Apparently GPS units are forbidden in Morocco without written permission from the ministry of communications. Our recent package containing our GPS unit has been held up in a customs office in Agadir for the last 2 weeks, since we received it’s arrival notice in our PO Box. When we came to retrieve it, they told us we didn't have authorization to have a GPS in country and the package had to be returned to sender. We knew there was nothing we could do about it so we said okay. As they started to pack the box back up I looked at the bureau chief with sad eyes and in a doleful voice said, "what about the rest of the package...it's just food... and I'm hungry." He looked back at me, paused for a second to think and said, "fine" and then proceeded to pile all the granola bars, the bag of coffee, the m&m's, the boxes of macaroni and cheese and bags of black beans onto his desk. He got us a plastic bag for all the food and taped the U.S. flat rate box with the lonely GPS unit back inside. We have heard horror stories about people having to pay hundreds of US dollars to retrieve much less expensive items, so for the last two weeks we have been envisioning all sorts of scenarios including declining the package all together and having to try and file for the insurance money or paying $200, or more, to recover the box. In the end it was not our best case scenario but it was certainly better then we were expecting and most definitely not the worst it could have been. We gave the men who helped us each a piece of what I only imagine was a handful of soon to be halloween candy that was thrown into the package and left the office surprisingly happy and satisfied.

We had received the address to the office of of co-op development (ODECO) in Agadir which stated nothing more then the street it was on, a supermarket which it was near and that it was located on the first floor. Unfortunately Google Maps doesn’t work in Morocco quite like it works in America, in that you can’t really locate addresses. Feeling falsely confident in our familiarity with Agadir we set out on foot toward our intended goal. After walking 6 or 7 km, in the direction we presumed our address to be located, covered in sweat and looking more disheveled then a Peace Corps volunteer should, we stopped to ask directions. The man pointed down the street we were headed, but recommend we take a taxi. We traipsed on in the humidity and sweat a bit further until past another roundabout the buildings began to become more sparse and the feeling that we had any idea we knew where we were going was becoming as hazy as the sky. We finally decided the taxi suggestion was a wise calculation.15 minutes later we were exiting the cab in front of the super market landmark we were given and now trying to figure out which building we needed to enter. Continuing with our assumptions, we first tried, to no avail, the row of government looking buildings for the ODECO office. In each building we tried we were greeted with warm receptions and gradually escalating support. While the security guard in the last government building was asking several people for further assistance, I stepped outside to call our programming staff to find us a final address. She asked to speak with the security guard who was helping us and when she finally called back with the correct building he pointed back to the supermarket where we first were. The lessons we learned that day were, one, there is both a Blvd. Hassan I, the one the ODECO office is on and Blvd. Hassan II, the one we were walking down, in Agadir and two, in Morocco, the first floor of a building is not the ground floor but the first floor above the ground level. When we finally arrived at the ODECO office the rest of the meeting was smooth sailing. The man we met with to deliver the letter was very friendly and patient with our Tashlheet. We discussed the women in our site and their interest in starting a cooperative and having someone from his association visit our site and discuss the process of organizing and maintaining a successful co-op. The following day, knowing for sure where we were going and who we needed to meet with our trepidation was whether or not we would be able to get to see the necessary person and how long the meeting would take. Much to our surprise, the director was indeed available when we arrived and exceedingly excited about our letter and the prospect of working on an experimental argan planting in our site. So, now all our letters are delivered and our projects have been set in motion. Next we will meet with the women to determine what resources they need for their neddi (women’s club).

As hoped when Ramadan ended our official work began. In the last few weeks we have had several meetings with the local community association to discuss relevant project ideas and implementation scenarios. We are looking at a large irrigation project which would include installing a solar pump to a pre-existing well and storage facility as well as a 10-15 hectare tree planting of some argan, almond, apple and possibly prickly pear, in addition to a drip irrigation system and a new water line to the village. Concurrently, we are trying to start an official women’s co-op to produce argan oil, amalou and other products from the planting.In our first meeting Dave and I sat at the front of the room at the big official desk with the mini Moroccan flag, while 15 men at varying stages of face wrinkle wearing differing head coverings of hats and scarves and several combinations and lengths of facial hair stared back at us with one thing in common: their facial expression. One that said, what can these foreigners do for us, they can barely speak our language, they didn’t fast during Ramadan and barely look strong enough to last one day in the fields during harvest. Once we began we explained to them about Peace Corps and the potential projects that had been previously preposed for their community. We tried to stress the importance of a solar pump over an electric one and planting at least a few argan trees to see if they will regenerate in this area. For the most part I think everyone understood and mostly agreed. When we were done with our piece, the president of the association took over to review the letter he had drafted to the Department of Water and Forests (W&F) to inform them of the association’s interest in participating in an experimental argan plot. In the end, the letter was well received and we set a plan to walk the planting site the next afternoon to inspect boundaries and planting areas.A few days later another letter was drafted to the Office of Co-op Development (ODECO) in Agadir to invite someone from their office to come speak with the women of our Duar about starting an official co-op. Another 4 days later we finally had both letters (1 to the Dept. of W&F and 1 to ODECO) signed and stamped and ready for delivery.

