Three months have passed since I first came to Mauritania. So much has happened in that short amount of time that it is hard to know where to begin. It was certainly a struggle at times, but I am proud to say that I officially swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer on September 12. Of course, first I had to prove that I could endure daily temperatures up to 138 degrees, stomach countless mystery meat meals Mauritanian style, successfully use a latrine, adapt to living in a conservative Islamic, quasi-military nation, demonstrate that I could fumble through most French conversations, and turn the other cheek when blatantly discriminated against because of the color of my skin.
Actually, in many ways Mauritania resembles 1950s America. There are no separate water fountains or public facilities, but there are serious racial undertones apparent in every aspect of life here. From paternalism and sexism to child labor and covert slavery, race, ethnicity, and class dictate how well or how poorly one is treated in this country.
In fact, just the other day I was reading a National Geographic article on India's caste system and couldn't help but think of its parallels to Mauritania. Despite the taboo nature of race relations here, there is no shortage of people willing to offer their overtly racist ideas on the status of black Africans. As a white "toubab," these same people find it competely acceptable to assume that I would be sympathetic to their beliefs. Yet, they are the very merchants who use my skin color to take advantage of me in charging exorbitant prices for common goods.
I would say that it boggles my mind to think that in this day and age people could still hold such opinions, but I know all too well that this is not a phenomenon unique to the developing world. Unfortunately, despite the advances made over the years, the US still battles this same problem every day.
Until next time!
Peace,
Janine
