Senior Secondary was a ghost town compared to how it normally was. There were a handful of teachers and staff members and one or two students lingering around the office trying to pick up their transcripts. As per normal my headmaster was absent, he called and sent his regrets after I texted him apologizing for being late. I thought it was a fitting that the end was consist ant with our working relationship. Kristy and I waited around, shot the breeze and then right about when we were scheduled to leave they called everyone in for a meeting, :) of course. It was rather formal my work was highlighted and anecdotes about my work and friendships were shared. It really was quite nice, and I feel that it went exactly the way it should have. Kristy and I walked away from the experience with some fancy African clothes and a belly full of food.

Essau Lower Basic was a bird of a different color. There were extra people there to send off Kristy and I. This was her primary job site. Cold Fanta's and Coke's were passed out, I got a black current one awesome, and kind words were shared. It was a jovial and warm setting. Kristy even got to meet headmasters of other schools that will benefit directly from her work in the garden and the orchard there. We got some more fancy clothes, that is probably some kind of tradition. When we left we were given left handed hand shakes, a wish to see us again, and walked to the family compound.

The Family wasn't all home but they came when they heard we were around. Pictures that we took (and Shannon took when she was here) were given as a parting gift and they were ooohh'd and aaahh'd over. We chatted, sat, and looked at the garden, my peppers are growing, and the morenga tree has seen better days. Sadly the tire swing was taken down, but only while some construction is happening, inshalla. On parting promises of last phone calls were made and we walked away to find a taxi or gelly.

The familiar cries of "toubab minty" were heard as walked away from our village for the last time, some things won't be missed.

Say Hello To Heaven

2010-07-25T15:30:00.002-04:00

In one of my first blog entries I wrote about a sacrifice and loss that our service cost us. Yesterday we repeated that loss. Our two surviving pets are no longer with us in this plane. We deeply regret that we were not able to be there to see them off. I like to think that they were a lot luckier than a lot of the animals I have met here, they were adopted into not 1 but 2 loving homes. They had long, full lives, 15 years, and were one of the things that kept the candles burning on the home front for us. This loss of an anchor makes the pull to the familiar a different experience.

It sucks, we will miss them, Snowball and Beavis were good friends.

Sad days.

The Rain King

2010-07-08T07:50:00.003-04:00

Wrapping up is hard to do here. There are a million things to do, we can't take most of our things with us so we have to gift them to our host family,ex-pat neighbors, or fellow volunteers. We have to say goodbye, eat at our friends houses one more time, give hugs, hand shakes. Sometimes the handshake is done with the left hand, it is meant as an insult so that the people separating have to be reunited to rectify the insult, it's not goodbye but see you a lot later. We also have to settle bills, if we have them.

It's a lot harder when you aren't even at site. Our latrine filled with water after a kinda short rain. It honestly was pretty gross, and I will refrain from describing the mess here. Needless to say our small home been rendered somewhat inhabitable. We have been in town for 5-6 day now and our return to site just for an assessment has not been scheduled, yet. PCTG is really busy right now, there are new trainees in country, on top of day to day activities. If our latrine is repairable/replaceable they will do it and almost immediately replace us with, Dado, a volunteer that has her own troubles at site and does a bunch of work in our village. Kristy's projects might have a person to keep a watchful eye on them for another year, that would be really cool.

I mentioned new trainees are here. I get to do a training session with them! I am really happy about it. I volunteered to teach them how to cook American-style comfort foods with Gambian ingredients using the facilities we have here. This will hopefully supplement their dietary needs and give some much needed piece of mind that eating foods your recognize gives us. I will be participating in that at the end of this month.

post script Tomorrow is my 32nd birthday make sure you save all my presents for when I get home. Kristy will have just celebrated her birthday when we arrive, and we like presents.

Tire Swing

2010-06-17T07:16:00.002-04:00

Last week after a long series of promises and some convincing that it would be safe Kristy and I installed a tire swing into one of the mango trees in our compound. It very well may be one of the only such swings in The Gambia. The kids love it, they are on it every morning and they laugh and laugh the whole time.

Because such things are so foreign I was not sure how they would react. We had to show the first kid how to use it and the whole time of his own maiden voyage he was silent and he was wide eyed. I thought it was sheer terror. He got off, didn't say a word and he left to join the rest of the family at a naming ceremony down the street. Moussa returned with the other kids from the compound and they spent hours on it afterwards.

Kristy and I are glad that we were able to give a sustainable toy to the family. We have spied some of the neighborhood adults on it, but not really neighborhood kids, yet. Thankfully, the tree the swing is attached to is far from our room and it keeps the kids at a distance where the cries of joy are not overwhelming.

Wish You Were Here

2010-06-05T16:07:00.002-04:00

Recently there was a 3 day training event that was dubbed "The Man's Retreat". It was a chance for guys to talk about guys issues in PCTG and for us to teach each other about our manly interests. The whole thing was rather positive. I noticed that now my style of participation is focused on sharing my experiences and point of view rather than taking notes because this close to the end, I am not really starting anything new.

I have started gardening with my host family. It gets me some needed exercise and I really feel the bond growing. It will help supplement their diet and their income. It's the first time in my life I have ever really grown anything. It is something that I want to do when we get home, the experience is gratifying.

I'm in town right now doing some preparation for one of the things I hope to leave PCTG a cook book. I offered to help train the new PCT's on a topic that is near and dear to my heart, cooking in the Peace Corps. I'm going to go to the training villages shop for food make something that will supplement their diets. I'm stoked.

Kristy is on all these committees and has meetings all weekend. She always does important stuff like that.

I'm presently uploading a crap ton of pictures, I have 2 more albums up now and will be working on more if I find time while the interweb is moving along at decent speeds. Here is a link to my Picasa Album in case you forgot it.

I edited the care package page on the Google group. It's sad for me to say this but if you have stuff to send us do it soon soon soon. If you put it off past the middle of June there are chances that we won't get the package. So, don't send us care packages past mid June, this even includes stuff for my birthday. What you can do instead is, take care of us when we get back. We will need a lot of help.

Strange Days

2010-05-24T06:56:00.003-04:00

This last few weeks have been a whirl wind of busy. The COS conference was intimidating but informative, there are some pictures that I fully plan on hijacking from another pcv blog
There are more that Ousman posted but, interweb being what it is, I'm gonna leave out the people you don't know.

We successfully held our Study At Home Quiz Bowl. It was a great time, some people won and some people lost. I think the message was heard by the participants and I tried to send it home to the spectators too, but I can't really measure that.

My library project is at a new challenge. We have too many books, and most of them aren't good. One of the problems with charity donations is: when your average Joe doesn't want that dieting book, illiterate and semi-literate kids don't want them either. So if your going to send books, send stuff you would want if you only had 5 books. Back to my story, (sorry for the side rant) We have too many books, I contacted / had others contact about a dozen schools and libraries and hundreds of books will reach thousands of kids through redistribution. I am gonna have find alternative uses for some outdated and unwanted books though. It will be a sad day for books.

I was finally used to do my job as a Teacher Trainer for my high school!!!!!!! This was one of my high points here. I actually was invited to hold a workshop after months of being ignored. I got to about 50% of the staff and hopefully they took away some good info.

That's all for now, see you sooner and sooner every day.

Thousand Mile Wish

2010-05-06T14:53:00.002-04:00

We will be staying in a hotel this weekend! I hope it's super nice and they take good care of us. This weekend has a huge focus, going home. It's not as if this isn't often on my mind but this is the time where we officially begin to prepare for our fated departure to the land of the free. We shall be discussing all those scary professional things that exist in the world out there like resumes, job experience, continuing education, and how we can apply the last two years of our lives to all that oh-so-real and serious stuff. PC has some systems in place to quell our fears, most notably the network of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV's). I hope we have some good things planned and we will prolly be busy 90% of the time.

We just requested to be able to participate in the mail run for August, we will be making a 5(ish) day journey through the whole country visiting all the PCV's dropping off the things their friends and family's send them.

Every quarter the North Bank Region, the one we live in, tries to do a large group project. This quarter we are focusing on trying to encourage kids to study at home. We are accomplishing this by having a quiz bowl at our individual schools and giving the kids homework. Inshalla, they will want to perform well that day and will study to not look foolish in front of the whole school, and win prizes. Our day is the 17th wish the kids luck.

It's coming down to the end of our window for being able to receive mail, too much past early June and we may not get what is sent.

Bent

2010-04-18T10:54:00.002-04:00

I'm sick, it's a recent development and shall fade soon enough.

Two weeks ago there was a camp for young girls 7th and 8th and their teacher. I was able to help train the teachers in lesson plans that use alternative techniques to pull out creative thinking and use multiple intelligences. The camp was great fun, it was covered by GRTS the Gambian television station and it was obvious that each of us were part of something much larger. Some of those girls left their village for the first time. They learned about AIDS, life choices, leadership, teamwork, drugs, alcohol, and pregnancy. I am proud that I was a part of it.

We just attended a conference that included little to nothing that will effect Kristy or I. It was still exciting to see the beginnings of now policies to make PCTG a well oiled machine.

We covered a recent happening dubbed "The Philip Incident" that is making some of our new policies necessary. There are some unspoken pieces here and if I told you, I'd have to kill you, or you'd be bored outta your skulls and wish I would have omitted it. Regardless, I'm not saying anything about it until I firmly home and jobless.

Now that it's over we will be returning to site until the Close of Service (COS) Conference that will take place early next month. This is going to be just like our conference last year but without all that lovely evacuation confusion. We are going to get to learn how not to be the people we are now and how to be close to the people we were when we got here. We are broken Americans, and there is gonna be some things that we will do to embarrass those around us, more then we would normally have in America. You'll see and I will bring this up again, inshalla.

What it does mean though is that our trip home is planned and we are filling in the fine details. I can for sure say that we will be boarding a cruise that will take at least 2 weeks where will celebrate our anniversary and Kristy's birthday. I'll talk about that more at a later time.

The Fixer

2010-03-16T07:08:00.002-04:00

Bloggitty, blog, blog, blog. Things to write about: vacation with the fam, good days, and I am sure I will think of something else, I talk a lot.

Vacation with the fam

It was AWESOME. Shannon, Jeremiah, and Kelly (or Kumba, Yahya, and Maimouna as we dubbed them) showed up early to Dakar by an hour so we were a bit late finding them. I know that I miss home (where ever that may be) and that is a reoccurring theme in my adventure, but seeing them brought it to a sense of reality that was stark and in my face.

We walked and walked and walked through Dakar, the Ile de Goree, the Kombos, and lastly Essau. They were able to show us the beauty and wonder of Senegal and The Gambia that had faded a bit for us. You always get used to your home and it somehow become less astoundingly beautiful. We translated, haggled, laughed, ate, and drank.

There is a lot of wildlife here in Gambia that we had not become familiar with. We seen a billion monkeys, a bush buck antelope, a bunch of crocodiles, amazing birds that I could never remember the names of, hyenas, and even a random snake on the side of the road.

We happened upon a Jewelbrew promotion and entered a competition where we made a great effort, but took a loss to guys who have been practicing for longer than we have been alive.

Before they left they showered us with gifts and we put them on a taxi going to a country where they didn't speak any of the languages :)

Good Days

It's not easy, as they say and I couldn't agree more. I have to force myself to step back and grab hold of the good days. The moments where in my daily life I stand there staring at the horizon filled with mango trees being cooled by a ocean breeze and realise that I am knee deep in a wonderful adventure that has changed me.

I woke up recently to hooting and peeked outside to see owls just outside of our home, this is the second time I have gotten to see wild owls ever (both times here). Owls are becoming more and more rare here, they are believed to be a sign of witchcraft being practiced and are hunted because of the bad omen they bring.

One of the kids in our compound has recently stopped being afraid of me and now lights up when she sees me with a heartfelt "g" which is the name the family calls me. Ironically the letter g does not exist in the Mandinka alphabet.

Forever

2010-02-24T06:45:00.002-05:00

Now February is really almost over. We are in Barra making some last min internet searches before we go to Dakar again this weekend. Kristy just bought some garden tools so that the school across the street can start a garden instead of letting it stay the neighborhood dumb.

