votre belle soeur jacque

When life throws surprises at you

2009-08-21T17:59:00.002-05:00

If you had asked me two months ago where I would be in 3 months I would have told you I knew where I was going to be, what I was going to do, and what the future had in store for me. To have that taken away from me has been nothing but difficult. In this roller coaster ride of trying to figure out what tomorrow is going to be for me every time I start going in one direction something happens and I'm thrown another way. Is life really supposed to be this difficult and complicated? Previous life experiences and the Peace Corps have definitely proven to me that I can survive and come out on top. The ride to get there though will be nothing but a lonely challenge.
Until the next step. Peace.

The end and a new beginning

2009-08-17T08:27:00.002-05:00

Peace Corps has officially suspended it's program in Mauritania. I have decided to COS and look into re-instating or re-enrolling depending on the options. What does that mean.... I'm going to be a tourist for a while and then I'll probably be back in the States. I'm not really sure yet what I'm doing so.... just be patient and wait. When I figure it out I'll let you know. This officially ends my blog as a PCV in RIM. I will probably continue stuff, but it'll just be me, Jacque, nothing to do with PC.

Shakespeare's Language

2009-07-27T00:52:00.003-05:00

Before I head off to Senegal, just wanted to remind you that the website for the radio program is www.englishfm.tk

With the links on the left, you can see more about the program, but also the page that says "listen to the show," well, go there (and then 4shared), create an account, and then download the files. You'll be able to listen to the program! We haven't been able to do a live stream, but we can put the audio files up. Episodes 3-5 are each one file. Episode 3 & 5 can be played with anything that plays mp3 files. The rest of the episodes (1, 2, & 4) can only be played with VLC. I have a link on the bottom of the radio website where you can go to download the program. I hope you all listen to the program!

I was able to help my mom do it, so if you have questions, give her a call and she can help you! ;)
Peace out!

Off to Senegal!

2009-07-25T11:11:00.003-05:00

Well, I shouldn't have expected anything less. It's summertime, we just had the presidential elections, and we are in need of a "reconnect." So PC is sending me to Senegal. Yeah!!!!! I'm off on Monday and will be back???? Once I'm back I will get the pictures up along with some amazing senegalese stories. Corbin is going to have to stay in NDB. She's going to be lonely but she'll love me to death when I come back.

So off to the hot, mosquito-infested town in Senegal I go. Can't wait! Updates when I return.

I'm finally getting settled in.

2009-07-19T04:50:00.013-05:00

That's right, settled in, I finally moved and thus have created for myself many more problems. Maylen decided to leave, so I moved into her apartment. It's in the same neighborhood so I only had a five minute walk to move everything. Not bad. So I packed almost everything up. Lrb and his friends were going to move me which I was really excited about. In asking when they were going to come so I could plan and be ready for it, they showed up and in the course of 30 minutes everything was transferred from one place to the other. Now I wasn't planning to move everything at that point but ended up moving it all so there was some typical Mauritanian chaos. Everything got moved and I am very grateful for their help. During this time I also had a French couch surfer (from Maylen) staying with me. So Laure, Corbin, and I moved all our stuff into the new place and spent the first night hoping Corbin would kill any cockroaches that hadn't been killed off yet. Luckily during the night nothing went into my ears.

Next step, get a screen door for Corbin. You see this door is right by the living area and Corbin can easily access it. Before, the door was at the bottom of stairs and I never let her go down them so she was always away from the door. Well, I got her a screen door and figured I might as well get her some climbing/scratching posts along with some ledges to perch on. I'm pretty proud of what was made. I of course had it made but used my carpentry skills to cover it in carpet. It's sweet and Corbin absolutely loves it! She climbs, scratches and plays in her "area" all the time. The carpenter was like; you're seriously doing this for you cat? I was like, yep! It was funny. I'm realizing more and more lately that she is spoiled.

After getting Corbin settled into the quieter, calmer place, I got myself settled in. I'm still working on decorating, but for the most part everything is set. I'm working on getting the Internet. It's well, taken thus far 2.5 weeks and by the end of this week I hope to have it installed. We'll see though.

Otherwise, a few things going on this past month...

- Mike organized an English camp for the students of NDB. It was pretty cool. We had about 500 students and 10 or 11 teachers participating. It was a good experience because next year we hope to do it again just bigger! So this way we figured out what works/doesn't and will be able to improve it for next year.

- I turned 25!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep that's right. I'm a quarter century old. Man time is flying by. I always thought I'd be married and having kids at this point. I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet.

- The RIM government had elections yesterday. I'm still waiting to hear the results because they're not completely counted yet. They're going to be coming out sometime today and instead of researching it myself, I'm just going to wait for Lrb to tell me. That I know of, everything was peaceful and calm. We had no problems here in NDB but in NKTT Friday night they caught the people that killed the American a few weeks ago. So, that's good that they got them. One was killed, one was injured, and one escaped.

- I've tried to go down to NKTT three times now in the past three months to get Corbin spayed but every time something has prevented me from going. However, in August I have some training in NKTT for the PC. So, assuming that doesn't get canceled, I'll get it done then.

Once I get internet in my place I'll put more pictures up. Here are some of my new place just to entice you.

Corbin's hangout spot and climbing post.

My living room

My bed room with Corbin's catsle

My office

Much overdue updates

2009-06-10T08:42:00.004-05:00

So a few things (other than mom) have been going on here.

First off, I started a radio program to learn English. It's awesome! We found a way to put the sound files online so in addition to visiting our website you can listen to the program online. I will get you the link once we get it up.

The elections that were supposed to be held on June 6th got postponed. This is technically a good thing because it means that they will have an internationally accepted election. It is good for the country to be legitimized. It has posed some problems however, in getting visas (for Americans). Americans haven't been able to get visas to RIM since about February and this has affected the new trainees who were supposed to be coming over next week.

Yep, stage (what I did last summer) is postponed for the trainees because of visa issues. It will hopefully get worked out with the elections which are now July 18th and a second round if needed (and very likely) August 1st. This means I will no longer be going down to Rosso to help the new stagiaires. Depending on if they can get their visas before the next school year begins, I may be going down to Rosso yet. We'll see.

Because of all the problems I have been having with my place, I have decided that by June 30th I will move. It's done. I just need to find a place. I have one in town that I will take if I can't find one in my current neighborhood. I'm happy and satisfied with this, even though I'm going to be giving up a gorgeous house. The hastle that comes with beauty is no longer worth it. Especially when I need to work, shower, cook, and .... live.

I think that's about it on the "business" end. Until next time...

A sad day for both of us

2009-06-10T08:04:00.007-05:00

Yesterday, was a sad day. It was a sad day because mom left. She got on a plane towards civilization. We knew it was going to happen, but it came up so quickly. We had a great time together and didn't get into to too many arguments so that's good. :)

Some of our adventures were great fun, some were a challenge for mom. First we went to eat at a Mauritanians house. This was an experience. We sat on the floor, in a circle around the bowl, and thus began the "your mom doesn't eat. why isn't she eating? does she not like it?" questions. So she said she liked it, but I secretly think it she didn't really care for it. After a few more houses we ate at, a few more floors sitting on, and a many more questions why mom isn't eating (very typical here in RIM), we cut back on the number of visits and had people over to my house (so I could cook). I had the PCVs over, all the English teacher's over, some of my Mauritanian friends, and a birthday party for mom. It was a lot of cooking and I probably won't be having a dinner for a while. Overall, she got a bit better at eating on the floor, but even the day before she left, she didn't eat that much according to RIM standards. For her, she stuffed herself full.

We also did a few "beauty" activities. First and foremost, we went shopping for clothes! Yes we got mom some very nice fabric to make a Pulaar complet, I had gotten her a mulafa prior, and of course I had to get some fabric too. I got a new mulafa (which I love!) that is pink and orange. I got two more kinds of fabric to make more outfits. It was great! I didn't get any shoes because while we were in Las Palmas, I got 3 pairs! Next beauty step was the hammam. It's a bathhouse where you go and get scrubbed down/exfoliated. It was amazing. I couldn't believe the dirt that came off of me. I was gross. So, needless to say, I will be doing that every once in a while. Finally we got henna done. That's the ink that is put on your hands and feet. We started at 2pm and didn't get done until 1am. Next time we'll either get someone who knows what they're doing more and can go faster, or start in the morning. It looked really pretty but by now a lot of it is gone.

We of course, had exciting days. I did have to work still, but we were able to go to the beach. We went swimming and collected shells. The water was surprisingly warm. We went to the port and walked around there. We saw sting rays, little sharks, huge fish (probably tuna), and a hammerhead shark! It was pretty cool. Granted we were constantly stared at because we were white women in a "man's job," but it was still awesome. We went to a soccer game in support of a local NGO that Katie works with "Stop Sida Stop Tabac." I was even chosen to present an award to a contest winner because I am an "important" person. It was cool. There were some end of the school year events. A concert for Maylen's Girl's Mentoring Center, one for the elementary schools of NDB where Elarby created a song/skit for his students, and a closing ceremony for Maylen's GMC. When you add my new radio program plus the wrap-up work I had to do, we were busy every single day!

I think that pretty much sums up what we did. You'll have to talk to mom to get her viewpoint. I know she enjoyed it, but it was a different experience than traveling to Europe. :) I'm very happy and very proud that she came over to visit me. It made what I'm doing much easier for me because someone besides me experienced what I'm experiencing. I am going to get pictures up! I've been having major problems with electricity. My line was connected with someone who never pays their bill thus I've been getting cut every other week, every three weeks. When the pics are up I will let you know. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to get to it.

