Another week with my host family has passed and there's much to share! Along with the Hassaniya classes, I've also had some SED technical sessions. Last week, we rode about an hour outside of Rosso to this small town called Gani. As soon as we hit the outskirts of Rosso, I definitely had a "This Is Africa!" moment. While sitting in the front seat of a land cruiser between two men speaking a mix of African languages and French, listening to some African music, I watched the open plains pass by as puffy white clouds rolled overhead. There was green everywhere and it was beautiful! Gani was so wonderful. We sat under some trees, in a field, and had a session on feasibility studies (interesting, right?). After the session, we just relaxed, played cards, and ate some chibudgen, my new favorite meal. (Chibudgen= rice, vegetables, and spiced fish, eaten with the RIGHT hand) After a relaxing day with an awesome group of people, we headed back to Rosso.
That night, as I was on the roof of my house, I watched the distant clouds approach Rosso. We all headed inside just in time. Even inside, I had to keep my eyes shut from getting pounded with grains of sand. (By inside, I mean inside the front door of the house, but there is an open air courtyard type area. My room is an actual room, so my stuff wasn't affected by the sand. ) Moments later, the storm started. With the storm, the electricity went out. I put my book down and closed my eyes, enjoying the cool air and the occasional splash of a raindrop on my foot. It was a typical spring thunderstorm for me. As I sat with my family, I noticed it wasn't a typical event for them. My host mom started reciting the Koran, as three of my younger host brothers rocked back and forth, repeating her. My host sister, who's 21, turned to me and said to repeat after her, and basically said "Allah be with us during this time." A little later, my host mom informed me that we must be courageous during these times. We must be strong. I was a little confused. Sure enough, about 20 minutes later, the storm had passed. There was no damage, just a bunch of scared Rosso-ians.
The next day was the 4th of July. You can take the kids out of America, but.... We had a grand fete, Mauritanian style, for Independence Day. There was a reunion of sorts. All of the PCTs got together at the center starting at about noon. The first thing mentioned was how all of the families had reacted in the same way to the storm. (I'm still baffled by this, as there weren't even tornadoes!) We watched "Dumb and Dumber" on someones computer. Then the hamburgers arrived. Camel burgers with ketchup, mayonnaise, french fries, and a fried egg, between a delicious bun. It was incredible. After stuffing our faces, a bunch of us watched "Talladega Nights" (to appreciate American culture and catch a few glimpses of NC!)
In a week, we'll be finding out our site placement, and be at the center for a few days. I'll make sure I put up pictures of my newly braided hair (with some weave added!) Until then, Peace!
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