WAIST, what can I say? It was a bitter-sweet event. Sweet the way that it is always sweet to see PCV's compete in a softball tournament, eat hot dogs, nachos and pulled pork with jalapenos, and the liter sized Gazelles and early morning practice at the club. Bitter in the way that PC RIM was not there, it was quiet and tame (with the same number of people), it was the ghost of WAIST future. We gave it our all made complete fools of ourselves not wearing pants per tradition, played kickball instead of softball one game (it was later won by the Refugees: rock v scissors), and we even kidnapped opposing team members and their mascot. I am proud to say that I was captain of that rowdy bunch of Refugees who's chant was "We're here, we're homeless, get used to us!" It was great to see the old RIM crew and to meet the Guinean PC refugees. We bonded in our mutual experiences and mutual reactions to said experiences. It was good to know that other people feel the same as us.

Shannon, Jeremiah, and Kelly are going to be in Dakar this weekend! My-oh-my! It is almost surreal that they will get to share a bit of our life and see what I write about. There is so much to do and see and so little time to do it in.

We are now in the last quarter of our service, we have to make preparations for our projects to continue without us. Manuals need to be written, to do lists need to be checked off, and that last bit of confidence needs to be given to the counterparts so that they know they can do what we came together for and more after our absence is felt.

Refugee

2010-02-05T06:41:00.002-05:00

Days seem to tick by at uneven rates, time truly is relative. Sometimes seconds take lifetimes and sometimes the weeks swiftly pass us by. February has only started and there is no time left. This month will be the one where I work the least during the school year, that is a bitter sweet happening. I want my projects to progress and I have vacation to do too.

I am still organizing the library and working to get the computer teachers to teach a class for the school staff. There is a reluctance to follow through with projects that baffles my work ethic. My librarian really only wants to work when I am present, which saddens me, I have caught her in the storage closet getting her hair braided when she thinks I am not around. My computer teachers complain about not having money but will not host classes which they could earn a supplementary income with. I do have things that go well though, my PTA meetings seems to see self sustaining and held on a monthly basis, we set goals and follow through with what we say.

WAIST is next week, Mauritania and Guinea will combine our displaced forces to create a team dubbed Refugees. Truly to reconnect with our long lost country mates is the major motivation for going to WAIST this year. Gambia PCV's are kinda take it or leave it about the tournament. I know we would be much more pumped had the unfortunate evacuation never happened. I think that it will still be a great time and the hot-dogs with be hot and the beers will be cold.

Also in the works, Shannon, Jeremiah, and Kelly will be coming to visit! Kristy and I are stoked to be able to see a small fraction of our loved ones and to share a bit of our experience here.

I have been lazy and there are some pictures that I need to post, it will happen as soon as it does.

Counting The Days

2010-01-27T17:16:00.002-05:00

200 days

200 more days to try

200 more days of being different

200 more days to take afternoon naps

200 more days to dream of home

200 more days to have everyone know my name

200 more days to be a stranger

200 more days to see

200 more days of spending time with my wife

200 more days to be called toubab

200 more days to read

200 more days to haggle

200 more days of frustration

200 more days of having a large family

200 more days of failure

200 more days of success

200 more days of inshalla

200 more days of dirt roads

200 more days of mosquito netting

200 more days of animals everywhere

200 more days of far away

200 more days of hope

200 more days of our 2 room home

200 more days of give me

200 more days of too many languages

200 more days of laughter

200 more days of men holding hands

200 more days of wondering if I can make it

200 more days of making a difference

Paranoid Android

2010-01-18T06:49:00.002-05:00

Kristy and I have been trying to use the interweb for a couple weeks now and with the consistant inconsistancies that has been troublesome. We have been well, working to get our Water Charity projects done, you should donate :) here for mine and here for Kristy's. Things are going well I have some new pictures of my project if you want to see what your giving to.

We mentioned a matathon march that we were going to go on with the new PCV's but due to some budget stuff that didn't happen. It was a bummer and the people who did go got lost, such is life.

The holidays came and went and I am glad they are behind us, this year was much harder than the last and we thought of everyone and love you all.

We have run away from a monster called the Konkoran (they beg for money) a few times, they pop up on holidays and are usually surrounded by hoards of people and drumming.

I hope that we can time interweb cafe being open a bit better in the future, take it easy.

Good King Wenceslas

2009-12-14T08:59:00.003-05:00

This just in...

My water project was funded by Water Charity! Water Charity pays for the projects up front and hopes that people will be kind enough to pay them back so that they can continue to help all over the world.

I know it's the holiday season and times are tough, if you can give please do.

My project can be found at http://appropriateprojects.com/node/78 but here is what it's about.

Essau Senior Secondary School is a secondary school where students continue their education in hopes of being able to go on to professional jobs and/or higher education at either the college or a university. Students from 5 nearby villages come to attend classes.

Water is available at the high school from only a single tap at the front of the school. It is in poor condition, leaking constantly and wasting water. There is no running water in the restrooms, located at the back of the school.

The leaking tap leaves standing water, allowing mosquitoes to breed, creating conditions conducive to the spread of malaria.

There is also a small community just outside of the school that gets its water from the high school tap.

This project will create a piping system throughout the school. It will bring water to the administrator's house and to the toilets for the staff, boys, and girls. It will also provide water for the science labs.

Baby It's Cold Outside

2009-12-10T07:18:00.002-05:00

Great news! Kristy was approved for another project from our friends at Water Charity She has been given a small chunk of money to help the school now to get the work done now now. Water Charity asks that we let our friends and family and random blog readers know about this act of kindness and hopes that you can help reimburse them. If you have a bit to help that would help others in the future (possibly me) be able to work with Water Charity too. Give if you can, a couple bucks goes a long way on this side of the pond, think about the kids.

Of Angles and Angles

2009-12-01T05:13:00.002-05:00

This just in, pictures. Pictures from Mali and some from the Essau Schools that Kristy and I work at, I may have to work on captions but it took a long time to upload and I am done on the computing machine for the time being.

Grace Of God Go I

2009-11-26T08:10:00.002-05:00

This Thanksgiving I find myself humbled again because of the things that I am thankful for.

This year I am especially thankful for being able to get away from the trials and tribulations of Peace Corps life, if it is even only for just a few days or a half hour at the cyber cafe.

My wife as always holds the key to my heart and sanity (she loses the latter key all the time) and I am thankful for her.

I am thankful for my family at home who keep me going throughout this adventure that I set on a year and a half ago.

I am thankful for the friends that I have who keep America held together with hard work and determination.

I am thankful America, it is a place that everyone I meet wants to go to, even when I left it behind.

I am thankful for the work that I do and the people who begrudgingly support me in my attempts to develop Essau Senior Secondary School.

Next Year

2009-11-07T14:12:00.002-05:00

This is going to be hard to believe but we have a LOT of vacation days to burn. We are in Bamako, Mali right now. Bamako is strangely familiar and very foreign at the same time. It's a sub-Saharan Francophone nation and we have never been here so we aren't quite sure how everything works. The country is beautiful and the people are friendly. With the exception of a bit of misunderstandings we are coasting along quite nicely. The museum here was really nice and we were able to see the opening of a new art exhibit. The artists were all there and they were getting interviewed and it was actually really neat. If all goes well we are going to spend a bit under 2 weeks here and will be home in time for Turkey day.

Whatever Gets You Through The Night

2009-10-14T04:14:00.002-04:00

This is going to be my last opportunity to use the internet for a bit (maybe), so you get an update on life stuff.

Family

We have a large family now, there is a grandmother, a couple older brothers, a younger brother (post high school), a sister in law, twin our age sisters, and a younger sister(starting high school). There are two young boys (one of the twins kids), a school age girl, and twin baby girls (the other twins kids), and a quiet boy (sister in law's kid).

Our family is really nice, super helpful, and fun to be with. There is a 6:30 till noon screaming habit the babies have, but malnutrition and Africa temperatures will do that.

I am sad to report that Gambians in our part of the country don't sleep outside, so no more under the stars slumber for us. It is something that I will miss until we are able to have the means to do it in Merica.

Work

High School: Lot's to do there, I have been struggling to get the internet connection back up for a while, it should be working when I return. There are an endless stream of computer things that everyone thinks I know because I am white (white people are born knowing such things). The PTA is back in action after 5 years, and together we are gonna put up a fence for the agro science classes. Going to the National Library to see if I can train get a few people trained, so they can train all the rest.

Nursery School: Creating codes of conduct, syllabus, helping train the absolutely untrained teachers, and helping them write grants for school improvements. Maybe some live fencing.

Primary school: Computer lab, it's in shambles right now and needs to be put in working order. Kristy is trying to find funding to ship some books from our old library in Perrysburg to the school, but the bill is like $300 so we are going to have to be creative, (like causally mentioning it on a blog, send me an email if you know someone to help) there are some traditional avenues that we are going to look into.

Village Development Committee: Haven't heard from them, yet... we are expecting to find some work with them too.

Don't Call Me White

2009-10-11T20:10:00.002-04:00

Integrating to our new site has proved to be far more difficult than in Kaedi. Our former home was a city that was home to Peace Corps training for 8 years and therefore they were quite used to the pale people walking around and for the most part ignored us.

Essau is a different story. The Gambia is subject to a great deal of tourists, these tourists have created a culture where the "toubabs" are givers of things; pens, candy, or money. They do it in rude ways, throwing the items into busy roads to avoid the scrambling children. In turn the people here are rude to the people of European decent. No matter how many times I am told that it is not an insult, a quick judgment on who I am based only on the amount of pigment in my skin is an insult. It's racist, and I hate it. This term and mentality was applied in RIM but was faded when they realized I was not giving anything. We doubt it will happen any time soon, all white people look the same.

The idea that this is offensive is an American moral standard, we do not appreciate beggars, and anything that singles another person out only because of ethnicity is wrong to us. I am judged only on my pallor and not on the strength of my mind or the convictions in my soul.

Many people do not like this behavior and it is I possess the problem because I refuse to let this part of me be compromised.

The people I work with are kind and walk around the issue of being white as to not offend me. We are slowly initiating my projects at my schools, and I hope to actually make an impact.

I have, as promised, posted pictures the album is titled First Month, The Gambia. I know it's not witty, it's late and I'm tired. I hope you enjoy them.

p.s. Don't worry about my comfort level, this is normal here. I think that the whole toubab thing is a personal battle I have to foster ethnic tolerance here in The Gambia.

Don't Push

2009-09-18T04:12:00.004-04:00

I would like to start this entry with warm birthday wishes to my loving wife, who deserves more then I am able to give her on this glorious day.

We made it to our new home! It is a nice little apartment looking place in a compound with the Baldeh family so we have changed our last names to match.

Work is coming along slowly, I have rather high hopes for this year but I am going to try to not be too optimistic, everyday I reminded that although I not in RIM I am still in West Africa, and if the teachers were as outgoing and proactive as they sounded they wouldn't have requested a Peace Corps presence. I will undoubtedly be working on organizing a library, training a librarian, developing the computer lab, teaching basic computer classes, and providing some teacher workshops. There are more things that I could do, but these are things that were repeated over and over during my assessment activities at the school.

Kristy has some interesting potential projects also, the library and computer lab were requested at her school, she will be able to work with a motivated environmental club, there is a man who needs help writing grants to further his development, and there is a possibility to work with the World Wildlife Fund (this last one she is the most hopeful for).

So far the Gambian people have been extremely kind to us, they work with our sub par Mandinka skills, and seem genuinely glad to have us around. It really feels like it's going to be a good year.

p.s. I will be bringing my camera to site now, we haven't been able to take pictures because we left early and it was in our locker over last week.

Steady, As She Goes

2009-09-06T04:43:00.002-04:00

I recently plugged The Gambia into my blog, it's everywhere now and Mauritania is in the background but not forgotten. Go look, there is even a map of Essau on the bottom of the blog.

We are still waiting around at The Stodge, the transit house, whilst our new home is having it's pit latrine put into good working order. Our only news is that we have met a lot of the other volunteers and are working on adjusting to the climate and our lush green surroundings.

