06 July 2005 - 12:07
So much of my time in Mauritania is spent waiting, waiting, waiting. And most of that waiting is what I would consider to be unnecessary. And ALL of that waiting is caused by Mauritanians.
This time, I showed up in Nouakchott after returning from vacation on The Other Side (the civilized world, to put it colonially) just in time to get some work done and greet the new volunteers when they came in, answer a few of their questions, and tell them a few stories to scare them into going home before they become emotionally damaged by Mauritania. I intended to take a taxi brusse ride back to Tidjikja on Sunday, but then my boss invited me to dinner Sunday night, so I waited until Monday. On Monday, a movie I wanted to see was showing at the cinema and I found out I could maybe get a free, comfortable ride on Tuesday, so I decided to stick around until then. Then the ride got pushed back a day. Then another. So I decided to get a taxi brusse, but then the car to Tidjikja (there's only one that leaves each day) didn't fill up (actually, it was full, if you were counting seats the American way, but not when you're a Mauritanian and you think it's fine to stick six extra people in the car), so it was delayed until today. And I ran out of work three days ago, so I've just been sitting around, reading, sweating, and waiting.
I'm always surprised to hear myself say that I'm excited about getting back to my site, but again, I am. Maybe it's the swimming pool that's burning a hole in my backpack. Or the prospect of having clean clothes to wear. Or not having to live out of a suitcase anymore. Or seeing the feeding centers that I spent so much time trying to open before I left, finally running. Or being able to see all my friends in Mauritania. Or seeing if my dog is still alive (Alicia, who can't even keep track of her own keys, was left in charge of her care when Jill left). Whatever it is, I'm ready to get back. Weird.
I finally got my pictures from Morocco (why couldn't I have been in PC there?) online - here's the link:
