Valentine's Day

I will be reflecting, on the world's most hated holiday (I mean, does anyone enjoy the choice between showering another with affection vs. wallowing in lonely despair?) on things I have come to truly love about my life here:

When seeing someone for the first time in a long time, people greet with a loud and long "heeeyoooo! heeyoo! heeyoo! heeyoo!" generally with some clapping. While intimate hugs are not the norm, this cheer of glee is giddy fun.

Mornings in general are clear and quiet. I wake up before dawn and brush my teeth in moonlight. I walk to the baker and pick up my warm bread while watching the sunrise. The family's sheep trample over each other and their babies while they fight for a turn at the water tub. The sleepy good mornings at the well remind me of mornings at the kitchen table when everyone agrees talking is unnecessary.

I love carting Little Laura around the village, telling everyone she's mine. She's not usually equipped with diapers so this can be quite a risky adventure- but it's worth it.

While I used to feel lonely laughing at life by myself, I've recently come to appreciate my own inside jokes. I will say sarcastic comments such as "that pot is really small" when it takes three people to lug it across the courtyard. Everyone thinks I have my adjectives wrong- they don't get the humor- and I just giggle to myself.

I said yesterday that I loved Mauritania. Seven months ago, in the miserable heat and the confusion of unknown language, I might not have believed you if you told me I would be saying that down the line. But as of the day before Valentine's Day in 2007, I am in love with this dusty, disorderly, clash of cultures, country.