I have neglected to take pictures here, with a strong tourist culture it is hard to differentiate ourselves from tourists if we do the same things as them. I think that this will be different in our village and home but for now in the touristy areas I will abstain, until my Mandinka skills are better.

We Did'nt Start The Fire

2009-08-22T05:10:00.002-04:00

Wow what a whirlwind experience! We left Mauritania and we are in The Gambia (notice the, "The", that's right not just any Gambia but The Gambia).

Kristy and I are going to have very similar jobs but with new focuses, the descriptions and opportunities are still not concrete but we hope that they are fantastic as they sound. No details until I can work them out.

We are going to live in a villi age called Essau and we are currently learning to speak Mandinka, not a skill that will get us much in the world but more languages means a higher awesome factor. We will probably be able to speak English for work purposes so that is a lot of stress off of our daily routine and the French (we scored Advanced-Low on our final test- WOW)has already come in handy and will again in the future.

This country is gorgeous, if you were holding out to visit us you hit the jackpot, this place is gorgeous 9 months of the year, it rains a lot the other 3.

The interweb is not as fast or reliable here so that means this as a contact medium is not going to be as frequent, sorry.

We have new phone numbers mine is 011.220.700.2098

We have a new address it is:

Brian Sisco and Kristy Smily PCV's
PO Box 582
Banjul, The Gambia
West Africa
Par Avion / Air Mail

That is all I have for now, more as we know it.

Changes

2009-08-14T03:10:00.002-04:00

Today, is our last day of PC-RIM.

We are accepting this as we have no say in the issue, we will say goodbye to volunteers we know to be more than friends, our family who lived much as we do and will be connected to us for the rest of our lives. Some are going to Rwanda, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Jordan, and or course The Gambia.

I want to thank the people who have been supportive of Kristy and I through our time in RIM and we hope you will still support us if we are able to transfer our service to The Gambia. Nothing is certain yet, we could still be home next month or next week, but we have hope.

You will know more as we do. Please, continue to keep us in your hearts and minds as we move from one phase to another we need the support.

Africa

2009-08-10T17:44:00.002-04:00

Tears flowed freely as were told that PC RIM will be suspended.

We left home without saying goodbye to many of our friends and colleagues, many of our personal belongings were left behind because were were only leaving for 10 days, it is amazing how much can change in such a small amount of time.

The future is so unclear right now and we can not foresee what shall come of our situation. We are sorriest for the people whom we made promises of prolonged projects that shall go unfinished.

There are options that shall be discussed over the next few days, we are not sure if we will be home in a week, a month, or a year as planned. I am sorry for the lack of real news but it is what we have, more will come as we have it.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

2009-08-09T07:06:00.003-04:00

An event happened in Mauritania, we are fine, we were not even in Mauritania. Don't worry, if you want to read about it there are links on the side of the blog or you can follow this link http://www.reuters.com/article/homepageCrisis/idUSL8672694._CH_.2400

If you want to talk to me directly my number Senegalese number is 011221776223651 if this doesn't work we have had a lot of rain, email me. Rain knocks out the interweb from time to time but I will get your messages.

Runnin' Down A Dream

2009-07-31T12:24:00.003-04:00

Jealousy has ever really been something that I fall prey to, I cannot say that at this moment. I am jealous of PC Senegal, they have amazing facilities and the large cities are places I would pay to go to as a tourist. They will just have to face retribution during WAIST next year.

We are in Theis, Senegal and we feel as if we are really in Africa right now. This place is tropical and lush. This unfortunately means I itch a lot right now, there is a healthy population of mosquitoes because I am feeding every second that I am here. I have not been taking pictures because of training sessions that have occupied much of my time, but there will be time, yes there shall.

Projects and things are on hold right now because we aren't there to do them, so work isn't actually happening right now. I think there will be some opportunities to help out here, and maybe some international collaboration.

I have the unfortunate duty to remind you that we are safe. Safe. Safe. Safe. I say this and say this often. Our community in Mauritania really likes us, and they do what they can to ensure this. We are currently away from our country while someone who has never experienced our home looks into it to ensure we are safe. This is compounded by people going around Kristy and I when we state in plain English we are safe. We are fricken' old too, 30+ even, and will continue to make our own decisions as is the right of old farts like us. We know our home and our community. I worry about you, there is a written record of violent crimes that goes to every door in America (newspapers - they are filled with bad news), and more bad guys in your small towns then in whole of our country. If you are worried CALL ME, please, or call to say hi, I'd like that more. Calling Peace Corps first compounds our difficulties and gets me a visit to the hot seat.

Quicksand

2009-07-22T03:47:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update.

Aziz was the leader of Mauritania before, during, and after the election, big surprise! No election craziness here, as always the political climate in Kaedi is boring and apathetic.

My picassa album was updated. The newest addition is dubbed Camel Trek. Feel free to ooh and aaah at your leisure.

Blowin' In The Wind

2009-07-18T07:47:00.002-04:00

Today is election day and Kristy and I are laying low, Peace Corps has an apolitical stance and that is much easier on a day like today inside watching the dvd's that our loved ones have recently mailed to us :) This time gives me the opportunity to think and therefore a desire to vent, if you do not wish to read my rant stop now.

Recently, one of our friends from the Gorgol region of Mauritania COS'd (Close Of Service) and when she returned home her local newspaper wrote and article (this article) about her accomplishments and published it on the interweb. The things that she was able to accomplish were phenomenal, she lived in a small village that had a school where only two of the rooms were usable. She raised money and turned that 2 room school into a 6 room school, and this was merely a highlight of her 2 years of service.

There, of course, was a comments section as there are in many online forms of media, just like there is here. I was appalled to read some of the things that were written there. The comments were written by isolationists who saw that she helped Africans, not Americans, and those were the nice ones. In order to not pick fights on the interweb (because, oh my how I loathe that) I shall address one of the little examined benefits of Americans being in the Peace Corps. Other than the obvious: volunteers habitually volunteer for the rest of their lives regardless of where they live. We are all people and helping people regardless of lines on a map, skin color, and religion is a good thing.

I know that the idea of terrorism is something that makes grandmothers shake in their boots and young adults who know everything roll their eyes. However, if there ever was a place that people could be swayed from a pro America point of view to an Islamic extremist point of view, it is here. On a regular basis I see people with Osama on their t-shirts, no joke. Here, as one of the few faces of America that people will ever see, we are America, unless you would leave that to Jack Bower. In Mauritania, when Kristy plants trees, Matt teaches computer lessons, Alex helps the community build a school, Justin builds a fence to protect crops, and the hundreds of PCV's who have come here, it is America helping, not some bleeding heart liberal. When an extremist asks if a village will support them or a young man will become a soldier for them they will remember that we are not their enemy and that we are people the same as them. I know that there is no way that we can achieve peace and understanding for everyone but PCV's are fighting for America the same as any soldier, with a different strategy.

This Is How I Disappear

2009-07-09T03:26:00.006-04:00

It has been a hectic couple of weeks and I have a lot to say I am going to try to put this posting into a few categories; Kristy's Awesome Peace Corps Project, St. Louis, Interrupted Service, Chinguitti/Camel Trek, and Break-In. I know this is going to be a long post but a lot has happened, and it's my birthday and I'll do what I want :oP

Kristy's Awesome Peace Corps Project

Is funded! Wow, that was fast, we really would like to thank everyone who dug deep and gave what they could. We would like to put a special thanks to a charity named Water Charity who sought us out and donated a majority of the funds, if you still wanted to help give to the project you can help them, so they can give again. She has yet to tell the community because we haven't been home for long, but that guy is going to bubble over with joy.

St. Louis

Every year, there is a Jazz Festival in Senegal and PCRIM makes a showing, they hock the wares and crafts of the communities they live in, listen to some music and bask in the awesomeness of St. Louis. This year Kristy and I were busy working, if you can believe that, but when we got the chance to go, we did. We stayed in a little bungalow on the beach, for like $12 a day. The experience was amazing, we had good food and drinks, good company, and the majesty of the Atlantic right outside our room.

Interrupted Service

Do you remember one of my previous posts, had a link to an article where some idiot thought it would be a good idea to come here and push Christianity on the Islamic Republic of Mauritania? Well, after 6 years of angering his community and performing unwanted actions, they killed him. This freaked a LOT of people out, especially when we didn't have all the information, and then after 4 days Al Qaida said they did it (this is debatable). A lot of over protective parents, and PCV's expressed concerns to Peace Corps and their reaction was to allow us to interrupt our service (IS). Kristy and I have not taken this option because we are safe. The option stirred a lot of emotions in us and I will only say that in all things we must go where our heart leads us. Our wonderfully large class has lot approx. 20 PCV's due to the IS option and it saddens us, that projects are unfinished and communities are without PCV's.

Chinguitti/Camel Trek

One of the things to do in the RIM is visit the city of Chinguitti. The city is full of history and ruins, there are parts that are still used that are about 900 years old and the desert has eaten parts that are older. Chinguitti is in the Sahara, no doubt about it, it's on a elevated rock plain and surrounded by dunes and date palms. There is a volunteer, Oumar, who lives there set up a camel trek for us. He knew the guide, arranged the destination, an oasis, and took as around getting all of our materials, and played tour guide. He was an amazing host.

The guides showed up in the morning with 4 camels, John, Emily, Kristy, and I all rode, they led us out a bit, we hopped on, and were led through the Sahara. The desert is nothing small. It had dunes as far as I could see, an absolute difference from the Atlantic just a few days before. We were led to a tiny oasis and spent the day there among the date palms. In the late afternoon we went sand boarding. It was a lot of fun. Stayed the night just outside the oasis and headed back in the wee hours of the morning. Walking in sand is no joke, camels are amazing creatures. On our way back a lone man on a camel caught up to us and joined our caravan, he had been in the desert for days, solo, and was merely passing through to another city, that was impressive.

Break-In

Our house was broken into, on the night of the 3rd. They used a rock and beat through our wall. It had to have been kids, the whole is small. I know that is unsettling, but we were gone for almost 2 weeks and everyone knows everyone's business here. We lost some money, some small material things, and a bit of our peace of mind. There are things in works to improve house security, but they will move at the speed of Africa, until then we will be vigilant and guard what little we have. We could have gone home with the IS and didn't because we are fine. Peace Corps is helping by funding our security improvements.

I want to thank those of you who sent warm wishes to me for my b-day. It's already better than it was last year :D

Shout

2009-06-23T09:54:00.002-04:00

An American was murdered, it wasn't us or anyone who had anything to do with Peace Corps. Kristy and I were nowhere near the city it happened in, do not worry about us. You'll know more before we do you cause your news stations are in English, you lucky dogs. This may change our travel plans though :(

Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

2009-06-23T03:44:00.004-04:00

The rains have started and the Sahel drinks deeply, there is new growth on virtually every plant that I see and there are now plants where there were not plants before. Grass has started to grow, it is one of the more beautiful things that I have seen in quite a while.

When it rains, it pours, we rarely just have a light sprinkling of rain. The rains generally start with a sand storm, the wind is violent carrying away anything not well fastened and it carries particles of sand that coat everything, these are best avoided. After the sand passes the rain commences, and it is glorious. The rain is carried by the same violent gusts of wind and thus is comes not from above but from the side. The rains last only a couple hours at their longest so far.

The other side of the coin, is that the insects have started to rally, and from what I remember this is but the beginning. Kaedi, like all of the cities I have seen here was not built for draining away rain, there are quite a few deep puddles that will become the brackish breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Kristy will be making a cream from leaves of a local tree called, Neem. Neem Cream is an ongoing project that PCRIM tries to urge the locals here to use because it works as a natural mosquito repellent and therefore reduces the chances of catching malaria.

P.S.

We have been in country for over a year now, it's been an interesting experience so far. It is still sad that we have yet to hear yea or nay on new Peace Corps Trainees. Kristy and I will be going to St. Louis and then a camel trek - keep an eye out for fun pictures :)

With A Little Help From My Friends

2009-06-06T18:17:00.001-04:00

The following message was brought to you by the lovely and talented Kristy

Hi Everybody!!!

