2004-06-29 - 7:30 p.m.

Hi!!!!!!

I'm here!!!!!!

I am hanging out at the Bureau (office) of Corps de la Paix in Nouakchott, Mauritanie. I just got here a couple of hours ago in what seemed to be a surreal landing in the middle of the desert... it looked like the moon or mars... very amazingly amazing!!!!!

Before deplaning I covered my head with my scarf and became fully "culturally-appropriate" and shielded from the warm sandy wind.

We, volunteers, were swiftly taken through the control stations, bypassing controls getting to the baggage claim belt. An Air Mauritanie plane had jsut arrived seconds before us. So the packages and luggage coming out on the belt was locals' possessions: I felt bad bringing my suitcases... what a difference from their poorly duct-taped shopping bags and boxes...

The drive to the Bureau was amazing too. Ten people crammed in a mini van... with air conditioning though!!! Goats roaming around on the dirt streets, camels in the courtyards, little hills of trash everywhere. I haven't noticed any street signs or traffic lights anywhere.

My one thought while in the van was: "I better prepare my family and friends for when they are going to visit... it is not going to be a luxurious vacation at all!"

I deposited my "valuables", got my "walk around" money (13,900 ouguiya which is supposed to be about $40 and last us about a month), drank my first glass of mint tea... and now I am basically waiting around to be called in for my typhoid and rabies shots (I already got malaria pill, yellow fever shot, MMR shot, and my blood drawn in Philly before leaving on Monday).

Ok... I am going to be considerate and leave the computer to the other volunteers who are waiting around anxiously to be connnected to the Western world... I will write again from Kaedi after I move there tomorrow. We will be spending the night here in Nouakchott.

I want to thank all of you who wrote me back or sent me a bon voyage email. I am sorry I wasn't able to reply individually yet. I will try and get to the computer on a day when there aren't other 41 volunteers waiting behind me. :-)

Just a reminder for you guys to check in every once in a while at http://jspadaci.diaryland.com for my online journal!

Love and hugs,

Jordy

P.S. please feel free to forward this to whomever you may think could enjoy news!

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