See you Tuesday!

I'm coming home early! I'm flying into MSP at 10:38 pm Tuesday night! See you there!

I'm a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer!

That's it! I can't believe it, but I am no longer a Peace Corps volunteer. This morning we had a nice closing ceremony at the Peace Corps office and officially signed out. Check out the new pictures on flickr.

Dar Chebab Party

Four pizzas, three bottles of pop, one chocolate cake, and I'm pooped! Tonight I had a small party for my dar chebab boys at my house. I made pizza and the boys ate, danced, and played games. It was mostly just laughing and having a good time, but at the end a few of them got a little teary-eyed when we said our goodbyes. I'm really going to miss those boys. They were fun to work with and became my good friends. I'm pretty tired now and a little sad, so I won't write much more, but check out the new photos on flickr.

We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For

I first heard reference to this speech the day I graduated from the University of Minnesota. Our commencement speaker was Peggy Flanagan, the first Native-American woman to serve as director on the Minneapolis Board of Education. Also, one of the youngest to serve. As a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, Peggy quoted the words of the Hopi tribe Elders saying that my graduating class, my generation, are the ones we've been waiting for. Then, three years later I heard Barack Obama make reference to this speech during his campaign for presidency. I find the words of these elders inspirational and true.

A Hopi Elder Speaks: “We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For”

You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.
And there are things to be considered:

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.

This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water. See who is in there with you and celebrate.

At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we've been waiting for.

—The Elders Oraibi
Arizona Hopi Nation

November Rain

October's gone already and with November came the rain. Morocco has been experiencing heavy rains the past month in all regions, except dusty little insert-name-of-town-here. It's rained so much that trees, people, cars, houses, gardens, and entire villages have been swept away. I'd noticed a lot of airplane traffic the past few weeks but hadn't really thought about it until one of my students told me that all flights going north had been rerouted south because of the weather. After waiting through a month filled with dusty winds, finally last night we got rain, too. It's still coming down strong today and everybody in my town is smiling and happy the crops will be healthy this year.

I have absolutely no intention of going out there today. Because it hardly ever rains here, the town doesn't need to worry about drainage but when it does rain, giant puddles form on all the streets. There is a really gigantic, deep puddle across the street from my house that is impossible to avoid when going out, so I'll just stay inside instead.

Yesterday I received from very good news. My replacement called to introduce herself and let me know she'll be visiting on Monday for one week. My first reaction was a happy one. I told her host family that she was coming and told the kids at the dar chebab. But, with time, the worrying set in. The little things that annoy me about my site started to pile up and suddenly everything seemed horrible and I started to wonder how anybody could be happy in a dump like this. But, those were all irrational, crazy thoughts that have now passed and I'm back to feeling excited. The host family is very excited to meet her. She'll be staying with my very good friend Kabira and her family.

I can't believe that it was two years ago that I made the journey from the training site to my town for my first visit. I had no idea where my town was or how to get there and somehow I got in a taxi, paid 5 times the amount I should have, and after a eye-opening ride through what I thought was the middle of nowhere, I got dropped off on the side of the road of a little town and the taxi sped off, leaving me standing there alone. Standing alone in the street, I took a deep breath and walked across the street to the closest store and asked the men there in my broken Arabic "Where is the Dar Chebab?"

Well, I've come a long way since that day, thank god. Now, after building a life here over the past two years, I have to figure out some way of disassembling it. I'm starting to realize that it's really over and I'll be honest, it's a little scary. But, unlike the day I arrived, this time I have an entire community supporting me and my departure.

I'll try posting more often over the next few weeks, but I can't guarantee much. Meanwhile, I think today I'll just enjoy the rain and curl up in my blanket and stay warm.

Eid Mubarak

Happy Eid to Everyone! Today was the big day celebrating the end of Ramadan and the beginning of a new month! I'm so happy this month is over! I can't wait to get back into my normal routine here.

Here is how I spent that last two days:

Last night people starting talking that Ramadan might be Wednesday, or Thursday, but probably Wednesday, depending on the moon, of course. So, I asked around and nobody was entirely sure but I decided to pedal out to my host family's village and wait with them for the announcement. Basically, somebody (and it's different for every country) watches the sky until they see the first sliver of the crescent moon. Last night while watching a national Ramadan program they I actually could understand,because they spoke Darija, called "Go Until you Come" (Or was it "Come Until you Go?") the show was briefly interrupted with a flashy sign announcing the end of the month. Yea!

Then, I took a hammam (turkish bath) with Soukaina and she scrubbed my back. No matter how long I sit there, scrubbing my body with basically the equivalent of a brillo pad, I never can get the same results as Moroccan women. I mean, layers and layers of skin are peeled off their bodies and I'm lucky if I can get a few flakes to fall away. Also, no matter what I do there, I never can spend more than half an hour inside the steam house, but these women spend hours inside. They always say to me, "You sure finished quickly! Just half an hour!"

After the hammam I went to bed to rest up for the big day. This morning, at 7 am, Nadia's mom barged into the room and yelled "Come on, wake up!" but we ignored her until about 8:30 when family started arriving. I could hear her talking about me on the other side of the door saying "Jenny's here, but she's still sleeping!" So, I got myself up to join the others for breakfast and sat down at the table to the smell of a steaming ..... meat tajine. Mmmmmm, nothing like an oily hunk of meat washed down with a mouthful of bread! Normally, Moroccans celebrate the first breakfast with breads, sweets, dates, figs, and of course, tea. I'm not sure while my family went the meat route, but I was hungry, so I ate it. Then, six hours later when we gathered for lunch I got to eat my second meat tajine of the day! I was worried about what dinner might have in store for us, but luckily my friend in town sent me a text message asking me to visit her family.

So, I rode back into town (with about five pounds of pomegranates on my back) and stopped by Kabira's house. We watched "Just Married" and then went for a spin on her moped. Her moped was "sick" for a long time and somehow she fixed it today. We rode all over town, waving and greeting people with "mabarak lawasheer" which means "Happy Holiday!" And then returned to her house. I decided it was time to get myself back home where nobody forces me to eat large quantities of meat so I said goodbye and hopped on my bike to ride home. And promptly fell in a giant hole, pomegranates landing on my head. I guess my personal mantra of "home home home home home" blinded me from the road block, but no worries, I just brushed the dirt off and continued on.

Now, I'm home, high on a sugar buzz from the tea and looking forward to having a normal day tomorrow!

Description of United States Peace Corps Service

I had to write up this description of service to send to Peace Corps headquarters and I thought I'd share it with you all. It summarizes my experience quite well, but I had to edit it a little for the blog, taking out any information indicating the location of my town. It might be a little dry too, but it's supposed to be, its a government document!

After a competitive application process stressing applicant’s skills, adaptability and willingness to immerse in another culture and language, cross-cultural sensitivity, and the desire to serve underprivileged communities, Jennifer Bentley began Peace Corps training on September 9th, 2006 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She then completed the eleven week training program: one week in Rabat at the Chellah Hotel and ten weeks in the community-based training (CBT) site of Boulmane. During this time, Jennifer lived with a Moroccan family in order to experience Moroccan culture and family life first-hand, as well as to immerse herself in the language. Ms. Bentley joined other trainees at the training seminar site in Immouzer, where they participated in cross-cultural and technical sessions organized by Peace Corps staff. During the training period, the following was accomplished:

CROSS CULTURAL TRAINING	Study of Arab and Islamic values and traditions with an emphasis on Moroccan history and culture. (14 hours of formal training sessions plus an additional 35 days of cross-cultural experience during a “home stay” with a Moroccan family.)
TECHNICAL TRAINING	General introduction to participatory community analysis and development methodologies and the Moroccan Education System through lectures, hands-on activities stressing language, teaching methods and techniques and youth development activities, including girls education (59 hours of formal training). As part of the Community Based Training experience, practice taught, planned and organized youth-related activities in a youth center (97 hours).
LANGUAGE TRAINING	General introduction to and intensive study of the Moroccan Arabic dialect (Darija), including reading, writing and speaking, (160 formal hours). Additionally, many informal hours practicing language skills with host family and applying language tasks in a Moroccan community context.
HEALTH AND PERSONAL SAFETY TRAINING	Health care in Morocco; first aid and safety; preventive medicine and nutrition. Safety and Security including both formal sessions and competencies integrated into Language and Cross Culture training (40 formal hours of training plus additional time during language and cross culture classes).