Shakespeare's Language

2009-05-26T16:02:00.003-05:00

Shakespeare's Language. A special program that airs every Wednesday on the FM Nouadhibou radio with your hostesses Maylen and Jacque.

Yep that's right!!! I'm hosting an English Radio program on the radio here in NDB. How sweet pimp is that! We start tomorrow, and inshallah, everything will go as planned. I hope to get electronic copies of the program and then post them on here, or something. Not really sure yet. But I would like to be able to share it with you all.

What I can at least share, is our website: English FM NDB At this site, you'll find the transcripts, information about your hostesses, and additional exercises to do. Check it out!

So.... wish me luck!

PS: having a good time with mom.

From my mother's mouth

2009-05-26T08:23:00.001-05:00

Visiting Jacque in Noudibou has been an eye opening experience. From the donkeys and goats walking all over the place to the garbage everywhere. Just like in any country there are the nice people and not so nice. I like the nice people better. Monday going to the bathhouse was a great experience, if only we would have brought along some towels. Never going to one before, we didn’t know what to expect. First you take off everything except your underwear and go into a VERY HOT room were you rub gel all over yourself, (it reminded me of a sauna experience up in Ashland, with the Brevaks), and you sit there and let it soak in for awhile. Then you rinse it off and you go into cooler room were a lady scrubs you down. When you are done in that room, you go back to the VERY HOT room where you relax for a while, wash off with soap and rinse yourself with cool water. It felt GREAT!!! I never knew my skin could feel so soft. And because we didn’t have any towels along, we had to dry ourselves off with our headscarves. Then that afternoon we had henna done. One thing I learned about getting it done: IT TAKES A LONG TIME!! Jacque and I both had our hands and feet done. Afterwards you have to sit around with toilet paper wrapped around it and then a plastic bag on for several hours to let the ink set. Since Jacque had hers done first, she could take the toilet paper and bag off first, just in time for supper that LRB made, well, actually bought, but that’s ok. And since my hands were still wrapped up, Jacque got to feed me!! I wish I had a picture of that!! The henna still looks nice after sleeping on it, and my skin still feels soft this morning.

LAS PALMAS!!!

2009-05-12T12:23:00.002-05:00

I'm am off to Las Palmas this Thursday! We're still waiting to get the visa for my mom, but INSHALLAH she will be coming to Nouadhibou to meet my Corbin and see me life here! I don't know how long we'll be in Las Palmas, but updates from both me and my mom are soon to come!

... cheese ...
... wine ...
.... it's all going to be such a shock ...

Gassaramarak!

2009-04-24T08:56:00.006-05:00

Last night was one of the most eventful, empowering, and stressful evenings since being here in the RIM. It all started around 7 pm when I got home from my book club to a house with no electricity. Ok, no problem. Just no electricity, again. Guess that means no water too then (the pump that brings the water to my house is run on electricity.) So, I sat hoping that soon it would come back on because I was hungry and wanted to eat. Total digression...
I was in the kitchen getting Corbin her supper and all of a sudden I hear this banging outside. There used to be a car mechanic just behind my house and I would often hear banging, but it USED to be there. No longer is and its 7pm at night, they would be done for the day. So I look outside, and what do I see, two boys throwing rocks at me. Well, actually throwing rocks at my house, the windows more specifically. At first I didn't want to deal with it and just ignored them, and then, realized that they could actually break my windows.
In my true fashion of making a spectacle, I yelled out the window at them. I told them if they didn't stop I would come down there, beat them, then have their parents beat them. They didn't want that, so they stopped. I watched them leave and was very satisfied I took care of those brats. If only that were the end of the story.
Then about 1 minute later, I hear banging again. I look. NO FREAKING WAY!!!! (Insert other choice words.) I decided I'm not going to deal with this crap, got some half-way "appropriate" clothes on and was on a mission. I was gonna beat the crap out of those boys like no other! The restaurant below me had some teenage boys that I made come with me. It's always great to have people help you! ;)
I told my help that there are boys throwing rocks at my house and they are going to help me beat them. Yep, beat them. (side note... people beat there children and people who misbehave here. During stage in Rosso, my one sister I liked got beaten up by all the men in the house. I don't know why but I saw it, cried, and left. It was terrible to see. When I was "out too late" they would have beaten me if I wasn't American. Il hamdulilah for being American.)
But these boys were throwing rocks at my house and completely disrespecting me. They knew they shouldn't do it and thus will have to suffer the consequences according to custom.
So we turned the corner and as I saw them, they saw me. I told my helpers with me and they took off after the two boys. They caught one of them, the bigger one. By now, all the local kids are asking me whats up, I'm asking them where these boys houses are, and doing it all in Hassaniya, pants, and my hair uncovered. Great.
So we catch one boy and he's already been hit a few times by his brother, crying (for fear of what will happen), and begging me not to take him to his parents. Tough shit. We go to his house and I great his father. I very respectfully greet his father and explain to him what happened. Luckily he spoke French so we both understood each other completely. He said he was going to handle it. I said thank you. He said he is SO sorry, it's unacceptable to do that. I said no problem I just don't want it happening again.
Now I have about 10 of the neighborhood kids with me and we are walking around trying to find the other little brat. Well, we see him from afar and I send the kids after him. At this point I get totally graceful! I'm talking in Hassaniya to these kids, they're in shock because I can, and they are so excited and pumped to 1 turn in their friend and 2 be helping the white girl.
We roam around the streets, asking everyone I see, "did you see a small boy in a pink tshirt? Where did he go?" Finally we find someone who knows his house. Yes! Take me there kids! So with my entourage of 10 or so boys ranging from 5 to 12 years old, we go to his house.
Oh, this is all occurring during prayer time. Like the one time during the day where it's required to pray within 20 minutes of prayer call. Mushkile. Everyone is busy and so not wanting to be disturbed with a crazy nissraniye.
I ring the doorbell and to the second story window comes a man that all the kids start telling there is a white girl here to see you. She got rocks thrown at her house by the boy that lives here. The man comes down. Again, I do very respectful greetings because I know I am so disturbing him during prayer time. We talk, I explain, he understands. This boy though has disappeared - he knows he did something wrong and doesn't want to get into trouble. Too late. The man explains he is the boys uncle and as soon as he gets back, he will take care of him. Wonderful! I say thank you very much and sorry for the disturbance. Breathe.
So I start walking back home, all 10 kids still following me. I say thank you but they don't leave. Great. The restaurant guys speak French and I explained to them that it's all taken care of. They explain it to the kids in Hassaniya, I say thank you again, and off the kids go.
Back to my home I go.
Wow! What a night. The fact that I just got these kids beaten up, like seriously beaten up, kills me. Children (and women) are beat too hard here. It's terrible to see, and I don't want to be the cause of such pain, but they shouldn't have been throwing rocks at my windows. Guaranteed everyone in my neighborhood now knows who I am, where I live, what happened, and that if they mess with me, I WILL do something about it. I've never felt so proud, empowered, and confident in myself. It was great being able to take care off those little bastards and set an example for the next time they throw rocks at me, my house, call me names, or torment me. Mashallah!!!!

Mauritanian National Anthem

2009-03-30T07:20:00.006-05:00

I actually got a video to upload!!!! SWEET! I went to Cap Blanc with some Mauritanian friends. We spent the afternoon there, ate lunch, drank tea, chased birds, and sang! Here is the Maurtanian National Anthem for your enjoyment!

From Mauritanian National Anthem at Cap Blanc

So I got even more ambitious and put a bunch more pictures and movies up. So... check them out here!

Cat care Nouadhibou-American style

2009-03-30T05:04:00.008-05:00

I was taking care of my cat this morning and thought you might like to know a bit about Corbin and her life here. ☺ First off, most Mauritanians do not have pets. The fact that I keep Corbin in my house, play with her, pet her, buy specific food for her, all of this is very foreign and bizarre for Mauritanians. When Mauritanians have cats, or dogs, they roam the streets and are not tame at all. Other PCVs who have cats (and dogs) have yards and just let the animals go to the bathroom outside. Well, apparently, either “city life” or my house are not suitable for such luxuries. Corbin has to go to the bathroom in the house; she is not allowed outside, and can’t get outside. So to keep things clean I have litter boxes for her. However, here is the problem, we have no kitty litter here, but we have a lot of sand. So I decided to use sand, which is great, but I can’t keep bringing more and more sand into my house from the street. I needed to find a way to reuse the sand. Every week I clean out the sand, put it on my roof, and let it sit for a week or two. The sun does a great job killing the bacterias – inshallah. Then like once a month, I’m the crazy cat lady (if I’m not already) and I wash the sand. I take bleach, soap, and water and dump it on the sand, mix it around, and let it sit again for a week. This has been a pretty good system but I really don’t enjoy cleaning the sand. The flip side would be carrying huge buckets of sand in every week, and I wouldn’t enjoy that either. So, I’m just going to stick with this and we’ll see how it goes.

