2004-07-26 - 2:08 p.m.

Dar’s foot bumps against mine as he rustles in his sleep. I myself am drifting into slumber. How can I not? The temperature is perfect. Heat rises from the ground below me while a swift wind cools me off. I bring my head up to look around and am reminded of a middle school sleep over. Nine bodies are strewn about me, lying in various positions. Gee-bre, the baby, snores softly. Only my host father remains awake. Leaning over his short wave radio listening to the troubles of a world he does not know.

I feel something crawl across my hand and I swipe it away, hoping I have not angered a passing scorpion. In the distance there is drums and singing. I asked my father of the source. He told me it was a nearby ‘crazy’ family.

“Why would anyone want to dance in this heat? They dance for no reason… They dance because their stomachs are full.” Secretly want to go join in, but I’m not sure that I would be well received; I’m also scared of the wild dogs I can hear fighting between my house and the city.

And thus night takes M’Beidia. The sun sets shortly before 9 after which time little can be done other than stargazing. No lanterns are lit due to the plethora of insects they attract. If I really wanted to I could light the lantern in my room, but I choose not to. Why?

-My family would view me as an isolationist. The desire to be alone is not understood in Mauritanian culture.

-I would miss out on the conversations my host dad and I have, the culture they teach me about, and the Hassanyan practice they give me.

-Most importantly, my room never drops below 90 F (No exaggeration, I checked with a thermometer).

So outside I stay each night, usually on the mat looking up at the sky. When the first star pops out I make a wish (the same each night), and the wait for the rest to follow. With no light to disrupt the show I can see millions. The children drop off one by one, only to be woken again at 10 for dinner. If the moon is full there is enough light to discern exactly what it is we’re eating. The other times I use the rest of my senses, often to no avail

After the meal comes the wait for tea. To get all three glasses can take upward of an hour. This is because Char, the oldest boy and designated tea maker will often fall asleep between rounds. Between 11 and 12 I receive my last glass, and head to my room to brush my teeth using a bucket and a bottle of water. I set my mosquito net up outside and fall asleep listening to my cd player.

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