At the completion of pre-service training, Jennifer was tested by a certified LPI tester and at that time was rated as Intermediate-Low in spoken Darija. She was sworn-in with Peace Corps on November 25th, 2005 and served as a Youth Development Volunteer for the Moroccan Ministry in Charge of Youth and Sport. Her primary assignment was in a Youth Center in ???, Morocco. She arrived in her site and lived with a host family there for two months.

During Jennifer Bentley’s volunteer service her main responsibilities included:

PRIMARY DUTIES

As a Youth Developer based at the Youth Center in ???, Jennifer initiated projects aimed at creating and enhancing developmental assets among youth and adults, including both young women and men. Jennifer’s main projects included:

English Language Instruction: Jennifer taught English as a Foreign Language to beginner, intermediate, advanced and adult students at the Youth Center. Jennifer designed a curriculum that used English language instruction as a forum to teach other developmental topics and skills including tolerance, environmental responsibility, gender equality, self-esteem, nutrition, and career planning.

Girls’ and Women’s Education and Empowerment: Through weekly gatherings involving English classes and discussions centered on cultural-exchange, Jennifer emphasized self-awareness, self-esteem, decision-making skills, and education and career planning for female students at the Women’s Center and Girls’ Boarding Home. Jennifer taught weekly aerobics classes to women and girls at the Youth Center. With her encouragement, the women organized the activity into an independent club under the direction of the women.

Children’s Education and Development: Jennifer led weekly activities based on cognitive skills, motor skills, health, social and emotional development as well as some English.

Boys’ Education and Empowerment: Through weekly gatherings involving English classes and activities centered on empowerment, Jennifer stressed the importance of self-awareness, self-esteem, decision-making skills, and education and career planning for male students at the Dar Chebab and Boys’ Boarding Home.

Intercultural Exchange: Jennifer fostered dialogue between Moroccan and American students through the exchange of letters as part of the World Wise Schools program.

Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sport English Language Camps

Jennifer collaborated with the Moroccan Ministry of Youth and Sport at the regional and national levels at English Language Camps. Her roles included:

Coordination of Spring Language Camp: As PCV coordinator of the 2008 Spring Language Camp for 120 students in the El Jadida region, Jennifer and a Moroccan counterpart organized activities, established rules, and addressed campers’ concerns. Jennifer acted as a liaison between PCV and Moroccan staff.

Teaching at Language Camps: Jennifer taught English, art, science, and other developmental topics and skills to students at several national Language Camps.

SECONDARY DUTIES

In addition to these duties, Jennifer Bentley worked closely with PC/Morocco staff on several PC/Morocco initiatives, including:

YD Pre-Service Training (PST): In collaboration with another PCV, Jennifer conducted the community assessment portion of PST for incoming YD PCVs in 2007. Jennifer designed and led 2 participatory training sessions, addressing topics and skills such as community entry and assessment.

YD In-Service Training (IST): Jennifer presented, with the assistance of another PCV, a participatory training session focusing on active-listening skills for mid-service YD PCVs in 2008.

Volunteer Support Network (VSN): After participating in a training session emphasizing peer counseling skills, Jennifer became an official member in the Volunteer Support Network. Once elected as representative to her YD 2006 staging group, Jennifer served on the VSN Council. As part of her duties in the Council, she successfully planned and led three training sessions for 18 newly sworn-in volunteers from 2007-2008.

Jennifer successfully integrated into her community, allowing her to gain the respect of Directors of Youth and Women’s Centers, as well as counterparts in the Ministry of Youth and Sport. Through her diligence, hard work and perseverance, Ms. Bentley has helped the Youth Development program make improvements as well as brought to her local community sustainable projects and ideas, allowing for the growth and development of the community with whom she worked.

Jennifer Bentley successfully completed her service with the Peace Corps in Morocco on November 26, 2008. She will fulfill the final Peace Corps goal by sharing Morocco with Americans upon her return to the United States.

Two Cockroaches on my Head...and other experiences

Well, I was delusional to believe I solved the cockroach problem last month. Apparently, insecticide cannot compete with Mother Nature. I'm still without water and I believe this is the root of the cockroach problem. Last night was the last straw (I always say that) and today I began a major cleaning campaign in my house.

Last night I was drifting off to sleep and dreaming this recurring dream I have here where I am confused about where I am and if I am alone or with people. I hate this dream. I always wake up searching with my hands for a person. Let's not psychoanalyze this one too much... Anyway, last night while searching with my hands, I grazed an insect crawling toward my face. I jumped out of "bed" (a thin mat on the floor) and grabbed my sandal, found and killed a large spider. I have never seen this spider before. It had long legs, of varying sizes and was very springy. Then, I heard a rustling sound on the other side of the room and after investigating, found a large cockroach desperately attempting to find a way out of the room. I killed that one as well.

This incident follows a more disturbing one that occurred just last week. Here is a rundown of that evening:

1. 9:30 pm: Resting on ponj (mattress that acts as couch), talking with Abdslam on phone, when I feel a cockroach crawling on my head. Scream, want to die, etc, kill the cockroach. For the rest of the evening wonder why cockroach walked on my head. Am disturbed.

2. 2:30 am: sleeping on "bed" when I hear someone pounding on my door downstairs. Sweating, I hear a man yelling in Arabic "Where is the American woman? Where is the white girl? Is this her door? Is this it?" Peek out window to find man with towel on his face, spitting a lot. (he was high on some chemicals) Half an hour passes with him pounding on my door and then three other men join him and try to coax him away from my door. One man convinces him to go somewhere with him on his motorcycle. They leave. I am scared. (at the time it didn't occur to me to call the gendarmes, but I was in that frozen, make-no-sudden-movements mode)

3. 5:00 am: sleeping again on "bed" when I hear and feel something crawling near my face. I jump out of bed, turn on the lights and see nothing. Then, I hear some rustling sounds coming from INSIDE my pillow. I beat the pillow with my sandal, fearing a mouse will come out, instead just another big cockroach scurries out. I kill it.


So, whatever, I guess I just have to deal with the fact that I must share my house with cockroaches. I have a feeling that as soon as the water comes back on, this problem will solve itself. Inshallah.

In other news, we passed the midway mark of Ramadan. Only half a month left of fasting! I'm not fasting this year, but that doesn't mean that I'm still not incredibly bored. I lead a training session this past weekend on active-listening skills, so that got me out of my house and active for a while. The group was really great and I enjoyed meeting new people and talking about the People magazine my grandparents sent me.

I passed my two-year mark September 12 while at the training. Two years in Morocco. I can hardly believe my service is coming to an end. The next two months I will spend saying my goodbyes and preparing for my replacement's transition into my community. It's weird to think that he or she is here now in Morocco, training for service in my town. November 26 is the official day for my closing of service.

Jenny the Cockroach Slayer

I know you're all expecting a major update and today I'm going to do my best at writing one for you all.

So, where do I start with everything? I think the last time I posted it was when my parents visited. So after they left, I went back home to my town for a few days, got ready for camp, and traveled back north. I worked at the El Jadida English Immersion camp for one month. I enjoyed going to the beach every day, hanging out with cool Moroccan kids who are trying to learn English, and trying not to eat too much ice cream or hot doughnuts on the beach. The first camp I worked as the camp librarian, checking books and games out to kids. I really had a great time in the library and became good friends with some of the girls who regularly came. The second camp I taught beginners English and had a fun, energetic class that kept me on my toes. It was nice to be around Americans again, but also some of them drive me crazy with complaining and laziness, so I was happy when camp was over.

After camp, I met Abdslam and his brother in Rabat and traveled with them to their family's house. His family is so nice and I had a fun time hanging out with them. I brought some games along like Phase 10, Uno, and Old Maid, so we played a lot of games. We took a few side trips and explored the countryside. We drove out to this mountain where legend has it treasures were buried long ago. They say you need to know magic in order to dig up the treasures. We walked out to a natural fish pond on the side of a mountain. They also say that if you come to this place on a Friday you might catch a glimpse of a big fish with white hair! We also took a trip to Errachidia where it was 112 degrees. We also saw the small town of Rich and drove out to the family's small village where they have another house. The road to the village was not so much a road as a series of obstacles we had to drive through and around. After turning off the main road, we crossed a small river, navigated through a forest, and somehow ended up next to this old ruined kasbah, which their house is right next to. The view there was amazing - on one side of the house you have the kasbah and the other is an expansive mountain. After spending a day at the village, we went back to town and soon after, I made my way back to Rabat.