Corbin, for the most part, is a good cat, but she gets very bored. When I am not here she really has no where to explore or play except the kitchen. I can't let her outside because she'll either get knocked up, killed, or have rocks thrown at her. So I got the brilliant idea of making her a catsle, thats right a castle for cats! After six hours, three rolls of tape, a knife, and some creative thought, this is the outcome.
Now seriously, this is an amazing work of art. There are holes, tunnels, and connecting things throughout the whole thing! She can get in from the front, back, top, or left! There is even a little bed corner if she feels like relaxing. Most afternoons and evenings she likes to chill out on the top in the catsle and bask in the sun. It's one of the few times she can sit in sunlight in my house. We will often spend many hours playing, running through the catsle, around the house, and jumping/springing around. It is great entertainment for both me and Corbin. I have determined this cat is spoiled, but that's the life of my Mauritanian cat and she loves me for it! :)

Pictures!

2009-03-12T09:41:00.008-05:00

Yeah! It's finally about time. So first here are some of the pictures from WAIST in Dakar, Senegal.

And I cut my hair! All by myself! Yep, I was pretty proud of this accomplishment. So here is the result:

And then this past week I went to the beach! Twice!!! It was a great time. First we went to Centre de Peche in the Northern end of NDB. Then yesterday we went to Cap Blanc, on the southern end of NDB. On our way back, our car got stuck in the sand and I thought we were gonna spend the night in the desert, but, ilhamdulliah we made it out just fine, even if it was a bit late. ;)

Bad news times two

2009-03-06T14:02:00.002-06:00

Well for those of you who don't know, I seriously hurt my back. It's bad. I'm almost better, but it is still sore. For a week I couldn't walk, sit, or move without being in pain. No fun.

Then to add to the pile, I don't have internet again. Why!!!!!!!!!!! So I'm here for just to let you know I'm still working on the pictures from Dakar. They will be up once I get my internet back. Inshallah!

Time to WAIST away on the shores of Dakar

2009-02-21T08:27:00.005-06:00

Two weeks ago I got the opportunity to go down to the amazing city of Dakar. It was the Invitational Softball Tournament between various West African PCVs and Embassy workers. A great opportunity to use my English skills, my athletic supporting skills, my consumption skills, and my relaxation skills. After a Safety and Security update in Rosso, us RIM PCVs started the voyage down to the land of restaurants, dancing, drinking, and civilization.
We stayed with a family, and the person I stayed with lived right on the beach. It was beautiful! The weather reminded me so much of Nouadhibou, just 10 times bigger. I supported the teams, ate some amazing food, and had pretty good time. I even went to visit Ousmane's wife who is getting her masters in chemistry from the university there. She took me to her tailor...... I got the sexiest outfit made. Wow! Seriously! Its teal, lime green, and brown. And my lime green shoes go with it. Ahhhh, beauty.
It was actually a really quick visit in this city on the coast. I didn't get to see much of the city. I didn't get to do much other than watch baseball games. I did get to hang out with some amazing friends who I missed greatly. AND, I got a Senegalese PCV cookbook - with ingredients that you can find here!!! I will actually be able to start making edible things now! People will be so pleased with me. ;) But you see, Corbin was home, alone, for the first time and I knew she wasn't going to be taking it to well. So after the games, me and 3 other of the NDB crowd came back. We did Dakar-NDB in ONE day!!!! Seriously, it was tiring, long, and difficult. We started in Dakar at 5 am, took a taxi to Rosso, crossed the border (after a long wait of course), got another taxi to NKT, then split up to get food, bus tickets, and run to the PC office in NKT all within 45 minutes. We did it and got on the bus in time. However, we didn't get back to NDB till 12:30 am. It was the longest day of my life! Seriously, so tiring!!
I missed NDB so much, it is great to be back! That long day was worth it!
I'm sure you'll all want to see pictures, so, haani shwey and I'll get them up shortly. ;)

Happiness transpires in odd ways

2009-02-09T12:55:00.008-06:00

Last night was a great night. Wanna know why? Let me tell you. You see, here in the RIM, I have my American friends, and a few Mauritanian "acquaintances" but not really friends that I can be myself around. Well, this has thus changed. Il hamdulilah! Last night I was hanging out with Elarby and his friend Mechry. In typical Mauritanian fashion, we greeted each other for ..... about 3 or 4 minutes and then sat and talked. Typical, nothing special, just the fact that I greeted someone for that long, made it fun for everyone. You see, Mauritanians great for that long, but when an étrangère does it, they notice it so much more and it puts everyone in a good mood.

(Corbin)

(Mechry & Me)

So then we decided to drive around the city and see if we could take some good pictures. Now, it was 11:15 pm so we weren't going to get too many good pictures, but you know, nothing else to do. So we drove. We drove around looking for an ATM at the bank, but they were all closed. Then we went to the market. Now, normally the market is hopping with people and very chaotic. There were maybe 3 or 4 stores open. Mechry was looking for shoes. At 11:45 pm! Yep, TOTAL Mauritanian. Elarby and I couldn't stop laughing at him. He was mejnuun haate (very crazy)!
For some reason, at night, the cows come out. I don't know where they come from because I never see them during the day, but when the market is closed, cows are everywhere. So we of course almost hit some, I practiced my Hassaniya "haadthe shinhu?" "haadthe bagra" "nahne andne yaasir min baagre vi Amrik." Then we took pictures with the cows - totally American, at this point they thought I was mejnuune haate!

We were thirsty, so we drove up to a boutique, and this, still makes me laugh, we called for someone next to the boutique to come over and go buy us some soda. Now seriously, the time it took to get the person over to the car, for him to finish his cigarette, and then go into the boutique and bring back the soda, I could have been in and out beforehand. This was such a Mauritanian thing. It made me laugh, and still does. Mauritanians love making other people do things for them. I would join the bandwagon, but I've always been one to NOT ask for help. If I can do it myself, I will, no questions, no second doubts, no asking. That's just me.
So then they drove me home. By this time it was 12:30. We sat the car for a bit and I attempted talking in my butchered Hassaniya. We laughed.

(Lrb, Me & Mechry)

Now I know this by no means sounds like an exciting time, but the best, and notable part, was the atmosphere. It was like one of those days, back in high school, when you just drove around with friends. I loved it. I was myself and had a really good time. It's not always easy to be myself around Mauritanians. Some of them I can, some I shouldn't and others I simply can't. So when I'm able to be JACQUE outside of my house (or another PCVs house) its a great IL HAMDULLILAH!!! MASHAHLAH!!! And it's days and times like this that keep me here. ;)

(Aane!)

I'm living in a fish bowl...

2009-02-01T08:05:00.007-06:00

So in the spirit of not only sharing the fun, exciting, and enjoyable things I do here, I thought you'd like to know about some of the negative.
Its called the fish bowl effect and it has become my daily life. So imagine a nice fish bowl. It's got some pretty cool colored rocks, a beautiful house, and some fun plants. As you walk past it, all you want to do is stare inside becuase the fish and everything are so.... colorful and different than what you're used to. Well, now image that you are the fish that is inside of the bowl. Every person that walks past stops, stares, and some even come up and tap on the glass to see you closer. That is how I feel on a daily basis.
Generally around my house, most people are used to me, so going to get bread isn't that bad. However, when I go anywhere that I don't frequent regularly, the stares come. This then equals that EVERYONE knows what I do, when I do it, and then they all talk about it with their friends and the whole city knows. Some things in life are better left private and personal, but its really hard to do that when everyone watches your every move.
This reminds me so much of the film Notting Hill. Julia Roberts, a movie star, having her life thrown all over the papers. And then, one of the best lines in the movie, "but please, just remember, I am just a girl, standing infront of a boy, asking him to love her." [insert tear]

And on that note, I'm putting up some pictures. They are a conglameration of the few (I don't know what happened but I took only a few pics) from my travels to Aleg, NKT, and Saint Louis. Plus their is my cat Corbin and some of my friends and me.

New Mailing Address!

2009-01-19T11:23:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to let you know my mailing address changed. Do NOT include my name on the package. Just send it addressed as follows, put your name on it, and we will be able to sort out the ones for me.

Katie & Mike Yunghans
B.P. 1771
Nouadhibou, Mauritania
West Africa
Par Avion

Note: In Mauritania, the numbers one and seven, when handwritten, are often confused with each other. To avoid this problem, draw a dash through the vertical line of the seven (see the picture for an example).

Don't worry if you've sent anything to the old address recently though. We should still be able to get mail from the old box while we're transitioning over to our new one.

Thanks to everyone for all the love and packages that have already been sent! I have greatly enjoyed it!
And, thank you Mike and Katie, for getting this mailbox, and for letting me copy this post. ;)

My guilty pleasure has finally kicked in here

2008-12-14T11:11:00.003-06:00

I went shopping. It was a BLAST! All of us girls here in NDB went (Sammy, Maylen, Katie, and me). I have to say it was a very successful time, I came home with toe socks, fabric, and... LIME GREEN SHOES! That's correct. And I'm sure you're all thinking, "Of course. Would she get any other color? I think not." Lime green is so... me. ;) If only I had brought with me Great Grandmas lime green polyester pants from back in 8th grade... Those were the days. So for your viewing pleasure:

The SOOOOO Mauritanian lime green shoes

The lime green toe socks

And the fabric... which will, inshallah, become some awesome outfits!
(ps the lime green shoes match!)

I really am alive...

2008-12-10T09:50:00.003-06:00

So I know it's been forever since you last heard from me. Let me tell you the short (of the long) version of what's been going on.

