It is official...

As of noon, I am officially a United States Peace Corps Volunteer! The US Ambassador to Mauritania and his wife attended the swear-in as well as Obie Shaw, the current PC Country Director, and a number of other Peace Corps Mauritania officials. Men with large rifles guarded the doors to the dormitory as 76 trainees took the same oath given to the men and women serving our country in the military as well as all members of the foreign services as well as listened to a speech written in French, Hassaniya, Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof – all the common languages spoken in Mauritania (except Arabic). It was fascinating to hear all the different languages and to realize how extremely different they are.
Lunch with the Ambassador and his wife followed where I had the opportunity to talk with a summer intern from the Peace Corps office in Nouakchott, a rising senior at Yale, as well as a new member of the Peace Corps public affairs team. It was most interesting to hear how different our experiences will be although we are all working for the same agency. The summer intern mentioned that he was currently living alone in a PC provided three story house with electricity and running water and neither seemed well trained in the Mauritanian ways of eating and living, in fact they both seemed slightly unaware of the Mauritania found outside of Nouakchott. Interesting contrast since the last few days at Center have been exceptionally rough especially since worldwide Peace Corps budget cuts were announced last week.
Tuesday night in particular, when most of the trainees walked away from dinner hungry, I was reminded of where I am and why. It was ironic after having a medical session on eating nutritiously in RIM that morning that I resorted to a protein bar and a few bites of chocolate cake mix mixed with water (to create pudding) in an attempt to fill my grumbling stomach. It is moments like those that have made me rethink my two year commitment during the last few weeks…However, do not expect to see me quite yet…I have yet to begin accomplishing what I came here to do – live and learn and save the world one child at a time!
Therefore, this morning I took an oath in front of my peers to try my best to uphold the goals of the Corps de la Paix – to help the people in the world with technical assistance as well as promoting a cultural exchange between Americans and people of other countries.
After lunch I attended and interesting and informative Question and Answer session with the Ambassador regarding the coup and current Mauritanian government situation as well as global reactions and how it might affect our service. It sounds like at this point neither the US Embassy or Peace Corps expects anything to change in regards to our current service, however, everything depends heavily on when and what the military junta chooses to do next. The United States and many other nations refuse to acknowledge a new election or the current government because it is not democratic and thus it is possible the US government will react with increased regulations and aid withdrawals in the future if the democratic government is not restored. As for now, as volunteers we can expect a slight decrease in possible project funds because USAID has suspended monetary support in addition to the World Bank.
On a more positive note, we received mail yesterday – yay! Thanks to everyone for the letters because they are the best pick-me-up I could ask for. After a hard night and last few weeks, mail is another wonderful reminder that I am still connected to the outside world even when separated by the Atlantic and a substantial time difference. I love hearing about everyone’s everyday lives and I will be sure to respond to all letters ASAP. Additionally, my team won Double Dare yesterday by outplaying the other teams in trivia and athletic contests. (Yes, I said athletic contests for all who missed it the first time or thought I made a mistake) All the trainees dressed in shorts and inappropriate [for Mauritania] tops. After being sure to cover knees, ankles and shoulders at all times during the last 2 months it seemed quite scandalous – funny how much our perspective have begun to change already.
So here I am, preparing for a night of festivities at a local hotel in honor of swear-in, wearing a tube dress, makeup and pearls. Everyone is taking the opportunity given by a night out of the Mauritanian eye, to dress inappropriately either in tight fitting pants or short skirts.
Thanks to a few members of my class we are also having a Mexican themed meal of tacos and cheese dip…can’t wait!