The Color Orange

I like comparing this picture to the one from the summer 07 post called "Initi Trio." Several of the same kids are pictured but they're bigger now! Warda is still a free spirit and my fave of my stage host mom, Lueda's, kids. She's in the yellow and white dress. Timbouka wears a veil all the time, now and has stopped going to school. She has taken over the household chores leaving Lueda time to make more veils to sell. This increases the economic level of the family (they have a tv now! and it looks like they're eating better), but I grieve for what Timbouka has lost. It happens often here; a big part of my job is aimed at preventing it, but the process is so slow. That leads me to a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am accepting at George Washington University in DC. I will, inshallah, start classes August 31st. I want to study international development from the gender and education perspective and GW has such a strong, exciting program. I can't wait! Anyone with ideas or leads for apartments, internships, roommate requests, or part-time jobs, drop me a line!

While some of the changes in Initi are difficult to see, others are great. They have electricity, now and there is new building going on, a good sign of rising economic levels. My tokora (namesake in Pulaar), Zara, was born almost exactly nine months after I left Initi to go to Nema. I saw her as a week-old baby last May. She had seemed sickly, then, but is hale and plump, and loves to eat, now. She's not so sure about the whole walking thing, though! She'll stick with crawling for the time being, thank you very much. I'm so happy she's doing well!

Oh, and I've been on Facebook since January. Look me up. :)

That phrase, "M'Bagne nedjo" means I am from M'Bagne in Pulaar. I won't be in M'Bagne much longer, about a month, but I was so lucky to be there even for a short time. It's one of those places where people are, by and large, happy, or content. There are no major health crises, little evidence of malnutrition, and people stay active and employed. It ain't perfect, but it's much better than many of the other sites I've seen. There is sadness, though. A young mother I know recently lost her weeks-old baby. A high infant mortality rate is simply a fact of life, here. Aissata, the mother, is back at her usual chores and work. She grieves, but you can only tell if you look in her eyes.

Honestly, I sometimes fear returning to the US. (this is actually a normal reaction for a PCV) I will miss Mauritania and the entire experience. Looking at brochures for grad school, I was disturbed by the number of 'white' people! How boring! I'm leaning toward American U versus George Washington based solely on the ethnic makeup in their brochure photos. Is that reverse discrimination? (or possibly insanity?)

The neem trees are blooming right now. They bloom twice a year, I think, but there were never any trees in my other sites. Sometimes, when the wind blows, you get a whiff of scent, rather like lilacs or wisteria. It makes me think of my maternal grandmother. The photo is me with my host family in M'Bagne, the Thiams (pronounced chyam). I'm pretty lucky to have them.