Going to Rabat I became very excited for my Close of Service conference. Arriving, it was so cool to see all the volunteers I came to Morocco with two years ago. Some of them I hadn't seen in a long time! We talked a lot about our experience during Peace Corps, how to cope with finishing our service, and what to expect after Peace Corps. There were some times during the conference that I felt out of touch with the other volunteers, and other times when I felt the same as the others. It's funny- Peace Corps is such a personal experience and is hard even among other volunteers to talk about it.

After a great time in Rabat, that included another trip to TGIFridays, I made the long travel back south to my house. I found my house wasn't in too bad of shape after being gone for a month and a half. Only a thin layer of dust and surprise, surprise, no water! The last week I've been at the mercy of the pipes. Sometimes the pipes are generous and give out the water, other times the pipes hoard it to themselves and leave me thirsty and unbathed for days. Today, the latter of two is true. Also, with the drying of the pipes, cockroaches and ants have been spilling out of the faucets in place of the water.

One day I encountered a flying cockroach, two cockroaches in the bathroom, and one in the kitchen all within the same five minutes. That's when I decided enough was enough, and bought some bug-killing spray. Two nights ago, I attacked the pipes under the kitchen sink and what scurried out was disturbing, but I was prepared with a house slipper in one hand and a broom in the other. A colony, or family, of cockroaches ranging from the biggest of the bunch to teeny tiny little babies, fled from their nest in the pipes and met their deaths that night. Since then, I am happy to report that I haven't caught wind of a single cockroach. But, I have a sinking feeling that this spray is just a temporary fix and that a new batch will replace the old soon. Also, today there has been an influx in the ant population. While squatting over my turkish toilet this morning, I saw the most unusual sight. A giant dead spider was being pushed through a hole in the faucet by an army of ants. Maybe these ants aren't so bad to have around. But, as I sit writing this, I have flicked five ants off my arms and legs....so, maybe not...

Luckily for me, and for the other smaller and greedier tenants of my house, I'll be traveling again today. I'm off to the north to visit an old host family and heading back to Abdslam's house for my second Moroccan wedding. This time, I will not be publicly embarrassed! Or be forced to overeat! Almost two years have passed since my first Moroccan wedding and knowing the language is always a plus.

Stinky and thirsty,
Jenny

Check out my new pics!

Done with camp, traveling, and conferences for the moment. Relaxing, reading, eating frozen grapes, and keeping cool for now. I think I'll do some more traveling before the end of the month, but I haven't decided where yet. I realize I have a lot of updating to do, but for now I don't have the energy or creativity required! I will post soon with all the latest news!

Hope you're all enjoying summer!

Hi and Bye

Hello Everyone!

Well, the Griswolds came and went and the past two days I've been busy getting myself ready for summer camp. I'll leave tomorrow morning at 5:30 am inchallah. Packing was trickier this year because I'm not only packing for a month of camp, but I'm packing for a Moroccan wedding, a week in the Sahara, and a week in Rabat. Camp packing includes summer clothes I don't get to wear in my site, like tank tops. I also am lugging along a suitcase full of balls, games, and other odds and ends for the kids. After camp I'm attending a fellow PCV's wedding. He met his Moroccan wife at the summer camp two years ago and now they're getting married. His family is coming over from America and it should be a fun wedding. After the wedding, I'm heading out to one area of the country I have yet to visit: the southeast. I want to do a camel trek before I leave Morocco. Then, I'll head to Rabat for a week of what we call the "close of service conference." All the volunteers who I met two years ago in Philadelphia will gather again to talk about our experiences here and prepare ourselves for finishing our service. Then, back to my site and Ramadan will begin. This will be my THIRD Ramadan in country.

So, back to other things I need to catch you all up on...

The Griswold vacation was a blast and I had such a fun time showing mom and dad around the country. The best part was parading them around my town. We did a lot of that. Parading to the Dar Chebab, parading to the souk, parading to the farm, parading to the village. We also did a lot of eating at family and friend's homes, which made my job as hostess a breeze! They'd be so stuffed so full of food I never had to make them dinner! But, they did keep me busy with their errand requests of bananas, bottled water, and toilet paper. As I don't have a tv, dad found another way to keep himself entertained. People-watching. He'd sit on my balcony and gawk at the people passing by and their various modes of transportation and they'd gawk back.

Mom and I got a few good laughs while in Marrakech. Dad bought a big wide-brimmed hat to wear because it was so hot and when he put it on we instantly thought he looked like "the man in the yellow hat" from Curious George. Funnier yet, just as we pulled out to take a picture of dad with his hat, holding his bananas, a big gust of wind picked up and swept his hat off his head and sent him running. He chased his hat as mom and I laughed and Moroccans stared.

While I think Marrakech was dad's favorite city because of its county fair-like atmosphere, I think mom preferred Essaouira. I was proud of mom for drinking the orange juice in every city we visited. Dad, on the other hand, had a strange and strict diet he made himself follow. No glasses. He'd drink directly out of the bottle or can. No ice. No orange juice. But he allowed himself limitless bananas and bread, lots and lots of bread.

In Rabat mom and dad impressed me their partying skills. They kept up just fine with us younger folk and provided endless entertainment and conversation. Rabat was a fun time for me because I got to see my friends and I'm not gonna lie, going to TGIFriday was the best dining experience of the year for me (excluding the time I ate real American food in America of course).

Today was probably around 115 degrees, give or take. It was HOT. Maybe the hottest day of my life. I'm not sure. I feels hotter than last year, but was it just the same and I just forgot how miserable it is? Anyway, today was hot and as an added bonus, the water stopped working. So, luckily I finished all my laundry and showering this morning. If I could I would leave now. I just want to get out of here! With the heat, came plenty of ants and cockroaches and some weird insect bites all over my body. I ate two popsicles today. I ate one and enjoyed it so much and went right back out and bought a second one. So, I guess tonight I will clean up my house a little, hope the water comes back, and pray the electricity doesn't go out.

I'm not sure how often I'll be checking my email or updating my blog for the next month and a half, but I will try and send you updates as much as I can! I'm going to coordinate with mom and dad to get some pictures of their trip online. Have a great summer and Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Guest Post from Mom

I am writing a guest blog to share my thoughts and impressions of Morocco. Brian and I visited Jenny for 2 weeks from June 10 – 23, 2008. We had a great trip and I will remember it for quite some time. Let me just say that from the moment we arrived until we left, Jenny took care of our every need. Her knowledge of the Arabic language and speaking it fluently was a never ending source of amazement to us. She was the best tour guide we could have hoped for. From arranging transportation in a petite taxi, grand taxi, train, horse and buggy; to reserving hotels and riads which are beautiful homes set around an open garden courtyard; to choosing restaurants of which some were local, traditional Moroccan foods and others, more American like Pizza Hut, McDonalds, and TGIFridays; to finding local sightseeing spots in each city; to bargaining and haggling with the street vendors in the souqs; Jenny did it all and she did it well. I may be biased, but I would like to add that Jenny has accomplished so much as a Peace Corps volunteer. She is a young woman who figured out how to navigate in a country where women are viewed much differently than men. Her work in youth development is really outstanding. It took a lot of perseverance to be the first PCV in her town and to start a youth program from the ground up. We are so proud of you.

We spent 4 days in Jenny’s town experiencing her life as a Peace Corps volunteer. We were invited to have lunch at the homes of 3 different families. It was like eating Thanksgiving dinner 3 days in a row. At each home we were seated in the salon after removing our shoes. Moroccans serve their tea in high style in a silver teapot along with a tray of nuts and dates before the meal. Eventually a kettle of hot water was brought to us and poured over our hands over a silver basin. Then the meal was brought out to a knee-high round table around which we were seated. The food was served in the center of the table for all to eat from. Each home served a piping hot tajine with vegetables and meat (yummy!). We tore off pieces of bread to scoop up the hot food with your fingers. Next, we were served a large tray of couscous with meat. Along with the couscous, a bowl of buttermilk was consumed (not so yummy!). And to top it all off, we ate Moroccan-grown fresh fruit (watermelon, honeydew melon, apples, bananas, grapes, peaches, oranges) for dessert. We were encouraged to eat more than we possibly could. Two of these families were the host family to Jenny. It was great to meet them and express our thanks for being her family in Morocco.

While we were in Jenny’s town, we went to the Dar Chebab to see her work and meet the boys. They are a good group of boys who come to the Dar Chebab to learn English and do fun activities. We played ping pong, Connect Four, Jenga, Old Maids, and put together a jigsaw puzzle with them. It was clear to us that these boys like and respect Jenny very much.