First off, I had no water for a 1 week. You see, water (for 2+ weeks prior) was leaking from my apt into the one below me. Water was everywhere! So I spent many to most of those days during the 1 week of no water at my house waiting for the plumber, or someone, to come and fix the situation. Finally, after much shaming, complaining, and calling of people's fathers, people came. Then they tore apart my wall - which really means they took a sludge hammer to the bricks and destroyed them. Then they "re-routed" the pipe that was broken; it now is on the outside of the wall instead of in between the bricks. And then I spent another 2 days waiting at home for someone to come and take care of the holes in my wall. (At least I have water though.) So, I decided that I couldn't stay at home and needed to work, so I'm stuck with some major holes in my walls and a landlord that says he will get to it when "he has time."

Secondly, Monday, the 8th, was Tabaski. It's a Muslim holiday where they sacrifice a sheep in honor of that story from the Bible where the sheep was sacrificed instead of the son. So because of this holiday, everyone stopped working for a week, and I spent 3 days going around visiting teachers, eating meat, and drinking tea. I took pictures and a video of Ousmane's sheep that he killed. It was interesting to watch and yummy to eat. Overall, it was a fun holiday and with it being so close after Thanksgiving, I really felt like I actually got to celebrate a bit of Thanksgiving with Mauritanians.

Oh, we Americans (with Ousmane) did celebrate Thanksgiving. It was an amazing feast full of food, fun, and movies.

A few side notes... I made octopus. It was a while ago now, but I finally got to putting the pictures up. It was WONDERFUL!! I liked it and was a good cook. Who knew.

On the same token, I went to the port and bought some fish, again. Though this time, because it was 8:30 in the morning and no one was really there, I couldn't find anyone to scale it or gut it for me. So.... I did it myself!! Yep!! Can you believe it! I scaled, ripped out the guts, cut off the head, cooked, and ate my own fish. It took me absolutely forever to do the fish, but I was so proud of myself that I actually did it. Ilhamdulliah!

Ok so here are some pics of the octopus, Thanksgiving, and Tabaski. I hope you enjoy them.

Wedding time!

2008-11-19T10:40:00.013-06:00

Don't worry. It wasn't my wedding! Just one I went to. Here are some pics from it and so that MLH's classes can view them, I'm putting them here. (Let me know if they don't work and I can change it up.)

Additionally, I have a video for you! It's some of the music and the dancing. One day, inshallah, I will dance like these ladies. I definitely danced my heart out, I just didn't look like this. ;)

** So I've tried 3 different days to upload this video. It keeps bumping me off and taking forever. So once I get internet back at my house I'll try and get it up. - sorry for the false excitement -

Randomness...

2008-11-18T07:50:00.005-06:00

For the first time last weekend, I went shopping for no need, no particular reason, just to enjoy shopping and see if I find anything I may want. Well, (to my surprise) it was fun! Up until now, shopping has been a pain in the a**. See the market here is like a huge rummage sale times 10. No prices are fixed, or marked for that matter. The type of stuff is sort of divided in areas: house wares, food, fabric, shoes, mulafa/boubou stores. But it’s a vague division and really, if you’re looking for something specific it isn’t always that easy to find, let alone do everything else needed to buy it. And because I am white, they think I have more money and can pay 3 to 10 times the “Mauritanian” price. And, this is all done in Hassaniya – or at least most of the time, I attempt to in hopes of getting a better price because they see I can speak the language a bit. So on this excursion, I bought a purse! And a blanket; this blanket doesn’t have ears though. ;) There is a Pulaar saying that there are two kinds of “blankets,” one with ears and one without. Sleeping alone at night is too cold, so you need a blanket, you’re choice which one. ;) It was a pleasure to me to actually enjoy shopping for once. There isn’t much “entertainment” other than the movies, books, coloring, and stuff at my house, so to find enjoyment in doing something outside my house was refreshing. I will be able to happily live here after all. Il hamdulilah!

The Mauritanian way of brushing your teeth is to take a stick like this one. First, you soften it up by wetting it with your spit and then you scrub away at your teeth, not too vigorously though! You scrape up and down like they do at the dentists office. Well, I was so excited that I got this mousowak stick that for two days straight I ‘cleaned’ my teeth. They have never felt so clean. It was great! However, the following day I woke up and couldn’t move my mouth! Everything hurt – my gums, my lips, my tongue, the insides of my cheeks. Yep that’s right, I cleaned my teeth so much I gave myself slivers and cut open the skin in my mouth. It was a painful experience. Who knew that a stick could actually do that! Now, I monitor and limit my stick cleaning. It still is a great invention though. I love it, but as with everything in life: moderation!

I am going to create – Inshallah – a resource library for the English teachers here. I will send more information about it later, but what I wanted to ask was that at rummage sales, or second-hand shops, if you find any English teaching books and you were interested in helping, to pick it up and get it to Dave or Steph. I am interested in anything that can provide the teachers with practice exercises, listening activities, and reading comprehension texts. Additionally, I am looking for novels for the teachers to read – fiction or nonfiction. This is going to be an extensive project, but I just wanted to start by asking you all to keep your eyes open for any cheap opportunities (UWW Library sale, rummages, Christmas sales…). Thanks in advance for any help you can provide and I’ll keep you up to date on this project. The teachers will greatly appreciate it since now, they are working with nothing but what’s in their head – no books, no cassettes, no documents, no guidance, but me.

So yep, thats it for now. This is a quick one because my internet has been down. I have a long list of information I want to share with you all. Little by little, you will see what it's like here! :)

What do you DO there?

2008-11-13T15:35:00.002-06:00

“Technically, what I will do depends on the needs and abilities of my community. In general, I will be helping teachers teach.” I remember saying that a bunch before I left, explaining my career choice. And you see, that response still applies and is accurate. I am helping the English teachers teach; exposing and introducing them to various methods and “Western” ways of teaching. Overall, I like it. As with anything there are good days and bad days and well, today is a bad day, but I will try to give you the most realistic explanation.

I started out in October meeting all the teachers. This I thought would be accomplished in a week, but just today I found out that two more teachers exist that I didn’t know about. You see, here in RIM, everything takes longer than you planned/expected/hoped and even imagined. So, technically, it’s taken me one and a half months to meet 15 people, and I still haven’t met two of them. Well.

Then I invited all the teachers (that I knew at that point – and then it was 10) over to my house for dinner. It was a hostess’ success! I convinced Katie (the health PCV here) to come help me cook so that I could meet and talk with the teachers. As I was explaining what I was going to do to my “mentor” (as I have decided to call him) Ousmane I realized that if my bash was going to be a Mauritanian success I HAD to serve tea. Well I have no idea how you do that, so I also convinced Ousmane’s wife Medina, to help me. So, with Katie, Medina, and me we were able to hold the first ever-English teachers of Nouadhibou meeting! Just think, had I not been here, they never may have known each other existed! ;)

The dinner was a total success. I spent the entire day, literally, in the kitchen preparing spaghetti and meatballs. I figured I would stick with something I knew well and would taste good. So after we ate on the floor, around large trays, then drank the required 3 cups of tea (hence the title of that book), we talked and I sent everyone home. It was a blast. I felt like I will actually be able to accomplish stuff here in NDB.

Step two was to get all the teachers schedules and then set up a time to observe them teach. As things run in RIM, the schedules of the teachers are still changing – just over (technically) one month into teaching. No wonder students never know when to show up.

I am currently in the process of doing step three – observations. I need to know what I am working with (assess what skills these teachers have and lack) before I can find where they need help. The observations have been going well. I am leery of being too negative that the teachers shut down to any suggestions I have. Therefore, I’m trying to tread lightly but at the same time not sugar coat anything too much. It’s a very risky, tricky, path to walk. All in all, I’m enjoying doing the observations. The classes here are so huge (30 – 60 students each), divided by sexes, and full of students who could really care less about their education. It’s hard to explain, but in such a poor country, if you want to pull yourself (and your family) out of poverty, the best way is through education. However, their parents don’t know that, or don’t instill that value, so it’s not only trying to help teachers teach, but helping show families and students the importance of a good education and especially the opportunities that knowing English can get them. We’ll see how it goes! Inshallah all will work out for the best. We’ll see.

My future projects consist of teaching workshops, an English teacher’s library, doing peer-observations, summer immersion camp for the students, summer lesson plan collaboration. So I just give myself weekly and daily goals that guide me towards the end project knowing that everything will take longer than expected but to try anyways and in the end it will come together.

I'm sick

2008-11-09T17:22:00.003-06:00

I meant to answer the infamous question "Jacque what do you DO there?" this weekend, but as fate would have it I got sick. I am still sick, but getting better. The best part of this sickness... its the FIRST time since I've been in RIM that my sickness has not required/caused me to run to the bathroom every 5 or 30 minutes. So that's a plus right!?!?

Does that mean I'm adapting to RIM? Inshallah.

Jacque can you hear me?

2008-11-04T10:56:00.002-06:00

Just wondering if anyone out there is reading this. If you have any things you would like to know about, or questions about my life here... BISMILIAH! (Basically, I welcome the questions.) I would love to hear from you! :)

Beauty at Night in NDB

2008-11-04T10:49:00.002-06:00

Sunsets of NDB

Click on the picture above to see more of what I get to see each night.

