Brief Return to the Western World

Instead of returning to the states for vacation this summer, I met mom and dad in France for several weeks of comfortable beds, showers that did not require a bucket, meals that did not consistently include rice or fish and sightseeing in the city of lights and beyond. Although I can’t say the trip was extremely restful, it was an exceptional experience made priceless by the fact I was reunited with mom and dad after 11 ½ months of my African adventure. The first hugs are etched into my mind forever as they are a testament of my ability to survive in a foreign culture without the comforts I had relied upon throughout my life or the daily interaction with family and friends, especially in times of frustration and trouble. Stepping onto the plane to leave them once again was probably the most difficult experience of my life to date but here I am after hours of difficult travel slowly readjusting to life in the RIM.
From the Louvre down the Champs Elysees to the Arc De Triomphe, to the banks of the Seine and the historical beaches of Normandy, to the golden gates of Versailles, the street markets around the Place de la Republique and the gargoyles of Notre Dame – I set eyes on a lot while on French soil. Half of my time was spent exploring Paris and the numerous sights it has to offer, including the Eiffel Tower and hundreds of paintings and sculptures housed in museums across the city, while the other time was spent reconnecting with family in Normandy. With a cold rain falling during most of our time in the north of the country, we managed to visit Mont St. Michel and the D-Day beaches (although I missed President Obama’s visit for the 65th anniversary much to the dismay of the Custom’s Officer at Orly Airport) plus multiple enjoyable visits to the local grocery store and one morning mom and I were pampered with much needed water based spa treatments in Bagnoles. However, the best moments were those spent within reach of my family, huddled up on the couch in front of a roaring fire or sitting around the dining room table for delicious 4 course meals.
In a country where I am rarely alone, I often feel isolated without a concrete understanding of the local culture and my position within it. Here, men and women rarely touch even within one’s family group and interaction is limited between women. Hugs are unheard of and while small children are sometimes kissed on the forehead I have never witnessed kissing between adults not even the cheek kissing common in many European countries. I have come to realize how heavily I relied upon interactions with male friends and basic physical contact with my family and friends. A hug, an extended handshake, snuggling with my roommates on a single bed during college, a hand placed on your back in passing and many more daily interactions are all things that I miss greatly.
While in France I was lucky to see not only mom and dad but Martha Key (a cousin of mom’s) and her husband, Graham, who we stayed with in Normandy in addition to my cousin Becky and her friend Pete who were passing through Paris during my last few days. Both Becky and Pete are architecture majors and so I enjoyed spending much of my last few days discovering hidden parks and interesting buildings scattered throughout Paris while also getting my fill of chocolate mousse and a variety of ice creams on the unofficial chocolate tour.
I was slightly nervous weeks before leaving for France that my French was not sufficient so I spent each night reviewing a few vocabulary words and sentence formation only to land in the airport and realize that most people speak English. Each time I tried to ask a question in French I was usually answered in English, thwarting all plans to show off my improving skills. However I did have the opportunity to impress my family with a little taste of my new language, when I ran into a Pulaar speaking Senegalese man during my last dinner in Paris.
While in Normandy, I was informed via email that the new class of PC Mauritania volunteers were denied visas by the Mauritanian government due to the unstable political situation started with the peaceful coup last August. Although rumors and speculation had been flying for months that this was a possibility since no Americans are currently being issued visas, no one truly believed that it would occur, so now everyone is watching and waiting to see what will happen next. We are told the new volunteer training is merely postponed until after the elections scheduled for July 18th (originally planned for June 6th) but the likelihood of the election date being postponed again is high, so now that I have returned to the RIM the wait continues among increased speculation.