I know I am horrible at blogging but do plan to improve on that in the next year. Yet, I still need to tell everyone what it is I have been doing for the past 7 months!

March...

~At the end of march i traveled over the mountains to the city of Oarzazzate. There i worked with about 9 other volunteers and and a small staff of Moroccans to put on a spring english immersion camp for about 80 kids between the ages of 12 and 17 for a week. The kids came from a number of cities across morocco ranging from the capital city to small villages. the same week there were about 25 other camps, the same as ours, going on in other cities around the country also.

Camp was a lot of fun!! There were, of course, many stressful moments and not everyone was my best friends but I had a blast teaching English, dancing, playing games, and shopping for converse shoes!!

April

~ After coming home from camp i went back to teaching at the dar chebab and hanging out with my students. The weather was getting warmer so we went on a couple different hikes and picnics.

~ the big thing for me that month was that was when i finally got the doctors attention about the fact that one of my eyebrows had almost completely disappeared. It was like I had a lopsided uni-brow!! So i spent a lot of time traveling in and out of Marrakech to visit doctors and get blood drawn. Yet, after those visits, no one still had any answers at to what could be causing my eyebrow to run away! the mystery countinued...

May

~One sunday afternoon two of my students rang my doorbell. I went down to talk with them and from behind one of their backs crawles out an adorable little puppy. I asked what its name was and they said they didnt know. I didnt understand. I asked if it was theres and they said no. I still didnt understand. Then they said they had to go and and handed me the puppy. WHAT!!! They said the puppy was for me, told me what to feed it and took off. What was i suppose to do with a puppy at the spir of the minute? I named him Sir Burton Bailey and quickly bought food for him and made him a little bed area. I had to pick fleas off of him but he was so cute i didnt care. But, two months later he was getting big and in my little apartment that wasnt going to work. At the end of June I gave him to Felicie, another volunteer not far from me. Her house is much bigger and he has more room to run around now. It was fun to have a companion for a little while and i miss him now and then!

~ May is a big month for birthdays. There were a number of volunteers who were celebrating their bdays that month so we made a weekend out of it. about 12 of us all spent the weekend in Kech, one night at a riad, apartment, and then another at a hotel. We danced, ate sushi, and explored the night festivities of kech. It was soooo much fun and i hope we do something like it again next year!!

June

~ I had IST (in service training) in Rabat with all the other volunteers that i travled to country with. We spent a week sitting in trainings and boring presentations but we did have a prom night and got to eat at a lot of good retaurants in the city. It was really nice to get away from my small town and spend time in a nice hotel (with a bathtub!) with other americans and just have fun.

~ In my english classes at the dar chebab, I have about 12 regular students. They all try to improve their english and are just fun kids to hangout with. To show my appreciation for them and to have an excuse to party I decided to have a end of the year bash at my house for them. The girls helped me to make pizza and cut up a watermellon and i made cookies. The boys brought the music and the dance moves!! The kids had a great time and were already asking when we could do it again before they even left!

~ Essauara is a city that sites on the coast and every year they host the Ganoua music festival. For a long weekend, about 100 volunteers came and went through the two riads that were rented for us. We listened to music at a three different stages, laid on the beach partied at the riads, and watched some world cup soccer. One night the USA was playing and it was fun to sit in a group of about 50 americans and all cheer together (even though i think we lost that game :().

July

~ I decided i needed to get away from Morocco for a bit. With my friend and fellow volunteer Cynthia, I took a 12 day vacation in Spain and Portugal. We spent a few days in Madrid touring the many museums and palaces and eating a lot of tapas!! Then it was on to Lisbon. There we met up with my uncle Paul and his friends Scott and Brian. They are so much fun to travel with and I had an amazing time exploring the city with them and enjoying the fantastic night life! Our last stop on the trip was Seville. Here Cynthia and I spent a lot of time relaxing. It is a very pretty city and very laid back. We took a day trip out to Italica, a ancient roman city and explored the excavated ruins of the city. That was incredible to see what life used to be like. Then the night before we were to fly home we went back to Madrid and watched the World Cup final game and SPAIN WON!! That was cool to be in Spain when they won!!

~ when i arrived home from vaca I arrived home to extreme heat. Temps were hitting around 116 degrees and with no air conditioning it was HORRIBLE! I inherited a large pool from the vol before me so i sent it up. I was unaware of how many holes there were in the inflatable top and one afternoon my pool collapsed. A tidal wave crashed into my house and flooded my bedroom and living room and turned my stairs into a waterfall. I had to tell me neighbors i was ok and the river that was flowing out my door was just from my pool and not a burst pipe! After that i only filled the pool up with a few inches of water, just enough to lay down in and feel cooled off.

August

~ The beginning of august I traveled to El Jadida. Another city on the ocean. With 15 other vols and a about 10 moroccans, I worked at a 10 day english immersion camp. We had about 75 students between the ages of 12 and 16. I taught english, headed up the USA country club, and hung out on the beach. It was nice to be in a place were the temperatures weren't ridiculous and it cooled down a little at night. Each night at camp there was an activity such as a dance party, talent show, fashion show, Halloween night and at the end a final SPECTACULAR show! I got sick toward the end, but for the most part had a fantastic time. The only down part was that Ramadan started the last few days of our camp, but we worked around it.

~ After I returned from camp I spent two weeks being sick and just laying on my couch in the heat doing nothing but watching movies.

~ It was also Ramadan. People eat breakfast at about 4 am and then they don't eat again or drink anything until after the sun sets at about 7:30. I went to my host families most nights and had Lftor (break fast) with them. Hirara (soup), figs, dates, mint tea, and shebekia (deep fried sugar treats) are the main staples of a lftor and we would eat in front of the tv and watch hidden camera shows and Moroccan sitcoms created especially for the Ramadan season.

Well that pretty much sums up what I have been doing for the past couple of months. Summer has been really slow, but soon i will start back teaching and working more and hopefully time will go a little bit faster! Pictures of all my above mentioned activities can be found on my FB page!! check them out!!

On my quest to be productive this week, I ventured into the city, Marrakech, for a little grocery shopping. Donniell, another volunteer who lives about an hour outside of the city, met me in town. Yet, gettting to and from Kech is a undertaking in its self. Buses and taxis are the main forms of transportation and a ride is pretty easy to procure. I like the bus, or not really like as much as find it more convenient and easier to tolerate. Getting a bus in my town is pretty simple. They run at semi regular intervals and the nearest stop is just minutes from my house. Its about a 45 minute ride into town and usually I just put on my headphones, turn up the volume and take in the dry, brown moroccan landscape. My ride into town today was pretty normal, but just a little on the warm side. I finally arrived in Kech and met up with Donniell. We then had to wait for another bus. This one would take us to the other side of the city to the Marjane. Marjane is like a cross between a Meijer, Super K-Mart, and Target.

the Marrakech area bus

Donniell had been waiting about 20 minutes when I arrived and said she still hadn't seen our bus yet. Other busses passes through the bus stop area, but not ours. About another 20 minutes later, bus #20 finally arrived. The ride lasted about 20 minutes and it was hot, but manageable. As soon as we got to the Marjane we made a B-line for the McD's inside and started our shopping trip off with tall cokes and burgers.

