I'm back! I have this horrible habit of just dropping my blog as soon as I set foot back on Canadian soil. I have this perception, true or not, that my life in Canada is not very interesting, especially compared to dinner with Hippos on Lake Tanganyika. Some interesting things have happened since my last post. I came home, got aclimatized to Canadian winter, watched lots of Hockey (the NHL lockout was just waiting for me to come home!), tried to work on my thesis (fail) and then got a new job. Now I am working for World Vision Canada as the Regional Program Officer for West Africa. It is a short term position while the real RPO is working for a different WV office for a year. But it is a job, and I really really like it, so I'll take it, even if it does mean more uncertainty and being unable to plan for more than a few months at a time. More on that another time maybe.
Which leads me to this post. As part of my job I help to support Canadian funded programs in Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger. Today I am leaving for a three week trip to Mali and then to Mauritania. I'm excited because this is an area of Africa I've never been. I have images of rolling sand dunes, nomads on camels and sweltering heat. We'll see how these images match up with the real thing.
These are very different contexts than those I've worked in before. Both countries are Muslim republics, both countries stradle the Sahel and the Sahara and struggle with producing enough food. the coup in Mali last year and the following conflict and security issues have added to challenges people face. I have always been facinated by Mali and Timbuktu has been on my list of places to see for a long time. Timbuktu was a center of trade and learning dating back to the 13th century. It holds a certain mystery and allure, with its secrets and insights into a different time and culture. Unfortunately I won't be able to see Timbuktu because of the precarious security situation in that area. It is sad because the rebels have destroyed large parts of the ancient city that has stood as an icon on the continent for hundreds of years. I will be staying in the South of Mali, well away from where the French army is working with Malian forces to weed out the islamist rebels who have been causing so much trouble. While there is always risk when you travel overseas I've been assured that the security situation in the areas where I'll be going is safe and calm. So those of you who tend to worry, I will be safe but maybe you shouldn't read the news about Mali for the next couple of weeks just for your own peace of mind!
After Mali I get to fly from Bamako to Nouakchott, Mauritania. I'm really looking forward to this as well. Mauritania is not exactly your typical beach destination, even if it is on the Atlantic Ocean. It does have plenty of sand though....
These are not pleasure trips or vacations. I'll be working a lot and it will be exhausting and probably uncomfortable. I know that I'm going to witness levels of poverty that I haven't seen before. I'm going to struggle with our work, the difficulties people face and trying to figure out how we can help. I'll also have to accept (again) that we can't do everything for everyone. Bathrooms and showers are going to be few and far between and I am leaving my ergonomic pillow behind. Regardless, I'm looking forward to driving through the Sahara, sleeping under the stars in rural Mauritania, eating goat and couscous with my hands, seeing the laughing, smiling faces of the children World Vision works with and to meet the staff who work hard for the wellbeing of children, families and their communities where we work.
Allons-y!
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