Photographic highlights from October

2008-11-01T18:37:00.002-05:00

Halloween Nouadhibou-style

2008-11-01T17:32:00.007-05:00

All Hollow’s Eve was celebrated in true American style. It was wonderful. I wore my Renaissance Fair outfit/costume, Sammy was a bee, Eli was a runner, Maylen was a white moor, and Phillip wore a boubou made out of a tablecloth. Mike and Katie were Americans and Mike found a MILWAUKEE, WI brewery shirt here, in Nouadhibou, Mauritania!!!! Now that is some serious Wisconsin presence in the world. Yeah beer!

Our festivities ranged from HAMBURGERS, bobbing for apples, The Simpson’s Halloween special, French fries, drinking, talking, card fortune telling, and great times. The best part is we got a cake. Yep, that’s right, we have bakeries here in NDB that make cakes – along with many other scrumdidlyumptious goodies that many would wish to get their hands on. So the bakery has a 50% success rate : it successfully wrote “Happy Halloween” on the cake, however when asked to make the frosting orange and black, they failed. We ended up with a blue and pink cake. How does that even remotely match up? Either way, the flavor, fluffiness, and heavenliness were 100%.

And if you thought our party ended there, nope. We all slept over at the party (at Mike and Katie’s). Waking up to the smell of pancakes is something I experienced in the States. However, yesterday, I woke up to pancakes! It was so wonderful. We put some smiley faces on them, then covered them with a caramelized apple glaze. Heaven! Something as simple as pancakes has never tasted SO good. It was a grand fete in true elegant style.

*Additionally, for your information, here are links to the blogs of Mike and Katie, and Eli – they are my site mates here in NDB. If you combine everything they put up with what I get up, that is what a blog with regular, fast Internet would look like. So Bismilliah.

Ilhamdulliah!!!

2008-10-31T15:02:00.003-05:00

So I finally have Internet in my place! This means I will be able to post here way more often and keep you all up to date on what's going on. A preview of the things I want to talk about: my journey to the port, the poor presant left in front of my door, an insight into NDB, and much more!

Heading out to dinner now, but I'll write more later. ;)

NDB constantly has beautiful sunsets - here's one of them.

And the winner is...

2008-10-02T05:06:00.001-05:00

Tammy! YEAH!!! Congrats. You know your Beatles history. The song is "Blackbird."

A day in the life...

2008-09-26T07:57:00.002-05:00

So it’s been a few days now and I’m sure you are all dying to hear from me again! :) Well, you’re in luck because I am dying to tell you more about my life here in Nouadhibou, Mauritania West Africa with the United States Peace Corps.

I have officially “settled in” to my house. I have most everything I need and I have scrubbed all of the floors and walls so that they are sparkling clean. A typical day here isn’t really that eventful. Generally, (as long as I am not hurt) I wake up at 7:15 and meet the other PCVs to go for a morning jog at 7:20. I have missed the last few days because I got a half-dollar size blister on my foot from Senegalese dancing. It’s even on the same foot that I sprained my ankle.

Once that is done, or shortly after if I don’t jog, I go to the boutique right next to my house. There I attempt to practice my Hassaniya and say all the greetings I know. After I exhaust those, the boutique man – Mahmoud – then asks me how I am, again. I respond and after a bit, we get to the fact that I want bread – Aane ndewr mburru wahid. Then we smile, I say thank you, and I go home. Sometimes he comments on my mulafa (the Arab veil) wearing, sometimes I say I just did sports (cause I don’t know how to say running), and sometimes we talk about the weather or Ramadan. It’s usually a good introduction to my morning.

Making breakfast has been exciting. The last few days I have been adding coffee to my morning bread and I like it. I still need to figure out the correct way to make it – I’ve been adding too much water and not enough cream. Sometimes I have some eggs too. It’s been very good.

After breakfast, I have the option of finding something to do. Because I’m not working yet, there isn’t a whole lot to do. I usually watch some episodes of “The Office” or a movie. Then I get dressed and if I feel like it head into town. There, I’ll walk around the market, go to the PC Office and use the internet, or hang out with the PCVs who live in town. Then I figure out what I’m going to do for lunch. It’s usually some veggies and rice, or veggies and noodles. I’ve come pretty accustomed to taking a nap at some point during the day – and sometimes two or three. So after eating, I take a nap, read a book, or watch a movie. It’s been pretty eventful. I convince myself I need to do something during the day, so I sweep a floor, wash some dishes, or do some laundry.

And that gets me to the early evening. I usually go and visit my apartment manager – I think that’s what he’s called. He teaches English, French, Spanish, and computers at the institute right next to my house. We sit and talk. It’s fun; it’s usually my integration for the day. On Mondays and Thursdays, I go Senegalese dancing for an hour. I love it! In the evening, the other PCVs and I usually get together and do something for dinner. We either go out to eat or go over to someone’s house and eat.

My days right now are really uneventful. I do a whole lot of nothing. What I need to start doing though is walking around my neighborhood more. Once I start working, I will be going to the DREN’s office every morning and in the afternoons I hope to meet with teachers and get to know them. Overtime we will work on English and methods of teaching. I will also be teaching an advanced adult English class at the Girls Mentoring Center.

On the weekends, (which are Friday and Saturday) I usually go to the beach. It gives me something to do.

And that’s basically it. Pretty exciting isn’t it? :) Spraining my ankle and then getting the huge blister have slightly put a damper in my event making. My blister is doing pretty good, I think, so I hope to be able to go running tomorrow and then go walking around the town. Taxi drivers are always fun to talk to. It’s always a great way to practice Hassaniya and explain why I’m not married, why I don’t have kids, and why I’m not looking for a husband.

I have a trivia question for those who want to play: Which Beatles song, originally on their White Album, has the refrain, “You were only waiting for this moment to arise”?

Ramadan in Nouadhibou

2008-09-14T09:31:00.003-05:00

To break fast is a concept I am totally new to. It has been interesting. No one eats or drinks from sun up to sun down. I have attempted to do this a few times, but I do not last. Nevertheless, I still break fast with families.

The first time was an experience. The sun sets around 7:30 pm so we got to the familie's home around 7:20. Sitting out were plates filled with dates, crepes, popcorn, and bottles of soda and water. Everyone was sitting (on the floor of course) patiently waiting staring at the food. The call to prayer fromt the surrounding mosques allowed us to dig-in and enjoy. The dates are so good! They are mushy and soft. I think they are partially dried or something along with candied a bit. We dip them in a milk-like yoghurt substance. Heavenly. Then we drink. We drink coffee, water, soda, and my personal favorite zrig. Zrig consists of water, sugar, powdered milk, and heavy cream. Yummy!!! So we bouffe our faces for about 10 minutes eating this "breakfast."

Now that everyone has had enough food to recharge themselves everyone rests for a bit, praising the fact that they made it through another day of fasting. Then around 9p we have a tajine. That is a snack that will get us through until "lunch," which is served between 11:30 pm and 2:00 am. For a tajine, there are many options. Some of the ones I've had that are common are a millet-like soup, a vegetable tray with bread, or fried onions with fish. They are all very good. At this occasion, we ate the following: fried onions and calamari that you scoop up with bread. You put a little mayo on top and voila! Yummy. So at this point, we're all getting tired. We chat a bit, and then slowly one by one we doze off. I don't doze off, I fall fast asleep - completely knocked out. I was so tired.

At 2 am, the family so nicely woke us up. It was time to eat one of my favorite dishes here.... marru we il huit / chebujin / fish and rice!! Who knew I would start to crave such a dish. It's served on a big platter. Everyone sits around it and with thier right hand dis in and makes balls with the rice and then plop it into the mouth. There's the rice, but on top, there is fish, carrots, eggplant, potatoes, turnip, cabbage, squash, and some others that I don't know what they are. To those that know me, you would be so proud, cause I eat it ALL! Yep, I do. So we eat, half asleep, this yummy food. We drink some more water and soda. Every time you think you may be done eating, you get another "ewkli" (eat)! Its fun to tell others to eat, but it's an art form to stop eating when you want, on your terms.

We give huge thank yous to the famil and head off to find a taxi at 3 in the morning. Surprisingly, maahi mushkile - no problem. Being in an Islamic country has its perks in that part of Islam states that you should help foreigners because they are so far away from their family and they are in need of your assistance. Yeah!

And that my friend is how you break fast. Tiring, fun, and filling.

I made it!

2008-09-03T11:59:00.004-05:00

It's official. I am an official Peace Corps Volunteer in Nouadhibou, Mauritania! Who knew it would happen so quickly.

We had a talent show again. This time I did a step routine with some of my friends. It was pretty pimp let me tell you. We ghettoed ourselves out as much as we could and rocked it like 'Stomp the Yard!'

The ceremony went really well. My speech started off in typical Jacque fashion- I broke the light on the podium. Then got a picture with the US Ambassador to RIM. Felt pretty important standing next to him. ;)

Moving to Nouadhibou has been.... challenging. I really miss all the close friends I've made. It's so hard not seeing them. It makes me realize more what I'm doing. I finally found a place. It is pretty SWEET!!! I have 2 bedrooms, a bathroom (with a toilet, bidet, and bathtub), a salon, a kitchen, and a terrace on my roof that has an enclosed shelter thing. It is so pimp. I'm quite excited to move in. I am still waiting for water so that I can clean the place and then let it all fall into place. Inshallah.
It's a totally different ball game up here. It is so different from the rest of RIM and I feel so isolated from everyone. Additionally, we cannot travel until December, so it's even harder to see my friends.
I smell. I ran out of deoderint and the kind they have here is aerosol (ie gross). Plus I'm waiting to wash my clothes until I move in so I don't have to unpack, repack, and move everything multiple times. Luckily I don't have to 'work' right now. I just have to work on getting to know my community. And from what I can tell, they smell so we are on the same page!! yeah!