After enjoying the amazingly delicious fatty processed food, we got a cart and head to our first stop. We decided to hit up what PCs like to refer to as the Hashuma (shameful) section of the store, the alcohol section!! You have to remember that right now is the Holy Month of Ramadan. One of the rules is that Muslims can not partake in the consumption of alcohol. The Hashuma section is gated off and guarded like a sacred temple. As you approach its entryway a gentlemen steps forward to stop you. In order to gain passage into the hallowed section you must present him with official identification. You have to prove that you are different, not like the locals, not muslim. Looking at Donniell and I, both pale white, blond haired, and speaking fluent english, I can completely understand why identification is needed! After presenting my carte sejour, my local identification card that states I'm an American Volunteer living here, we were allowed passage. After our quick dash into the section, I was handed my carte sejour back and we were ready to start our real shopping for food and daily necessities. We shopped for about an hour or so, accumulating a cart full of items. Both of us knew we were spending way more then we had planned on but it had been about a month or more since our last trip to the Marjane and there were many things we both needed.

We finally made it to the check out lane and had to wait some more. It was like Meijers the day before christmas. Every line was long and people take forever! Then it was our turns. We tried to guess at what we had spent but were both proven wrong when the final total was tallied. Oh well, I needed it all! The one issue with buying a lot is that once you pay and walk away from the checkout line you then have to figure out how you are going to get it home. It would be nice to have a car for that reason. I miss that. Being able to push your cart out to your car, pop open the trunk and neatly stack your purchases in the back to be easily driven home. But, I live in morocco, easy is not a word here. We pushed our cart to a corner and broke out our back packs and extra bags. We were able to stuff everything in to our bags with both of us carrying a extra bag. Now all that was left was the hour or so left of bus travel.

Outside the Marjane we waited and waited and waited and waited and "is this our bus?", no and waited for #12 to arrive. Waiting is not bad except when you are sitting almost directly in the sun and it its about 110 degrees, if not more. You can feel the sweat dripping down your back and behind your knees, fun! When our bus finally arrived we rushed to it, but were beat out by the other people running faster then us. We found seats in the back and settled in for the 20 minute hot ride back to our bus stop. Normally its a smooth uneventful ride. But, today was had a element of excitement! As we were riding along, a group of young boys decided it would be funny to pelt the passing bus with semi-filled water bottles. The boys threw about five water bottles at the bus and then bolted as the bus screeched (literally!) to a halt. One of the water bottles threw through a window in the center of the bus splashing water around, but no one really moved. People looked at the bottle laying on the floor and that was it. Donniell and I just laughed and watched out the back window as the boys all ran in different directions. The driver looked mad, but there wasn't really anything he could do. So after a few moments we continued on our way.

Once back at our bus stop Donniell spotted her bus right away and said goodbye and got on. I made my way to the shade against the wall lining the bus stop and waited for mine to arrive. It came about 10 minutes later. I just stood there listening to my ipod and trying not to fall over from the heat. When my bus pulled up, like usual, there was a mad dash to the door. I have become used to this and did the same. Carrying two bags slowed me down a little more, but I got there.

Yet, that is the easy part. Getting on buses in Morocco closely resembles a rugby match. You know the part in the game when the players huddle up and push back and forth not really going anywhere, well that is what it is like trying to get on a bus. You might think that because I am a girl, a foreigner, and carrying things that I might be let threw and maybe escorted to the bus door, hahaha, NO WAY!! Grandma, might elbow you in the stomach, Grandpa will shoulder his way in front of you, and the women carrying the baby will stick her leg infront of yours to make sure you can't go anywhere. And while doing all this, watch out for pick pocketers!! I never keep money in any outside pockets and one hand always on my ipod. I don't care as much about the phone!

I got into the scramble and pushed threw the door, I'm slowly perfecting my skills!! I got on but already the bus was half full. I found a seat and sat down. It was a aisle seat. I don't really like those as much. An aisle seat leaves you vulnerable to the passing elbow in the shoulder, swinging bag in the face, and my least favorite, being the support system to the stander. The bus today was packed full and if the temperature outside was around 110 degrees then inside it was 120 degrees. When heat rises so does body temperature causing sweat, causing body odor. My bus was no exception. Daily showers in Morocco are not a normality, that means the aroma on my bus was far from pleasant. I was one of about three women on the bus. Not that men always smell worse then women, but in this case they do! So, as the bus waits to finish loading I am trying to perfect my mouth breathing and trying not to smell the air! Then as more people get on, my least favorite part of being a aisle seat sitter becomes reality. A guy decides he is going to lean his back up against my seat, but in doing so he has to lean up against me a little. I HATE THIS. I like my personal space. I DO NOT like it when strangers invade that personal space. So now i am trying to only breath through my mouth and keep my body positioned so that this guy is not touching me! aagghh TOUGH!

After sitting on the bus for about 15 minutes, as sweat soaks into my tank top, tshirt, and jeans and slowly trickles down my back and my chest, the bus starts to move. I get a little happy about the fact that all the windows are open and they are producing a strong breeze inside the bus. This is helping to cool me down and reduce the odor. Then in true unreasonable moroccan fashion the passengers shut most of the windows till there is about a nickle size opening left. WHAT!! 1) Its 120 degrees on the bus 2) It smells 3) Most passengers are wearing long sleeve shirts and pants 4) ITS HOT!!! So why would you close the windows and cut off any type of cooling system, WHY? I enjoy living in Morocco, but there are so many things I don't understand. Most you can explain by way of religious beliefs, but closing windows and turning the bus into a swelter tomb is not one of them.

About half way home the guys sitting next to me got off and I quickly overtook his window seat. My first move was to open the window as far as it would go. I didn't care if others wanted it closed. I WAS DYING!!! With the opening of the window came a quick cool breeze and I shut my eyes and enjoyed it. I enjoyed it so much that for a second I forgot to breath through my mouth and took in the not so sweet smell of the bus passengers! That quickly snapped me back to reality and for the rest of the ride I continued to focus on my mouth breathing.

