The Dar Chebab

8 October 2006

After spending four brief days in Immouzer catching up with the other volunteers and getting more vaccinations, I am back with my host family in Boulmane. I could not believe how happy everyone in my family was to see me. My host brother barreled down the hallway and latched on to my neck when I came into the house. It feels good to be back.

This CBT phase we have a packed schedule at the Dar Chebab. The Dar Chebab literally means the House of Youth and it is where I will be working over the next two years. During CBT, we have a chance to work at the Dar Chebab in Boulmane. So, far it has been fantastic. The Mudir (manager) is really organized and open to new ideas and the youth are never in short supply. We have formed a Friendship Club between the volunteers and the Moroccan youth. Within the club, we have formed subcommittees that have started planning future events. I am on the Spectacle Committee. At the end of Ramadan, the D.C. will host a variety show called the Spectacle that will celebrate the end of Ramadan and showcase the talents of the youth. Our Friendship Club decided to contribute to the event by planning a comedy sketch and a fashion show. One of the girls had already written a sketch that is about an American woman coming to Morocco to marry a Moroccan man and the humorous problems that arise. For the fashion show, we decided to have the Americans dress up in the Moroccan clothing, while the Moroccans model the American clothes. It should be a fun time.

Yesterday the youth planned an outdoor game and invited us volunteers to come play. The game was kind of like a scavenger hunt, but much more difficult and tiring. One of the youths had cut out tiny pieces of paper and hidden them around the perimeter of the soccer field and it was our task to find the papers. We broke off into teams and started searching. The easiest papers we found were pinned up in trees, but the more difficult papers were discovered under rocks and crammed into cracks in a stone wall. There are a lot of stray animals around town, so the game became more interesting as we had to watch our every step, as to avoid the droppings. My team named “Team Speedy,” actually tied for first place with another group.

Today is my day off and I couldn’t be happier. I have been really tired the past few days, with all the traveling, busy days of training, and the intermittent bouts of intestinal problems. I planned on doing laundry this morning, but my host sister-in-law beat me to it. There are only so many clothespins, so I will have to wait until later today after her laundry has dried. I also need a bath. I would like to walk around town and explore a little more.

Next weekend all of us Youth Development volunteers are going to Fez! I’m really excited about this. I think we are going to visit a few institutions there designed for youth. I don’t know if we’ll have much free time, but it will be fun to see a new city!

A Note to Everyone:

Please check out the link on the right titled “My Pictures.” I uploaded a lot of photos there for you to enjoy!