From Mauritania

Dear friends

Reading the message of my long time love Deirdre, surprised to see that I keep on the same email address, I suddenly realise that is has been a too long time since I have not written some news to my good old English speaking friends around the globe!

Not to say for some of you that I feel ashamed to be so long to reply and could you all be thanked for the windows you open on the rest of the world every time you send me an email.

Maybe some of you wonder, as I do for all of you, where I stand in this life, as time passing by, and so fast…

Let say that I am still climbing a sand dune with the great satisfaction to see the top and hopefully not being far from reaching it but with all the frustration when you do one step ahead and ending up two steps backs! I whish these dunes had stone steps…

I am still indeed in Mauritania, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. Objectives are on the way to be completed and I could not imagine coming here that it would have taking me some much energy and work to achieve them. Finally people living here with HIV/Aids have now an access to free of charge and global health care, stigma is decreasing, and hopefully soon the national first aid network will be effective.

Every time I have been able to able to escape in these stoning landscapes in between desert and Atlantic Ocean, I fell the regret of not being able to bring you all there and share these moments. Since now countdown has started and while hot season starting, you wont probably be candidates to camel trips or trekking under some 40 to 50 degrees sun shining, I simply hope to be able to visit some of you in the coming holidays which hopefully are planed to be long enough !

Hope you keep all well, happy and looking forward to have some quick news.

Friendly regards
Vincent