One of the things that I have noticed with every departing member of the embassy, is they seem to discover a store, restaurant, or activity they didn’t know existed in the community just before they are about to leave. This inevitably leads to a comment along the lines of “I wish I would have known
Like other parts of the Sahel, Mauritania is a society where larger women are considered more beautiful. Part of this is rooted in the belief that it is a status symbol of wealth to have a spouse that is larger as it means you can afford to feed them well. A man with multiple wives
My phone recently reminded me of a glorious photo taken one year ago at the embassy Halloween event, and from there it took me through a path down memory lane of all my favorite photos taken here in Mauritania. I haven’t shared the photo in question on this blog, but figured now would be a
In previous posts I have gushed about how much I am enjoying the job so far, and that there aren’t many negatives to the job. However, as we are in the heart of American Football Season, NBA and NHL is starting soon, Baseball is in the heat of the playoffs, as is Major League Soccer,
This week is a short and sweet one: Mauritania is home to one of the longest trains in the world. Stretching to over 3 kilometers long, the “Train du Desert” runs daily to and from the port city of Nouâdhibou in Northern Mauritania to the iron ore mines of Zouérat, deep in the Sahara 704km
One thing you quickly discover when joining the Foreign Service, is you are surrounded by a team of nerds. Being a nerd myself, I quickly acclimated during orientation when I was invited for board game and trivia nights, and it has carried over into Mauritania. Since arriving, I have been able to get a few
Today’s post is going to talk us on a cultural journey of a different kind, and we are going to spend some time talking about bidet’s, why they are so great, and why the United States is woefully behind the rest of the world when it comes to bathroom hygiene. If you have spent any
Holy Moly! Today this blog celebrates one year of age, and what a year it has been!!! Although I am on the verge of shipping out to Mauritania, I wanted to take some time and reflect on the past year, and the blog as a whole. Obviously quite a bit has changed over the last
This last week of orientation featured a lot of self directed learning, and proved to be a fantastic week for my family to come from Texas for a visit. It was a jammed pack week of monuments, museums, a quick trip to Williamsburg, and good eating. It’s difficult to articulate how wonderful it was to
As I begin my move to the DC area, and make my way to the airport in just a few short hours for FS orientation, I find myself reflecting on just how much I love and will miss my hometown of El Paso. Located in the far tip of West Texas, El Paso is where
