Back At The Keyboard

It's been awhile since I've blogged regularly. This wasn't entirely accidental. In part, I wanted to spare you. And myself, I suppose. For about 6 months now, I couldn't have offered much in the way of insight or humor on my blog. I hit the wall in my service, and I lost my positive attitude towards the work and the culture. And from a position of depression, it's really difficult to get out there and find something new to share, some new experience or insight into this curious melange of Western African cultures that is Mauritania.

So rather than open a window to my own malaise, and rather than force myself to explore what was making me unhappy, I took a long hiatus from writing about my experiences. It was easier. That's all I can really say about it.

But now, with 8 months left to my service, I've found my second wind. Living in a new town, I'm open to new experiences with new partners and new friends. With a new team of Peace Corps volunteers, I have a new group of people to rely on and work with. Being closer to Nouakchott, I feel far less isolated. And having had a little European vacation, I was able to recharge my batteries.

All volunteers go through something like this. I get the impression that my down time was more prolonged than usual, maybe a bit worse than most. But I'm looking forward to getting back to work, and hopefully having something good to show for my time in Aleg. And I'll try to share those things as they come.