In the second week of our Moroccan adventure we did some sightseeing and traveled to Marrakesh, Essaouira, Rabat, and Casablanca. Each town or city had a wall surrounding the oldest part of the medina and something different to offer. Marrakesh was a hot, chaotic, lively city with a population of 970,000. The focal point of Marrakesh was the Djemaa el-Fna, a huge square in the medina complete with snake charmers, juice stands, story tellers, musicians, monkeys, and boxing matches. Brian loved this and likened it to the Steele County Fair multiplied by 1 million. In the evening this square comes alive with rows of open-air food stalls selling anything from seafood to shish kabobs. The souqs were nearby selling many local crafts. We wandered through the maze of shops and vendors looking at the slippers, rugs, metal works, leather shops, pottery, textiles, jewelry, fruits, vegetables, chickens, meat, nuts, spices, etc.

Essaouira was a picturesque Atlantic coastal town with a population of 45,000. I loved this charming town with its cool ocean breezes, whitewashed houses, stone ramparts, and fishing boats. The pace of life was much calmer and serene. We enjoyed our stay in a beautiful riad complete with breakfast served on the rooftop each morning. One day we walked along the beach watching the wind surfers and para sailers. One evening we watched the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean perched atop the stone ramparts wall.

Rabat was a large modern city with a population of 1.4 million. It is the capital of Morocco and home to many government buildings, museums, and monuments. The office of Peace Corps is also located in Rabat. Although it was a large city it had more of a relaxed atmosphere than Marrakesh. It was in Rabat at the train station that we ran into Dan, a Peace Corps Volunteer friend and his sister Becca, who was visiting from the USA. We met two other PCV’s Jeff and Lindsey. We also met Abdslam, a friend of Jenny’s. They met working at a spring camp. Abdslam is a student studying at the university in Rabat. This was very exciting for Brian and me. We had someone new to talk to that could speak English! We had a fun time getting to know everyone at a local spot called I Palatino where we had some drinks. One evening for dinner, Jenny wanted to go to a newly opened restaurant, you may have heard of it – TGIFriday. We treated Jenny and her friends, Abdslam, Dan, and Becca to dinner. We did some sightseeing in Rabat too. We visited the Kasbah Des Oudaias, a fort or citadel situated high on a hill overlooking the Atlantic. One day we saw the Chellah, a site of ancient Roman ruins. Next, we went to the Le Tour Hassan & Mausoleum of Mohammed V. The Hassan tower is Rabat’s most famous landmark towering above everything. On the same site is the Mausoleum where Kings Mohammed V and Hassan II are laid to rest. It is beautifully decorated in the traditional Moroccan style with elaborate zellij (tile work) from floor to ceiling. Another favorite day of mine in Morocco was the day we went to the beach. Abdslam helped arrange to have a taxi driver take us to the Temara Plage (golden sand beach) which was 13 K south of Rabat. We rented a beach umbrella and beach mats and spent an afternoon laying in the African sun and swimming in the Atlantic Ocean.

Our last city to visit was Casablanca with a population of 3.8 million. We spent only 1 day here before returning home. Jenny requested a hotel room with a TV and a bathtub, both rare in Moroccan hotels/riads. So we visited 1 point of interest in Casa, the Hassan II Mosque and spent the rest of the time in our hotel room doing some much needed rest and relaxation. The Hassan II Mosque is the world’s third largest mosque. At a cost of more than half a billion dollars, it is amazing. The mosque is partly erected on the water of the Atlantic. The minaret is the highest in the world at 210 meters. The inside is beautiful with marble floors and lots of granite. It has colorful zellij and stucco molding. The vast prayer hall is large enough to hold 25,000 worshippers. Outdoors can hold another 80,000 people. It fills up during Ramadan according to our tour guide. It is one of the very few Islamic religious buildings open to non-Muslims.

So this was the end of our Moroccan adventure. It’s hard to put into words everything we saw and experienced. We saw many social and economic contrasts in this country. The very rich and the very poor. Traveling on a city street we saw old cars, expensive cars, thousands of mopeds, and an equal number of donkey carts, and bicycles all during a single taxi ride. We saw women and men dressed in a variety of clothing. Women wearing the very traditional jellabas with full head coverings with only the eyes showing to very much American-like clothing. We saw very nice homes similar to those you would see in San Diego and we saw slums and everything in between. We heard the call to prayer. An unforgettable sound. Five times a day Muslims are called to come to the mosque to pray. The Moroccans place much emphasis on the family unit with many extended families living together in the same home. They take care of each other and share their possessions. I will take away with me the memories of the people in Jenny’s town. Their kindness and generosity shown to us was amazing.

Ssalamu ‘lekum,

(Peace be upon you)

Pat Bentley

Daylight Savings Time

Last Sunday Morocco switched over to Daylight Savings Time in an attempt to conserve energy, and as I expected, it's been a slow and chaotic change. Peace Corps was good about sending out both emails and text messages reminding us volunteers to move our clocks ahead. According to one of the many emails I received from Peace Corps, this is not the first time Morocco has attempted Daylight Savings Time. The last time was twenty years ago.

Twenty years is a long time and I can understand how people might find this change complicated or unnatural. Imagine if you were 25 years old and the last time you experienced Daylight Savings Time, you were five years old. But, excluding young people, you'd think the older folks would remember and try to adopt the time change.

Instead, what's happened here is slightly insane and very very confusing. I call it the "new time" "old time" paradox. Official places like schools, government buildings, the airport, and cities have changed over to the "new time." Everyone else, including my town, have stayed with the "old time." Well, everyone except for me and the mayor's office, the post office, and the schools. And the schools are closed now, so I'm pretty sure the kids are functioning on "old time."

The first morning of "new time" I walked outside my house at 9 am to find all the stores closed. My friend Kabira was just arriving to open up the bakery downstairs. I asked her, "What time is it?" to which she responded, "8 am." And then we got in an argument about Daylight Savings Time. I guess we were both right. I told her it was 9 o'clock, she was convinced it was 8 o'clock. I told her the entire country was changing their watches and she told me that only the airport would change over. I asked her how people were supposed to make their flights on time if everyone else was living an hour behind the airport. Her answer: she doesn't know anybody who travels by plane.

That day I left for a weekend on the beach, where I forgot about the "new time" "old time" paradox. I bought a new cell phone on Monday and when I got back home, I charged it up and started using it. Somehow I got confused and went back to the "old time" for a few hours that day. I'm back to "new time" and probably the only person in town who finds this whole thing amusing. Ask a person for the time nowadays and they will respond with the following, "Oh, it's 6 pm old time, 7 pm new time."

The problem with all this, is that time doesn't really matter here. Especially now that school is over and it is summer. Time is dispensable here and as an American, that is a strange idea to wrap your brain around. Luckily, my work is winding down for the summer and I now have no reason to ever mind the time. But, don't worry mom and dad, I will be at the airport on Tuesday at the correct time! Only three days!

Booooooring

Not too many new posts lately and if I could think of anything interesting to write about, I would post it. But, things have been very sloooow lately and a little boring. Just doing the routine. Go to Dar Chebab. Play ping pong. Go home. Usually, I'd be content with the slow pace of things, but I think knowing that my parents are going to be here soon is making me a little stir crazy.

So, tomorrow I'm going to the beach. Going to get some sun and eat a cheeseburger. Maybe even a milkshake. My friends Chase and Dan are both entertaining family from home, so we're all going to meet up tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to meeting their families. It'll be nice to have a little American time, too.

Well, I gotta get back to the kitchen. I'm making some chili and it smells like the bomb. I hope it tastes as good as it smells!

Response to Comment

The following comment was made on my blog and I'd like to respond to it:

"why should anyone who smokes, drinks and brings women home, with the women's consent of course, why should he be a bad man? Harassing you is another matter, but smoking, drinking, womanizing..
Also, why this language? I thought only American generals and politicians used to label people good and bad. People are seldom all good and all bad.
Are you sure you are grown up enough to be a peace corps volunteer?"

First of all, yes, I am grown up enough to be a Peace Corps volunteer. Secondly, I want to make clear my circumstances here. I am a woman living alone in a Muslim country. If you have any idea what Muslim societies can be like, you would understand that it is not easy for me. In Muslim culture, smoking, drinking and womanizing is "haram" or forbidden. So, it is totally appropriate and not at all judgmental of me to label men who participate in those activities "bad." Another reason for simplifying things into categories of "good" and "bad" is because the Darija dialect of Arabic is simpler and has fewer words than English used to describe things. Things are either "good" or "bad." There's only "beautiful" and "ugly." You're either "hungry" or you're "full." Sometimes when writing this blog, I am translating things from Arabic into English and some of the meaning might get lost along the way.

