Hello from Rabat!

12 September 2006

Dear Family & Friends,

I made it! I am writing you from Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. I think at this point I have been awake for over 43 hours (including the short 30 minute nap I took before dinner). Yesterday morning I awoke early in Philadelphia to prepare for the big trip to Morocco. Peace Corps had planned on leaving Philly by noon, but due to some misunderstanding, the buses did not arrive until 1:30pm. No big deal, as we had ample time to get to JFK airport in NYC. However, we did not foresee the major delay along the turnpike en route to New York. Lucky for us we had a very back road savvy bus driver who got us to the airport with only 45 minutes until boarding time. Somehow, all 56 of us volunteers made it through security in time and we were on our way.

The plane ride was uneventful as it was very boring and I could not sleep, but fortunately it was only a six hour flight. We arrived in Casablanca at 7:00 am, Morocco time and began our second day of travel. The funniest sight had to have been all 56 of us Americans, each with a luggage cart, wheeling our way through the airport. Many heads were turning! Next, we loaded everybody’s belongings into a very large double-decker coach bus. Because there was not room for the entirety of the group, some of us got to ride in a mini van on our way to Rabat. It was a great way of seeing the Moroccan countryside. I couldn’t believe how many people were just out walking around in the middle of nowhere! It’s the desert and far from any city, and there were people, sometimes families, walking not along roads, but just out there. Also, a lot of donkeys, wild dogs, and sheep scattered the rural landscape.

Once we got to Rabat we quickly settled ourselves into our rooms and made our way downstairs for our welcome session. We met almost the entire Morocco Peace Corps staff and got some information about the program here in general, safety, and communicating with people at home. It was a little rough because all of us were sleep-deprived, but somehow we all made it through the day! We had a nice meal on the rooftop of the hotel overlooking one of the city’s mosques. While eating, the muezzin, the person who calls the Muslims to prayer at the appropriate times, called out to the city and at that moment I thought to myself, yes, I am in Morocco.

I am meeting so many wonderful people and I couldn’t be happier to know I will be spending the next two years side by side these amazing, dedicated individuals. I already have pinpointed a few people who have really clicked with me. I am wishing and hoping that at least one of them ends up in my small training group (5-6 people). It really makes a difference knowing that there will be a group of peers experiencing the same things I will be going through. Already, we are starting to become a very close-knit group. We have traveled so far, we are all a little anxious to begin living with our host families this Friday, and along with that, try and communicate with them with the language we will be learning at the same time. Wow! We sure are being pushed to learn as much as possible, as fast as possible.

So, with that, I have some medical paperwork to complete tonight before training begins again in the early morning. Tomorrow I will get to meet the US Ambassador for Morocco. He is a very close friend to President George W. Bush, but as I have been told, he is different than other Ambassadors because he really does care about this country and especially the Peace Corps. So, with a big day ahead of me, I will say goodnight and take care! I am in good hands here, so try not to worry!

Love,
Jenny