Journey to Nouakchott, Mauritania

In 2012, I journeyed as a consultant/trainer to Nouakchott, Mauritania, on behalf of Legacy International, to conduct a training program hosted there by the United States Embassy. The purpose of the training was to inquire into the needs of at-risk youth and to enhance existing and develop new programs country-wide. My training partner and I were supported by two translators in French and Arabic. This was lots of fun for me as I had worked with translators many times during training. At a couple of points, my intuition and observations told me that my words had not exactly been translated. I stopped, turned to the translators and said, “Hey, that’s not what I said.” Everyone laughed.

A participant came up at the end of the training and said, “How did you know that he was not saying your words?” I said, “Communication often is beyond words.” The translators themselves said this was the first time in all of their years of experience serving as translators that a trainer asked them what they needed to be able to do their jobs effectively. I also give them full permission to interrupt the training at any time to ask a question if they need clarification. They were an integral part of the training because, during and after the training, they also gave us information about cultural nuances that we may have missed. I enjoyed working with them. At the end of the training, I felt like a rock-star because everyone wanted to take photos with me and everyone wanted me to come to their homes for dinner. That was so hard because our time was very limited. The training was successful and my training partner and I were described in the evaluation as “a team of excellence.” At the end of the training, one woman came up to me with tears in her eyes. She said, “I felt so proud to see a competent, confident, and knowledgeable woman in front of the room. Thank you for what you did for us.” She walked away before I could respond. I think the training made a difference in ways that we may not ever know.

Other highlights of my journey to and from Mauritania: During the days that we conducted training, I mostly stayed in the hotel to rest and prepare for each day. Once the training was over, I experienced a bit of cultural shock as we rode around the city, I noticed I did not experience seeing a horizon with the light colored building and desert sand. I started to miss my Mom and realized I could not just get to her in minutes. One host suggested I needed to go to the sea. Once we arrived at the beach and I saw the vastness and beauty of the horizon, I was calmed. And, I still missed my Mom. As we were driving towards the sea, I noticed trees that had beautiful multi-colored flowers or fruit hanging from them. I was so excited to learn what type of flowers/fruit trees these were.

As we got closer, I realized the flowers/fruits were litter from PLASTIC BAGS. This made me rethink the often unconscious impact that I have on the environment with the use of plastic. This is why I often say to the cashier at the grocery store when she asks, “Are plastic bags okay?” I say, “Thank you for asking and no they are not okay, paper please.” I really need to do a better job of remembering to bring my reusable bags to the grocer. FOOD!!! OMG!!! The food in Mauritania was outstanding to me. One home we visited prepared a feast of so many dishes that I could not even taste them all. I was so upset because everything I did taste was so amazing that I wanted more of that thing. Also, the food was beautifully presented. I loved ever minute of eating in Mauritania. The blend of cultures certainly enhanced the flavor and nature of the food. I never felt unsafe in Mauritania. Yet, we were informed that there were places we could not go to without armed guards. Also, on our first night when we dined at a restaurant, we were informed that a bomb had been set off on the same street just days prior to our arrival. I found the people with whom I interacted in Mauritania to be very friendly and highly committed to the well-being and education of youth.

There are so many more stories I could tell and the memories flood my mind. I was left with a deep appreciation of people who are working all over this world to make it a better place. Once again, I fell in love with many people. Oh, I did not mention, in addition to being fed very well, I was given many gifts of perfume, earrings, clothes and even had my hands and arms henna. The henna happened minutes before I had to go to the airport. Our host insisted I get it because she said, “How can you say you have been to Mauritania and not get henna?!” So, my hands and arms were wrapped in tissue and plastic as I walked through the airport. Also the woman who did my henna was from a long line of people who performed this art.

Finally, on my way back to the USA, I stopped in Paris and then traveled by train to Chartres, France to visit The Chartres Labyrinth, which was built in 1200. It is one of the oldest existing labyrinths of its type. On the days I was there, the labyrinth was covered with chairs as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres was scheduled to have concerts in the evenings. When I approached the security guard, he said tourists come from all over the world to see the labyrinth and the activities of the church come first. One woman was very upset and said she wanted the chairs removed and tried to get other visitors to assist her in doing so. I said, “I think I would like to respect the caretakers of this space.” Others in the group agreed and one man said, “Removing the chairs is not a good idea as all of you could be arrested.”

Much of my time in Chartres was spent enjoying the Cathedral and its architecture, gardens, and Gothic art. I also spent lots of time walking through the town, sitting in cafes watching people (as they watched me), and enjoying being in a different environment. It was ironic that I got this opportunity to visit one of the oldest existing labyrinths in the world because, at the time, I had just taken leadership at my school in the creation of two labyrinths, one for each campus, to be gifted by my class and a previous alumni class at Pacifica Graduate Institute. I feel that the Spirit of Labyrinths allowed this. For many years, everywhere I traveled I would make sure I found and walked the labyrinths. Check this out: https://labyrinthlocator.com/home

The second synchronicity was discovering that my hero and mentor James Baldwin had spent much time in Chartres! The thought that I walked in his footsteps and perhaps observed some of the same things he did was heartwarming and made the journey much more special. Oh yeah, I saw the Eiffel Tower, too.

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Baruch Bashan:”The blessings already are”.