And believe me, I realize people are seldom all good and bad. I see this contradiction every day here. There are people who pray five times a day here. There are people who never pray. There are people who drink. There are people who smoke. There are people who steal. There are people who respect their parents. There are people so kind and generous it could make your heart break. If there's one thing I have learned during my time in the Peace Corps, it is that there are contradictions everywhere, but this is a part of life. Once you accept these contradictions, you can see and appreciate the human experience of life. Life can be so varied and diverse on earth and I am thankful I was given this opportunity to open my eyes to the rich diversity of life.

Oopsies! I have a blog!

Sorry to all my loyal readers! I haven't been very attentive to your blogging needs. If it makes you feel any better, not much is going on anyway. After the English Olympiad, I did some traveling, got my nose checked out, caught up with some old Peace Corps friends, and now it's back to regular life.

I started Operation Humidity this week here at home. I've been having bloody noses for the past month, and that along with not being able to breath through my nose, got me a trip to Rabat to get my nose checked out. The diagnosis: allergies. I don't know if I quite agree with that. I've never heard of allergies giving people bloody noses. But, thanks to my mom's great idea, I've been feeling better lately. Her idea: boil water in my kitchen. So, every day, I fill up a pot of water and let it boil down, filling the air with a little moisture. And, I've noticed a small difference in my nose already.

So, other than boiling water and going to Dar Chebab, not too much is going on. I'm still doing my exercise regime every morning. I think I've lost some weight, but I'm not sure because my scale is broken. I got a sweet package in the mail yesterday from Sara which included both a lemon poppyseed cake mix and fudge brownie mix.

Let me rant for a second about the dentist next door. Just now he sprayed the hallway with his air freshener that reeks. He does this only about twenty times a day. And I'm almost positive that he sprays it into my open windows. Do I smell that bad? It's soooo obnoxious! One day I went out and told him I hated the air freshener and what did he do? He laughed at me and sprayed it directly at me. I was not pleased. I just have to keep reminding myself that this living situation is only temporary and that his mental disorder is probably permanent.

Today I'm going to organize my house a bit. Squeegee the floors (we squeegee here, rather than mop and my favorite house chore is squeegeeing) and do some laundry. Then, for lunch, I'm going to make corn on the cob! I got some from the farm this morning and I can't wait to taste it!

We are the champions, my friends...

Yesterday the Youth Olympiad at the Dar Chebab was a success! I couldn't be happier with how well everything went and how smoothly it all seemed to come together. I was so proud of my boys and how hard they worked planning this event. Two months ago, we started talking about it and it feels good to see an idea actualize into something concrete!

I woke up early to fill water balloons in my house and gather all the materials we would need for the activities. One of my boys came over at exactly 8:00 am (he is never late and would no problem fitting into American society) and I sent him to the hanut to get my half a kilo of bananas and four cantaloupes. I gave him 20 durhams and he returned shortly asking for more money. He thought I had said 4 kilos of bananas and that would have been rather expensive. Three other boys soon joined us and we hauled the tub of water balloons and other odds and ends to the Dar Chebab.

On the way to Dar Chebab, we met up with a fellow PC volunteer, Shanna, who had brought 9 youth with her to the event. The kids were riding on a donkey cart and singing the wedding song, very excited to be there. When we arrived at the Dar Chebab, we weren't shocked to find the moudir MIA so we got things started on our own. The kids made name tags and started singing songs. Soon, Ian, another PC volunteer, showed up with his youth. I had a good chuckle when he walked in wearing his bicycle helmet on his head! I had asked him to bring it over for an activity and he wore it throughout the day as a joke.

Dan showed up a little late and due to my poor instructions on how to get to the Dar Chebab, he got lost in my town and ended up wandering around by a mosque on the edge of town. I told him to "walk toward the mosque" and he did. Just, not the right one. I went out looking for him, found a kid I recognized on the street and asked him to go look for a lost American and bring him to the Dar Chebab. The boy immediately took off in search of Dan.

Somehow Dan made it to the Dar Chebab on his own and we started the opening ceremony. I had prepared my list of rules written in Arabic so I wouldn't forget anything and of course, I forgot that piece of paper at my house! So, I winged it and the kids helped me when I couldn't remember certain words. After splitting the kids up into groups, each group created a group name and chant. One group called themselves "the Farmers." The next group's name was "Infinity," then there was "Dragons" and finally the team "Adventure," which was my team.

Our first round of activities were sports-related. We started with an egg relay and surprisingly, no eggs broke at all. Then, we had a banana relay which consisted of the kids putting a banana under their arm and hopping on one foot. Even after telling the kids that they should jump carefully, they took off in a mad dash and within seconds all the bananas had been smashed. A lot of the kids had banana stains on their armpits! We also bowled with cantaloupes, had a three-legged race and water balloon toss. I made sure to fill up extra water balloons so the kids could play around a little. I got bombed in the back of the head with two large balloons! But, it felt really good because it was so hot.

The next round was an English competition. The first activity was a word scramble and then we played Hangman. I had also prepared pictionary and charades but the time was running down, so we had to cut a few things.

After English, we moved on to GGLOW activities. GGLOW means Guys and Girls Leading Our World and encourages youth to learn good leadership skills. We played blindfolded tag, which required one person from each team to wear a blindfold and play tag. The blinded person would listen to the directions given to them by their teammates. It was hysterical. We made the kids wear our bike helmets in case one of them ran into a wall or fell down. Then we played a game where we pretended we needed to cross a river and only had five pieces of paper to walk on to cross the river. The kids had to work together to get across the river without "falling in."

After tallying up the points, each team sang their chants again and then the results were given. My team "Adventure" actually came in first place and they were all very happy. But, the most important thing was that all of the kids had fun and even the kids in last place had smiles on their faces.

By this time we were all starving, so we all had lunch together. We ate fish and bread and drank pop. Then, the kids with Shanna left. And some time later, the kids with Ian left. Ian and Dan stuck around, helped me carry my stuff back to my house and then stayed over. We made pizza and played "catchphrase music" which was hilarious! It's like catchphrase, except you have to guess songs and we played it for a few hours, sitting on my balcony, trying to keep cool.

Today Ian stuck around for a while and then Leslie came over for lunch. We ate some really yummy watermelon and then just rested and listened to music because it was too hot to move. I checked the temperature at 6:30 and it was 96 degrees. Two hours have passed, but it stills the same. I might take a shower now and continue "resting" until tomorrow!

Make sure to check out the pictures I posted.

MMMM TOASTY?

Summer has arrived it seems. h-o-t. Yesterday was extremely hot and today was no better. With my acute weather temperature guessing abilities, I would wager any number between 95 and 100. I could be way off, but I doubt it.

I've been doing exercise in the mornings outside of town for the past few weeks and I knew I was in store for a little what I like to call "blastissimo" when already at 6:30 am I was sweating from the sun. The worst part of the day is definitely after lunch between the hours of noon and oh, let's say sunset. I left my house at four to walk to the Dar Chebab and basically dragged myself there. Once there, we played ping pong inside the big room or "incinerator" for many hours. After a while I started to feel really silly and started acting weird. The kids seemed to like it though, so whatever.

With the heat, it seems things stop working properly. Water. Internet. People. My Bicycle. Electricity. This year I've yet to encounter a power outage or lack of water, but it'll happen sometime this summer. The past week my boys and I have been trying to get a hold of the ex-president of our town and he has been really difficult to track down. Both my ex-moudir and current moudir seem to be absent as well. At least I have my kids.

So, yesterday the kids came over to my house and we made tie-dyed t-shirts that we plan to wear this Sunday. Sunday, if you haven't heard, is going to be a "youth olympiad" at my Dar Chebab, put together by yours truly. Today things really started coming together and I was quite pleased! I have four Peace Corps volunteers coming to the event and three of them are brining youth with them to participate! Should be an awesome time, sun permitting. We are, however, still trying to find a meal ticket for the day. We're hoping the ex-president will donate us a lunch or money for a lunch, but we have a back-up plan that involves the kids brining tajines prepared by their mothers. I feel bad that this is our back-up plan, but the kids seem to believe that their moms would be happy to cook for us. Nothing like a steaming tajine for lunch on a 100 degree day!

I posted some pictures on flickr of the tie-dying and plan on posting more after the big event on Sunday! Stay tuned!