At last, the bus pulled up to my stop and I stepped off. I was sweating so much that if felt like I had jumped in a pool and was left with that "did I pee my pants?" feeling. I slowly crossed the street and began my climb up the hill to my house. Once I reached my house I then climbed the 50 stairs and collapsed at the top. When I caught my breath I went straight to the refrigerator, pulled out a chilled water bottle and jugged. AAHHHH!! I had SURVIVED!!

I decided that a six hour shopping excursion was a productive as I was going to be today. I put on my bathing suit, stood under the shower head for a few minute, and then crashed on to the ponje in front of my fan for a nap!!

Last night was wonderful. It had been a very hot day in Tahannout. Yet, towards the end of the day it got a little cloudy. At about 6pm I decided to move on of my ponjes (couch) out onto the balcony and lay in the shade. It was sooo nice. There was a refreshing breeze as a storm was moving in over the mountains. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I was jolted awake to the loud roar of thunder and the sharp flash of lightning. Then a few rain drops began to fall and I knew it was time to move inside. I slowly rose from my 2 hour nap and moved my ponje back inside. Not about 3 minutes later it started to pour. It was so nice. I stood in the rain for a sec enjoying the small chill I got from them. From inside I could watch the lightning out my window and watched a movie and listened to the rain. It was a great night!!

Today is a beautiful and cool day in Tahannouat. When i say cool I mean that it is noon and only 95 degrees, unlike the past couple of weeks when usually at this time its between 105 and 110!! Yesterday, I told myself that since I am now feeling better I have to be productive! So I am starting today. I kinda got a late start seeing I didnt wake up till 10:30 but now im off and running. I have a mental list of things i would like to get done by the end of the week. I need to clean my entire house, do lots of laundry, and update my blog to share what I have been doing since this spring. Its been a pretty crazy and enventful summer and I want to share it all with you. But that will just have to wait until tomorrow to start.

This morning I started out cleaning the kitchen. I've been fighting a bacterial bug for the last two weeks and in that time my house has gone to crap! My kitchen was my starting point for my mission of a whole house overhaul. I hate doing dishes. Anyone that has ever lived with me or visited me knows that I am not one to jump right into scrubing, but it had to be done! When I was finished the dishes were clean, the counter top was sparkling and the previous dead animal smell was gone! Still need to wash the floor, but that might have to wait till tomorrow.

While in the kitchen I decided I was hungry and thought I would make myself a nice sunday brunch. I grated a potato, chopped up an onion, and cracked some eggs. In the end I had a delicious breakfast of hash browns, sunny side up eggs, and some orange juice. The only thing missing was some ketchup, but I survived. I moved one of my ponjes (couch) out on to my balcomy and sat in the shade enjoying a cool breeze and a scrumptious meal!

I should go and wash the dishes from prepping and eating my meal, but i don't want to!!

Now for the rest of the day. I think maybe ill fold clothes, and hang some rugs and blankets over the balcony to air out. I think that is all pretty productive. Its hard to do anything when the temps are in the low 100's. I am def looking forward to when the temps start to fall and the suns not quiet as hot. I can't wait till i can bundle up in a sweat shirt and pj pants and curl up in a big blanket. That seems so far away from this moment, but hopefully by the end of september it will start to come true!

Ok, well the sun is slowly over taking the shading spot im sitting in on the balcony and I think its time i moved back inside. I will position myself in front of the fan, put on a movie, and cuddle with a frozen water bottle!

Today i woke up and decided that i need to finally get around to doing some laundry. So i started my day off with a trip down to the store that is about 2 minutes away to purchase some OMO (like Tide) and some food for the day. When i got back i set laundry to soak. I then thought why not fill up the pool i have sitting outside on my balcony. Its a hot day and it would be nice to relax in the pool. So i put the hose in the pool and let it fill up for a few hours.

Later, in the afternoon, when i was done with my laundry, I sat in the cool water and relaxed in my large plastic pool. When filled to full capacity it can fit about 5 adults. Right now i had it filled about half way and was loving how nice it was to sit in a pool agian. I spent about an hour in the pool and then went inside to get some things done on the computer.

About an hour later i started to hear a noise coming from the balcony. Not 2 seconds later as I went to stand to see what the noise was, a wave of water crashed in to my apartment from the balcony. The plastic pool had folded. Water rushed EVERYWHERE! It flooded my bedroom, entryway, living room and then made its exit down the stairs out the door. I went to the window that looks out over my lower main door and watched as the water poured out of it. All i could think of was what would my neighbors think. As i was laughing to myself I could hear one of my neighbors noticing. I leaned out the window and told he it was all ok. I explained, in arabic, that the water was from my pool. She answered back in english. She said she was worried something had happened to my pipes or what not. But she was glad it was ok.

I then returned to start cleaning up. Anything on the floor was wet. The rugs in my bedroom and living room were soaked. Books and clothes got wet. I put everything out side in the sun to dry. There wasn't to much that was effected but it still made a mess. And now I only have a few inches of water in the pool! :( Oh well!! It was pretty funny after the fact!! Only I would have a flood on a third story apartment!! haha

My morning started at 6:00 am. I do not enjoy getting up with the sun. I would rather sleep till noon and then wake. I got up, ate, packed my bag, got dressed and was out the door at 6:45. I was going to meet some of the kids from my dar chebab (youth center) and one of theirs puppy and take a taxi to a town about an hour into the mountains. All six of us piled into the taxi and started our trip to Imlil. The drive was beautiful.

When we arrived we hiked about 30 minutes further up the mountain to the beautiful cascades that are hidden away. We hiked around for about another hour or so and then find a perfect rock above the river to unload our bags and relax. We spent the day laughing, singing, chilling by the water, and laying in the sun. (I have the sun burn to go with it!) The kids I went with are a lot of fun and some of my favorites.

There were a lot of people hiking around, both locals and tourists, but where we were was kind off the path and away from the cafe/restaurant that is at the top so we had our place to ourselves.

The day flew by and soon we were packing up and finding our way back down to wait for the taxi to come back and pick us up. The taxi dropped me off just down from my house and when I walked in the door the clock showed 7 pm. It was a long day, but so much fun. We will definitely be having more trips up there.

QUOTE OF THE DAY... "ITS NOT BAD, ITS JUST WEIRD!!" thanks Loubna

The Group!!

Rex and Hassan Dancing!!

Loubna, Sarah, Khalid, and Ayoub testing the water....sooooo cold!!

Whats a picnic without nunchucks?!?!

Khalid and Hamid

Ayoub, Khalid, and Loubna hiking

Loubna, Sarah, Khalid, Rex hiking

Today was one of my happiest and most productive days yet!!

It all began with a quick day trip into Marrakech with Donniell. We took the bus #12 into the marjane and made a B-line for the electronics department. She was on the hunt for new headphones and I was looking for a new camera. I found it!! Its so pretty and Blue!! ahhh I am sooooo excited to finally have a camera again. Its been to long. I love to take pictures and have not been able to in a long time. The sales guys had fun talking with us in both english and arabic and even taking pictures of us to prove the camera worked. It was like Christmas again for me!!

