February began with the celebration of Tabaski, the biggest holiday in the Islamic religion. Signifying the last-minute replacement of a sacrificial sheep for Ibrahim's son, this 3-day holiday entails eating obscene amounts of sheep meat. Much to my chagrin, this includes every possible part of the sheep imaginable! Luckily for my family, my aunt had a baby the same week so they could save money and celebrate the birth at the same time as the holiday. And, let me tell you, buying a live sheep is quite expensive. Read all about that in next month's entry.
This month also marked my first trip out of the country in the 8 months I have been here. A large group of my fellow RIM (Republique Islamique de Mauritanie) volunteers descended upon Dakar, Senegal to participate in the annual West Africa Intramural Softball Tournament (WAIST). Made up of Peace Corps volunteers and expat and aid workers from all over West Africa, this event always involves many humorous tales. Keep in mind that getting to Dakar from RIM is no small feat as all of the following means of transportation are required: foot, van, canoe, horse, bus, and car. All the while, of course, as you wade through the Senegal River filled with all sorts of amoebas and parasites that can kill you. Not to mention, the other harmful danger in Senegal--military check-points. As we quickly found out after our taxi driver ran right through a checkpoint, you just don't mess with the military. Our driver caused an international scandal as he was fleeing the gendarmes, only to get chased down and lectured for an hour. After finally making it to Dakar at 1:30 am, we spent the rest of the week hanging out with a Senegalese band (back to my old college days, I suppose), dancing, eating, drinking, and, of course, playing softball. And for the first time in history, PCRIM (Peace Corps Mauritania) brought home a trophy! Now, considering the competition plays in leagues year-round, practices, and were completely sober, it wasn't exactly a fair match. Nevertheless, our team spirit could not be outdone and we walked away with a second place victory.
Well, I gotta go. The US Ambassador to RIM is in town and we are making him and his wife pancakes for a big breakfast tomorrow. So, I need to go out and buy toilet paper just in case they are not fully in touch with the Mauritanian bathroom situation yet.
Until next time,
Janine