Broken, busted, on the fritz, kaput

Not to wallow in my own misery, but I need to complain about my bad luck! Last night and this morning it seems everything has gone wrong that could go wrong. In order of occurrence:

Broken door
Lazy Landlord
Bloody Noses
Perpetually clogged sink
Busted USB drive
Large cockroach hunt & kill
Crazy man at night

Broken door: more on this later, when I've cooled off a bit.

Lazy Landlord: Gave the ol' Peace Corps a call this morning and our fearless Safety & Security Advisor gave the guy something to think about. If this doesn't work, the next step is to tell him I'll leave the town if he doesn't act responsibly. That should get him moving.

Bloody Noses: Five in the past week. One happened in public and was a little embarrassing and involved me quickly walking home with a piece of paper and blood on my face! Luckily, I was right outside my door, so only a few people noticed. Got some medication at the pharmacy today to help with that problem.

Perpetually Clogged Sink: Last night after boiling water and pouring it down the bathroom sink four times, I gave up and went to bed. This morning, I bought some vinegar and baking soda and tried to blast it open, but that failed. I tried unscrewing the basket strainer but it seems stuck. I might have to call a plumber or somebody, because it's a foregone conclusion that the landlord ain't comin'.

Busted USB drive: Two nights ago I bumped my USB drive against a door frame and lucky me, it cracked right open! All my photos I've ever taken in Morocco were on that little flash drive, so I'm hoping that some knowledgeable person can take that little chip and work some kind of miracle with it. Anybody with any ideas about that, please let me know. For now, it's awaiting its fate safe inside a ziploc baggie.

Large cockroach hunt & kill: Last night while making dinner, I heard some rustling over in the corner of the kitchen. I grabbed a broom and investigated. Worried I would find a mouse, I was at first relieved but then terrified to find a cockroach the size of a cigarette lighter running towards me. I screamed, squashed it and swept it out the door.

Crazy man at night: After eating dinner and boiling water for hours, I went to bed, fell dead asleep and woke up two hours later to the sound of a crazy man outside my window. I think I wrote about a crazy man coming out at night before. I'm pretty sure it's the same dude. He likes to pick up things, hold them over his head, and throw them into the road. When he threw a rock at my house, I woke up. I watched him turn over a large dumpster and steal my neighbor's sign advertising his dentist office. Then, he entertained the entire neighborhood with his half an hour drum solo on a garbage can. After that either he passed out or found something new to throw and walked away.

Now, I do recognize I've got a few things going in my favor. The Safety & Security Advisor. Today's my day off from work. And, hmmm, is that it? Let me see.... Oh, I had a really good day yesterday.

Four of my best boys from Dar Chebab traveled with me to the next town over to meet with the Peace Corps volunteer and his boys. We planned a "Youth Olympiad" which the kids of my town are hosting with my help this Sunday. We will have a sports competition, English competition, and a leadership activity. This week my boys and I are going to tie-dye t-shirts to wear for the event. Also, we are going to meet with the president of the town on Tuesday and ask if he'll donate a lunch for the youth on Sunday. I'll write more about this later, but I'm very happy with how my work is going, despite all my personal problems!

Back to reality now. I need to find a bigger screwdriver.

settling in again

I didn't do anything at all this weekend. I needed a day or two to relax after Sara's visit/Spring camp. I did some exercise, laundry and studied my Arabic a little. Every once in a while I need a day where I don't leave my house and just sort of store up energy until the next time when I can have a day of quiet time again.

I'm feeling really integrated and content in my town. When I came back from camp, everyone was so happy to see me and were asking me, "Where have you been hiding?" I remember when I left my town for camp, the taxi driver gave me this concerned look and asked, "You'll come back, right? You're not yet finished with your work!" And I laughed, and reassured him I would return. When I walked into Dar Chebab, my boys were sitting there, waiting for me. I love my boys. This month our Friends Club is going to plan a field day for the youth from our town and the next town over. We will have sports and English competitions and leadership activities. I'm really excited and can't wait to see how it turns out!

I started an exercise "regime" as we say it here when I got back from camp. I've been getting up at 6:30 every day, riding my bike to Nadia's house in the village, and the two of us walk to a farm where we walk laps. Then, I ride my bike back to town. It's great because it's early and nobody is at the farm, so it's just the two of us, no harassment. It makes me feel like a normal person again. And I don't really mind getting up that early. I think it makes me more productive in my day anyway.

I've been listening to a lot of Arabic music lately. It's fun trying to listen for the words and see how much I can understand. Guess I'm a dork! I'll try and see if I can get on the songs on the blog. There has to be a way to do that!

Mini Update...More to Come!

Hello Everyone!

I have returned from Spring Camp! What a whirlwind of a week, that's for sure. The day Sara left, I woke up at 2:50 am to get to the airport for Sara's flight home...returned to the hotel alone (sad) and slept until 8:00, got up, and started my journey to Spring Camp. Of course, transportation was horrible and it seemed like the never-ending day of travel. I finally arrived at the camp center around 8:00 pm. Exhausted.

This year, I coordinated the camp in El Jadida. It was my first time coordinating, and I was really pleased with how well things went. There were five other Peace Corps volunteers under my guidance, and a Moroccan staff of eight, plus our camp director. I only have good things to say about the camp, except for one thing. The director. He was awful. His one job was to get us supplies for our English classes and clubs, and he had a difficult time managing that. Also, at the end of camp he required us to write a report for him, and ended up censoring every negative comment we mentioned. Don't worry, I intend on sending a follow up report to my programming staff in Rabat.

Anyway, camp was awesome. I had a great group of PCVs who were really excited to be there and eager to work with the kids. There is a tendency for PCVs to slack off and only work when forced to, but this was not the case in El Jadida. Also, I was blown away by the Moroccan staff. I have worked at three camps during my time in Morocco, and this staff was by far the best group I have ever worked with. The reason why: they were all young people. All of us, PCVs and Moroccans, were under the age of 30. It makes a huge difference. We all bonded and quite a bit of fun working together. I hope to get the chance to work with some of them again in the future!

After camp, I met my friend Rebecca in Casablanca for a night of rest and relaxation. We dined at only the finest of establishments...the KFC. Dis-ap-point-ment. We had heard a TGIFridays was open in Casa, but when we got there, we found it still under construction. Big bummer. So, we settled for what we thought would be the next best thing: chicken. Wrong. This was probably the worst experience I've ever had in any restaurant ever. Incompetence. We entered the restaurant and found a crowd of people corralling into a big blob around the counter. We noticed a few posts trying to force people to form lines, but that didn't seem to help much. We then waited in line for 45 minutes...as each minute ticked by, we grew closer to the point of leaving, but never did. So, we ordered our meal, elbowed our way out of the crowd with our tray and fountain drinks, and found outdoor seating with a view of the ocean. Also, a view of the "children's play land" or grassy area with one small plastic playhouse. I think the kids happy meal must have included a toy horn because all the kids had one and were breaking in their new toy ceremoniously. There was no line between where children's play land ended and the regular seating began. Balls flying everywhere, horns blowing, and crying everywhere. As we ate, we had prime seats for watching the custodial help "clean up." This involved scooping up trash into a dustpan and smashing it into an already overflowing trash can. After we finished eating, we had instant stomachaches and went back to the hotel to rest. (I think we're not accustomed to American fast food anymore)

We each took a long hot bath in the hotel and read the People magazines that my grandparents had sent me in the mail. Then we ordered Pizza Hut delivery. When asked on the phone if I wanted a side of potatoes with the pizza, I specifically said, in arabic, "No Batata" but alas, we were charged for and delivered one order of potatoes. Oh, well.

The next day we stayed in bed absorbing as much tv time as we could before we had to check-out at noon. At noon, exactly, we checked out, boarded a train and traveled to Marrakech. I spent the night at Rebecca's house and yesterday made my way back to my town. I arrived last night, tired, and found my house a disaster!

The outside door is broken. Somebody (probably the dentist) broke the lock (again). I heard while I was gone there were five men living and smoking a lot next door, but now they are apparently moving out. Humdullah. I talked to one guy who I had never seen before about the door. He didn't seem concerned or interested in fixing it. I will talk to the dentist today. I would prefer if the MulDar (landlord) would buy an entirely new door, but I'll settle for a new lock. Also, I forgot a bunch of bananas in my kitchen and over the week at least 50 fruit flies spawned and took over my kitchen. One dead cockroach. Lots of dust. All posters had fallen off walls And near-death plants. Must have been hot and dusty here.

