Sahara Jones

We are Donn & Elizabeth Jones and our 3 kids: Elliot, 10 ¾, and twins Abel and Ilsa, who just turned 9.

We are located on the Western edge of the Sahara desert in North Africa, When asked where we’re from, we usually say “Oregon” as that’s the shortest, easiest answer.

We live in Nouakchott (pronounced, “nu WOK shot”), the capital city of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. It’s a teeming metropolis of some million souls, and at one point was mentioned on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” (trademarked no doubt) as the fastest growing city in the world. This growth is evident both in the surrounding slums and the nicer parts of town. Perhaps the most common sight in Nouakchott is the site of new construction.

Mauritania is also, possibly, one of the most traditional places on earth. They have been very isolated culturally, economically, religiously, and technologically for a very long time. With the recent discovery of oil and a favorable shift in policy towards the west in the mid-nineties , they are in a similar position to the middle east in the late 40's. Ancient, nomadic culture old meets Y2K. We do our best to see them progress in each of these areas for their benefit.

We run a small English school/bookstore/library called Oasis Books. We are the only English-language bookstore in the whole country! Like most oases, we’re small but at least we’re there, not just a mirage. We offer English classes on 4 levels, as well as conversation groups and research help for university students. Donn is also a photographer, which you knew if you got here through the main website at www.inklight.net.

Our kids go to the Lycee Theodore Monod, which is located on the grounds of the French Embassy and is all in French.