September

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After another month, I am over half way done with my service! It is fitting that my birthday is a few days after the day I became a volunteer, because being a volunteer has had such an effect on my me, that marking the completion of my first year of services seems every bit as important as marking the 24th year of my life.

The previous month has seemed a bit longer than normal. Even though there were positive things that happened, I felt like they were points of light in a general darkness. The past month I’ve felt like a sailor caught in the doldrums, trapped by forces beyond my control.

Soon after my most recent blog, a good friend and colleague chose to leave service early, and went home. That, along with the absence of my old region mates, who had finished their service, and my old Mauritanians friends, who were on vacation, made it a difficult time for me. As someone focused more on community than personal relationships, I felt like I was marching with only a few of those ancien combattants I’d grown so close to in Peace Corps. This feeling was accentuated by a growing dislike I was harboring for the members of my community, Atar. Surprisingly, long past transgressions were not fading out of memory, but my anger at them was growing as my mind idled. I began to really wonder why I was remaining here.

My spirits were lifted, however, when some new volunteers arrived to live with me. My region got an amazing 9 new volunteers, 4 of which have moved into my city. I couldn’t have asked for a better group, and I feel lucky to spend time with a new group of well traveled, diverse, self-directing young Americans. Indeed, meeting people from every fold of the American patchwork has been one of the4 best parts of my service.

The arrival of the new volunteers spurred a flurry of activity. We found them houses, helped them move in, and helped them with pointers about living in Atar. In exchange, they gave me a new tae deck for my house, and threw me a very memorable birthday party, along with my very good friend and region mate, Sam.

I have signed up at the French Alliance for the new year, and the instructors are waiting for Ramadan to finish before starting. My fellow students at the Alliance often see me in the street, and our eyes light up in recognition, as we ask how the summer went in a language we are both learning. I’ve made some new friends in my community, and spent some more time with old ones. Even work is starting to pick up, as a High School employee who worked with me on the computer training has offered to help me set up training similar to the one I did in Atar in another, smaller community which has some computers.

I suppose that as the new volunteers arrive, school approaches its beginning, and the French alliance rumbles back to life, I am feeling some wind in my sails once again. With any luck, in the new year I’ll be able to apply what I learned last year about French, patience with inactivity, and Mauritanian culture to work on a higher level, and accomplish more for both my community and myself, while working less frantically.

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Photos

The new Atar Volunteers
(From Left)Kristen, Ellen, Kris, and Jen

Comments

[Amanda]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[spud]

You look very changed
I see that you look very changed. Grown and matured, and....changed. If those you touch are only a tenth as changed, then they are changed, indeed. Congratulations on a year of service. We are all very proud of you, very inspired by you. Love and best wishes for the coming year.