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
Well, not really Christmas anymore, but celebrating the New Year. After our lovely trip to the Philippines, we hopped on an airplane and started the long journey back to Mauritania. The return trip was a bit more palatable thanks to a great idea by Angeli to spend a few days in Istanbul on the way
Last week I covered our long journey from Mauritania to the Philippines, and our first week in country spent at the lovely Kandaya Resort. Following that week, we headed back to Cebu City, where we took another week to enjoy being back in a level of civilization that we aren’t really accustomed to in Mauritania.
I met Angeli in 2009, the same year she moved from Cebu City to El Paso, Texas. At least every 2 years, if not every year since, we have gone back to Cebu City to see her family and enjoy the great resorts, food, people, and hospitality of the Philippines. That is, until 2020 when
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
The ramp up to our PCS has another element of intrigue added to it. Recently, my wife was contacted by her previous boss in El Paso, a nephrologist that had heard she would be moving back to the city this year, and he offered her old job back with a substantial raise. The only caveat,
Wow, what a year. My first full year in the Foreign Service didn’t disappoint. It was full of fun, challenges, and lots and lots of travel. Here’s a brief recap: In January we kicked off the year by going to Banc D’arguin and Gran Canaria: February saw L and I head to the ancient city
Short and sweet this week. Just a quick Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones. I hope wherever you are in the world, you are safe and surrounded with friends and loved ones. Cheers! Bonus: Below is a photo of the Nouakchott Holiday Card all Health Units in
Wow, in less than 6 months the family will be packing up and heading out from Mauritania. Surreal. It truly feels like we just arrived to post and the sensation of being “the new guy” hasn’t really left me. I guess I am new in terms of Foreign Service experience, but I am not really
Did you know the largest ship graveyard in the world can be found in Mauritania? That’s right. Just off those cost of Mauritania’s second largest city Nouadhibou, sit hundreds of abandon and rotting ships. The first ships were abandoned in the 1920’s and as time went on, individuals, companies, and even some countries found it