After we finished our shopping we went to our favorite Sushi place. We had a nice lunch of stir fry, springrolls, and california rolls. It only downer of the day was that our debit cards were not working, the system was down at the store and restaurant, but we had just enough cash to get through the day!!

When i got home from my exciting day in Kech, I decided to make brownies. So I stopped at the hanut (store) below my house and picked up some eggs and ice cream. It was a hot day and it called for ice cream!!

I had yet to bake in this country and to use the little convention oven on top of my refrigerator so i was a little nervous of what the final product would look like. I melted the chocolate and mixed all the ingrediants. I even put a nice cream cheese topping on!! I was very excited when i finally got it in the oven and the pan fit perfectly. When they were all done I was pretty happy with what i had. They tasted more like cake than brownies, but i was still pleased!!

A very productive day today!! Im sooo happy i have a new camera!! (Donniell was ready to hurt me after the amount of times i said that today!!)

Today I slept in and slowly got around this morning. Then I grabbed my backpack and headed the 25 minutes to the dar chebab (youth house) to meet one of my students. I was going to his house for Friday couscous. On the way i decided to stop and pick up a package my mom had sent me. I was totally excited. I got to the post office and found a slip of paper in the post box telling me i had a package from the states and one from Rabat, the PC office. I picked up my packages and then went to meet my student. I went with him and a friend to his house and met his mom and had couscous and tea (LOTS) and cookies. Then after he walked me partially home. It was nice to go and eat a meal at someone else house, even though i really don't care to much for couscous, but ill eat it if its necessary. The walk home was very hot. The temperature continued to rise throughout the day.

Once i got home i decided to sit outside on my patio and read. Then i decided to put on my bathing suit and sit outside and read. Then I thought it would be even better if I put music on while i sat outside and read. So I did all that. It was sooooo nice. No one can see my balcony so I can get away with it. It was like being at home. Like sitting outside on the deck or next to the pool soaking in the sun and reading a good book as the stereo inside pumped the hits!!! I miss going to the beaches with friends in Michigan, but today I closed my eyes and pretended we were laying on the beach. The day dream is kinda killed but the sounds of donkeys and sheep in the background and small children yelling and playing in an undecipherable language, but still i loved it. I even think I got a little color, which is desperately needed!

Now for the rest of the day I am going to lay around in a tank top and shorts, in my house with the curtains pulled, and enjoy this amazing weather. There is a nice breeze, but the thermometer built into the clock on my beside table is reading 77.2 degrees F. LOVIN' IT!!!

So, it has been almost a week since PPST. Not going to lie, the two weeks spent at PPST were pretty long and it didn't help that I was sick for pretty much the second week. There were some fun moments in there though. One the highlights was the dance party that was thrown the first night we were all there. To help everyone visualize it, think back to your middle school dances. Everyone crowded into the cafeteria or the gym, the 90's best hits playing on the stereo, and no booze. haha It was like being back in middle school. It was fun being silly and dancing and you half expected your parents to line up their cars out front to pick you up at the end!!

Another highlight, to me probably the best, was my 24th bday. Morocco kinda limits the different possibilities to celebrating ones bday, but we made it happen. There was a nice bar in town (by nice i mean hole-in-the-wall) that we found to through a small gathering at. I had a blast. Almost all the volunteers in the town came to my bday and we all spent the night laughing and having fun. Of course, the bar did close at about 1130 or so, something that would never happen in the states, but i still had a blast.

I also took a trip back to my first host family and spent a few hours visiting with them. I surprised my host mom at her sewing shop and she was so happy to see me. I have improved my Arabic skills a little since i left them so we were able to hold better conversations, better not great!! When we got to the house the kids jumped all over me with huge smiles on their faces and my host dad even jumped off the couch an shook my hand and asked how I was, of course then he went right back to watching soccer!! The family had just gotten a computer so i sat with the kids playing on that for a bit and had lunch, where they definitely tried to over feed me like usual!! I only spent a few hours there but it was fun.

Super Bowl Sunday also happened to fall during the time at PPST. We had some guys in our group that worked it out with one of the cafes in town to let us watch the game there and they said they would have it. The Sunday night came and there were some issues finding the channel and such but we eventually got to the cafe and watched the game half way through the second quarter. The funniest part of the whole thing was that even though we were in a Arabic speaking country watching an American game, the broadcast that we got was commentated in Italian!! It was fun trying to figure out what was being said, but it didn't matter. In Morocco the game started at about 11:30 and ended just after 3am. It was a long night for us!!!

The next day was even better for me. I woke up the next morning and was sick. It turns out I had food poisoning. I have no idea from what, but i think i could have been either the fish or the sheep hooves I ate at my host families!!

The rest of the week i spent mostly in bed trying to feel better. the last night we were there some of us went to the other hotel that the other group of pcv were staying at. There was traditional dancers and musicians and they had ice cream and cake. It was a fun two weeks, but I am glad to be back in my site.

It was a long bus ride home, but when i finally stepped off the bus in my town I felt a sense of relief. I felt like I was home. It was nice to get into my house and put my stuff down in my room and just sit and relax. I am slowly getting back into the routine of daily life here. Dar Chebab every morning, souq on Tuesdays for some fresh veggies, and having to cook for myself.

As I sit in my bedroom and type this, the weather outside is crazy. It is raining and cold and the wind is going nuts. It like there is a hurricane outside my window, a Moroccan Hurricane!! I hope non of my windows break!! But, I'm glad that I have my own bed to cuddle up in and as long as the power stays on I have my internet. What more could a girl want!!!

So today might be one of my happiest days in Morocco. i traveled the whole 45 mins by bus into Marrakech this morning and met with Donniell, Kate, and Rachel. After an hour and a half of talking over tea and coffee and misinmon (thin grilled bread) about our dar chebabs and future projects it was time to go to the marjane. The marjane is a big store. It is a mix between a Super Walmart and a Target. Its the best place ever!!! And today we found the "gold star" of the marjane. We had heard rumors of this "gold stars" existence but had not seen it yet. When we found it, we discovered that we had walked by it ever time we had visited the marjane. Connected at the very end of the store is a big gray building with pink lettering. We have now discovered that that place is .... a SUSHI restaurant. AAAHHHHH!!! I have been dreaming about sushi since the day i stepped off that plane in Casablanca.

