Plague

Posted August 5th, 2004 by Michelle

I would have left for Mauritania six weeks ago if I had joined Peace Corps. I would only be in my second month of training for the agro-forestry program I was supposed to head in rural Mauritania. I would still be in Nouakchott, the capitol, at the Peace Corps headquaters. This picture is from that city.

The truly ridiculous element of this plague is that it was caused by plentiful rain- desperately needed plentiful rain- that ended a drought and promised a healthy growing season, the first in years. Unfortunately, the rains blessed the locusts as well. I can only wonder what the agro-forestry Peace Corps folks are going to teach now, now that there won’t be any crops. The farmers would be planting right now, but they are afraid they’d just be feeding the offspring of the current plague. Mauritania is one of the least, if not THE least developed countries in Africa, lacking any kind of development outside the capital city. It is infamous as being the hardest country in which to serve. Christ, I wonder what all those kids in the training camp are thinking right now.

I don’t feel lucky to have missed it; I just feel more of the same wonderment as to what I would be doing over there right now, what my life would be like. Apparently right now I’d be buring tires and banging pots to keep the locusts away. Instead, I’m watching my cat attempt to wash himself even though he’s wearing a lamp shade on his head.