Daily Life

After two months in Nouadhibou, Mike and I are finally settling into a routine (kind of...)

Mike has finally begun teaching classes, and although attendance is still sporadic due to continued problems getting everyone enrolled, there seem to be more students every day. He is teaching 14 hours per week, which is actually quite a lot. He has seven 2-hour block classes a week. All his students are in their final (6th) year of secondary school, and are preparing to take "the BAC." The BAC is roughly equivalent to the SAT or ACT in the U.S. (only more difficult I think since there is only about a 7% pass rate). I'm sure Mike will fill you in soon on how things are going with the classes.

As for the schedule, Mike teaches from 8 am-2 pm on Monday, 10 am-2 pm on Thursday, and 8 am-noon on Saturday...yes, that's right, students have class here on Saturday! And I guess I'll take the opportunity now to also explain that Mauritania, as an Islamic republic, recognizes a different work week than Western societies. The holy day is Friday in the Islamic faith, and therefore, it is not a work day. Most businesses take Friday and Saturday off, and resume their work week on Sunday morning.

Additionally, Mike is teaching extra "adult" beginning English classes twice a week in the evening to community members who have expressed interest (almost everyone here wants to learn English). The class consists of everyone from taxi drivers to school professors to government officials.

Okay...so I know what you're thinking...that's a lot of information about what Mike's been up to, now what about Katie's activities? Well, it's a bit difficult to explain, but I think the best way to explain my job is to say that I'm a "community organizer." Yes, I'm aware that this term has become somewhat politically charged in the U.S. in recent weeks, but honestly, that's what I'm doing. The focus of my organizing is on health education activities for both the community at large and for health professionals.

My job is a bit difficult because it is very unstructured. I set my own schedule and determine my own priorities each day. Of course I received a lot of guidance during pre-service training on where to start initially...language acquisition, community integration, and knowledge of the communities strengths and weaknesses from a health standpoint. I also have a wonderful APCD (Assistant Peace Corps Director) named Daouda, who I can call or email if I have any questions or worries.

Just to clarify for any who may still be confused -- I am NOT working in Mauritania as a nurse. I do not take care of patients, or provide treatment of any kind. I am not allowed by Peace Corps or licensed by the Mauritanian government to work as a nurse here for many reasons, which include my personal safety and liability. Although I may be observing some health care provision, in order to educate and/or improve processes, I will not be providing any care myself.

So...up to this point I have been primarily focusing on visiting the various health clinics, hospitals, and health NGOs (non-government organizations) that work here in Nouadhibou, as well as schools and other organizations. I am looking for potential project ideas, identifying motivated individuals, and trying to determine the health priorities of the community from their perspective. This evaluation will be a continuous process throughout my service, even after I have identified some projects to focus on. The goal is to try to create sustainable change...you know, work that will continue to be of value after I leave Mauritania.

Other than "work," my focus is on meeting community members, and becoming friends with them, another goal of Peace Corps. I continue to work on language skills, improving my French beyond the daily survival skills necessary for the moment, and picking up basic phrases in Hassaniya and Pulaar for greeting and communicating basic needs. I take African dance class twice a week for personal health and enjoyment, though the dancing style is really more Senegalese than Mauritanian.

That's it for now...because this has been a long enough post already. Maybe next time I'll discuss our normal routine for daily chores or preparing meals...as the process can be quite a bit different here from the way things are normally done dans les Etats Unis.