We decided to shop first and then go eat. Another part of my awesome day was the fact that i found a monopoly, MAROC edition, on sale in the marjane. I bought it. Every saturday at my dar chebab i bring games for the kids to play and this is a perfect addition. We also bought the regular stuff, like cereal, cheese, OREOS (my fav) and wine. Then it was time to explore our new found "gold star"!! We went in and went to the top floor and easily found a table since the place was pretty much empty. They had a pretty big menu and the prices turned out not to be to bad. So we all ordered some sort of california roll and a stir fry. Not going to lie, i almost cried when i took a bite of the cali roll dipped in soy sauce, garnished with pickled ginger and wasabi. I did, a tear developed in my eye!! It was heaven!! We took our time and enjoyed every bite. It was AMAZING!!

Then it was time to go. It was getting late and we all had to get home. So i took the menu as a souvenir and we paid and left!! We will return, no worries. It is now my favorite place and i plan to go there about every other week!!

So its Friday, and this is official the end of my second week in my own apartment. So far i love it!! I live just a building over and three floors up from my host family and when i miss them all i have to do is stand on my balcony and wave at them as they stand on their roof. My host sister Fatima has had a little bit of a hard time with me moving out. She takes care of me more like a daughter and waited on me more then even my own mother did. Still love ya mom. She made every meal for me and did my laundry and even folded my underwear!! So when i moved into my own apartment it think she was a little said. But, I see her almost ever day!! She came and did my laundry for me in my apartment and she has even prepared meals and brought them to me. She is my family here and i think she is my best friend.

Like i said today is Friday. Usually i go to the dar chebab, or youth house, but today my mudir, or director, just wanted me to distribute some flyers to the high schools and the techinical school in the town about a play that the theatre group is putting on Saturday. Two of my students offered to put the flyers up in the highschools and so that left me with just the technical school. So I allowed myself to sleep in and just relax in the morning. I then went down and had the traditional Friday lunch of Cous Cous at Fatima's house and then we watched some tv. While she stayed at her house waiting for the plumber I took my bike and rode to the technical school to drop off the flyer and maybe a quick stop at the post office, or Bosta.

Its about a 8 minute ride to the school and when i got there i went in and found one of the directors and handed him the flyer and he said he would put it up. I had to pass the post office on my way out so I stopped to see if I had any mail. I went in and checked my box, but nothing, it was empty. As I turned to leave the guys that work there said to wait and came back with two packages. I was so excited. One package i had been waiting for and the other was a total surprise. Getting mail makes me feel like a little kid. I get all giddy and happy. Its so much fun to get mail!! So the packages were from my Aunt Tracey and the volunteer that I replaced in Tahannaoute, Colleen. I walked back out to my bike and tried to figure out how to get them home now. I didnt bring my backpack and did not want to walk the 25 minutes home pushing my bike, so i decided i would attempt to ride. People watching me must have thought I was nuts. One I am probably one of the only girls they have ever seen ridding a bike, two I wear a helmet and i have never seen anyone else wear a helmet, and three i was carrying to packages in my left arm and trying to stir with only one hand. It is harder then you think. I had to avoid potholes, parked cars and trucks, and stalled donkeys. I was breathing so heavily as I tried to ride home, but i made it. I finally got back to Fatima's house and parked my bike in the courtyard where i store it since I don't really want to carry it up 3 flights of stairs to my house!! I then made a b-line to the salon to open the packages. Fatima helped me to open them. First was Colleen's. She had packed a bucket full of candy and burt's bees. The second was from my Aunt Tracey, Uncle Joe, and Cousin Chloe. Inside i found a Christmas card that Chloe and Tracey made and a dried flower and watercolor book mark and Chloe's school picture. There was also some starbucks coffee packets, jelly bellys, chirardelli chocolates and twizzllers. There was also a book. Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I love to get books. I have done more reading in the past 5 months then i did in the past two years living at home!! I am very excited to start it!!

Now I am back in the apartment and from my balcony I can watch the sun set over the hills. I am really starting to enjoy my daily routine and the simplicity of life that is enjoyed in my small town. There are still many things that I miss from the states, but I am learning to live without. Yet, books, music, and Oreos are just a few things that I could never give up!!

This is a blog entry that i wrote for my friend and previous boss, George Aquino. I think it is pretty good and thought i would put it up on my blog too!! Enjoy!!

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am currently living in Morocco serving with the Peace Corps. Since arriving to this beautiful country in September I have been very lucky to visit many ancient cities and to explore an amazing culture. The city I was living in for a few months was just outside of one of Moroccos’ oldest cities, Fes. I traveled there a few times and on one of those occations I was able to explore inside its old medina with my host mother. She grew up in Fes and the maze of streets and alleys that make up the old medina was well known to her.

The medina is very old, but as you enter you are greeted with the sounds of construction and the modern equipment to go with it. Most of Morocco is like this. Everything is deeply rooted in tradition and history, but the modern age is slowly creeping in, trying to change it

My host mom and I spent a few hours exploring the narrow streets and the deep allys. She is a seamstress so we spent most of our time in the fabric and textile areas of the medina. The quality of fabrics and hemming and clothing and shoes that one can find in the medina is just amazing. The colors are very bright and beautiful and stand out against the stark grays and browns of the medina walls.

Set into the walls are the little niches that are the shops. They are not large rooms but ample space for the seller to display his goods. There are many different products to be sold, some focused on the artisan and the local Moroccan resident, but as time has past, more and more of the shops focus on goods for the tourist and at exaggerated prices. One must be well prepared to bargain and haggle to receive and honest and fare prize.

Deep inside to medina there is one of Fes’ oldest mosques. It is open to tourists now, but I am told that it is still a working mosque.

The medina has seen many changes over time. The items and the people inside have changed with the years. But, as people walk by with their tour groups and their backpacks taking pictures of everything and buying over priced souvenirs one may all of sudden be reminded that this is still a developing country and have to quickly jump out of the way as a large horse parades through the already cramped streets carrying good for its owner. It is a weird thing to see. I laughed the when I first saw a horse walking through the shops and people. To me it seemed so strange, but my host mom told me it was very normal.

I had a great time exploring the insides of the old medina in Fes with my host mother. It has so much history and holds so much to be explored. I was only able to spend a short amount of time there, but hope one day to be able to go back and see more of it.

This is a picture of my host mom and I on a hill above the city of Fes!!!

Here is my new address in Morocco:

Sarah HollemansBP 103 Tahannaoute 42300MarrakechMorocco

I love to get mail, It brightens my day!!! Send pictures and photos and drawings to help me decorate my walls in my new apartment!!

