Helping the children?!!

December, January, and February are exciting months for us Mauritanian volunteers, and all of the socializing left me with little computer time. There's a distinct contrast between the long, monotonous days at site and the busy days that I spend in Kaedi or Nouakchott or Senegal. It wasn't until these past few weeks at site that I actually began to appreciate my time in M'Bout and the home that I'm making for myself there. I took some photos of my host family, and I'll try to post those soon.
I've been thinking about this post for the past week and about what I could write that would help all of my friends and family get a better grasp on my life here. Recently, I've realized that I fear Mauritanian children. Imagine that you're walking down the street alone, minding your own business, and when you turn the corner, you see a group of ten-year-olds up ahead. You look for another street, but they're between you and your destination. You HAVE to pass by them. Seven months ago, I would have thought, "Ah, cute," but living in Mauritania has changed that. Now, my heart rate picks up, my palms start to sweat, and I start humming to myself (a nervous habit), all the while getting closer and closer to the children. Groups of children are frightening: they're unpredictable, they outnumber you, and they have the freedom to act outside of social constraints. Every child in M'Bout knows my name and shouts it out (usually after I pass them), sometimes they ask me for money, and sometimes they scream "nassraniya" (white girl) and dance (not kidding). And then just when you think you can write off all Mauritanians between the age of 7 and 17, a nice, cute kid will walk up and politely greet you. Sometimes I think that anyone who wants to help the children of Africa just hasn't spent enough time here.
John and I continue to work to get the mentoring center up and running. The last time we were in Kaedi, we purchased all of the classroom supplies and rented a pickup truck to bring them out to M'Bout. Unfortunately, we still haven't secured a space for the center, so the materials are in the corner of the mayor's office collecting dust. Without a space, I'm not certain which direction I want to work. School gets out in May this year because of the presidential elections in June, which makes me wonder if we'll even get things started this year. We can't work any faster than our Mauritanian counterparts, and it wouldn't be sustainable if we could. I always tell my parents, "We're getting things done, just not as fast as I would like."
This week I'm travelling to Rosso for a safety and security conference and then onto Dakar for the annual West African Invitational Softball Tournament (WAIST). All the second-year volunteers have been talking about WAIST since we got here, so I'm really excited!
For all of you back in the States, stay warm!