Here follows a sparsely elaborated list, of all those things, that have become, over time, the not-so-out-of-the-ordinary. This is not so entertaining, so be forewarned.
[Sheeps, goats and donkeys; cats and dogs, also]
Sheeps and goats, with beady-eyes and stern faces, rule the streets. They will eat anything green that stumbles into their paths, gardens and trees included. They also eat trash and chase dogs. They are oftentimes dumber than they look and can be easily gotten rid of by the utterance of “Chee!” and the throwing of rocks {I prefer the big ones as I imagine they hurt…I mean to say, scare, more…}.
Donkeys are responsible for pulling carts. They are often badly abused. It is not unusual to see several donkeys, over the course of a half-hour stroll, with bloodied bruises and with sadness in their eyes.
Children kill cats and dogs. They can be seen chasing the animals through streets and alleys with rocks in their hands. The parents dislike cats and dogs and do nothing to stop their children’s actions. The whole thing is, in effect, a win-win situation, unless you happen to be the cat or dog.
[Taxi brousse]
People are shuttled from city to city in taxies brousses: Frankenstein-like cars too old and broken to be driven in any sensible place. Seating is always scarce, and so travelers are oftentimes squashed together into unbelievably small places. In an ordinary four-door passenger car, four people sit in the back while two squeeze into the passenger seat. In mini-van type vehicles, people, without count, are stuffed into the back, along with their luggages. If driving off-road, one must take a Helix truck, where one has the option of seating in the cab or the bed. The last Helix I rode in was with 26 other people; all of us sardined into the truck bed and sprawled on top of the cab. The ride was painful. I had a friend sitting on my lap, a young man’s legs around my torso, and luggage and various feet on my legs, and all this over bumpy terrain lasting for some six to seven hours. In short, travel in Mauritania is…an adventure.
[Urinating]
Men urinate in public. They find a wall and squat and pee. Women also urinate in public but not as frequently as men.
[Making Tea]
Mauritanians make tea for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and in all the times in-between. Tea is made, strong and sweet, in small teapots over charcoal or gas fires. It is served in a small casse, similar to a shot glass, in customarily three rounds. This is one of the few traditions in which Mauritanians seem to take intense pride.
C’est tous pour aujourd’hui : je suis fatigue.
3 comments:
More to the point, when you urinate in public, do you squat or stand?
um, the second to last sentence, in french: "that's it for today: i am tired"? what does the next sentence say?
wait, is the last sentence something like, "more to come, maybe this weekend"? my french class is not getting me anyhwere.
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