My Peace Corps Partnership project was approved and now I just need to raise the money. I need to raise a total of $1341. It's a school improvement project at one of the schools that I work with. The school is amazing with some great teachers and a very effective director. For my part, I work mainly with the 5th and 6th grade french speaking teachers (science, math and of course french are taught in French, everything else is Arabic). We had an eco club this past year with 20 students where they were able to learn more about the environment. We also planted 12 trees on the school grounds. The teachers I work with are always open to the ideas I have and so is the director. I really like working with this school and they make me feel like my time here in the country is worth something to them. This is why I want this project to get funded so badly. It entails the reparation of the school well and latrines. There is more information on the Peace Corp's website. Some of you (those who I thought wouldn't be too annoyed by this) will be receiving information in the mail about the project and how to donate. If you happen to be part of an organization, church, workgroup, club, etc and could possibly raise money for this project, I and about 560 students and teachers would be very grateful. I'm trying to raise the money by August so the repairs can at least be started before the beginning of the next school year. The donations are tax deductible too, woohoo! Anyway, that's the end of my "please donate" propaganda. Thanks for reading this.

Here's a link to the project and how to donate: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=682-117

You can also just go here: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors
and search under Smiley or the project number, 682-117

There are pictures of some of the kids from the school here: http://picasaweb.google.com/draconismoon (the Eco Club Stuff)

Take On Me

2009-05-28T15:44:00.004-04:00

Schools out for the summer! That means I have to average out my grades, turn them in, and not teach my own class of adolescents until 'Merica. I will say that teaching here has been a humbling and enlightening experience. Speaking the same language as your students is something that most teachers I know take for granted, wow is that rough. I had some great kids though that I was actually able to reach and the things I learned about the Mauritanian school system will hopefully be able to help me to help the teachers here. I posted some pictures of my classes they aren't labeled yet so it will have no context other than they are a Mauritanian school.

Over the next few months we hope to do some traveling, we want to visit some of the other sites, start planning a trip to Mali, and I too hope that I shall be able to participate in stage.

For those of you who were planning on visiting, there is a small issue of governments not being so friendly and denying visa's to each other. You may want to check to see if you can get one before you buy a plane ticket. It may just mean we have to meet you in another country, which can be arranged. I am not so sure I would want to vacation in the RIM anyways.

I heard what is destroying the youth of Mauritania today, it's Jack Bower. Keiffer Southerland should be ashamed! What the man was implying, because I asked, is the age old violence on TV excuse. I prodded further, if he would not place such blame on the parents of the kids who emulate such actions, like saving the president from terrorists. He said yes, and agreed too that violence existed in our youth prior to television but it was lip service. It is easy to blame something new that changes our society on the differences of each generations cultures. We did it with Rock and Roll, Rap, TV, and Video Games. What we find the hardest to do is adapt, work with what we have, love our kids just as they are, and make sure that they know what is acceptable and what is not.

Them Bones

2009-04-28T15:18:00.005-04:00

I promised my conspiracy theory, so here it is.

The hill that I walk up and across every day has a well worn path very little foliage and fossils of some sort.

There are patterns in the rock that aren't just globs of stone, they have shape and form. I seriously doubt that they are a dinosaur, but that would be wicked awesome. I don't know who I would contact, if anyone would care, or if they are anything at all. My paleontology skills are a bit underdeveloped.

I know that this will probably never amount to anything but, meh it has been on my mind for a little while.

Best Of You

2009-04-27T16:38:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I have taken the time to write. Life continues on the nice slow pace that it always does here, with the exception that it is starting to really heat up. When I get up in the morning it is about 100 degrees now and life around here adapts. The primary schools have switched to a later schedule so that there are not little kids walking to school in the hottest portion of the day.

I have really grown accustomed to our lives here and do relish in our routine. I think that the walk to the market is one my favorite parts of the day. I get to see a good cross section of Kaedi life in a short walk past the schools, up the government centers hill* and to the market. There are animals going about their constant search for something to eat paper, plastic, or plant life, students on their way to or from school, I am always greeted with a rushed "How are you, fine?", and the vendors I know in the market are always glad to see me and don't usually rip me off any more. The market itself is chaos, cars, donkey carts, and people share the narrow road with vendors that are hocking their wares to anyone that they can stop. The things that are sold are so random there are vegetables grown by local farmers, imported fish from refrigerated trucks, goods that would rival an American dollar store, and the best knock off designer labels that Kaedi has to offer.

There are rumors that the school year is going to be cut even shorter. I know that this is a students dream. 3.5 months of school and the rest of the time is free. This, however, saddens me. My last trimester is only 5 weeks long with 2 hours a week, that is no time at all. I will soon be going to a Mauritanian English Teachers Association meeting to see what they are all about and possibly see if I can make a branch here in town.

Kristy is in Nouakchott right now finishing up a proposal to try and receive funding to repair a well and the latrines for one of the schools she works at. The kids have to pee on the side of the school right now if they have to go in the middle of the day. We are going to bother you, our friends and loved ones to donate when the time comes, a little goes a long way, seriously a dollar or two makes a difference.

*I think that there are fossils in it - look for a special blog soon outlining my conspiracy theory

Hot In The City

2009-03-17T13:09:00.003-04:00

It's getting to be exam time here in Mauritania and I find myself with fun new challenges. I will not actually be giving my exams and all four of them are at the same time. This means less and more work for me. Less because after Thursday Spring Break starts, I shudder at the thought of Mauritanians Gone Wild, and I have two weeks off. More because I have to make sure that the teachers giving my exams do it correctly. Only one of them speaks English and there is a chance one doesn't even speak French. I know that the class will be quiet and students will more then likely be timely, teachers here are not known for leniency. I know that this is their system and I am imposing my desires on their normal situations but I want to be there to support my students. I will be spending 15 min in each class each hour finding cheaters, spell checking the teachers writing, and answering questions.

There are a lot of things that are in the midst of changing right now, our 2nd year PCV's are preparing to go home and we are becoming very excited to receive the new class that will be coming in June. This transition reminds us how short our time here is and how much of a difference one motivated person can make.

From Me To You

2009-03-09T04:48:00.004-04:00

12 hours riding to get to NDB totally worth it. First off the ride was cake because we hitched along with Mariam and Pedro. Really kind people that have let us be a part of this experience with them.

We come to the city and hooked up with some PCV's here. The life in the big city must be hard. There are nice amenities that would remind me too much of home, and the anonymity that comes along with living in an expat city would feel very lonely, I think. I feel very brussy here, looking around with wide eyes and exclaming that everyday life here is wonderous. It has to be what the acutal brusse PCV's feel when they come to Kaedi. We were welcomed to sleep at the home of another married couple and have had a great time. Their home is beautiful and the hospitality more than we hoped for.

We visited the port, it was a sight to see. There is a very large international fishing industry here. Lately they have been suffering due to economic sanctions based on the junta government. The sheer number of fish that were pulled from the ocean only to dry on the sand was staggering. We seen manta rays, sharks, and hammer heads. Neat and sad at the same time. It rained that day and for this I was thankful. A hot day with rotting fish innards not so pleasant I imagine. The day was capped with a couples dinner. Our hosts prepared a feast and we enjoyed good company.

The next day, this was inspiring. We visied Cap Blanche (The White Cape) and there is a Monk Seal reserve. There are 200 left alive and we were able to see one. Very cool, very very cool. The reserve was the cleanest place we have seen in Mauritania and the beasuty of it was awe inspiring. Later after we realized we have horrible sunburns we went and goofed off at a old French WWII military compound exploring bunkers and sitting on old cannons. I saw a camel pee for an eternity, they can retain a lot of water. We finished the night and our weekend with dinner at a Spanish restaurant fresh ocean fish, great. Oh I did some work in the morning too ;) connected with a PCV who has the same job as me up here.

Kristy will have her meeting in a few min and then we are off for the long ride home.

Island In The Sun

2009-03-04T14:35:00.002-05:00

Another photo update, I posted 2 new albums one of WAIST and the other of our trip to the Ile de Goree. There is something like 80 photos that are new. I no longer have the mohawk it was not professional :( alls well that ends well. Going to Nouadibou for a meeting and site seeing, its a large city in the north of Mauritania. Its practically not even in the same country its like the European version of Mauritania.

ABC

2009-03-03T12:14:00.004-05:00

www.becauseoftime.org and specifically http://www.becauseoftime.org/PhotoGalleries/PhotoAlbums/Scallywags2.15/index.htm has pictures of one of our WAIST games. So guy thought we were great and put images on his website. If you are going to be looking for it on your own its under Dakar+ and we are the Scallywags.

We just got internet back in Kaedi so please bear with us if you have been trying to contact us, and you could have called :P

Rhymin' And Stealin'

2009-02-21T09:57:00.003-05:00

WAIST was a really good time. PC RIM Pirates won the tournament, the Buccaneers (Kristy's team) had a great time, and the Scallywags (my team) won one game and played half the time sans pantaloons. I have not had that much fun in a long time. There were all the things that Mauritania doesn't have cheese, beer (bought and consumed in a responsible manner by legal adults), and hot dogs (consumed in an irresponsible manner 2 at a time).

The presence of PC RIM was a sight to behold we got all dressed up hot fun haircuts and played ball, or at least tried to. I gave a kid a black eye tagging him out with the ball, ouch, I was mortified. Somewhere my phone was lost or stolen, but I will have the same Mauritanian number, my Senegalese one is gone forever with the phone.

We had a home we stayed in with an American family: Akua, Adoma, and Joyce. They were the nicest people who opened their home tp Kristy and I and treated us to foods and luxury that were extremely appreciated. Hot water, TV, Wii, and home cooked food are things to be thankful for.

We stayed behind in Dakar for an extra night and visited the Isle of Goree. We were called African residents and got a discount on the ferry, very exciting! There was some beautiful art, a few museums, and some dark history to behold on the isle. I decided that I love the baobob tree while we were there it a beautiful thing to behold and its fruit is amazing.

Kristy and I traveled solo with the directions of Lindsay through to St. Louis for a night and with a bit more advice made it home through Senegal and home. Quite an adventure.

I keep saying that pictures are coming soon and my camera is stocked I just have to put them in the computer and then on the web.

Ocean Size

2009-02-06T17:06:00.002-05:00

The day after my last blog the world went all meh.

My roommate told us he was no longer going to pay rent because the house was dirty. This lead to a rather complicated breakdown in communication where I am sure that all parties involved said impolite things and felt they were by far the most justified person in the situation. Things are civil and he is looking for a new place to live, but I highly doubt that. Today he asked about the increase in rent that will be coming soon.

My direct supervisor the DREN along with all of the other Regional Directors of National Education of Mauritania was shuffled. He now works in Kiffa and our new one is from somewhere very north of here, supposedly he speaks English, I spoken to him once. Everything I did with the old DREN is gone, in the middle of the school year. I spent weeks making me a familiar face and now that's gone and I have to start over. From a first impression the new guy wants to be more active.

I learned today that the school year is now a month shorter because of elections, this after we started about a month late and there will still be the same number of breaks and national holidays off.

I felt bad about the lack of education my students would be receiving but I will do what I am able as I am and not a thing more. I only play a superhero on TV.

Ending this with a good notes.

Mohawk in 2 days. I will visit a barber and have my hair cut by a Mauritanian friend. There will be pictures taken. This is a precursor to WAIST, getting away again will be good. My WAIST name shall be... 'Meramop. It came to me in a dream and I am now committed to the name.

I had several students in my English club tell me they loved me today, in English. I asked them if they understood what they said. They insisted that they did. Their definition was, "like a very much". It was sweet, the work I do here is worth more than money.

Stranger Than Fishin'

2009-01-26T17:03:00.004-05:00

Life has a way of sneaking up on us, all of us everywhere. This is one of those things that just happens. What has happened to Kristy and I in the RIM is that we now find ourselves busier than we have been in a long time.

