Friday, October 31, 2008

Taking a whiz

Yes, peeing. Pretty simple, right? you walk in, flip on the light switch, have a seat, do your business, wipe it clean, flush, wash and go. Easy.

Oh, but wait! Not in Mauritania!
First you have to find the makaresh, or satela, which could be sitting anywhere in the yard: by the cooking fire, under the sleeping platform, behind the door, next to the garden, on the corner of the porch, under the tree, or leaning against the water cannery, but never near the actual bathroom it self. Once found it is usually guaranteed to be empty. So its back to the water cannery.

At the water cannery there are 2 to choose from: one with river water and one with well water. The well water is strictly for drinking, and river water is literally for everything else, so don't dip into the wrong one. So you grab this plastic, 1-liter, handled "pot" and dip it into the river water cannery. Oh, but only use your right hand to hold the pot because the left is dirty (more on that to come ;). Pour the water from the pot into the teapot-shaped satela. I've been yelled at several times for doing this wrong:

you have to have to have to pour the water away from the cannery's opening. Not over it. The satela is after all dirty from going into the douche/bathroom, and if water drips from it into the cannery then the cannery is dirty too.

Ok, so you have your water. Make sure you have shoes on! Walk over to the bathroom, be careful because the door doesn't actually close all the way: I've been walked in on a few times... Try to close the door as securely as possible, walk over to the hole. Time to go, right? Nope, not yet! Since the door doesn't really close, and people have accidentally come in, its best to consider which way to face: if you face the door, everyone will see your junk. If you face the wall, they'll just see your back and knees poking out. But the hole is best reached if you face the door. So if it's #1 (peeing) face the wall! But if you have some real business to attend to, you'll have to really close the door as tightly as possible!!

Once you're in position, aim well! And remember that anything that doesn't make it in the hole, you're responsible for. Once you're relieved, use that pot of water! Right hand in back, pouring (but don't get your clothes wet), left hand in front for the balance (remember you're squatting over a hole, you don't want to fall over). When all is clean, stand up, still wet (we don't really wear underwear, that would be a natural nursery for diseases), and hopefully there's still some water left after your escapades, because I still like to use soap to wash my hand.

Usually there's this little scrap of soap up on the wall of the roofless toilet room, but it is a little taller than me, so I have to reach up, feel around, and try to find the little bugger. Then wash my left hand with just my left hand, so that my right hand can pour out the water. I usually do this over the hole so that any thing that may still need to go down the hole goes down. Put the soap back up on the wall, open the door, you and your wet behind are finished!

Deposit satela wherever you think the next seeker will most likely not find it, and go some place where either 1) your butt will dry while you sit down, 2) you can stand if the fabric of your skirt/pants/etc. doesn't show wetness, or 3)go for a walk

Hopefully you're not sick and you don't have to face the people that heard your explosive diarrhea and/or gas as it erupted into the echoing hole.

I realized that I have had to learn a lot of patience with my self as I learn how to do everything over again: talk, walk, greet, stand, sit, lay down, sleep, eat, drink, bathe, address people, cook, clean, sweep, read, write, do my hair, wear my clothes, sew, buy clothes, go to the market, shake hands, answer the phone, count, pay rent, fend off marriage proposals, joke, laugh, visit friends, make friends, know people, and yes, even pee.

Friday, October 17, 2008

These are a few of my favorite things....

Yesterday we had some visitors from the European Commission to see our health volunteers at work. Among the 6 visitors were a few Frenchmen, a couple Italians, and a Spaniard! They didn't stay very long, but we did have great conversation, exchange phone numbers, and speak English (a rare treat these days). Then the Italian invited me, along with all of the other local PC volunteers to his house for a get-together/ party (can we call this a party?) So this morning I got up at 5:30ish to pack and get ready for the 2-3 hour trip into Kaedi. After going around the market, greeting, talking to nice random people, bargaining for cooking oil, eating for the first time in a Mauritanian restaurant (on the floor, just like at a friend's house, we just had to pay afterwards), and buying oranges (we don't have any fruit in my village), I made it to our "PC house", found 3 packages waiting for me from my mom, AND was promised spaghetti for lunch! I was so happy!
My mom sent me Oreos and as we sat around eating them, we couldn't stop laughing, giggling, smiling, ohhing and aahhhing, and marvelling at the deliciousness that is the Oreo!

