Cool Blue Reason

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

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

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

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

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)

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

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.