Within a few short weeks I will be back in the States for the first time in 15 months. As I continue to make more and more lists of the things I want to do, eat, and bring back, I can't help but wonder just how much things have changed since I've been away. Just for starters, three of my best friends have gotten married, one has had a baby, and I will soon meet my brand-new niece for the first time.
If my trip to Morocco is any indication, I will most likely be overwhelmed by how clean and healthy everyone and everything is. After all, it's hard not to become jaded and cynical after spending a year seeing disease, poverty, and death on a daily basis. As a result, I have gained a new sense of appreciation for the little things in life. Things like grass, vegetables, trash cans, seat belts, safe means of transportation, and babies who will live beyond their 5th birthday. At the same time, I am fearful that I've also gained an increasing intolerance for the consumeristic, impatient, egotistical, and selfish attitude of many people in the developed world. The amount of waste and excess, the lack of concern for others, and the never-ending feeling of entitlement among others in the world seems completely out of proportion to just how much we as Ameicans have, especially compared to my friends and family in Mauritania. Yet, I can guarantee that, as a whole, Mauritanians are a much happier people. Why? Because they have not lost their sense of identity nor their compassion and brotherhood despite years of colonial imperialism and increasing development.
I certainly don't want to become the type of person who is always telling "war stories" of my life in Africa, but my time here has become such an important and unforgettable experience that it is terribly difficult to let go of the images that constantly run through my mind. Images of a stark landscape of rolling sand dunes interrupted by piles of trash and decaying animals. Of severely malnourished children begging for food while reciting the Koran. Of incredible mountaintops and rivers dotted with hopes and aspirations for a better life. But, most importantly, of the beautiful smiles and lively chatter of a people at once cognizant of their lot in life, yet unlimited in their love and overwhelming sense of community.
See many of you soon,
Janine
whose smile I will never forget