I put pictures online, HERE I hope you all enjoy them. There are SO many more but it takes too long to get them all online. So enjoy what you have and know that later there will be more. And per request, there are pics of my henna.

I’m almost there…

2008-08-25T10:16:00.000-05:00

I’m almost there…Can you believe it? It’s already been two months and in a few short days, I will officially be a Peace Corps Volunteer – assuming I pass my language test. It has been an amazing ride so far. There have been a lot of ups and downs, and all arounds but wonderful nonetheless. Some of the highlights:

During model school, I taught the adults English. It actually went really well and gave me some good insight into ways that I will be able to teach, observe, lesson plan, and do my thing during my service here. Everyday we taught, planned, observed, and then in the afternoon took language classes. It was tiring to say the least.

For the Swear-in Ceremony, I was chosen to read the French version! I am pretty excited. It’s a pretty honor and a pretty big responsibility, so the fact that I got it is…. well, what were they thinking!?!? I don’t know if I have enough skills to adequately do the job. Hopefully I won’t drop the ball like I did with the talent show…

My family henna-ed me. I got henna on my hands and feet. It’s beautiful! I was done with lunch and going to leave, when my mom came over and was like “Mariam, you must get henna on your hands and feet!” So my brother drove me to the henna people’s house, dropped me off, and left. I ate lunch for a second time and then sat for 2 hours while they beautified my hands and feet. The girls then left me alone at their house. My brother came and picked me up, took me to my house, and there I sat some more with bags on my hands and feet. After another 3 hours, I took the stuff off and now have some beautiful hands and feet that don’t show the dirt! It’s exciting.

That’s all the updates I’m going to give you for now. More will come later though ;) Hopefully some pictures will be with it.

You will never believe this...

2008-07-26T12:40:00.003-05:00

but I actually have sat infront of a computer for more than 20 minutes now just to put pictures online for you all. I guess being forced to stay next to a toilet makes you slow down for a bit. So yep, I did it... I put some pictures online for you all. I tried to get just the "best of" cause there are SO many! Enjoy!

CLICK HERE to see the pictures.

Nouadhibou here I COME!!

2008-07-24T15:53:00.003-05:00

So its official!!!! I'm going to be spending my two years service in the PIMPEST city ever in Mauritania... Nouadhibou! It is sweet! I'm spending a week there now, eating Mexican, Chinese, ice cream, and beer. I have toilets, a sweet climate, and the time of my life ahead of me!!!

I'm sick. I got the toubob disease... which means shitting a lot, or moreso all the time.

Rosso has been great! My hassinya is going along. It's a hard language to learn. I have 4 more weeks in Rosso, 3 with the family and 1 at the PC center. We are leaving NDB (Nouadhibou) on Monday then we'll be at the center for a few days where.... we'll have a talent show again!!! And yours truly will be hosting it. I'm pretty excited!

Ok well I need to run to the toilet, again. More later :)

Day 2 with a RIM family

2008-06-28T12:23:00.002-05:00

So last night I was dropped off at my family where I will be living for 3 months. They gave me a new name: Mariam. Its been going pretty good. A lot of.... I dont understand!!!!! My 'dad' has 2 or 3 wives. Still not sure on that one. I have a bunch of sisters and brothers, they all seem really nice.

I start language classes tomorrow - I'm learning hassaniya - a form of arabic. That will make things go over much better cause they're getting sick of me not understanding.

The last night at the center was wonderful. We did some dancing, eating, talking, and.... HAD A TALLENT SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I have become amazing on the harmonica. Four of us PCTs did a little song... it was so cool!!

So yep, times running out and I'm gonna go. Miss you all tons and can't wait to hear from you!

From the hot HOT hot and SANDY town of Rosso.

Arm wrestle anyone?!?

2008-06-23T14:38:00.005-05:00

As we all have been sitting around and talking, learning, discussing, eating, and relaxing, I got to work on my serious muscles skills!

Lets start out at the very beginning, a very good place to start.... there is sand everywhere. And its really really hot. To tolerate the heat we all sit around outside (much cooler than in a building) underneath a big tent. The breeze comes through, brings some comfort and sand. Under the tent are beach-like mats spread out all over the place. Then on top of those are placed thin mattresses to add comfort. A center pole and rope on the edges keeps the huge tent/canvas up. I was discussing life with a language teacher and we were talking in French of course. Talking about how strong and forward American women are.

Well, we got talking and before we knew it, the teacher and another PCT were arm wrestling. 1, 2, 3 allez! c'est parti! .... One led to another and about 5 or 6 guys wrestled each other. It was hysterical!!! Then I got thrown into the mess. Yep that's right. I began arm wrestling, even with conservative men. TWICE!!! I touched their hands. I won once and tied the second time because the guy cheated and left. Guess I forgot to step back a bit and maintain their manly-hood.

So yep, I arm wrestled in RIM. It was a blast. As for the rest of it all, everything has been great. I'm having a blast and everyone is really nice. I did get a phone, but....I don't have it with me now so I don't remember the number. I am going to live with a family for 3 weeks on Friday. I will get the number before then.

From the sandy, hot, sandy, hot, sandy, sandy, hot, tea filled sandless beaches of Mauritania, West Africa.... votre belle soeur jacque

Hot-Lanta!

2008-06-18T18:19:00.002-05:00

Boy is it ever hot here! .... and if I think this is hot, how am I going to survive the heat in RIM?!?! At least it's a dry heat - at least that's what they keep telling me.

Rocking it out with all the PCTs has been wonderful! We are going to have some great times ahead. Can't wait.

Next time you hear from me.... I'll be an ocean away and in MAURITANIA!!!! (Trying to survive the heat)

Slip-n-slide

2008-06-08T07:51:00.007-05:00

It's been raining here in WI quite a bit the last few days. We have had regular t-storm warnings, wind warnings, tornado warnings (and watches), and flash flood warnings. Yesterday, my mom's birthday, was extremely hot and humid. I felt as if I were sitting in a sauna and couldn't get out of it. I kept telling myself, deal with it, be flexible, you're gonna be hot in RIM. So I sat and dealt with it. Tried not to complain too much. Took it in. Luckily, to my aid, rain came in and cooled it off. Well this time, it was a LOT of rain. Dave, Steph, Mom and I sat on the porch watching the clouds throw buckets of rain onto the ground. It was beautiful.

All this rain only means that we have to go out in it!! Despite all the tornadic activity around us, Stephanie and I put on our 'rain clothes' and jumped outside. (Tornadic by the way is the new word I learned watching the weather men scramble and fight for airtime as they update us about the weather).

Before going outside we looked like this:

Once outside our frolicking took over...

Then the best part.... SLIP-N-SLIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We ran and slid head-first into puddles of water. It was awesome!!!!!!!

It was like we were little kids again. So much fun!

The end result of rain, sticks, mud, and wood chips:

We took our showers in the overfill from the rain gutters. Got all the dirt off. And... laughed our socks off!

It was a blast! So the next time you see a rain storm, maybe you should throw on some old clothes and go play in it. Who knows, you too could have the time of your life feeling like a kid.

Fort Atkinson Rendezvous

2008-05-31T18:00:00.003-05:00

Over Memorial Day weekend, I had my last rendezvous for a few years. Its a time when, with family and friends we get together, and have a WONDERFUL time.

A rendezvous is a form of reenactment where we live, sleep, cook, dress, and act (or attempt to) like they did during the 1700s. We sleep in tents, cook over an open fire, and wear Old World Wisconsin-like clothing. It is always wicked awesome.

This year, I seamed to be the butt of ALL jokes. It's ok. I know it's cause I'm loved and everyone is going to miss me so much that they had to pick on me as much as possible to make up for (in reverse) the time that will be lost.

One night, while sitting by the fire, I found the perfect footstool. It was the perfect height and was very comfortable. I didn't want it thrown in the fire, so I told everyone about it and well, my stump became the main source of picking on me. I'm not going to name who, but 'someone' took my stump and hid it, multiple times! This became a regular occurrence and there was a point where I even 'informed' everyone that if they didn't return my stump I wasn't going to share the cigars I got from Amsterdam. Well, I got my stump back after a while, and we smoked the Amsterdam cigars. Needless to say, I still took the stump with me to bed...

On Saturday, we went to a tea party. This was the first I had been to at a RV but it was so much fun. We attempted to be proper, respectful ladies. [I knew that book Katie got me a while ago "How to be a Lady" was gonna be beneficial.] At tea, you always have four different types of food: something lemon, something chocolate, something spicy, and something red. We didn't know this and brought some snacks along, but it was well accepted. :) I learned a lot and had a blast.

Delaney practiced her French. She's doing very well. AND she's going to go to Africa with me!... Just like she's going to get her nosed pierced! ;) ;) "Just like Jacque!!!" She can now say "J'ai trois ans" (I'm 3). She makes it sound kinda like something naughty though, or maybe its just the dirty minds who thought that ;) Either way, its just in time for her to turn 4!

