The new year has brought many projects and adventures my way which will no doubt keep me quite occupied over the coming months. In fact, just in the last month I have been on four trips--two to the capital and two to rural villages. It is during these trips that I have realized just how much of a contrast life in Mauritania can be. It really is a tale of two cities populated by the have's and the have not's.
Take the capital of Nouakchott, for example. It is a land of wealth and poverty; a place where the fortunate can live like kings and the not-so-fortunate continue to live beggar's lives. The ex-pats and diplomats have large mansions with air conditioning, servants, chauffeured SUVs and Mercedes, and rare artifacts. Meanwhile, there are numerous squatter families living under make-shift tents in shanty towns just down the street. They are forced to rummage through trash in hopes of finding food or goods to sell or trade for life's basic necessities. Life isn't much different here in Kaedi. Yet, despite their utter poverty and constant begging, they are a curious and warm people ready to welcome anyone for tea or dinner. I would be hard-pressed to find a wealthy family willing to do the same.
It is precisely this stark reality that makes me wonder how government officials, diplomats, ex-pats, and aid workers can possibly understand what the people of this country need. Of course, Mauritania is a difficult place for anyone to live, yet I'd have to guess that life is quite a bit easier when you have all the amenities of the developed world while still living in the developing world. Even without any of these benefits, as a Peace Corps volunteer I still live a bit better than my neighbors. I can visit the beautiful beaches of Nouakchott a couple of times a year and get away from the garbage and poverty around me. Yet, at the heart of it all, I come back to the sheer desperation of the people in my community. If I am lucky, I will learn a great deal from them and hopefully be in a better position to improve their lives. I only wish the people in power could do the same.
Until next time,
Janine
produce for her livelihood