Kristy's work is rolling along with Eco-Clubs starting at her 2 schools. The clubs will focus on the environment being awesome and ways to preserve and appreciate it. Preserving things is not a priority in a fatalist society, as God will do as they see fit.

My work is rolling along as well. I am getting through to some of my students, always a plus. I have started at least 1 English club for practicing that elusive and difficult language, more to come when I can motivate the teachers into it. I will start an adult English class tomorrow, inshalla, and there was a special request for a government officials English class. I have started to track teachers down myself because I have not been helped as I was promised. All this and I get loads of days off, weird huh?

We watched Obama swear in, there was an informal party to do so, good times. We really felt appreciated when he referred to people watching in small villages around the world. I hope that he is able to do some of the things he has promised, so far things are looking positive.

Kristy participated in a Karate demo here in town, she is now extremely popular.

Senegal is on next months ajenda, we will be participating in W.A.I.S.T. (West African International Softball Tournament). This is going to be great, but I am afraid the timing will stunt some of our prjoects.

One Tin Soldier

2009-01-11T14:40:00.003-05:00

After all our vacationing we had meetings in the capital to touch base with our peers and talk shop. It was a lot like our training, which was what it was.

When we came into town our taxi driver accused my brother of being behind some of the military stuff told me and that I was fabulously wealthy. I did what I could to explain that my brother is a stylist in Philadelphia, and I live life much as a Mauritanian in Kaedi.

The thing that greeted us was protests about the fighting in Gaza right now. People are not happy this much is clear. We are safe and the demonstrations are not anti-American, do not worry about us. There were times it was best to stay put or walk away from the crowds, but such is life.

Auld Lang Syne

2009-01-11T14:12:00.002-05:00

New Years in St. Louis. This place was awesome! I am however getting ahead of myself, I'll start at the beginning.

Kaedi to NKT = 6.5 ish hour car ride. Its all in all not so bad but if you are going to be in a car that long it will be a task. We were home for 2 days with Marta and Aly it was a good time, we finally visited the river in Kaedi (took some pictures that I have ambitions of putting up soonish) We met up with Nema and 2 of her friends from 'Merica and did some fun going to another country stuff. Changing money, this was sweet. We go up early went to the place I thought was where you go to find that it was not open yet... I was 2 blocks in the wrong direction and felt silly for being as wrong as I was. When we finally get to the right place we know basically UM (ouguiya {ooh-gee-ah, thats the $ here) to CFA (Seneglase $ called say-fa) is life a 1 : 2 ratio where you get twice as many CFA for your UM. Nema being our hero and second year volunteer with mad language skills starts asking to trade money. The shops are not being very nice and they are offering us 1/5th of what we should be getting. This frustration is too much, we become indignant and storm off only to grab a Mauritanian friend to solve our problem. He goes and finds someone they say the same thing, but its correct. Problem was there is some out dated conversion method where you quote the money changing to be multiplied by 5 and we feel silly again. Thats solved and the group of us (7) cross the river without any problem and only sorta legally we just hop on a boat and go across, everyone does it. From there we ride about 8 hours in a series of buses to get to St. Louis.

This place was awe inspiring, there are 2 branches of a river that meet at the Atlantic making an island. This used to be the France's imperial capital of West Africa. The experience was like being on a real vacation and the details are hazy. We spent hours on the beach and felt like tourists. We rang in the new year in good spirits and good health.

I Won't Be Home For Christmas

2009-01-11T13:57:00.002-05:00

Life was really busy I had little to no interwebbing force so I will be updating through what I would have written had I been able to...

It's true was not home at all not in Kaedi and not in USA. We passed the holiday in NKT. It was a good time there were so many of us in one place seeing many of our long lost friends for the first time in months. There were real restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, and good times to be had by all.

Kristy and I visited grocery store and it overwhelmed us. There were so many choices and things that we do not have access to, wow.

We decided that we would not go directly to St. Louis for New Years and come home for a few days and go through Senegal to get there when we do.

New Soul

2008-12-06T07:59:00.002-05:00

This just in, I added a map to the bottom of the blog go look -now-

Silver and Cold

2008-12-04T13:06:00.004-05:00

Just a quick update. Life is good, after several attempts I have finally managed to post some pictures on picassa. The Thanksgiving photos are cleverly titled "Thanksgiving 2008".

The temperature has taken a down swing and it is pleasant. I woke up freezing today and zipped my sleeping bag all the way up and covered my ears in the mummy hood. It was amazing! Kristy called me crazy, but admits she is often much colder then is pleasant. I know that you at home are reading this and thinking wow it must be cold as you are looking around and seeing the snow, sleet, and ice. The temperature is probably around 70 degrees but a 30 degree drop is going to change any ones mind about what cold really is.

It is hard to believe that in a few short weeks it will be the Winter Solstice and Christmas and then New Years. We will go to Nouakchott for X-mas and then off to St. Louis, Senegal for New Years! Hurray for a developed city in a partially developed country! There will be more to come and I will update about my classes soon.

Stay safe and warm.

Sweetness

2008-11-26T08:24:00.003-05:00

It is the eve before Thanksgiving and I think that I will be too busy to come by and do some interwebbing so here it is my Thanksgiving post. This one will be different then the usual yearly soap box standing and ranting.

We all by now know that we stole our home in America from others who probably stole it from others and everybody thought it was a great idea and that the god of their choice supported it.

This year I am thankful for so much.

I will start with how thankful I am for my bad days. The days that I am wrought with despair and think what the heck am I doing here, those days make the rest of them sweeter then high fructose corn syrup. I am surrounded by jaw dropping poverty, intense hunger, and some of the darkest ignorance I have ever encountered.

I am thankful for the accident that was my birth on a continent in a country that is fruitful and where possibilities are limitless.

I am thankful that I did not grow up only to fall short like the 95% of students don't make it college here.

I am thankful that I was born in a a place of hard work, integrity, and education are the driving forces that will lead to the life that you wish to live.

I am thankful that the work I do here has some impact however small as it is.

I am thankful for the new and old friends that I have.

I am thankful that I was welcomed so warmly to our temporary home here in Kaedi.

I am thankful for the people who have cared enough to try and ensure that Kristy, myself, and the rest of the Gorgol has had an American meal in this place so far from home.

I am thankful for the love that I have found in my wife and that she is always there to support me.

Thank you friends and family for reading and supporting us through this.

American Pie

2008-11-15T13:59:00.002-05:00

Life continues as it often does, it is slow and steady here. Thanksgiving is on my mind a lot, it is really astounding how much more I like America being away from it. I will stand firm on my dislike on the origins of this holiday, don't get me wrong.

I do not really have anything of note to report, and I am merely writing to let all who will see that I am alive and well.

Work is work. Students are not much different the world over. Some want to learn, some want to talk, and I believe that they all crave structure and will press boundaries just to see what they can get away with. My Teacher Trainer stuff is slowly starting I hope that this is like The Tortoise And The Hare and that I will keep a good pace my whole time here.

I am currently learning Hassanya, it is a dialect of Arabic. I never knew that my mouth could make some of those noises. Like any language it is coming along slowly and the more I practice the better I will become.

We have resigned that our landlord is not going to fix our plumbing and have started repairs
ourselves. It is a bit of an adventure going into a hardware store and having to describe what the piece your looking for.

Ghouls Night Out

2008-11-01T15:44:00.002-04:00

I would like to wish everyone a blessed Samhain (Happy Halloween). We were able to spend the night of Halloween with friends we hadn't seen a while, it was a great time, almost too great. Holidays remind me how much I miss home, its kinda a bummer.

It almost doesn't really feel like it is November because it is hot, still. Regardless of how much Mauritanians tell me its cold, I disbelieve it. I am actually looking forward to the cold season that everyone talks about. Supposedly within a few weeks it will be sweater weather until noon for over a month.

I started my classes, its really hard to tell how many students I have. I expect to get a roster within a couple weeks so I will know for sure but from my attendance I have a class of 40 and a class of 45. More kids will filter in though, I know it. There are still even a lot of teachers that are not here yet. I never really thought that work ethic was something that I thought I would miss but I do, a lot. I will do what I can to lead by example. I have hope to be able to start my teacher trainer job soon I have tentative plans to meet with the DREN and director of my lycee {high school} to discuss where I will be most effective, what they want out of my, and to try and propose some of the ideas that I have.

If I Had A Hammer

2008-10-22T14:19:00.003-04:00

School officially started on the 12th, the same day that we in the Gorgol voted absentee style in the coming presidential election. I hope that my vote is more productive than the first day of school.

On the first day of school I got up early made myself pretty all "guy with the tie" lookin' and moseyed over to the lycee. I arrived as expected before many people but not first. I get there shake hands speak some bad-yet developing French and meet some people and left about an hour and a half later. The first day is really the first day they start planning the new year. I was able to tell the man who would make my schedule I would be available for 4 - 6 hours a week and was told to come back next week. I dropped by almost every day and went to the DREN a similar number of days to do the same thing. (Director Regional of Education National) {it's a bad French translation, can you dig it?}

The next Sunday, I show up same deal as before a shirt and tie and all that jazz. The guy with the schedule showed up about 2-3 hours after I left. So, Monday I get my schedule I have two classes a week one that day. I enter an empty class stand there, check out my new chalk courtesy of a heartfelt care package by writing my name on the board, "Mr. Sisco". It felt good to wear that hat again. One kid shows up to see the American teacher, he is not my student but we talk for a few minutes. This story ends with me finding two kids that are supposed to be in my class standing around talking to their friends. I pretend to be mad at them (Don't smile till after December) and instruct them to be actually in class and on time next week, in'shalla.

I Turned Into A Martian

2008-10-07T14:21:00.003-04:00

It has recently come to my attention that I have not shared too much about what life is like here, and I only really share the high and low lights and while these are usually the best stories they leave a bit out of the main picture. I will try to show you faithful readers a bit more of what my life is like here, please take into account that these are only my experiences and observations and that like there is no pinnacle American experience there too is no pinnacle Mauritanian experience.

BLEH that made me sound super duper lame.

First off the country here is young, the culture and the people are ancient but the country has only been developed independently for less than 100 years. Think about America less then 100 years old. There are very few paved roads, inconsistent supply of water, electricity, and phone communication (I am sure this goes for television too but I rarely see one in more than passing.) Many people I encounter have farm animals: goats, sheep (not fluffy ones either), donkeys, cows, and horses. There are houses here that are made of adobe and when it rains or if you touch it, it falls apart. Education is not the key to a fruitful career and the system is built (it seems) to weed out people than to prepare them as good citizens. What I knew of as poverty has reached new levels here. There are no services for those that are handicapped in any official sense, I will come back to this.

I have yet to meet a Mauritanian that is not Muslim, and doubt that I ever will. Being that they are Muslim they are very much fatalists and this effects all aspects of life. This is even apparent in speech, many every day used often phrases include: Peace be with you, With the help of God, and Thanks be to God. The fatalist part of life here effects what we as Americans would think of as progress. Life is slow here and people are very patient, things happen when they happen - when God makes them happen - not a moment before. Like going to the post office and I can see my package and I am standing at the counter the people that are working there will help me when they get around to it, if I get frustrated it is my ideas of customer service that is getting in the way my happiness.

I used to think of America as the single serving culture but that was until I came here. Thinking about tomorrow or next time is not really done too often here. You buy enough food for today, enough tea for now, and enough goods for now. This is augmented by a lack of refrigeration as a common place practice, and if you have a fridge you will probably make bags of ice to sell as opposed to keeping a gallon of milk in it. I have not eaten more fresh food in my life ever.

The idea of individual success and property is odd, people have their own stuff and definitely have pride and shame. People often defer to the success of superiors and their pride of their elders. Anything that you may like or want is able to be asked for. Those are nice pants, can I have them? A compliment is almost the same as asking for it. The family and the community are extremely important and one of the pillars of the Islamic faith states that you must give to charity, and people do. If you have no food ask a neighbor there is always room for more around the bowl. It is absolutely common practice to invite yourself to a neighbors for lunch or dinner.