Some other weird new things that make Mauritania very enjoyable:
the smell of burnt tea
fresh bread in the mornings
watching people pray
bathing 2 or 3 times each day
talking to everyone I meet in my village
everybody knows my name! it's better than the TV show Cheers !
drinking Tufam! (soured milk mixed with water and sugar...amazing.)
Friendship bracelets
sleeping outside
eating outside
sitting on our raised bamboo platform called a donkey, talking to my host family
the joy people have when I take their picture
hearing my family try to speak English
understanding Pulaar!
sharing American candies with my family--they love it!

Africa is definitely NOT as savage as many Western people think it is. Yes, its dirty with trash in the streets, we do everything outside, and kids are always running around half--or completely-- naked, but people are still loving, educated, striving for improvement, and doing the best possible with what they have. This is definitely a place that more people should come to see and understand.
You always have a place to stay if you come to visit me!!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Day 106 in RIM--and I'm still here!

But of course I’m still having a great time in Africa. Haha, I totally get these reality checks sometimes and realize I’m IN Africa. Just the other day we were sitting in our “Peace Corps” house (a house for us to stay in when we come into the state’s capital) and saying, “You’d be surprised what you get used to.” And its so true!
I’ve been in Tokomadji for one month now, exactly the month of Ramadan. So I never knew what this entails, and it is sooo intense: from the night the moon disappears through the new moon—30 nights—all adult Muslims are required to Fast, meaning no food or water during daylight hours. Even in the crazy African heat, NO WATER!! I found out there’s a science to Fasting correctly: at 5:30ish everyone wakes up to the call in from the local Mosque, makes some breakfast, usually a porridge called ruy (pronounce it like you would in French, but with a rolled “r” or say it: ru-ee) and/or bread and coffee/tea. Once the second call is out from the Mosque announcing the official rising of the sun, NO MORE EATING OR DRINKIG ANYTHING, say your prayers, back to bed, then get up later to go to the fields to work.
Another interesting thing: field work. Going with my family to “weed” the fields made me so thankful that I was an athlete for all of my life, and that water was my sport. There is no other way that I could have kept close behind my fasting family. It’s bending over with a hand-held hoe from about 8:00am-noon. Of course they all are so much better at it than I am, even when they’re fasting, but I was at least able to semi-keep up. The whole time I would think of college water polo practices, and Rond saying that we’re swimming our yards when we’re tired to be ready for that fourth quarter of water polo play. And I would keep going in the field. I would totally be laughing, thinking of where I came from and where I am now, but I would keep going, relishing of the excellent cross training I was getting.
So after being shown up by my fasting host sister we’d go home, “shower” (you’ve seen the makaresh, right?) rest, then work around the house in the evening once it cooled down. Around 7:00pm, the Mosque would announce the official sun setting, and we’d break fast! Dates, water, and bissap to whet the whistle, then coffee or tea with bread (kind of like a regular breakfast). About half an hour later we’d have a dish of potatoes with meat or fish (kind of like a normal lunch), and around 10 or 11pm, once the food has digested a bit, we’d have rice and fish (kind of like dinner). I always saw breakfast as getting in the full day’s meals, all in the same order, just after dark.
Its required by the Muslim faith to fast, and I was told they do this for two reasons: 1. To cleanse the body of any impurities and 2. To feel the pain and suffering of the poor that have to live through this for their entire lives. The really old, the really young, the sick, and pregnant/nursing mothers aren’t required to fast, so I still got lunch with the kids in the family!
Basically during Ramadan any work that doesn’t need to be done isn’t. So many, many people spent their days sleeping, resting, and trying not to sweat out their water reserves.
Other things I’m –still—getting used to:
People always like to ask me about the United States, everyone wants to go there, and daily I’m asked for a Visa to the US.
Even my forearms sweat. It is so gross.
Getting marriage proposals, from random strangers
Being told why I’m going to Hell (not by all people or even every day, but when it does happen I’m still a little weirded out by it)
Not understanding everything that people say to me.
Being patient with myself as I learn something new.
Recognizing the cold wind that comes 2 minutes before heavy rain fall, and trying to pick up my bedding, etc before the rain gets here!
Strategizing my eating plan so that I get enough meat and veggies before they’re all eaten up by everyone else at the plate.
Keeping a good hold while in the bed of a very bouncy, very fast pick up truck so I don't fall out
Well, life continues and I honestly and absolutely love the support I get from you! Hearing from you in any form is the highlight--and main reason--of leaving the relative paradise that is Tokomadji to come into the city!


Twin! I miss you so much!