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!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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!
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!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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.
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.
Friday, March 07, 2008
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
- 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
Thursday, March 06, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, March 03, 2008
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.
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.
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