Points of note

1. Every other day, usually from my apartment, I hear the violent screeching of tires as someone realizes that leaving your life at the will of Allah and driving like a complete fucking prick might actually mean you could die. About half of these screeches are followed by the disturbingly satisfying crunch of multiple cars reducing their volume by about half, while simultaneously (and something tells me this isn’t coincidence) doubling their density. Mass stays about the same, minus, perhaps, the guy who flew through the windshield.

I apologize for my dismal take on a tragic situation. The crunch is disturbingly satisfying only because it seems like the logical conclusion of the deadly melody. Kind of like hearing most of a song that cuts out right before the climax. I’m sure the day I actually witness one of these bangers face-to-twisted metal, I’ll be singing a wildly different tune. I wish no death upon anyone, but when I’m the guy in the back seat, or the poor bastard walking along the side of that fateful road, I generally appreciate it when a driver respects my silly American self-determination. As it is, the general trend in NDB driving technique is to disregard absolutely everything that is not directly in front of you, and even then, to assume that you have the right of way. I’ve been led to believe that this is not a localized situation.

2. Class sizes have grown substantially, as predicted. A month into school, class rosters still have yet to be generated, making attendance to my classes an arbitrary matter. I’m also beginning to notice an interesting crack in the foundation of the educational system, and by extension, society.

Each class, that is, grade, is divided into three sections – A, C, and D. The “A” group consists of students of language and literature, and classes are weighted appropriately in determining final grades. Those in the “C” group are mathematics students, with a different emphasis in their coursework. Finally, students in the “D” group study sciences: physics, chemistry, biology, etc. All students generally have the same classes, but they spend different amounts of time in each, and grades are weighted to reflect their section. At what point do students choose which path they will take on their way to a bright and shiny future? Never.

At some point along the line, the top third of students are simply put into the “C” group, the second third into the “D” group, and the bottom feeders into the “A” group. This is according to overall GPA, regardless of individual strengths. Thus my C classes are intelligent and motivated. My A class protests that the same assignments that I give my other classes are “impossible” (c’est impossible!), and instead of asking questions or even just trying, spend large amounts of time bitching and moaning in French and Pulaar that no one ever taught them how to write a sentence in English (this is 5th year English, folks). Unlike my C classes, which is a veritable rainbow of skin tones ranging from coffee to ebony, almost every single person in the A class is black. Two days ago I kicked my first student out of class.

Yep, A class.

Interestingly, if you ask me with whom the brightest future for Mauritania rests, I would place it in the hands of black Mauritania. My experiences are relatively few, but in the short time that I’ve been here, I have noticed that the black citizens are almost universally more progressive. This may, of course, be partially determined by the rung they occupy in society. However, in Kaedi, my best students were black, and this is a generally accepted rule outside of the city. Even in NDB, it is the black girls who show up to the Girls’ Mentoring Center after school to continue their studies.

I don’t know how it will all work out, and I suspect that I still lack a bit of information and perspective. But I can’t help but think that there are some major kinks to work out of that educational system.

3. I appreciate the continuing suggestions of names for my gecko, but I remain uninspired. Respondents are not limited to one suggestion. Think outside the box.

4. Took a little trip to Western Sahara, from NDB to the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve been told it’s roughly two miles, but an hour haul through absolute nothingness has the tendency to seem a bit longer. Lunar and beautiful. Number one thought: I hope I don’t step on a landmine. Number two thought: if someone decided to kill me out here, it’d be a long time until anyone else found out. It wasn’t like a pleasant stateside stroll through a deserted field or forest; I couldn’t shake the idea that I was completely vulnerable. But I did take some pictures.















5. I know I’ve been promising a lot lately, and I have been pretty absent, but I really am working on a few posts of substance. They’re coming, I insist. Don’t give up on me yet.