Kristy and I have a hard time just walking into peoples houses or telling the few that we have met, we want to eat with you, we feel that the burden is greater because there are two of us (the people we met have so little and it is hard to think that our presence at their bowl is not taxing on the nutrition of the family) and I get tired of rice and fish for lunch, it's the national dish.

I mentioned earlier that there is no formal aid for those who may need it to be fruitful citizens, no special needs classes, no handicapped parking, nothing but open hearts and homes. People who need to be taken care of simply are. There is a lady who I imagine lives at the intersection of the paved roads (there are 2 here in Kaedi and they meet) She never stands and I imagine she cannot. She wears odd things on her head, throws trash, and sometimes yells. (outbursts of emotion are not common here) In the conditions here with the heat and harsh life it would not take long for someone to wither and die but she has lived the same way for years, she is taken care of because it what is supposed to happen, and the same can be said for all of those in need.

To cap this off, the people here are kind, a boy helped carry things back to the market for me when he was half my size, and children help us when we are lost. Sometimes they call us names, and throw rocks but that is not as common.

We are put up with better then we would be in the US. Imagine someone who doesn't share your basic beliefs, is half your age, and are a different color entirely, they barely speak your language coming to your work and telling you that they are here to help you do things better. Americans would run them out of town or belittle them at every chance.

I will happily answer questions about our lives if you have them. Email or comment me with them.

Within A Mile Of Home

2008-10-02T14:12:00.004-04:00

Locusts have come and pretty much gone they were not the biblical style plague I expected but still at times a bit of a bother. This is the biggest one I seen, it's in our room.

Ramadan is over! This is a great thing because the Mauritanian people will now be as productive as they ever are. I still have yet to meet the people I will be working with and for but expect that next week this will happen. School starts on the 12th of October, In'Shalla. Which means I could actually be teaching a whole class by Halloween.

I have updated my Picasa account with 3 new albums just for those of you who have forgotten what we look like and/or want to see where we live. The albums are titled: Road to Kaedi - pit stop, Eid ul-Fitr, and Our home in Kaedi. Go gawk at them at your leisure.

Hard Sun

2008-09-19T11:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was Kristy's birthday, and 2 days before was one of our site mates, Mariam. We have been celebrating and relaxing quite a bit. It has been a good time all around. We were able to make: salad, fettuccine Alfredo with garlic cheese bread, peanut butter M&M cookies, pasta salad, pizza, and a cake! The food was fantastic!

Ramadan is over 1/2 over and school should start soon afterward. Kristy and I have accomplished a fantastic goal, we have acquired a house. We spent a bit of time moving some stuff in today and will keep on bringing stuff as the days tick by until its all at our new home. We plan on looking for at least one roommate to help us share the bills. We really think that with a bit of help there should not be too much of a pinch financially.

Our house is great! or will be when it has some maintenance done for it. We have 3 bedrooms, a salon, a kitchen, and 3 bathrooms! (only 1 really works right now) 2 of the bathrooms are attached to bedrooms. The room we are 99% sure we are going to take is on top of the house so we have a terrace too! Some of the other benefits of the house include being within 2 min walking to the lycee (high school) and around the corner from Matt. I know I know pictures are worth 1000 words but I just brought my camera to the house today and have yet to even take any pictures.

Update on the military stuff - apparently there was an attack on Mauritanian military where some soldiers have been killed, it really sucks that these peaceful people that have opened the lives and communities to us have had to endure this violence thrust upon them. This tragic event happened on the exact opposite end of the country from Kristy and I. We are safe, and happy, don't worry. Much like the coup I have seen no changes. If you would like to pine over this latest development feel free to check the sidebar of my blog and there are some ominous sounding articles on the right hand side, but once again know we are safe and vigilant.

Hot Hot Hot!!!

2008-09-05T09:32:00.004-04:00

Kristy and I swore in, the ceremony was long, official, and a bit low key because of the current situation. The swear-in party was a good time, it was great to see so many of our new friends and family members celebrating with us and letting loose. Stage is an intense couple of months; dancing the night away with loads of other Americans was a great time. I even heard a rumor that Kristy danced, although it is unconfirmed and she denies it.

Less than a week ago we moved to Kaedi, this place is great. It is fricken hot though. We do our best to stay inside during the heat of the day. We do not have a place to live as of yet, but the search continues. We ask at least 1 new person a day and have hopes of not living with a family. Our hope may be unrealistic, as our budget only goes so far, and housing is frankly, expensive.

We are still living out of our luggage and that is not good for moral, I really do not want us to grab up a place to live merely because it is better-ish then our current situation. We have gotten a few packages, an occasional letter, and some birthday cards in the mail. You know who you are – THANK YOU!!!!1!!1! In our current situation with all of our worldly possessions packed in bags we will strive to reply, as it will give my days some purpose. Almost all of the people I am assigned to work with are on vacation.

Oh it Ramadan, this means that life is slower and a bit more frustrating than normal. The entire Muslim population (with a tiny number of exceptions) is fasting during the day. That’s no water, no food, no tea, no cigarettes, and no sex while the sun is up for a month. Everyone around here is kinda lethargic. So people eat and drink, all night long nap eat breakfast before the sun rises and try to sleep as much as possible through the day as it is miserable in the heat here without any type of sustenance. We have not had the opportunity to break fast with a family yet, it’s a big deal and supposed to be a great time. We don’t know anyone yet really, and don’t have the gall to just walk into a compound and say we are breaking fast with you (this is totally an acceptable practice here and the people would welcome us with open arms).

Cool Blue Reason

2008-08-28T02:29:00.002-04:00

This just in. We were invited to swear in as Peace Corps Volunteers. We accepted, of course. in a few short hours we will take an oath that will solidify our commitment and responsibility to the PC program here in Mauritania.

We had to move the ceremony from one room to 2 others because one is full of some crap, literally.

There will be formal stuff all day today and much less formal celebration this evening. I get to help cook.

I will do my best to preserve these events with a photo or 2.

I wish that you guys could be here to share this event with us.

What I Got

2008-08-23T15:35:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I have written so I should have a lot to talk about, I will try.

The coup = boring. I know that the situation could change at any moment but the history of this country really tells us it wont.

Family. Our family kinda moved to the brusse, and that was weird but not really. They are pastoral so every year when the rains start they take their animals out and make sure they get better care. This is the mark of a people who are kind to their animals and who know that eating garbage is not a great thing for the animals of the people who will later eat them. We were by no means abandoned, we always had an adult around at night and a child most of the time, it just rotated.

Language is coming along, we can communicate with a wide variety of people now for various different reasons. That is pretty cool. I can even bargain at the market, and LOVE IT! I even catch myself thinking in French and using franglish. When I use both languages talking to two people it really hurts my head, it's a world of silliness.

Work. I have been working my buns off lately and so has Kristy. With stage coming to a close we are solidifying all of our projects and filling out evaluations like there is no tomorrow. Peace Corps loves these things, seriously. Model school was a pretty good experience. It reminded me of student teaching, which if you talked to me much when I did it you know I loved teaching but did not love the added work load. I think that regular teaching was easier on my life as a whole, and expect that the same will apply here.

Ups. I am so looking forward to moving to Kaedi, and starting work that we came here for. I know it wont happen for the first month, because of Ramadan. It is the month before school and the month that we arrive. People will not want to work, talk, walk, or anything because they will not be eating, drinking, smoking, or anything while the sun is up.

Downs. I have been crabby lately. I am tired and hungry. This will change after stage as my schedule will be a lot more like I am an adult instead of teenager - adolescence is not fun. Not having the liberty of choosing when and what I eat for example is not something I have had chosen for me for a long, long time. This is going to end though. Wo0t!!!1!

I think that this experience is reforging my very being, it has been worth every moment.

Yellow Submarine

2008-08-07T15:58:00.002-04:00

I have only like 2 min left... We are safe, life is good.

Do not worry. There is a link to a news article about the oh so boring coup on Kristy's blog - or use google people who have constant access to the interweb.

peace out yo!

Into the Great Wide Open

2008-08-05T15:57:00.002-04:00

Life is good-ish!

I started model school today, think student teaching Peace Corps style, real students real english really new situation.

Model school humbled me today, as I knew it would. It did this for me three times. First when I was teaching and realized I underestimated my students and planned far too simple a lesson. Second when some of the things that I attempted were actually not so bad, considering I barely speak English this is a boon. Third, when I was walking to the cyber today I was called "Teacher" by a student that I had today.

This last time reminds me, why I became a teacher & why we came to the desert. I really feel that the small impact that I will do here will do some good!

My language skills are getting noticibly better, as are my lovely wife's and we are hanging in there for the long haul.

Gosh I miss air conditioning

We Didn't Start The Fire

2008-07-26T11:30:00.002-04:00

Greetings from beuatiful Kaedi! Kristy and I will be posted here for the next 2 years. This city is fantastic, the market, the mix of culture, and the ample opportunities that we will have to work with people that are reseptive to Americans (inshalla).

As previously announced my phone is up and functioning and I have realized no one has my didgits. They are 011.222.427.7203 This is an international call and would prolly be best to use a phone card or skype. When calling please do remeber that I am 4 hours ahead of you, but call I want to hear from you.

21st Century (Digital Boy)

2008-07-20T01:54:00.002-04:00

Hello to all, this will be short and sweet. I really wanted to say that I have uploaded a few new pictures into my Picasa account. We are back at the center and are to learn our permanent sites soon. It is great to see everyone again. It is amazing to think its not even been a whole month yet!

I have lost over 20 lbs, it is a bit bitter sweet for me. While I have been wanting to be a bit more man-trim for a while I think a bit more than anything is muscle mass. I am going to have to exercise more. I have been walking a lot more and there is no actual fast food in my diet but I may get as much grease and oil. I think my weight loss can be summed up with: lots of walking, drinking at least 3 liters of water a day, the occasional battles with the Mauritania version of Montezuma's Revenge, and my portion sizes are different, by different I mean I try not to eat my families cooking unless I can identify it. I fully expect to get some weight back as soon as I am able to have a bit more control of my diet.

We have our phones back and I will post the number soon for the people who don't to chat for free with Skype. I guess there actually is an option with Skype that you can call internationally and it may be cheaper then making a long distance call, look into it if you want to talk. I have got to get moving soon, mosquitoes are eating me while I sit and type.

OH! If there is a teacher out there that would like to do a long distance project with me there is some possibility in that - email or leave a message on the blog here.

A Horse With No Name

2008-07-12T10:49:00.003-04:00

So I have some time... not much but we shall see.

My Host Family

Many people have asked us so I will break down my take. First off my new name is Jibril (The Archangel of Allah - Gabriel) and Kristy's name is Layla (Born at Night, Dark beauty). We live with a black moor family in a suburb of Rosso. Our dad is a taxi bruss driver and our mom is one of his 3 wives. There are 3 kids that live with us 2 boys and a girl. The kids are great, the dad is stoic, and the mom kinda ignores us a bit. We are considered adults so I think that they kinda just let us be. They are genuinely concerned for us and I think that they like us. Almost the whole family speaks French and we have our own room. The food is ok... sometimes, it is really oily and is often goat or mutton - it does not always agree with us.

Kristy and I are studying French for now and will move on to Hassānīya. This does not give us much of a hint for where our placement is going to be as they kinda use both of those languages all over Mauritania.

I promise more pictures as soon as I am able to take some. We have not shown our cameras to our host family. Mauritania's as a cultural aspect ask for gifts of things that they really like and our family has not asked yet... or I am a bad enough speaker that I have not figured out what they have said.

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

2008-07-09T15:28:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone!

Its my birthday today I made it to the big 30! I have to admit that its harder today then I thought it was going to be. I have great friends and a loving wife who have wished me happy birthday wishes here though and the thought and love they have bestowed on me is wonderous.

I am still very much struggling with French and I know that my inability to speak is my largest downfall here in Mauritania.