Everything was so much fun! We figured out the best way to organize our kitchen, too bad I won't be there to use it again for a while. I was warm every single night I slept - figured out the key is to have a blanket underneath the mattress as well. My cousins Eric and Amanda even came and enjoyed the outdoors for a weekend. I got a little taste of what it'll be like in RIM, but without a doubt I am going to miss these Rendezvous. For all the pictures, just go HERE.

Ashland

2008-05-31T16:22:00.008-05:00

Ashland was a great time. We rocked it by starting with a 10 hour car ride up. It was a blast! Some of the highlights:

- Relaxing with Louise almost all day, doing nothing but talking, sitting, and vegging. It was great.

- Playing cards, and dice, with Auntie Inez. She still has some amazing skills and still is ever so sweet.

- Riding a horse named Silent. He decided to trot and then canter while I was on him. This was by his choice, not mine. Could I ever tell I haven't done that in a while. Then this horsie was working on his speaking abilities.

- Chatting with the girls. Having some hysterical, great, relaxing, funny, and fun times moving our mouths.

- Playing a mad game of kickball, Vernon style. I ran around in a skirt, but still had a wicked time. Todd however, decided he'd hurt my pinkie. I jammed it so bad it turned purple and I couldn't bend it for a week. It still hurts, but I'm surviving. This was just proof that I can't go anywhere without having something bad happen to me.

- Going to an amazing church service where I heard a lady talk about missionary work in Liberia, West Africa through "Acres of Hope." It touched me.

So all in all, I had an awesome time. I truly am going to miss everyone dearly. I got and gave some big hugs which are going to have to last a while. ;) THE REST OF THE PICTURES FROM ASHLAND ARE HERE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM.

p.s. - We watched a really good movie. It's called "August Rush." If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it.

European pictures

2008-05-26T20:30:00.013-05:00

Well I've finally got some of the pictures from Europe online. All of the pictures are from Berenice's camera. As for Barcelona here are some of the highlights.Our beautiful handmade rings ... made from forks!Surfing into the ocean....

and the rest of the Barcelona pictures are here.

As for the Ireland pictures, Berenice's camera ran out of batteries and they use different plugs in Ireland so she couldn't charge the battery. However, we still had a great time..... wait... What time is it?

It's Guinness TIME!!!!

There were beautiful doors everywhere:

For the rest of the Ireland pictures, go here.

And the pictures from Montpellier, France where Berenice grew up...

Rocking it in the bamboo garden.

And chilling at the beach!

The rest of these pictures are here

I'm still working on the pictures from England and Belgium. Here are a few that I have already or Tore and me.

Hope you all enjoy all the pics!

Back to the days when...

2008-05-13T21:06:00.004-05:00

I spent time during the summer up north, in Ashland. Thursday, my cousin KT and I are heading up to Ashland! We're gonna be up there until Tuesday.

The absolute best part will be seeing family and playing some intense card games, hopefully late into the night. Those were the days...

As a side note, I am still working on getting the pictures up from Europe. I can't believe how busy I've been. I've downloaded most of the pictures, now I just have to upload them to my website. As for the Belgium and England pictures, they'll take a bit longer cause I'll be mailed a CD. Patience... is a virtue!

Peace to all and to all a good night!

Sickness.... again

2008-05-07T07:51:00.003-05:00

So I am still sick, or sick again however you want to look at it. My throat is huge, my body aches, and I have a terrible cough. When will this stop?!?! Is this a sign that I need to get health insurance?

I'm gonna try and get some rest and relaxation cause on top of this, I still have jet leg and am not sleeping well at night at all.

The Highlights….. of my European Vacation

2008-05-06T20:05:00.002-05:00

Montpellier, France:
One of the days for lunch, B and I decided to have ice cream for lunch instead of a healthy, substantial meal. It was delicious. It came in a huge glass cup with chocolate syrup pouring all over. There was vanilla yoghurt and chocolate ice cream. A dollop of whipped cream sat on top of it all. It was pure bliss!
On Tuesday the 15th of April, the sun was shining and it seemed like a perfect day to… go to the beach! We made some of the best sandwiches: Brie, avocado and Prosciutto on a baguette. Yumm… so off to the beach we went. Once we finally found the sand, we sat down, had lunch, and relaxed. There were too many seashells in the sand so we found another lot of sand and camped out there all day. I relaxed and slept while Berenice worked on her homework. I guess I snored a bit too. I kept waking myself up because I heard myself snore. What bliss! ;) We stuck our toes in the Mediterranean, but it was extremely cold so it was only for a short bit. We both left looking like lobsters fearing the pain that was to come. Luck must have been on my side because I did not hurt, but I did sleep very well that night from such a strenuous day of being out in the sun. ;)

Carcassonne, France:
This is where our plane left from to go to Ireland. On our way home it was extremely warm. We spent Sunday morning at a café playing cards and drinking tea. I wish the café experience existed in the States like it does in Europe.

Dublin, Ireland:
Our weekend get-a-way destination provided us with every type of weather we could and couldn’t expect. We’ve named the weather here as the bi-polar child of Europe. All in one day it was so sunny you didn’t need a coat, it sprinkled, pored, thundered, was extremely sunny, hailed, was cloudy, and the temperature dropped so low you could see your breath. ALL IN ONE DAY! I have never been somewhere with such crazy weather. It truly was bi-polar.
Friday evening we went to a comedy club. It was constant laughing from the pit of my stomach. Great comedy. I can’t remember all or even some of the jokes, but here is my favorite: so you know how girls react when they see a baby? They lock their eyes on them, run over, and talk baby talk and get googly. When they do this, there is no negative reaction from men, just acceptance. Guys however, when they see a woman with beautiful boobs, all they do is take a quick look out of the corner of their eyes. They don’t even turn their head. But what do they get? A huge smack across the head from the women. …. What if men started reacting to boobs the way women react to babies? Men would run over to the boobs, shove their faces between them, and do a motorboat or give a raspberry kiss. FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!! (it sounds better in person)
Saturday we went on the Guinness Brew House tour. There were 9 stories, 7 of which were dedicated to the history and production of Guinness beer. I’ve never learned so much about how beer is made and the advertising history of Guinness. It was very cool. … The best part, we got to pour our own pint of beer! We even got a certificate saying we pour the perfect pint. If anyone is in need of a bartender, I think I now qualify! The experience was so awesome we couldn’t leave with nothing, so we washed out our cups and took them home. I now have a beautiful Guinness glass!

Besançon, France:
Ahh… the city I love. It was a typical day in Besançon. I loved it! We had breakfast at a café, walked up to the Cittadelle, and got lost in a bookstore. I found some wonderful French books. To walk where I had walked 2 years ago was surreal. La Boîte à Sandwich, the BEST restaurant in town, was closed for a few days due to illness. NO!!!!!!!!!! I almost cried.

Surrey, England:
To get to England, we took a coach bus. But how did we get across the water? By train of course! The bus drove right onto the train, parked, and off we went, under the water in the tunnel. How cool is that!
I spent a week at an adventure camp (like a ropes and challenge camp) with 44 children in 4th grade. The other teachers on the trip we amazing! There was Elodie of course, then also Mr. T (a Sicilian-American living in Belgium), Mr. C (a 4th grade English teacher who thinks he’s wicked), and Miss Nathalie (a 3rd grade English teacher). From the beginning we all loved hanging out with each other. It was WICKED awesome!!!!!!!!!! We ate potatoes at every lunch and dinner and properly used our teacher status when it was beneficial along with the phrase “because I said so!” These were some GREAT people and great times!! Most nights after the kids were ‘in bed,’ us teachers hung out; I have NEVER had so many nights of gut-breaking laughs in a row. Constant laughing and laughing so hard you cry = good times.
I did three of the activities that the kids did. The “Giant Swing,” “Zip Wire” and “Power Fan.” All consisted of me being in a harness, high up in the air, and falling down in some fashion or another. I screamed, quite a bit and quite loud. The kids in my group enjoyed me being afraid.
We took a day trip to London. Saw the changing of the guards, Big Ben, the London Gate Bridge… all of the famous sites. The hardest part was driving on the ‘wrong side’ of the road! It’s even weirder when there are round-abouts or your walking and trying to cross the streets. Near misses with cars multiple times.

Liège, Belgium:
Élodie’s town!!! The best part of course was chilling with my best friend who I haven’t seen in 2 ½ years. Reminiscing about high school and the past…. peel banana!! What fun! Spent Sunday evening at Elodie’s parents house. Eating, talking, debating, laughing, and drinking. It felt like a home away from home! I had real conversations in French, kept up with the conversation, and ‘made an impact’ on what was said – all major steps in language learning! It was such a wicked awesome time!!!!
Spent some wonderful days around the city with Tore and Elodie. The “little polish man” shot kicked me in the butt. A park is a wonderful place to spend afternoons! ;) Found some cheese to smuggle home. And went to the Waha Immersion School to see how Belgian school is conducted. It was a wonderful time!!
I got sick. My throat was covered with white, black, red, and green spots. This was way worse that Strep throat. I went to the doctor, paid 30 euros, and got some prescriptions. I paid 30 euros for the medications and within 2 days, I was back to normal. Yeah for social health care.

… in the end, it was an amazing journey. There is so much more that happened and if you want to know I’ll tell you.

It was a long journey

2008-05-03T05:49:00.003-05:00

Europe was a long journey... I met some great people, had some great times, and made some amazing memories. More to come later!

