new ramblings

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Hey Everyone,

I think it’s being about a month or so since I updated my blog. Don’t know if anyone even reads these but I thought that I would still write on the chance that people are. Things have being very hectic the last few weeks. I have being at site for about five weeks, which is to long for me. After about week four, I’m feeling the need to talk to my parents or use the computer. School has being slightly chaotic. My school director left to go to another town and he was not replaced for about two weeks or so. Then a new director came but he did not plan on staying in aoujeft and was only their for a week and a half and then left and now we have a new and I hope, final director for the school.

What this means is that the timetable for all the teachers is getting rearranged every week. I think I’ve had a new teaching schedule every week. That administration is trying to work out the best hours for the teachers and students so for now everything is being shuffled around. Usually school goes from eight in the morning with a break at noon where everyone goes home for lunch. Then classes start up again at three and go till six o clock. I didn’t mind that schedule, your not teaching at the hottest part of the day, everyone gets a break for lunch. But all of the teachers at the lycee, there are only about eight or nine or so are from aoujeft, with the exception of me and two other teachers. So these teachers have gardens and palmeries that they work in on the weekends and evenings and teaching from three to six was cutting into that time so they all pressured the director to do the new schedule which is eight in the morning till three with no breaks. Not good for the teachers or the students because they don’t get to go home for lunch till after three, their tired, hungry. But for now the majority of the teachers are calling the shots so we’ll see.
Other then that teaching is the same. The students are really difficult, noisy, don’t pay attention and don’t care about learning, I have maybe five good students out of three classes. Living at site is hard and living in Mauritania is hard and I know that I’ve complained an awful lot of this blog but really when I’ve looked back on it, yes it’s being hard and at times I want to leave and yes, it does make me apprieciate America and all that we have in our country but it also makes me think how easy we have it and how much these people have to work just to do day to day things. Everything here seems to take just a bit longer then normal. Not having running water at your house or a bathroom, I go across the street to my counterparts. Cooking on one burner gas. Preparing food when you have no counter and everything is done here in this country sitting on the ground. So yes, this life is not easy but it’s not as hard as it could be. I know that many people can’t imagine what I’m doing but it’s not as difficult as you might think. Getting used the food and living conditions is the easy part, dealing with the language, being away from home and family, that’s the hard part. I go for walks down the road that leads out of aoujeft sometimes in the evening and go find a quiet place to sit and just think, how many people can say that they’ve done this. While it’s being hard, yes no doubt, but what a cool experience to have, to be living in Africa and with people that I probably would never know about if it wasn’t for peace corps. How neat is it to deal with a new set of customs and religion and way of doing things that in reality aren’t that different from what we do. Then I’ll sit their watching the sun turn the dunes a nice rosey color as it goes down and I’ll hear the prayer call and I’ll maybe see a camel or two and I’ll think, wow, pretty special. Till next time.
P.s. comments always welcome

For all those people who have being sending boxes, thank you very much. Everything is greatly appreciated. Can’t thank you enough. I have a revised list of food to send if anyone is interested.

Pepperoni, beef jerky
Bouillion cubes, chicken and beef
Jello, instant pudding chocolat only
Peanut butter
Dried fruit
Alfredo, other types of cheese sauce. Cheese packets from mac and cheese
Life savers(tropical kind, regular flavors) jolly ranchers
Hot chocolat ( it is getting really cold here honestly).
Rice a roni; other rice side dishes
Tootsie rolls
Mashed potato mixes.

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