2004-10-05 - 6:25 p.m.

Journal entry dated Sept 16th, 2004:

The elements are coming together.
Maghta Lahjar will be a good place (or "home") for me. This morning wasn't as hot walking to the mayor's office and 5km did not seem so long after all.

People actually started greeting me. 2 or 3 people called out my name and smiled cheerfully, giving a genuine sense of "welcomeness".

I could feel the eyes on me and could hear the questioning "nasraniye" But I did not feel the hostility... Was it the cool wind and the faint promise of cold rain that made me feel a lot lighter in spirit?

Or maybe it was the good feeling left over from last night when HAddou and Naty from PEace Corps staff stopped by to briefly check in with me on their way back to Nouakchott from Kiffa - familiar faces, Peace Corps friends, french-speaking genuinely nice people...

Or maybe the lefover feeling from the interactions with my family in here in MAghta LAhjar... the warm fuzzy feeling I get from my cute little sisters who , from the very beginning fully bought into the concept of me being their new sister!

I am physically very tired now and looking forward to tomorrow being the weekend and being able to rest a little. Walking a minimum of 10Km each day in the heat is finally getting to me: ANE VETRANA!!!

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