2006-06-06 - 11:32 a.m.

May 30, 2006

Another month has passed and I have only five days left in Magta Lahjar before heading to Nouakchott to drop off Aaron at the airport and start my stint as training coordinator… it feels good to be done with my site, to wrap things up, to look ahead, to feel that much closer to the end of my service and to my new life in Florida… at the same time it is somewhat sad to have to say goodbyes to people whom I might not ever see or hear from again, to have the certainty that I am closing a door onto a period of my life that was extremely important and charged with experiences and people who have changed me significantly and whose memories will remain with me for a very long time. I am hoping to stay in touch with some of these people and have been spending lots of time thinking about ways I can do this… but as all things eventually do, I will probably fade away in their memories and so will they from mine… the nature of things, the nature of time, the nature of anything “long-distance”, a distance even more accentuated by the feeling of being on two completely different planets, with lives so far apart, rhythms so different in beats and style… c’est la vie!

Aaron’s second visit in Mauritania has flown so fast… I wonder if my remaining months in this country will go by equally as quickly, I wonder and hope… as I sit in yet another ungodly warm night during yet another African summer. I have been very happy to share my Mauritanian days with him once again, excited that he made it back to see me, the entire town has been welcoming once again, excited for Hadrami’s return! (remember Hadrami is his Mauritanian name!) It’s been good to have Aaron here again, especially at this time when I find myself particularly emotional sometimes… and having him to talk things through in a familiar language helps a lot, as do long tight comforting hugs! We’ve been playing around with wedding ideas and house plans, while laying semi-consciously in 50+ Degree Celsius afternoons… We are thinking we might be able to break the ground for the construction of our house in January/February of the new year Inshallah (on a piece of land that his dad gave us in Florida). While in Kaedi for Pre-Service Training, I will be spending a lot of time learning Spanish from books and CDs that I got from both Aaron and my mom, so that I will have greater chances of getting a job in the field(s) I am most interested in and which inevitably require a working knowledge of Spanish… I will be in Florida after all, land of the upcoming English/Spanish bilingual American generation!

Speaking of my mom… She and Jessica came to Mauritania after all and despite the heat (which was starting to rise just around their visit), the sand and dust, the bland gritty food and harsh living conditions, the long driving hours, the language and culture barriers, and the scary bout of sickness which debilitated my mom for one whole scary day… they ended up enjoying their trip and seem to be looking back to it with laughter, smiles, and a tender spot in their memories for the people they were able to finally meet after all the time I spent with them, after all the stories shared, after all the support I have received from them…they finally had a chance to discover the Mauritania I know, the Mauritania that a regular tourist would not be able to appreciate, enjoy, nor be exposed to… the Mauritania which has welcomed me and become my home for two very important years of my life. I feel my mom left with a greater appreciation for the time I spent here, for the work I have done, for the insights I have gained, for the experiences I have collected. I am glad and thankful they were able to visit, even if just for a very short time, as they will be able to relate to the memories, stories, and anecdotes I will eventually want to share with them throughout the years, when looking back at my Peace Corps service.

I officially said goodbye to the local community two days ago, with an “End of the year celebration” for the Girls Mentoring Center and women cooperatives. The mayor was present, as well as several other local leaders… along with all the girls from the center, their families, and many of the women cooperative members I have worked with throughout my stay here. Members from each “group” spoke about the work done during my service, the accomplishments achieved, the goals for the future, showing examples of their work… each of the girls spoke about topics treated during the year at the center, educating the audience about topics such as AIDS/HIV, Moringa, Female Genital Mutilation, Female Reproductive Health, Women’s Rights, Early Marriage, Education and Career options, etc. And I even gave a speech in Hassiniya, which apparently people understood and really enjoyed! Many of the girls ended up tearing up… and of course so did Limneya and I! It was a great way to formally close my service at site and to hand over the torch to Limneya and to the future volunteers… one of which is already in town, after transferring from Chad where Peace Corps pulled out of following local insurgences. Her name is Kate (or Zahara) and will be teaching English at the local junior high, while managing the Girls Mentoring Center alongside Limneya, Inshallah! Plans are for her to be joined in the fall by two more volunteers… if all goes well!

Alright… that’s it for now. Hasta luego!

Ma’ Salaam,

Jordy

P.S. Happy birthday Tara!!!

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