down sheep, up babies

[cailinakafatou]

The baptism began well before 8 am this morning with about forty men sitting on mats outside my house, or rather, outside our houses… All of them in nice crisp caftans or boubous, emitting a quiet rumble of Pulaar chat. At some point the marabou got everyone’s attention to discuss the matter at hand. I watched this from the other side of the hangar

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King - going to Nouakchott at the end of January

[anonymous]

I am going to Mauritania (Nouakchott) from January 29 to February 3. I still don’t have any detailed plan yet about the trip. A guy (William) who works in the Mauritania embassy of US in D.C was planning to come back with me to Mauritania. But since he said he was the only well English-speaking guy in the office, so he can’t come with me until they find a substitute!!! Also, my friend can’t come with me for some reason, and since I already bought a non-refundable airplane ticket and I already spent a few hundreds dollars for the vaccination. I decide to come here myself. My French speaking is very limit (I can listen and read numbers, ask for direction, and some basic greeting...hopefully I can do better before I come) and there is really not much that I can do research about this country from any books or any resources from the Internet. I don’t know if the tours there can speak English. Is there has any libraries in the capital? How about the temple? Do people let me come in? Can I try to ride a camel there? God, I am coming in a