14.05.06 - 19:59

some more laziness. here's my response to my good pal sarah's third grade class:

Dear Connor, Josh, Nina, Cianni, Samantha, Jonah, Chris, William, Tyler, Monica, Zoe, Julian, Benjamin, Courtney, Michael, Ella, Sarah, Sarah, and Andrea,

Thank you for sending me a letter! I always like to get mail, and it makes me happy to know that you are interested in learning more about Mauritania. Let me tell you a little about myself, and where I live. My name is Molly McCollom, but no one calls me that in Mauritania. Here, they call me Lalla Traoré. Lalla is an Arabic name, and Traoré is the last name of my African family. (When I came here, I met a family who adopted me and helped me learn about Mauritania.)

For two years, I lived in a village called Kankossa, which had about 8,000 people. There was no electricity there, and no running water. I got all my water from a well! I lived in a big house made out of adobe (mud and goat poop mixed together.) Now, I live in the capital city, Nouakchott, which has about 1.5 million people. I live in an apartment that looks a lot like apartments in the US, but without a TV, washing machine, or dishwasher. I am a Peace Corps Volunteer, and I work on health projects. In Kankossa, I worked at a center for malnourished babies. Now, I work with HIV+ people.

I want to answer your questions one by one:

What's the hottest temperature it's ever been in Mauritania? What's the coldest? Does it ever rain? Does it snow?
The hottest that it has been in Kankossa since I have been there is 115*. The coldest is around 55*. There is only rain for three months of the year – July to September. During that time, there are floods! It never snows, but my friends told me that it has hailed before. My friends were surprised when I drew them a snowflake! They thought snow was made of little balls.

Have you ever seen people who received a donation from Heifer International? We raised $592.15 for them.
Heifer International does not have a project in Mauritania. It’s great that you raised so much money, though! My mom always contributes money to Heifer international as a Christmas present for me.

Do you have a pet? Are there lots of pets in Mauritania? What kinds? Do you see wild animals roaming around? We saw on a video that they usually don't, but we were just wondering.
I had two pet hedgehogs, Psy Psy and Harrison, but Psy Psy ran away and Harrison died. I also had three chickens, but I gave them away when I left the village.
There are not a lot of pets here, because people use their animals for work. The animals they have are: camels, donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens, dogs, and cows. Most Mauritanians are scared of dogs!
I have seen these wild animals in Mauritania: monkeys, snakes (including poisonous ones!), scorpions, giant spiders, lizards of all kinds, brightly colored birds, marmots, wild boars, ground squirrels, and dung beetles. I have seen them just roaming around when I lived in Kankossa!

What do you like to do for fun there? What kinds of games are played in Mauritania? Do you have video games?
I do a lot of reading! I also like to spend time with friends and just talk. Sometimes, we play card games. I do not know anyone with video games! Kids love to play soccer here. Boys also make cars out of scrap wire to play with, and girls make dolls out of scraps of fabric.

Are you an immigrant? We studied immigration too.
I am not an immigrant, because I am only staying in Mauritania for three years. I do not plan to live here for a long time. I am still American!

What language do they speak there? Was it hard to learn a new language? Can you teach us a word or two?
There are five languages spoken here! There are four ethnic groups, each with their own language, and French, which many people speak as a second language. I speak French and a little Hassaniya, although I know the greetings in all of the languages. French is easy to learn, but Hassaniya was difficult! I studied very hard to speak both languages. To say hello, we always say “A salaam w’aleykum.”
French:
How are you?: ça va?
I am fine: Oui, ça va.
Thank you: Merci

Hassaniya:
How are you?: Iyaak labaas?
I am fine: Labaas, mashallah.
Thank you: Shukran

Pulaar:
How are you?: Mba da?
I am fine: Mao doom.
Thank you: Adjaraam

Soninké
How are you?: A moho?
I am fine: Ma jahm.
Thank you: Gotchamangary

Wolof:
How are you?: Nanga def?
I am fine: Mangi fi rek.
Thank you: Djerredjeff

Are there lots of homeless people there?
No, there are almost no homeless people here. Many people live in huts or under tents. If there is someone with no money, food, or place to sleep, someone in their town gives them these things. Charity is very important here!

What is the biggest similarity between Mauritania and the United States?
This is a hard question. I think that it’s that people here want the best life they can have. They want to have good food to eat, nice clothes, and nice things for their children, just like we Americans do.

What are some of the sicknesses there?
The biggest sicknesses are diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition.
What kinds of medicines are used?
There are hospitals like the ones in the US, but many people still go to traditional healers. The healers use herbs and magic words to try to cure sicknesses.
Has anyone ever been attacked by an animal?
Yes, snakes and scorpions are problems here.
Do pets get diseases?
The animals I’ve seen don’t always get enough to eat, because the families that own them are poor. But they don’t seem to get sick!
Have you studied malaria?
I take medicine every night to keep me from getting malaria. Malaria is the biggest killer of people in the world!
Do you know about bird flu? What about mad cow disease?
Yes. So far, there is none here.
Are there a lot of mosquitoes? Can they get in your skin? Do you sleep with a mosquito net?
There are so many mosquitoes in the south! I sleep in a mosquito tent every night. They can’t get in your skin, but they leave really nasty itchy bites!

What are houses like in Mauritania?
Some houses are round, made out of adobe, and have thatched roofs. Some are like concrete boxes. Some are not houses at all – they’re tents! There are many different types of houses.

Have you gone to other countries in Africa? Have you gone to Madagascar? We know that it's far away from Mauritania, but we still want to know.
I have visited Mali, Senegal, and the Gambia. I am going to Morocco soon on vacation! I have never been to Madagascar, but want to go. I hear they have lemurs there!

Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Lalla Traoré
(Molly McCollom)

previous - next