Recent Amendments

It was bound to happen, after spotting my first scorpion I had been nervously awaiting finding one in my suudu am (room) – and Wednesday was the lucky day. Found under the leeso (plastic mat) that covers the floor of my hut and promptly killed with a shoe by my host mother it has shaken my sense of security while inside my room. I am sure it was trying to escape the big rains throughout the night but it is still unnerving and makes me rely more on my tropic screen (mosquito netting tent) for protection while sleeping and otherwise sitting in my room.

As of this morning (23 August) I officially left my grass hut and Tekess, my home for the last 10 weeks, for a week in Rosso before heading East to Boghe and OloOlogo. While at the Center in Rosso for the next week we will be wrapping up health tech sessions, medical sessions cross culture sessions, etc and Thursday, pending an oral Pulaar language test and recommendations by my peers, I should swear in as an official member of the United States Peace Corps (followed by large celebration at a local hotel). As of 2 September I should be settling into OloOlogo just in time for Ramadan (the month long Islamic holiday during which believers fast – no food, water or sexual relations - from sunrise to sunset in celebration of the revealing of the Quran, the Islamic text which provides guidance and teachings for the people). Additionally, I have been informed that the construction on my mud house in OloOlogo is scheduled to begin after ndunngu (rainy season) which seems to coincide with Ramadan as well, thus I have very little faith that I will be living alone before the first of the year! As for now, I have been told that I will be living in the room that I stayed during my permanent site visit a few weeks ago.
I am very excited about Boghe and the retail therapy – Mauritanian style - that will ensue upon my arrival in the regional capital.

More to come soon...