Defining Cultural Exchange

I was leading leading a sensibilization on hygiene the other day. Wash your hands, wash your food, get sick less. Being American, I figured that these were simple concepts. I had no idea the subject was so controversial. One woman in particular was incensed that I would suggest that she was her hands. Isn't water good enough? Soap costs money! Why should she use soap to wash the hand that she uses to wipe her ass before touching the food that she feeds to her children? It's never been a problem before, says the woman who has just brought her child to the health center. Halfway through her rant, her baby started to cry. Without breaking from speech, she opened her top, pulled out one breast, put it to her child's mouth, and squeezed to start the flow.

This really opened my eyes. We have a lot to exchange with one another. I have lessons in basic preventative health to share. We Americans also have much to learn. We get up in arms about women breastfeeding their kids in fast food restaurants. Mauritania clearly has some of its priorities in order.