I want to list some joys I have found here to keep me sane

Kristy's smile
baby goats
Fanta
Summer's mom jokes
gettign fish instead of goat for lunch
my host siblings
every fricken PCT and PCV and all of the people here that help the PC out
cool nights
kind patient teachers
the small moments where I get to steal a kiss - no one may see our affection its a taboo
my solar shower
knowing how to get home
wrapping my turbin well enough to get props
feeling like I will be able to work to do some good here

Sweet Home Alabama

2008-07-02T14:39:00.002-04:00

Greetings,

I made it to an internet cafe and payed for some interwebing action so I will make this quick. I apoloze ahead of time for my typos there will be more then usual I am on a sand encrusted french Keyboard. New fam is pretty cool, we cant really talk to them so that is a bit of a downer but they are good hearted people. They laugh a lot (I think mostly at us).

Its hot and challenging but we are trudging through I think that the biggest difficulty that hits us as of late is laguage. We go to classes and it is first week. Its hard to think that the 4th of July is so soon. Oh and my Birthday too. I will be 30!!!! In Africa!!!! wow that is fun stuff there. I hope that people send me mail. I get a comment or 2 every now and then I am glad to know people read this, even if it is only 2 people :oP

I am running short on time...

love b

Wild World

2008-06-25T19:34:00.002-04:00

I added an album with some pictures to my Picasa account. This is going to be some last American internet for a hot min, oh and I do mean hot. Its even about to be the wet season and its much cooler now then it could be. I am pretty excited about the weekend Kristy and I are going to get a new family and live with them for quite a few weeks. (oh btw fun fact here in Mauritania Sunday is the first day of the week and it IS a work day. So first day of the weekend, is Friday.)

I took a language placement test and get to find out where my level of expertise is, and how much French I have to learn prior to my language. There are a few here I may get to learn: Wolof, Pulaar, Hassaniyya, or Soninke.

I am super tired, but having fun much love to all.

I am gonna work the link momentarily.

Smile Like You Mean It

2008-06-23T02:56:00.002-04:00

I dont have much time before breakfast, figured I would use some interweb while its handy. I took a picture of my in my Boubou. You shouldn't be able to see it in the email or on the group so check out the blog if you want to see it.

I Will Survive

2008-06-22T01:26:00.002-04:00

Greetings, Friends and Family, and Loved ones from beautiful Mauritania!!1!!!1!!1!!1!!

This place here fills me with awe, truly. We barely speak any languages here and the attempts of all involved have been astounding. We are safe, happy, fed amazing food, getting to know what to do and not to do. Don't worry about us, this is a great time to be alive.

I dont have much time I have to sneak in time to bathe and find my adapter.

This is the beginning of something that is bigger then me. I am at its mercy, I shall ride the tide, let it take me, and I shall prosper.

Boys On The Docks

2008-06-19T05:47:00.002-04:00

This will be the last post I make from the US for a while. Kristy and I are PCT's!!! We signed on the line yesterday. There is such a great feeling of unity here at the training. We are being taken care of well and having fun.

I just got a Skype account so I can chat with video, audio, or just IM if you have Skype let me know so we can chat. I would love to see and hear from you.

Know that we are safe and and our thoughts are with you. I will post again as I am able. Write me in the mean time.

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2008-06-16T15:22:00.002-04:00

I know that I mention leaving a lot lately and while it is a major part of what is happening with this part of the journey, I want to focus the rest of this part of my journey on arriving. I have decided that my migration is no longer going to be an emigration but is going to be immigration. Our lives are colored by the way that we look at them more so then what is actually happening; I am not nervous, I am excited it’s the same energy caused by the same thing but it means a world of difference.

Tomorrow: I arrive in Atlanta, I will reunite with my lovely wife, and I get to meet the people that will be braving the Sahara with Kristy and I. It’s going to be fantastic, this is the culmination of years of work for us and it’s almost surreal to think about. I get to live in a country that so few have even heard of, work with peers from all two different continents, learn about new cultures, attempt to do some good, and all of it next to the smartest, strongest, most beautiful person I have ever met. I couldn’t ask for more out of my life.

Leaving Jesusland

2008-06-13T20:28:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to leave Ohio and go see the world again for half my life; I have accomplished this feat. I currently have no apartment, no car, and a sparse amount of belongings between my wife and I in our bags and packs. The feeling of having so little is liberating and intimidating at the same time. I think I like it.

Kristy and I lived at Shannon’s for a few weeks and her kindness and patience have been tested to limits. She will never know how much she has done for Kristy and I because words cannot express it.

Kristy is in Colorado and will continue to be until the 17th when the group of RIM Peace Corps Trainees meets up at our hotel. Shannon and I dropped Kristy off at the Akron airport and drove to Philadelphia on the 12th it was a great drive and a good time. I am in Philly visiting my Jeremiah, Kelly, and Pops. We were received warmly; it is good to see them. My brother’s shop is fantastic; when I look at it I see that he is a thriving businessman who lives the dream, instead of merely dreaming the life.

Over the last week I have said goodbye to so many of my friends and loved ones. It has been one of the most humbling experiences of my life to receive so many well wishes from the people whose opinions and affection I hold so dearly, thank you to all the people who have helped us along this crazy ride.

One of the places I had the honor of saying goodbye was at Saric and Erah’s (Eric and Sarah) wedding; it was awesome, truly. I was privy to stand next to my best friend while two people dedicated themselves to their loves before their friends, family, the Earth, and the creator. I am glad knowing that I can leave them in that state of happiness and marital bliss, I wish only the best for them. Leaving my friends and family from that reception hall was hard; tears flowed as freely as the beer and champagne.

I feel that the amount of my blogs will slow down soon so I am trying to take advantage, as I am able. I have a journal and will be transferring some of the entries that I feel are appropriate for the eyes of interweb. I have started a Picasa account and will be adding pictures to it as soon as I can, look for the link to pictures on the sidebar.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

2008-06-03T23:22:00.005-04:00

My school year is over, it is a bitter sweet thing. Most everyone is off to bigger and better things, some of my students are doomed to repeat history (class). I had the most amazing bunch of coworkers, seriously the Executive Cluster helped me out phenomenally. I am proud to have been a part of it and I will carry the lessons that I have been taught as a n0ob teacher and now walk away with a fuller pack of skills and I am proud to say that I have the "stop what you're doing and get back on task look".

I was given some parting gifts, trinkets for our journey, help from trusted friends, promises of future contact, and the sweetest book of memories. The cluster banded together and had the students write down: what they learned from Mr Sisco, what they liked about Mr Sisco, and a wish for the future for Mr Sisco. I was deeply touched that many of the lessons I taught included pieces of character in addition to American or World history.

I already miss room 111 and Robinson Middle School.

If any of my former coworkers or students from any of my schools read this; I would love to hear from you and will write back.

I can count my days left in Ohio on my hands.

The Old Apartment

2008-05-26T08:06:00.005-04:00

Kristy finished her last 2 weeks at her job last week, I have not seen her happier in a long time. It's unfortunate that she grew to dislike that place so much. I am glad she is happy, that is all that matters.

We had a going away party on Saturday! It was great fun! There were some absent faces, people we very well may never see again, especially because Ohio will only be a place a visit - briefly - from now on. Kristy and I have our eye on Colorado after our service, we shall see. Back to the party, I wanted to take pictures and start my flicker account but alas I found myself with drinks in hand and not a camera. People said some extremely nice things to us, about us. It was a very touching thing to have so many people tell us they will miss us and wish us well. Kristy's biological parents even showed up. One of the best parts of the whole shin dig was there was NO DRAMA.

I have to throw a special shout out to Leslie C. for providing 90% of the amazing Lebanese food, she has no idea how much that meant to Kristy and I especially because of familial obligations she was not even able to attend. Thank you Leslie your kindness to me has always left me in awe. Me dear ol mum deserves some props too. She, provided the beverages without alcohol in abundance. Props to Lisa H. my dear cousin who has grown to be quite an amazing young woman drove my drunk butt to the store and helped me restock - she would not take no for an answer. I know that no man is an island and this weekend reminded me that there are people who love Kristy and I. Thank you to everyone who attended and wished us off.

Kristy and I are moving out, I hope t0 accomplish quite a bit today. We plan to not live here after this Thursday. Our apartment complex is giving us the shaft; minus lube that costs extra. We will be happy to put this part of our life behind us and start our adventure. We will not have interweb of our own until we return (unless the interweb fairy visits me in Mauritania).

I am wrapping up the school year, its hard to care when the kids don't and I have so much on my plate. These last few weeks have been so hard and I am so ready to move on. If I can teach at Robinson I can teach anywhere.

For about a week we will live with my seester Shannon. From there Kristy is heading to Colorado to see Debbie and I am going to Philly to visit Pops and Jeremiah. We will be departing separately to Atlanta and be reunited where we will meet the other volunteers in our group.

Oh! there are some new links on the side including: snail mail (non electronic mail) & care package ideas. Send us stuff, heck you don't even have to wait anymore. If you send it now, Kristy and I will be there before the package. The kids with the most mail are the coolest, and you know you want us to be the coolest people in Mauritania.
You can make this happen.

Surf Wax America

2008-05-08T18:46:00.005-04:00

Our apartment has a hollow feeling, we no longer have fuzzy friends here. Its hard, I see them out of the corner of my eye, I expect that they are sleeping on the couch or on the bed, I still look to feed or water them, and I wait for their calls to wake or go to bed. I had hoped that it would not have been this hard, it feels a lot like losing Isis all over again. My only consolation is that they are with good people, I mean truly good people. This family opened their home to our cats for 2+ years agreed to take care of them the way that we do.

Mark and Chelsea THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

I was given a choice to have a different job while in the Peace Corps! I was offered the opportunity to be a Teacher Trainer instead of doing TEFL. My inbox this morning said that my PC Account had been updated, I scoured but couldn't find any job description stuff. I know its a bit premature because I haven't been given the position yet but the opportunity is newsworthy enough to blog about. I could help write syllabi's, lessons, and textbooks for the whole country's English language programs. This is mind boggling! Unfortunately this means that I will not be teaching students unless I have a second job teaching, but I think that this is a fantastic thing and I will let it ride if it happens.

What this would mean for Kristy and I, is that I would need to be in a Regional Capitol. A Regional Capitol is like a State Capitol but I am unsure if Mauritania has states, I think its only Regions. This also increases our chances at having some basic amenities like electricity. It will make our cost of living a bit higher, but leave us with all things that come with living in a larger city as opposed to a small town.

If You Don't, Don't

2008-04-09T19:21:00.008-04:00

I haven't written in this since the beginning of the month, so here goes everything. Packing goes slowly, I loathe it, and I am super lazy. All I want to do when I get home is nap. I recently dug through many of my old pictures in my mad dash to condense my life. I found my first passport picture. Here it is. I still have all those cowlicks.

I have 38 school days until the end of the year. w0oT!!! After that I put away World History (western social studies) and Early American History for a couple years. I think that without the soft sciences I will definitely feel a void in my heart. To remedy this I have already decided I am going to look to document local folklore and hopefully organize it to be able to put it in a book. That would be the awesome. I have always wanted to write a book and I think that this is as good a time as any.

The weather in Ohio is amazing! Kristy commented the other day that these days are almost as good as autumn days, our favorite season. I am inclined to agree with her. I shall not miss the blustery cold or the snow. These days however; the cool breezes, the blooming life, the green, the rain, the birds, the bright frosty mornings that tell me its time to engross ones self in learning I will miss with all my heart. I hope that desert mornings are as inspiring and breathtaking in their own way.

I will soon start to compile a list of things I feel I am going to miss to compare it to my feelings when we get to where we are going. I know you are all dying to read about what I think I am going to want after I purposely deprive myself American living for two years. This is some fine whining right here.

Until there is time and purpose for me to write you will have to reread this over and over again you silly stalkers.

All Star

2008-03-29T07:40:00.004-04:00

Spring sprung and left Perrysburg coated in snow and slush. My tiny break left me tired of being at home, seriously I need to go do something.

Over the next couple days Kristy and I will start our packing and condensing so that in 81 short days when we gots to gets all our stuff is boxed and distributed. This is the chore that I am looking forward to the least. Being the Air Force brat that I was raised as, means I am no stranger to leaving all my material belongings behind me, however the time we take getting rid of them is poopy.