So this past weekend Muslims celebrated their biggest holiday of the year. On Saturday we celebrated Le Aid Kibir. The holiday celebrates the story of God telling Abraham to kill his son and that at the last minute he spared him. So to symbolize this every man in a household kills a sheep. So that meant in my house there were to sheep that we killed. For any vegetarian or animal rights activist this would not be their favorite holiday. The day started with my host mom/sister Fatima knocking on my door and wishing me a happy Le Aid. I got up and went and joined the rest of the family in the salon for breakfast. It was Fatima, her brother Mohammad and his wife Fatiha, Fatima's other brother and his 5 year old son, Mowad. We all shared a large plate of Oatmeal type stuff and had cake and cookies and tea. Then it was time for the killings. My family told me i didn't have to watch if i didn't want to, but i said i wanted to watch it all. So i was sitting in my bedroom looking at a book when out of the corner of my eye i saw a sheep walk past my door in the courtyard. I jumped up, grabbed my camera and ran out to watch. Fatima brought over a stool for me to sit on and watch. Mowad's 4 year old sister came to the house and she sat on my lap and watched the first sheep die with me. It was kinda cool to see. They held it down and the men cut its neck. Blood squirted everywhere when they killed the first sheep. Marium and i had to jump out of the way so we didnt get blood on us. Then once it was it was dead the cut a hole in the skin of the leg and one of them men blew the sheeps up like a balloon. This loosened the skin for the animal and would make it easier for them to take it off. So they hung the sheep up by its back legs and all the blood started to drain out of it. They then took the skin of and then cut into the insides of the sheep. Then they took apart the insides of the sheep. They took out the outer membrane covering first and then the stomach, intestines, liver, lungs, kidneys, everything that we would be eating later for lunch!!Then once the first sheep was all chopped up, the second sheep was brought in. This sheep went through the same process. This one twitched a lot more then the first one while it was dying. That was kinda weird! Then once it was dead they hung it up and started taking it apart. The whole morning was spent killing and cutting up the sheep. I watched every minute of it and took over 200 pictures and about 40 minutes of video. Its pretty cool!! Then at about 2 we had lunch. Fatima had boiled the kidneys, liver, lungs, and heart. Then Fatiha took the cooked meat and cut it up into cube pieces and wrapped the piece with the dried membrane cover from the sheep and put it on skewers. Once she had made 10 skewers she put them on top of a hot coals in a little grill that they had in the middle of the courtyard. We ate cooked insides of a sheep with bread and spices (i used A LOT of spices) and of course we drank tea as well as fanta.

After that i was full, but the food was not done. The second coarse came next. I was then presented a plate of cooked small intestines. Everyone looked to see what my first reaction was going to be and i was definetly surprised. Then Fatiha ate a piece and said it was good. Fatima said i didnt have to try it if i didn't want to, but I'll try anything once. So i took a small piece, about an inch long, dunked it in spices and ate it. It was kinda chewy, but not bad. I tried it a second time and then decided that was enough. I kinda made a funny face when i ate the pieces and everyone laughed. So in about an hours time I had eaten the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and small intestines of a sheep. WOW Then later that night for dinner we had more sheep! This time we had steamed ribs and more cubed pieces of meat on a skewer!! That has been how all the meals in the last week have been. Every lunch and dinner for the last 5 days has been sheep. I have now eaten sheep tongue, head, hooves, ribs, heart, liver, kidney, lungs, intestines, and stomach. They were all a little weird, the texture of some of the pieces is a little odd, but i tried everything! You would think that by now we would have eaten it all, but the freezer is still filled with meat! So it looks like the rest of the weeks lunches and dinners are going to be no surprise! Then yesterday i got to witness another tradition that goes with this holiday. We were sitting in the salon eating lunch, it was sheep, and we heard music in the street. We jumped up and ran to the roof and i quickly grabbed my camera on the way up. From the roof we could see people walking by the house. Some of the men were wearing home made masks and one of the men was wearing sheep skins. He was completely covered in sheep skins. This guys is called the Bouchaloud. He dresses up in the skins and goes around to all the houses collecting money and sugar. I started to take pictures of them from the roof and they spotted me. They came over and started to talk to my host sister Khadija and asked if i wanted a picture with them. She said yeah so they came around to the front of the house. I had to grab 5 durhams to give them and then went to the front door. The guy in all the skins was kinda scary, but they all were very nice. They welcomed me to Morocco and shook my hand. Then we all posed for a picture. It is definetely a funny picture!! Then they turned and left and continued on their way through town collecting money. The whole holiday was fun and helped to make me feel better about not being home for Thanksgiving with my family. Im looking forward to next year already!!

Soooo, I finally know where I will be living for the next two years!! I am so excited. I will be spending the next two years in Tahannoute, Morocco!! My city is only about 30 minutes south of Marakech. I can't wait now to get to my site and see what it is like and what my next host family will be like and eventually move into my own house!!

