Mouse Update

I am pleased to announce that a mouse at the regional house recently met its demise thanks to Teresa's fast thinking with a shoe...Apparently it pays to stay up all night awaiting the results of the US presidential election!
Today I was bombarded with questions from strangers on the street asking whether I had voted and for which candidate. Although most Mauritanians do not know where America is located in relation to Africa or that it consists of 50 states, many are well informed that today is a historical day for America with the possibility of the election of the first black president. Africans love Obama and are becoming imcreasingly aware of American politics because of his presence in the current election. Slightly ironic since many Mauritanians are unconcerned and/or unaware of the recent coup or their own current political situation but seem extremely fascinated by American politics that will likely affect them minimally.
I personally voted several weeks ago by absentee ballot and heard about a week ago that the ballots had made it safely to the states and were enroute to individual states for counting (although I am sad that we were not given, "I Voted Today" stickers). I am proud to see that Virginia remains up in the air in relation to candidate - yay for keeping everyone on the edge of their seats VA - and look forward to following the results as they are counted.