I decided to spend the weekend in Chinguetti & Ouadane. I asked my friend Sidi, who is from Chinguetti and also happens to be a tour guide, if he would mind taking me. I paid for the gas, car rental & food. I grabbed Sisay, one of my best friends in Nouakchott, and we made our way north.
After nearly 8 hours of driving we finally reached the top of the mountain range. We stopped at the first house we came upon to ask if we could borrow their air pump. A man politely told us that he had loaned the pump to the nearest neighbors, who lived another two kilometers down the road. We drove to the house and asked if the pump was available. A little boy came running to the car with the pump in hand.
A man came out a few minutes later carrying a bowl of sweet milk (called "zrig") to share. After few minutes, he returned again, this time carrying three cups of tea (called "attaya"). As I took the cup to drink, he looked at me and spoke in Arabic to Sidi. I didn't understand what he was saying until I heard the word, "ENS," the place where I teach. Sidi looked at me incredulously and said, "you're famous! This man knows who you are!" Evidently the man is friends with one of my students at ENS and saw the photos from our trip to Tergit last June. In Mauritania the world can seem very, very small! No place is too remote to find familiar faces, not even the top of a mountain.
I love the close relationships that Mauritanians build and the interconnected web between people here. I love Mauritanian hospitality and friendship. I love traveling and escaping the "city" life in Nouakchott. I had an amazing trip to the North and I can't wait to visit again!
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