The Color Orange

I'll be heading to the West/North African country of Mauritania at the end of June. As part of the Peace Corps' Girls Education and Empowerment program there I will focus my energy on getting more girls to stay in school. I am sure it will be incredibly rewarding, but there must be so many reasons half of Mauritania's school-age girls drop out by the end of 7th grade--cultural, economic, and social. The country is an Islamic republic and though the government has been fairly stable for the past forty years, there are racial tensions between the 'black' Africans and Arab and Berber descendants (who quarrel amongst themselves sometimes). AIDS does not seem to be as big a problem as in some countries farther south but it is still out there, along with tons of infectious diseases.

On the bright side, though, this is exactly where I wanted to go. I have a few words of Arabic under my belt already and the script is becoming familiar. It's a gorgeous written language. As I read up, I find Islam is less 'out there' than I first expected. From what we know of the prophet Mohammad, he would have made a great friend. I can't believe I have the opportunity to live and work in an Islamic society. How will it change me and equip me for the future?

One thing, I promise not to convert!