Today I will do laundry, clean house, try to get rid of gross banana smell, and go to Dar Chebab. Take a look at the new pictures I posted on Flickr! Take care and write me!

chutes and ladders

Salaam! This is Sara. I just thought I would update you all on what Jenny and I have been up to. My trip has been a life experience that I will never forget. I arrived a little bit late in Agadir, but seeing a smiling Jenny was well worth the long trip. Miraculously the luggage came, bizzare. Fahrid, a Moroccan who lives in U.S., befriended me and gave us a ride from the airport to our hotel (Hotel Argana) where we then unloaded our things and went out for dinner at Little Italy.

The next day we traveled by grand taxi to Essaouira which was beautiful. We drove along the coast most of the way and arrived in the afternoon. After checking into our hotel called Hotel Smara, we basically shopped the day away. A word that I repeated over and over throughout the day was; overwhelming. There are so many vendors and so many choices. Especially shoes. At the end of the day I wasn't sure of what I liked anymore.

On Easter Sunday, I woke up Jenny to a pre-planned Easter surprise. I hid plastic easter eggs filled with American chocolate and jelly beans all over the hotel for her to find. We then grabbed a quick breakfast of freshly squeezed orange juice and cookies and took another grand taxi to Marrakech. Long taxi ride, but also worth it.

Marrakech is an amazing place. It is very busy with lots of people (Moroccans and tourists), millions of vendors, snake charmers, orange juice stands, monkeys, crazy people zooming around on mopeds, and horse and buggies. We checked into our hotel called Sindi Sud which was very cute! Jenny planned for us to meet her friend and fellow Peace Corps volunteer, Rebecca with whom we were sharing our hotel room with.

Shopping was very successful in both Essaouira and Marrakech, but I found that the people in Essaouira are much nicer and the vendors in Marrakech just want your money and were very rude. Most of the day in Marrakech I pretended I could only speak Spanish so men that harrassed me would leave me alone. Once we entered the souk I really felt like I was in Morocco: I had no idea which way was out!

During the afternoon Jenny and I took a break from shopping and paid a man 150 durheim to take us on a horse and buggy ride around town. I loved this! The driver took us through the souk honking his horn so everyone would move and I could take as many pictures as I liked without getting hassled for money.

On Monday we woke up pretty early and left for Jenny's site! The taxi ride was very long and we stopped half way for lunch. The journey to her town takes you through a big range of mountains with lots of twists and turns and the a pretty quick decline into the valley. Jenny had sent her luggage to a nearby town so we stopped on our way to pick it up and it was there waiting for us!

Currently I am in Jenny's house! We made it safely to her site and I met Kabira right after we got out of the taxi. She is so beautiful and very smiley. It's nice to know that Jenny is well taken care of here. Today we had lunch at her host family's house where I met Nadia, lots of family, the twins, and Abdella - the cutest little Moroccan 4-year-old boy ever. He remembered 'Megan" and wants me to tell her that he says hi! "Lunch" was a 6 hour affair. We also had a 'fashion show' where they dressed me up like a doll in four different traditional Moroccan wedding outfits. I was very sleepy and tired of being fussed over.

We left the host family around 5pm and came back to Jenny's house to grab Chutes and Ladders to play at the Dar Chebab. Then we had to go right away to the Dar Chebab. Jenny's boys are so cute. The LOVE her. Everyone is constantly saying "Jeeeenie" to get her attention. They all want to be near her and one, Salah, left early because she wasn't paying enough attention to him! I think about 20 to 25 boys came. We played connect-four, chess, and chutes and ladders. They LOVED chutes and ladders. I won twice! And Morwan won the other time. Morwan is my favorite so far. He constantly says Jenny's name, which is cute, and he also walked us home and even helped us buy cilantro. Jenny says her boys always walk her home at night because it is dark. I have no idea what they are saying, but I do know that the all talk her ear off!

Tomorrow we might play Monopoly in the morning and then we're going to the farm for lunch! I am having a blast here and don't want to leave on Friday. I wish I could stay at least another week with Jenny!

Lastly, I just want you all to know how proud I am of Jenny. She is fluent in Arabic, a master chef, and established a great youth program here all by herself! Also, I know some of you are worried about Jenny but I want you all to know that she is well taken care of. Her host family, her boys, Kabira, and so many others care a lot about her and look out for her well being and safety!

Busy Happy Busy

Last Tuesday I left town for a meeting in Rabat and just got back today. I'm coordinating a spring camp this year and met with the moudir of the camp. We talked about both our expectations, planned the schedule, and I got a chance to ask a lot of questions. (All in arabic) Then, the moudir peaced-out. I thought he was kind of rushing through all my questions, and then when he asked "safi?" as in "are we finished here?" and when I nodded yes he got up from his chair and quickly walked out of the room (underwear sticking out from above pants) and drove away. Everybody else's moudirs stayed for the rest of the afternoon, so come time for the presentations I had to give ours alone.

If you forgot from last year, I'll remind you what a spring camp actually entails. All students in Morocco have a spring break from March 31-April 5 and there are many national camps all over the country. A handful of these camps work with the US Peace Corps to provide language immersion camps for 13-17 year olds. I worked at the spring camp in Agadir last year and this year I will be coordinating the spring camp in El Jadida. Also, during the summer there are four two-week long Peace Corps language camps offered in El Jadida. I worked two of these camps last July.

This spring, I will be responsible for coordinating the schedules and activities of the PCVs working the camp. At my camp, we will have two Youth Development volunteers (including myself), two Health volunteers, and two Small-business Development volunteers. And 100 youth attending. There will also be around 8 Moroccan staff and the moudir. Each volunteer will teach an English class in the morning and lead a club in the afternoon. I am going to be teaching a beginner's class and leading Science Club. Some other clubs volunteers are putting together are theater, art, Guys and Girls Leading Our World, and geography. Us volunteers will also be expected to lead two of the evening activities. One night I plan on showing an American movie and the other night we'll throw an un-birthday party. Moroccans don't celebrate birthdays, so it will be a chance to share a little bit of American culture with the kids. We're going to make party hats, play games, have a pinata (which I might fill with toothbrushes and toothpaste to encourage kids to brush their teeth), and eat birthday cake and sing "Happy Birthday."

Because I've been so busy this week planning the camp and then stopping by my friend Rebecca's house on my way home, I've had little time to prepare for Sara's visit this week! I got home today around 3 o'clock and went to the Dar Chebab where I found all of my boys waiting around for me. I was really surprised because normally they don't show up until around 6pm, but I guess they missed me. I got them all hyped up for Sara's visit. She can expect to play a lot of ping pong!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for me! On my list of to-do's is clean house, do laundry, and buy mattress. After the bed bug disaster, I ended up getting rid of my bed (aka throwing on top of roof) and since then have been sleeping on a small mat on the floor. So, if I want to be a good hostess I should probably go buy a similar mat for Sara to sleep on! And if I get lucky, I'll buy a pillow, too!

Hopefully next time I post I will have lots of new photos of Sara in Morocco!

New Pictures on Flickr!

It's about time I got some new pictures up online! I'm some problems with my camera right now, so I haven't been able to take pictures of anything, but I managed to get some photos from my host family of my birthday!

New Neighbors Again

Last night around 8 pm I heard the door opening downstairs and some men come upstairs to the room next door. Annoyed that my landlord didn't mention to me that strange men would be coming to my house at night, I ignored them. Until I started hearing moving sounds. I went out ot investigate and found some men moving furniture into one of the vacant apartments. I probably reacted a bit unfavorably, but I was annoyed that nobody told me about this. So, I asked them who would be living there and they said, "us." I asked if they were married and they said no and asked why. So, I told them I was uncomfortable living alone next to unmarried men and went back inside my house.

I've gotten over it a little now, but I'm still mad at my landlord. He is so immature and irresponsible. I know he is afraid of me and that's why he didn't come over to tell me about this. But, I've told him many, many times that it is daori (necessary) for him to always inform me of what is going on, especially at night, because I am a woman living alone.

I wonder what their story is. It is very unusual for any person to live alone in this country, and especially two young men. Normally, they should still be living at home with their family until they get married. They probably work somewhere in town. My biggest concern now is if they're good men or bad men. Good men wouldn't be bad to live next to. They would make it safer for me to live here, look out for me, and mind their own business. Bad men would smoke, drink, and have women over at night, and probably harass me. So, we will see. I also am concerned about the roof situation. Normally, in Morocco, the roof belongs to the women. But, I assume they will need to wash their clothes at some point and I'd rather not have them looking at my underwear and bras. Maybe we can make some kind of arrangement for times they are allowed upstairs.