Oh peep this, my last month+ is already planned, the events will include (in chronological order of our last weekends): garage sale @ Mark's , our going away party - I guess we have to throw our own, bachelor party for Eric - I am in charge of this one, Eric & Sarah are getting hitched, and maybe possibly/probably going to Philly to see Jeremiah, Pops, and Kelly.

There should be something witty here that ties this all together and makes the reader think that I got it all under control; but there isn't.

Comfort Eagle

2008-03-25T18:54:00.002-04:00

So this week has been productive thus far. I have some plans to save some loot and have gotten most of my list of; "things to do over break", done. I now have lessons to take and make and BAM mission accomplished.

I am writing this blog mostly as a test to see if my auto emailing system works. I added a few new goodies to the sidebar recently, including: news about Mauritania (loads of stuff about a country you never heard of before this) and a wishlist for those long lost extremely wealthy benevolent relatives that will one day soon google me and find me. I jest, its more just a shopping list of things for me to buy LOL

I read in a blog recently that a Mauritanian PCV lost 50lbs in less then 6 months . Wow thats a lot! I cant imagine me 50 lbs lighter, I am ok with 20-30 and wary of 40 but I think 50 and I really will just float away. Wierd.

I hope that this works

In Bloom

2008-03-21T10:13:00.011-04:00

I have another day off school being that its good Friday and for some reason our state that says it upholds a separation of church and state allows us to endorse a religious holiday in our school system. I wonder what would happen to peoples opinions of this if it was not their religion that is being supported by the powers that be.

Spring has come and on its first official whole day we are expecting a snow storm in Ohio. BLEH
I have a week and a day off of work and I shall have to accomplish quite a bit in this time. I have to contact a tax guy, find out about new carpeting, sprint through some french lessons, and then compose some lesson plans of my own. I also today am going to attempt to get this blog to email those of you who may wish to have updates sent to you, without having to check from time to time.

Peace Corps prep is going well at present. The next step that I want to work on is getting our apartment in shape to vacate. We have so much stuff that we don't use and so much that we do and we have to get rid of stuff, have some things stored, hopefully sell things. Does anyone want to buy my crap? err I mean gently used products.

The best thing I have gained from getting ready is the camaraderie from those of us who have connected and are getting ready to go. EVERYONE I have met has been great, we all have a lot in common and I super stoked to share these experiences with these fine examples of our culture. I have really gotten to know Brandon, I think that we are kindred spirits and cant wait to goof off with him in person. It will be the awesome!

I think that the camaraderie applies to Kristy and I, we are bonding well in this experience. I know our relationship is strong but I really like that we are growing closer in this. We are playing on our strengths and I foresee this as a great way to start our experience, if I don't fuck it up with my mad slacker skillz.

Oh I have decided that I am going to try to name my blogs after songs in my music library from now on as music has been one of the things in my life that I look to for stability, and to help the people I care for know bits and pieces of my moods. Lets hope I can continue to do this for the next few years.
EDIT - I have gone through and renamed older blogs to fit this theme.

Roller Coaster of Love

2008-03-05T05:36:00.005-05:00

This last week + has been quite the roller coaster, thats right a tired ye olde phrase of ups and downs. I am so ready to be done in the US and ready to start our new lives in the RIM. I think hope and pray that the things that we are searching for in the human species are actually located in Mauritania, I know I see them here.

I see that people genuinely care about each other here, but I see the malice coat most everything, the greed motivate, and apathy crush dreams under its uncaring (<--- oooh! context clue) weight. I know I know I know that these things exist everywhere, but to the degree that they do here? That is what I am seeking, not to find a utopia that is a fools errand, we build our ideal worlds and shape our perspectives to hone in on that which we seek. Now thats done and out of me

I have another school day off, which gives me the time to write this. I have to sleep as its not even 6 and I have been up since 4 I just couldnt sleep. Shaved, showered, dressed up with no place to go, HAHA.

Japanese food and Lionking tonight! Hurray for date night. It will be our last live performance until we can catch something in Mauritania.

We have started to amass more gear for our trip; YAY! Fun, fun, headlamps and Leatherman tools, we have some camera memory cards coming too which is something I am looking forward to as I want to take lots of pictures, I promise I will post them as I am able and I will try to get some good ones.

So two things happened in the adventure, Philly is no longer the staging location, it's now Atlanta. I am unsure how I feel about this. I dearly wanted to see my brother and father prior to me leaving the country for a couple years, but I also am glad that the journey will start with a clean break and I can start to hang out with our country mates of June 08. The ones I have met seem to be really cool, all really unique and caring individuals.

Second thing, the date of leaving to staging was solidified, we are scheduled to leave the P-Burg on the 17th. That is a mere 10 days after Eric and Sarah's wedding. LOL I will be living out of a suitcase for their wedding! That is just too funny to me, I will have to be uber presentable in a tux and all, and my life will be in such a state of disarray and material simplicity. Too great!

I am gonna stop now because I think that my mindless ramblings have become just that, mindless.

Patience

2008-02-26T11:47:00.004-05:00

I wrote and submitted this a while ago and since I searched through other peoples to give me clues about mine I figured I would spread the love.

Aspiration Statement
Mauritania
June 2008

A. Professional Attributes:

During my service in Mauritania I plan to use a variety of professional skills that I have at my disposal. Namely, the skills I hope to implement are: patience, listening, resourcefulness, determination, my content expertise, and the teaching methods I have found that mesh with my specific teaching styles.

I have full faith that my resourcefulness and patience are going to be the skills that will be tested to their limits. In my experience, people are apprehensive about trusting outsiders until they prove themselves through a series of tests. I am willing to undergo these tests and put my all into the tasks at hand

My aspirations for the service are lofty goals. I would like to teach a usable skill set that will help my students lead a richer and fuller life and to exchange cultural information and ideals without either participant losing their cultural identities.

As a classroom teacher, I know that all the planning in the world does not ensure that you will be able to execute your planned lesson. As a human being I have experienced the rollercoaster ride that goes along with the differences between what I would like to happen and what actually does. The way that we look at what has transpired colors our experiences. A positive attitude can make a detour or an unexpected lesson an adventure that was worth the while. The fact that we are actually doing something is almost as important as what we attempt to accomplish.

B. Strategies – Expressed needs:

I think that honoring our host countries wishes are extremely important and that the Peace Corps places people that are hopefully able to improve upon the tried and true methods that are implemented in the system to execute the countries wishes. I hope to be able to listen, watch, learn, and try a number of strategies. I am a team player and feel that the more that people work together, the more they can accomplish. I know that the program that I am entering has been around for a couple of years and I hope to be adding to its successful implementation while adding my own unique flavor. I respect authority and I expect that authority will respect my abilities and grant me a level of autonomy so that I can accomplish the requested tasks.

C. Strategies – Culture:

I find that I am fairly open-minded when it comes to most things. I handle situations as they come. I feel that American culture lacks uniqueness and this facilitates my acceptance of things that are foreign to me. I want to watch, listen, taste, try, ask and answer questions, dance, sing, smile, laugh, cry, meet people I will like and people I dislike. In life, I try things, weigh them against my own likes and dislikes, and make a personal choice based on that.

I know that I will be able to hold on to my own sense of self, through the support I receive from my wife, fellow volunteers, and my support system back home. My wife and I keep each other sane at home, often dealing with individuals and groups that exist outside of our comfort levels; together she and I can thrive in any situation. I will write, email, take pictures, send and receive care packages, and call the people I care about back home. I have heard that there are ample opportunities to meet with other Americans within Mauritania in order to hold on to American holidays and I plan on taking advantage of them.

D. Pre-service:

I hope that the pre-service training will give me some helpful hints about the country that I am about to enter. I want to be able to live in the culture that I am going to enter, not as fly on the wall, but as an active participant. I want to be able to speak the language of the people that I will live among. I hope that I can gain some clues about how my students are going to test me when I get to the classroom. I would like to be shown a glimpse of what I can do to help the people of my community, what they need, and what has been done before.

E. Influence:

Out of all of the uncertainties that I have about the Peace Corps experience, of one thing I am certain: it will change my life for the better to give some of myself to people who can only offer me their friendship.

I did not become a teacher to become rich with money; I did it to become rich with experiences. I will never know material wealth the way many people do here, yet the people of Mauritania will never know the luxuries that I have here at home. This will be an experience that will not describe me as many things in our lives do, it will define me. It will push me harder and leave me more fulfilled than anything that I have ever done before. It will ignite in me a drive to reach new levels in all aspects of my existence.

As a teacher, I can only ever gain from teaching more students. The longer I teach the more enhanced my abilities will become. As a social studies teacher living in another culture, in a country that so few I know have ever heard of, is an experience that will be a highlight of my life’s calling.

If I Ever Leave This World Alive

2008-02-19T18:04:00.003-05:00

I don't want to do work all night after I spent all day having to work. I have to finish up study guides and write tests for all of my classes. I am so lazy and just want to curl up on the couch and nap until have to go to bed. I am even slacking on my French class that I am taking.

BLARG!

I have grown to accept the loss of my friend Isis, she is dearly missed, but we change many times throughout existence and all things happen for a reason, I have to be ok with it, so I am. I do not have time to mourn my loss I have to do work and get ready to leave.

I have recently connected to some future Peace Corps people via email and I already treasure their friendship. I feel like Kristy and I finally have people who understand exactly what we are going through because they are going through the exact same thing as us. It's such an exciting and scary part of our lives its good to know that others are right there with us thinking and doing very similar things.

Lonely Day

2008-02-08T19:19:00.002-05:00

So Peace Corps, so many good things: adventure, career, college, travel, exotic food, a new continent in my list of life goals. I am so excited and awaiting my blissful, terrible, uplifting, cynical adventure that I know I am going to have.

The bad things; career on hold as it begins, packing up my whole life into a few boxes, selling everything I cant take or pack, giving away things I cant sell, throwing away what I cant give, leaving the people that I love, leaving our pets - yeah about that its why I am blogging. I have to put my cat Isis down, I have to murder her. She sprays, its not like she pees on stuff, she destroys things. Destroys them until they are gone destroys them, rusts metal underneath paint, makes everything sticky and stinky and orange. Seriously its fucking gross. We cant have people over because its so horrible. I can not ask anyone to foster her, she will destroy their stuff too. Its cost us thousands (thats right plural) of dollars we have thrown out heirlooms, keepsakes, all kinds of stuff. The other side of me says meh its just stuff, I would have thrown it out anyway, or its just money, I would have spent it anyways, or its just company, they would have gotten on my nerves. But that does not change the situation. I can not ask anyone to deal with that, considering how much I hate it.

On Tuesday I will have to have her murdered. It will be quick and painless, and she will be around the people who love her, but it sucks and it makes me cry and I want to smoke and drink and cry and it sucks.

Thats it. I am sad, it sucks

bleh

Mic Check

2008-02-01T08:58:00.001-05:00

I have decided to start my blog and be used to posting before my journey starts. I have time to do this now because of the snow and ice that covers the Ohio landscape. School closed @ 6:20 this morning and I am glad.

Although I know that I am fighting the good fight and trying to bring a bit of education and well reasoned citizenship it is a constant uphill battle for me at Robinson. How are my students supposed to care about history and government when they have little of the basic amenities that average American students are blessed with? The answer is, that often that they do not. I see so many beautiful minds in my classes every day and they seem to be more bent on distracting and discouraging me then accomplishing the goals that I pose for them. I know that I sound a bit cynical at present but, I do not know if I am meant for the middle school mind.

On a positive note I truly feel that they have finally accepted me as their teacher, something that I had been struggling with for 2 months is done. I no longer feel that I am being chased away and the taunts that I receive are different then they once were. Sometimes they are good natured friendly jabs and sometimes attacks on the system that I as an educator and authority figure represent.

I can live with and will encourage the rebellion but I merely want it to be more subtle, better planned, and done with finesse. As a white man in a school that is dominated but minority students I know that I am from a place that is mysterious and hated because of my gender and complexion, regardless of the paths that I have walked and the similarities that I may share with my students. I hope only the best for them, and that they will find the balance and structure that they crave.