Last Sunday I finally got to sleep in!!! It was the best thing ever. It was the first time that I didn’t have to wake up to an alarm. That hasn’t happened since I left the states!! I slept in till about 9:30 and then laid in bed and watch a movie on my computer. I didn’t want to get up. I figured that once I got up I would have to do stuff around the house and really all I wanted to do was be lazy! Finally, around 11:00, Muhammed (my 10 year old host brother) popped his head in the room and found me awake. A few minutes later, Soukana (my 16 year old host sister) stuck her head in the room and asked if I wanted to eat. I answered,”Swiya”, a little. So about 20 minutes later I finally got up and went to the kitchen to eat. That afternoon we were going to Fez and everyone one was getting ready. My sisters had showered, bucket bathed, and were getting ready to go get their hair straightened at the hair dressers and my mom was in the bathroom. Muhammed and I ate bread and marmalade and sat in the kitchen. My sisters left and I helped my mom to make lunch. I was in charge of cooking the salad. She gave me lettuce, tomatoes, cooked beets, and an onion. I made a pretty nice salad with all of that, I must say. They don’t put dressing on their salads. Then I went to my room and just laid around. I had tried to hang my laundry on the line outside, but they are doing construction on the roof and I couldn’t leave my laundry out with all the dust. So, back into the basket it went. And that is where it sat until today. Its all dry now, but a little musky smelling. Yet, luckily, my mother had me prepare for everything. I put some bounce dryer sheets that she had me pack in between them and now they smell very nice!! So after putting my laundry back in the basket I went to my room and organized everything and packed for the night in Fez. I would be wearing a traditional outfit at the party so all I needed was pjs and a clothes to wear to school the next day. At 1:30, we ate lunch and waited on their uncle to come from Fez and get us. I never know the time schedule of anything here. I ask what time we are doing things and the time they tell me is never the time things actually get done. I have learned to take what they say and add an hour or so!! Cynthia came over at 2 and around 3 my host mom's brother and his wife and uncle arrived to pick us up and drive us to Fez. All together there was my mom Buchara, her brother, his wife, Cynthia, Soukana, 10 year old Muhammed, 12 year old Rania, and I. That makes 8 people. The car her uncle drives is a small four door, hatch back Ford. The car is made to hold 6 people at the max. Cynthia and I just stood there looking at the car and wondering how we were all going to fit!! Yet, we did. It was not the most comfortable ride and it does make me miss mini vans and my familys 15 passenger van. Cars in Morocco are more on the smaller side. We got to Fez and drove to the house of the party. There we went up the narrow twisting stairs of the apartment building and into the 5 room apartment that the party was being held in. There were already many people there, all just sitting on the couches around the two main rooms. Some people were talking, but the majority was just sitting and staring. There was a dj there and there was very loud music coming out of the speakers meant to be used at a larger function, like a school dance or something. We sat down for a while. Said hello to numerous people. Then after about 30 to 45 minutes we all went outside. The party we were at was in celebration of a circumsician. The boy who was to undergo such an exciting experience the next day was about 6 years old and dressed in traditional clothing. He was then placed on a white horse that was followed by a band and paraded through the streets of the neighborhood. Women sang and men clapped as they surrounded and followed the horse back to the house. It is quite the parade to witness. The little boy was a little frightened so his uncle rode with him. The parade took about 15 minutes through the streets of the neighborhood. Back at the apartment, Soukana, Cynthia, Rania, and I changed into our party outfits. I wore a silver Kaftan and black and silver jacket with it. I was very nice looking. The party started with everyone just sitting on the couches looking at eachother. There were tons of people packed into this small apartment. Then the dancing started. Slowly more and more people joined and quickly Cynthia and I were part of the celebration. As the Americans we definetly stood out and that made us easy targets as dance partners. We couldn’t sit down. We spent the whole night dancing and laughing. Have way through the evening I noticed my cheeks were hurting for all the laughing and smiling!! Some of the girl cousins were belly dancing. They would tie scarves around their hips of belly dancing chimes and would move their hips to the music. They were fun to watch and some of them were really good. We had a blast dancing. My mom, aunts, and even my grandma danced the night away. Then towards the one of the cousins came over and he tied the belly dancing chimes around me. Thats when I got scared. Then his sister came and pulled my into the middle of the two rooms and everyone stopped and watched me. It was awful. I was stunned and mortified. I had to dance by myself, with everyone watching. Cynthia said I had a look of “when is this going to end” on my face. The song they were playing lasted forever, atleast I thought. Everyone loved it though. Everyone was clapping and laughing and finally the cousins started dancing around me. I was then able to say “safi” done and they took the chimes off of me. The dancing all ended about 30 minutes later and then it was time to eat. Quickly, the room was transformed from a dance floor to a dinning room. The audio aquipment was broken down and carried out and the dinning tables appeared out of nowhere, covered in white linens and clear plastic coverings. The chairs were all moved around and the tables were pushed up to the couches. Everyone had a seat. Then out came the soda classes, the napkins, the clothe linens for your lap, and the bread. Lots of bread. Next came the glass little bottles of soda, our table had cocacola and a pinapple and cocunnut soda. Then the first dish was brought out. Each table had their own large tangine. The first dish was beef with almonds and a type of gravy. It was very good. I ate so much and was full just a few minutes after we started. Yet, my mom kept telling me to eat. Cynthia and I were full, but decided to eat a little more, but slowly!! Then that plate was cleared and I thought were were done. But, I should have known bettter, there is never only one plate at a Moroccan celebration. Right after that plate was cleared, the next one came out. This one had three large chickens on it. The chickens were cooked with almonds and onions and a type of gravy different from the first. Cynthia and I just laughed. We were both so full already. There was no way I had room in my stomach for anymore food. So we went with the pretend to eat and eat slowly plan. Finally, after about 10 minutes of faking eating, we said we were done and no one told us to eat more. Once everyone was finished the tables were cleared and everyone went back to sitting around staring at each other. By this time Cynthia and I just wanted to go to sleep. While everyone was just sitting around or cleaning up, Soukana, Rania, Cynthia and I went and changed out of our party outfits and back into our normal clothes. We finally left the party at around 11:15 and headed to my host grandma's apartment that was about 15 minutes away. Once we got back, Cynthia and went and changed into our pjs right away. We finally laid down on the couches at about 12:30 and my host uncle brought us other pillows and blankets to sleep with. We tried to sleep, but the rest of the family was sill up and talking in the same room that we were sleeping in. Finally, at about 1 they all started to lay down and started to quiet down. We all slept in the same room. In Morocco you sleep on the same couches that you sit on during the day. Everyone sleeps in the same room and you just find your own spot on the couches. The trip and the party was a fun, crazy experience and we had a blast!!!

Ok so I am now living about 30 minutes away from Fes and living with a host family for 17 days. My family is really cool. There is a 16 year old daughter, a 12 year old daughter, and a 10 year old boy and a mom and dad. The dad is pretty laid back and works for the military in Fes and the mom is a seamstress and makes amazing jalabas. My mom is also a really great cook. The food in Morocco is so good. You eat and eat and eat. Even when you say you are full and done they will keep telling you to eat! My family has come to realize that I really am done when I say done and have stopped pressuring me. The joke in my house is that Morocco is making me fat!! Everything is bread and sugar and you drink a ridiculous amount of MINT TEA!! The food is good, but it takes a long time to adjust to. Stomach issues are a common problem for peace corps volunteers. Yet, if you do have a issue you get to deal with while squatting/hovering over a small hole in the floor called a turkish toilet! When I got to my host families house for the first time my host mom gave me a tour. When we got to the bathroom, I was definetly surprised to see what was behind the door. It is a small room about 3 ft by 7 ft and the ceiling is slanted. There is a sink that kinda hangs on the wall, a mirror above it, and then some faucets on the far end of the room. I don't know what I was expecting to see, but no matter what it was I was very surprised to see what was their bathroom. Since moving into my host family's house I have taken one "bucket bath". This activity has many steps. First you have to light the water heater that his mounted on the wall above the stove in the kitchen. Then you go into the bathroom and everything that is stored in there. Then my host sister got me a big bucket and filled it with hot water and topped it off with cold water. Then she handed me sponges and back scrapers and even put a little pink plastic stool next to the bucket. It was a nice gesture of her to offer we all of their cleaning materials, but luckily I had brought my own! It was an experience trying to wash oneself by just dunking a cup in the bucket of water and pouring on myself. When it was over I decided that the Hammam (the public bath) would be a good thing to check out!So I have heard other PCVs complain about their families or just have small issues, but mine is great. They remind me a little of my family in the states. They are laid back and easy going and we are always laughing. So I feel very lucky. I had my language teacher tell my host mom that I felt very lucky and was really enjoying living with them. That made my host mom really happy. Now she introduces me to everyone as her daughter!! And I call her my mom!! They have made me part of their family and I like it!!Our daily schedule is: 8:30 to 10:30 arabic launguage lessons, 10:30 to 10:45 we have a tea and coffee break, 10:45 to 12:30 more language and culture lessons, 12:30 till 2 is lunch and nap time, 2:00 to 4:00 is more language or culture or reflection time, 4:00 to 4:15 is a tea and coffee break again. After that we go to the dar chebab and hangout with kids till about 6 and then we have free time. We will go to cafes, or snack stands or over to someone's house and hangout with their family. We have been going to our dar chebab which is the youth center. We have been hanging out with kids and testing them on english. I am slowly adjusting and starting to feel more comfortable here. Hopefully my language improves soon, but for now i am HAPPY!!