This is so typical of my life here. It's always when I get a little more comfortable, happy, that something big happens and I have to start readjusting to the new thing. By the time I am done with Peace Corps, I am going to be the most patient, adaptable person I know.

lists, lists, lists

I'm obsessed with making lists lately. It doesn't help that I keep losing the lists and need to make new ones. But, I found a list from last week and was pleased to find I had accomplished some of my goals.

- Start journaling in notebook. check!
- Is key needed to open roof door from the outside? no!
- Submit my monthly report to PC. oops.
- Prepare site visit report. check!
- Send out spring camp email. check! (I'm coordinating a spring camp next month. There will be six volunteers and 100 kids...)
- Submit paperwork for vacation days: Sara's visit and the Gnawa festival. half-check!
- Plan visit to Rebecca's site. check!
- Sunbathe. too hot, napping instead.
- Spring cleaning. check!
- Cook lasagna. not yet.
- Bake chocolate chip cookies and distribute to friends. nope.
- Talk to my Dar Chebab kids about the following: music club, art club, friends club, advertising, library club, sports club, and a world mural project. check! check! check!

I don't know if this is interesting or not, so I'll just forge on!

Things I need (or want) to do tomorrow (as in today March 7) or accomplish this week:

- Go to post office. check!
- Go to host family's for couscous. oops.
- Ride bike to farm on Saturday. well, I rode bike past family's house in town and discussed going to farm on Sunday for baby shower, so that's half way there!
- Plan lesson for high school class. check, but nobody showed up.
- Advertise classes at high school. next Tuesday, god willing.
- Organize books, games, etc at Dar Chebab. check!
- Do laundry. noooo.
- Wash floors. noooo.
- Get dirt for plants. hmm, not yet.
- Get birthday photos from Nadia's camera. nope.
- Think about planning a girls leadership camp this summer in my town. maybe a 1/4 check.
- Plan English lessons and club for Spring camp. not yet.
- Get moudir's signature for vacation days requested. check!
- Plan activity for Youth Cafe - egg drop? still working on that one.
- Get digital camera fixed - where? how? no check.
- Email friends and family. check.
- Email dad about ping pong paddles. Dad, can you send my boys two ping pong paddles? check!
- Plan bike trip with boys this Sunday. check!

Things not ever added to list but thought about often:

- exercise more
- write letters to family back home
- do more crafty projects at home
- never leave dishes unwashed in sink
- read more books
- actually read the Newsweeks PC sends to me
- study my Arabic
- shower daily
- shave legs

I love my job!

Today started off great, with a site visit from my Peace Corps program manager. Once a year, a volunteer's program manager comes to visit them at their site: talk to them about their work, meet their counterpart (in my case, my moudir), and see their house. Once a year, which equals only two times during one's service.

There are two program managers for the Youth Development sector and Abdelghani came this year. First of all, he got lost on his way to my town and called me on his cell phone from the jail nearby. That was pretty funny. When he finally arrived, we spent two hours talking about my work. He had all really positive and nice things to say - a real confidence boost. Then, he slipped on my child-size spiderman house sandals and because they were so small, he had to tiptoe to the bathroom. It didn't bother me at all (somebody besides me wearing my shoes to go to the turkish toilet would have bothered me a year ago) but I laughed out loud.

Most importantly, Abdelghani saved the day! He talked to all the important people and assured me that the Dar Chebab will never close. Because there is a new president in my town, the local mayor's office has been restructuring everything (the last guy was pretty corrupt) and that effects the Dar Chebab, but not me or my job. Good news! And, to top it all off, we might be delegated a new moudir. That could be either awesome or a disaster, depending on the new guy's competence and motivation.

So, after my awesome visit with Abdelghani, I carried on with my usual daily activities. Went shopping, cooked lunch, took a nap, and prepared my English lesson for the afternoon. When I got to the Neddi Niswi (women's center) I found out one of the girl (we say "girl" to any unmarried woman, even if she is 40 years old, like this "girl") was absent because her father had died. So, we cancelled English class and walked out of town to a nearby douar (village) to pay our respects. It was my first Moroccan funeral.

The family of the deceased sat on the floor by the door. I made sure I had the right God phrase in mind before greeting the family. (In this case, "baraka frask" was used, meaning "may god grant you grace") The house was full of Moroccan women. There was one woman wearing all white, who was the widow of the man who died. I didn't know who to say the god phrase to after a while. And I have no idea where all the men were sitting. That's not unusual though. We were seated in a room where we were served mint tea and cookies. Then, a woman lead us in prayer. When the prayer ended, we got up and left. On my way out a weird thing (but actually quite normal in my life here) happened. The widow grabbed my arm and begged me to stay longer with her. I had never met her before and was touched but also freaked out by all the people, so I politely told her I had to get to work.

At the Dar Chebab, we had our first successful Music Club. It was determined that the keyboard had a broken plug. But, we were allowed to use the guitar and drum and I brought in my harmonica. We had a fun jam session and it reminded me of how much I love music. I miss playing music and singing. I decided I am going to teach the kids how to read and write music. They want to learn and it is actually something I know quite a bit about, so it should be both fun and educational. It was pretty fun, except that the most obnoxious kid ever came. He knew a little bit more English than the other kids who are much younger than him and any chance he had to show-off his English, he would do it. Or he would lecture me about American English, as if he were the expert. We played a game about American geography and I had to ask him not to play the game because he was ruining it for the whole group.

After dominating the entire group in Connect Four, I called it a night and the kids walked me home. Salah, one of my favorite students, said his mom had a present for me and returned to my door half an hour later with a huge sack full of navel oranges.

How could I not love this job? Every day is unique and different, but all the while, reassuring in its likeness.

PS My camera is broken and that is why there haven't been any new pictures in a while. I am trying to get it fixed, so hopefully you'll have some new photos soon!

Birthday Awesomeness!

I am 25 years old! And because yesterday fell on a Sunday (my weekend here) I was able to spend the day with all the people I love! I woke up early at 8:00 to take a taxi to Agadir and first went dvd shopping. I got a lot of good ones, including Into the Wild, which I'm stoked to watch. Then instead of taking a petit taxi like I usually do, I walked to the beach. And I decided to take a different route. Instead of walking by hotels and touristy-storefronts, I strolled through the Moroccan neighborhoods and walked by swinging slabs of meat, dumpsters, and a mosque. I actually didn't intend on taking this new route, but I was daydreaming and missed a turn and so just navigated my way back.

Once I made my way back toward the beach, I met up with some of my Peace Corps friends at a beach side restaurant. Chase, Dan, Leslie, Ian and Julia came. We ate fried calamari and Chase brought along a carrot cake she baked. We didn't have candles, so we improvised with waving fingers. Then, while the rest of them strolled along the beach, I hopped in a taxi and hurried back to my town. I gathered my overnight backpack, hopped on my bike, and rode out to my host family's village. On the way, a group of giggling boys raced me.

At the douar, or village, I told my family we would be having American birthday night. I baked a chocolate cake with coconut cream frosting, cut up veggies and made a ranch dip that mom sent to me in the mail shHal hadi (a long time ago), and made spaghetti. While waiting for the cake to bake, the twin girls (my host mom's cousins, but they are only four years old) were trying to drag me into the salon and kept asking me, "have you seen it yet?" Everyone in the room was ignoring them, until their mom said finally, "ok, fine, take her to the room" and the girls ran me over to the salon, giggling. Inside, my family had decorated the room for my birthday! With garland, they wrote on the wall "Jenny" and "Houda," another cousin whose birthday is the same as mine, but who didn't make it to the party.

It was a night of surprises. After we ate our spaghetti, I began sticking candles in my cake, when they brought out two store bought cakes! Three cakes! We lit the candles and then somebody decided the "mood" wasn't right and went off in search of "music." Half an hour later, they were blasting Jennifer Lopez (in honor of me) and singing loudly over the music "Happy Birthday." They were really obsessed with taking pictures of me cutting the cakes, so I must ask about the cultural significance of that. As we were eating the cake and drinking coca cola, they surprised me again with presents! I was not expecting presents at all! They gave me chocolate, slippers, a mirror, and oddly, a fireplace bellows.

After presents, I pulled out Pin the Tail on the Donkey. I was nervous using "donkey" might be a little inappropriate (because of cultural reasons) but they thought it was hilarious. So, we played and took lots of pictures. Then, we played Connect Four and Old Maid. They loved all the games. We played until 1 am! Now, comes the cheesy party! I am so thankful that I was able to share yesterday with so many kind people.