Time--it is the one commodity I have plenty of here in Mauritania.
Time to be bored.
Time to sleep.
Time to eat.
Time to drink the mandatory 3 glasses of tea at each sitting.
Time to speak my improved, but still imperfect French.
Time to learn a few new languages (Pulaar and Arabic)
Time to read.
Time to write letters.
Time to cook Mexican, Chinese, Italian, & anything not Mauritanian.
Time to play with my younger brothers and sisters.
Time to sweat.
Time to take multiple showers a day to cool off when it is 130 degrees.
Time to mentor adolescent girls.
Time to plan projects and vacations.
Time to work with government officials, aid workers, and medical staff.
Time to be frustrated by the immense amount of corruption here.
But, most of all, time to think.
Time to think about just how much I miss everyone in the States.
Despite all the projects and funding proposals I do, it still just takes one letter from a close friend back home to make my world stand still. The hardest part of being here is no doubt the feeling of loss and sorrow for those I left behind. You wish you could stop time so that no one changes while you are separated. Yet, you know that the beauty of life is the fact that it is constantly changing. At the same time, missing out on so many important events brings tears to my eyes and weighs heavy on my heart. I wish I could be in two places at once, but I know that my family and neighbors here need me more than those in the States do. Or maybe, I just need them more than they need me.
Until next time,
Janine