First weekend back in Europe

2008-04-08T07:14:00.003-05:00

So I figured I would start with the good stuff before I get to the bad stuff. My flight to Amsterdam started out bad. The lady next to me threw up all over the seats, but none on me. So I got bumped up to... business class. (It wasnt as good as first class, but it was still better!)

Bumming around in Amsterdam was cool. Grandma, I saw some windmills and even took pictures of them. I was a good girl and simply wandered the streets. I did see a street performer. He was the best I had ever seen and was even inclined to pay him.

The flight to Barcelona went well. Sat next to a cute guy from Germany. Slept in the airport. It was a good thing I brought my sleeping bag cause I just pulled that out and slept. Friday morning I went into town to wait for B. (B is short for Berenice.) The cute guy stayed in the airport too and then we both took the same bus and metro into the city. It was kinda cool.

Once B and I met up, we wandered around Barcelona on Friday. It was relaxed but a lot of walking. We walked to the beach, watched people, and ate real cheep! It was fun. I took a lot of cool pics on my camera, which are gone. :(

Saturday came and we went to Park Guel, which the architect Gaudi did. We found a guy making rings out of FORKS!!! It was the coolest thing I had seen in a long time so I got one. B did too. They rock. Saturday night we went out and we both made it back safely and happily into our own beds. While out though I met some guys from where else other than.... MAURITANIA!!!!!! I got their emails and am sure I will see them at some point during the 2 years I'll be in RIM. So very exciting!!!

Sunday, we went to the Chocolate Museum because it was free. Then had a picnic in a plaza. This is where the shit hits the fan...

B and I were sitting on a bench eating and talking. I had my purse next to me as did B. This guy came up to B and asked if we had money to make a phone call. We both looked at him saying no. Then about 5 to 10 minutes later when we were ready to leave, my purse was gone. Yep, there was an accomplice who took my purse while I was looking away. What assholes!

So then started the freak out process. We walked around looking for my purse. Couldn't find it. Realised that EVERYTHING was in it. (We were leaving shortly to go back to France so I had it with me because our bags were left out at the hostel). My passport, ALL my money, my credit card, my debit card, my i pod, my drivers liscense, my student ID, my camera, my memory cards for my camera, my USB key (the big one for the PC), all my addresses and contact information, my deck of cards, all my reservation/confirmation numbers, my money belt, and my chapstick was in that purse. EVERYTHING was gone.

So I called home and thanks to some great people got my monetary accounts figured out. Then we went to the hostel to see what needed to be done. They said to go to the police. So we did. They were actually really nice. Then found out we had to go to the Embassy, which was closed cause it was Sunday. So we stayed another night. By Sunday night I was accepting the fact that I had gotten everything stollen. Then I realised my ipod was gone too. Punta madre!!!!!!!! I was gonna use that to study for the PC with the langauges I need to learn. Another blow. At this point, going to bed is the only thing that was going to bring me sanity.

Monday came stopped back at the police station to add the ipod to my report. Then we went to the Embassy. It took us a while to figure out where it was, but once we got there, they did not want to accept a printout of the information that the hostel had taken of my passport. It was the ONLY piece of anything saying who I was. After a bit they accepted it, and I began the process of paying $100 to get an emergency passport.

Surprisenly it only took about 1.5 hours when all was said and done. That was a relief!

We spent the day wandering around town waiting until our train left.

B and I officially made it back to Montpellier France without any problems. Now, it's just a matter of dealing with the rain and having only a bit of money.

.....
So I know this all happened for a reason. What that reason is I am unaware of now. I knew before that I needed patience and flexibility for the PC. Was this a test of that? Or maybe, was it forcing me to be even more safe? I knew to watch out for pickpocketers and have been very careful in my travels. Then why did this happen?

The Beatles said it really well: "I wish I could be, in the sea, in an octopus' garden." or even "I've seen better days.... o I believe in yesterday." and also "help! I need somebody. Help! I need anybody."

So I'm in Montpellier with B until Friday when we go to Ireland.

PS> now there will be no gifts, no pics, and no letters (unless you send me your snail mail address). So email, this blog, and my memories will be what I have to share with y'all!

Barcelona hates me too!

2008-04-07T01:07:00.003-05:00

so this is just a quick one, but i got my passport, i pod, camera, usb key, AND about $500 stollen. it sucks balls!!! i now have to figure out everything i have to do. i will let you guys know more later. we are going to the embassy today.

The higher powers that be have decided I should no longer drive

2008-03-29T22:31:00.006-05:00

It has come to my attention today, that I am not meant to drive. I am a human and therefore I should be walking, riding a bike, or taking public transit everywhere I go. I got into another accident today. It was the first one with another car. Each other time (luckily only 2 of them) I hit a deer. Or should I say, the deer hit me. (At least I got my first buck that way!) And yep, it was my fault. The putz of a driver in front of me started to turn right, I was following him, and he had plenty of room. Since he started to go, I thought he would keep going, so I went as well while checking the oncoming traffic. Well, he decided to stop, and thus I hit him.

I hate driving!!! If it's not speeding tickets, then it's deer. And if its neither of those, then it's other cars. Seriously, I have been driving very cautiously since I got back from France and yet I still get the bad karma. Thus it is with great pleasure that I renounce my driving skills and gladly avoid all chances and opportunities to drive.

Ahhh snow... how I love thee

2008-03-22T18:48:00.004-05:00

Let me count the ways....

I love the way you destroy my car

I love the way you make driving an adventure

I love the way you let me shovel you around

I love the way I can't escape thee in Wisconsin

I love the way you pile upon the trees

I love the way you keep me cold

I love the way you dirty my clothes and shoes

But most of all I love the way I won't have to live with you for two years, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all!!!

Boredom

2008-03-18T21:57:00.003-05:00

So I have come to the point where I am so excited and overwhelmed to go to Europe that everything I have 'to do' seems irrelevant and I have become bored. This is basically a self-inflicted state because I don't want to do anything but be in Europe. So I sit and wait, getting bored waiting.

The universe will reward you for taking risks on its behalf.

The risks I plan to take in the short coming months: live extremely frugally, avoid health insurance payments even if that could create an issue later, strive for excellence in my life, travel around Europe, sleep in an airport and possibly some train stations, open up to those who enter my life, redefine myself to be someone who is respectful, honest, considerate, and sincere; trust others even when it may not seem the most 'logical' thing to do, and of course, join the Peace Corps and travel to Mauritania.

à+

Europe...

2008-03-12T20:57:00.003-05:00

So the European itinerary is set. I'm going to: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Montpellier, Dublin, Carcassonne, back to Montpellier, Besançon, train through Paris, Liège, London, and back to Liège!!!! WOW!!! When I planned to go to Europe for a month, I was just going to chill in Montpellier, Besançon, and Liège. Well, as we say that got shot to shit. But its SOOOO exciting! I am extremely lucky to be able to do this. I really am. Granted, I will be eating a lot of bread and cheese (with some meat for protein) but the main joy will come in just being there. I plan to load up like no other on pictures. - I have to take something home with me because I know I won't have any money to buy anything. I also am very blessed to have great friends who want me to spend time with them. So thank you ;)

Well, at this point it's just under 3 weeks until I go. I plan to do some writing here about what I'm doing. And also re-assuring everyone I am alive and well.

As for the PC, less that 100 days left. That's crazy. And really soon. So if you wanna hang out with me or spend some quality time with your favorite girl, just give me a jingle and we'll have a blast. (Just ask my mom to see if she had fun)

And in closing, "may you never take one single breath for granted."

Staging

2008-03-02T08:07:00.002-06:00

So we all just got an email from PC Headquarters.... staging will take place in Atlanta, Georgia! None of us were expecting this. Staging had previously been in Philly and we were all anticipating that. I guess it's better this way because there is a flight directly from Atlanta to Dakar. Then there will be no lay-overs and baggage troubles. And we will arrive in Atlanta on June 17th.

Also, I have been talking a lot with fellow invitees and I am getting SOOOO excited!!! I can't believe it's only a short 3 months away. It's crazy, but exciting. I have so much stuff I want to get done before I go.... sewing, packing, cards, camping, spending time with family and friends.... Not to mention in one month I leave for Europe!!! Heck yeah!

Well I'm going to go spend my day relaxing and watching tv. It's one of the few days that life presents me with nothing to do so I am taking full advantage of it!

Party Time

2008-02-24T10:35:00.002-06:00

So I figured since I'd be going away for a while I should have a big shindig. So if you wanna say bon voyage and good luck, you should keep Saturday June 14th open. More details to come, but it should be a blast!

Europe here I come!

2008-02-05T12:33:00.000-06:00

So it's official! I will be spending the ENTIRE month of April wandering around Europe - Barcelona, France, and Belgium more specifically. I leave on the 2nd and come back on May 1st.

The plan: first weekend in Barcelona, then relax in Montpellier with Berenice, do a few african dance workshops (hopefully one with Mamadou Diallo!), re-visit Besançon, and visit Elodie in Belgium. Additionally, I may go visit some other friends, or do some individual traveling, we'll see where the road takes me!

Until then... substituting, organizing my stuff, doing some major sewing, and well relaxing!!

Bienvenue

2008-01-13T08:33:00.001-06:00

Hello all and welcome to my blog. I have set this up as a means of communication for my time spent around the world. The plan is to keep you all informed about my adventures and to have a record of what happened. Hopefully you will enjoy it!

Take care et à la prochaine!