I hope to put more pics up sooon!!

I have been in MOROCCO for 3 days now and i dont even feel like it yet. It has yet to set in that I am in Africa!!After landing in Casablance, after an 8 hour flight from JFK, and quickly got through customs. We were created by the in country PC staff and we all loaded onto two busses and drove another 2.5 hours to a town on the coast. I can't tell any names now of where we are but ill describe them. For out Pre Service Training (PST) we are in a hotel/inn that over looks the ocean and there are many small shops around! The first day here was busy with unpacking and settling in and orientation. The second day began at 8 am with breakfast and then classes started at 9. we were in classes all day with small breaks during and an hour for lunch. When we finally ended at about six, a bunch of us raced to change and headed to the beach. The beaches hear are a little dirty with trash everywhere, but the water is gorgeous. We swam until 7, at which time we had to return to the hotel because it is Ramadan and at sundown (or 7) is those celebrating Ramadan break fast and we want to be respectful and be off the streets. Our dinner was then served at 8 and the rest of the evening was filled with a lot of hanging out, computer use, and goofing off!!Last night Alex and I decided to sleep outside on the terrace at our hotel and that was soooo nice. There was a nice breeze, no bugs bothered us, and the waves sounded amazing.

Today was much like yesterday. More classes. We focused on more language skills, commitments to PC, more of our daily dose of shots, medical interviews, and a panel of current PCVs. Listening to the info that current PVCs could tell us and advising us on what we were in store floor was the most informative info so far. Listening to first hand stories and hearing that everything would be fine and just have a sense of humor about everything was encouraging. Classes finally ended at about 530 and again we raced to the water, this time with a larger group, and swam again until 7. The weather is so nice. Sunny all day and then a little cloudy at night. High 70s during the day and low 60s at night. It is amazing here. Tomorrow we are heading into a nearby town to do some shopping with the money they gave us for walking around and I am going to get a cell phone!!! Tuesday we head to our community training sites and meet and live with our host family. I can't wait!!Thats all for now. Keep writing to me and I hope to have pictures up soon!

So right now i am sitting at JFK outside of the gate for my flight to CASABLANCA at 820 pm.Let me start by talking about what has happened in the past two days. I flew out of grand rapids at 620 yesterday morning to milwaukee and then to philly and then i took a cab to the hotel in dtown to the hampton inn. I met other volunteers right away at check in and Alex (here aunt is my neighbor and we met before this) got there at the same time so it was nice to know someone. then we have STAGING. between noon and 7 we did icebreaker activities, we went over policies, and even did skits!! It was a very long day of information. But it was nice to finally be there. All the anxiety i had before went away when i met everyone and realized that we all were worried about the same things. Did i bring the right stuff? did i bring to much? how am i going to learn arabic? we all were worried but it was nice to be able to share the worries. After staging we were given our extra money for travel and food and broke up to go to dinner. i went with a group of eight and we went to a nearby Italian restaurant. The restaurant took great care of us. we want to sit outside but the said that they didnt have it open but i told the manager we were going to Africa with the Peace Corps they set up a table for us outside. They then continued to hook us up with food and wine. Our dinner was really nice. we got to know each other better and just relax before our long day of traveling. After dinner some people went back to the hotel, but some of us decided to continue our night and enjoy the nightlife in philly. we also ran into more volunteers so we all spent the rest of the night enjoying beverages and laughing! we are all ready to get there and find out what were are going to be doing for the next couple weeks. once we land in casablanca we will be getting on a bus and traveling a couple hours to a beach town and spending 5 days there learning what is going to happen and going over more policies.

So now we are at the gate just waiting. But this is going to be awesome!!!

Just hours left until i go to the airport. I am pretty much ready!! almost. I have packed and repacked twice no. Everything finally fits in the bags and i really think im all set. I cant sleep! just spending my last hours watching a Golden Girls marathon and double checking lists! My papers are all filled out and my itinerary is printed off. I am ready. Im nervous and so excited. Ive said my goodbyes, given lots of hugs, and done a lot of shopping. Here is my address in Morocco: Sarah Hollemanss/c Corps de la Paix2, Rue Abou Marauane Essaadi, AgdalRabat 10100, MOROCCO

When i move to my final placement after my first three months then the address with change. Ok, i am going to look at my luggage one more time and take another walk around my house to make sure i have everything i will need.

Alright, so there is less then ten days until i am off to Africa. It still sounds so crazy when i say that. Who goes to Africa?!! People wonder why i decided to do this and what would make a person want to give up everything they have and jump into a society that has very little. well the answer to that question is my mother. she is the one who first told me about peace corps and she is the one who has pushed me to follow through with it. I love peoples reactions to that. their eyes get pick and they get a very surprised look on their face. as if they think a mother would never want this for their child and would never be the first on the bandwagon for their child to be embarking on such a crazy adventure. but she was and is. and for you that really know my mom that would surely not surprise you at all. Currently i am sitting in a very nice residence inn in Washington, DC. the whole family is helping Erin (my sister) to move here for her internship with the department of health and human services. that means that all SEVEN people in my family piled into ONE van with all our luggage and Erin's life and drove out here. to say it was a smooth and peaceful trip is an understatement, but we all got a lot happier when we finally arrived. So we will be here for a few days, but once we get pack i have to focus on getting packed, last minute shopping (still a lot to get), and saying final goodbyes to my friends. Last tuesday we had my Going Away Party at Monte's and it was a BLAST!! I had so much fun and so many people came out to party it up with me for the last time and i love them for that. But the partying is over and now it is time to focus and get down to final peace corps business.

I can't believe that it is already half way through August. I leave in less then 30 days!!! I am very excited and very nervous. This is going to be an amazing adventure, but the preparation for it is long and boring. There is so much that i have to still get and find and how am i suppose to make everything fit into two bags and weigh under 80 lbs?!?! Anyone who has traveled with me can tell you that i don't pack lightly and even a two day vaca can look like im going on a month long excursion.

I am glad to finally have this blog up so that i can share what im doing and going through. Well now its back to the packing list....