We arrived home from PPST Sunday evening around 8:00 to spend our first night in our basically empty apartment. We had a 4 hour layover in Agadir before catching the bus back to site so we went to Marjane (Moroccan Wal-Mart) to pick up a few small essentials, such as a pot, a pan, some silverware etc. Luckily, most stores in site tend to be open more in the evening then they do during the day so we were also able to procure a small buta (butane gas) tank and fitting to cook on for the evenings meal. Although by the time we actually got our purchases unpacked and the house cleaned just a little bit, we were both way too tired to even think about eating. At least we would have something to boil water with for coffee in the morning.Before we had left for PPST we scouted out a place in the next town, 10km to the West, where we could buy a bed, a fridge, a stove (basically a multi top gas burner hooked up to a larger buta tank), a table and possibly a bookshelf all with free delivery. We got prices for everything and budgeted ourselves accordingly. The plan was to get up in the morning and start making our way there as it can sometimes take a while to find a taxi going in that direction. We figured if we got there early enough in the day we might be able to get them to deliver same day.By 11:30 Monday morning we were in the cab and on our way. I was dreaming of cold Fanta and juice, having a place to put eggs and a freezer to make ice, a stove to cook our first real meal and a table at which to sit while we ate said meal. As we walked down the street towards the store I just kept thinking about what we would make for our first dinner, since we hadn’t eaten the previous night. Although I knew it would probably not be anything elaborate and would most likely be delicious but easy macaroni and cheese mailed from my parents in the U.S., I guess it was just the idea of cooking in general that made me excited; until we reached the blue awning and turned to walk into the store. Where just 2 weeks prior there had been 5 different models of refrigerators there was now only dust bunnies. As we continued into the store we also realized that all the stoves and the table were gone. Eventually the store owner came in to confirm our fears, that indeed he was completely sold out. Maybe people were buying second fridges to prepare for Ramadan, maybe with the heat old ones were breaking. Whatever the reason I couldn’t fathom one store selling out of that many fridges in only 2 weeks time. As I stood there in awe and devastation the man said he would have more in tomorrow afternoon. This, too, seemed an impossibility to me but I skeptically took his word. We went down to the home-wares store around the corner purchased a few more small items (tea kettle, plastic 3-tiered shelves for the kitchen, plates and excitingly 2 chairs for our non-table) and headed home.In Morocco, time is something of an oddity. The word for tomorrow is also the same word for morning and the actual time denoted by the words evening and afternoon are vague and highly misconstrued at best. So what time should we head westward? It’s actually a strategic and complicated decision especially given trying to find a taxi. We started to leave around 2:00 but 2-4 being the hottest part of the day and the streets being silent when we walked outside we retreated until 4:00. In the taxi, we texted Alex, another PCV located in that town that we were on our way. He met us on the corner and we all walked toward the blue awning. I tried to give up the idea of sitting at a table and eating anything not cooked in 1 pot on the small buta but my dreams lingered. As expected, disappointment set in as we turned into the store. The owner wasn’t around but his brother said once again, that they should be coming in from Agadir tomorrow afternoon. Fortunately, he did qualify his “afternoon” with “around 3:00”.As we left the store the grand idea of asking Alex to check the store for us before we taxied in again for a 3rd day of disillusionment, dawned on me. Alex said he needed to go to Tiznit in the morning but he would check for us when he returned. Satisfied that we wouldn’t come back until we were sure the store was stocked we headed to the stairs to wait for a taxi heading East. I remembered seeing stoves and fridges in the shop next to where we were sitting and figured we had some time to spare. The owner in there told us he too was sold out of fridges and as we were walking out the door Dave spotted a box off to the side with a picture of a stove. It was the brand we wanted but a little smaller then we had hoped. While we were contemplating the purchase the owner disappeared behind a stack of other boxes and re-emerged with the stove we wanted. Of course, he was charging 50dh more then it was worth and more then we wanted to pay. Contemplation continued but eventually gave way to let’s at least get something. With Ramadan looming on the horizon we gave in so at minimum we would have something to cook on. Things were starting to turn around, little by little, at least we didn’t leave town empty handed.We ended up staying home on Wednesday since Alex didn’t get back from Tiznit until after the store was closed and couldn’t tell us whether our desired items had indeed come in. He said he would check the following morning and let us know. While we were up most of the night chasing mice out of the apartment we heard the 3:00 am Mosque call for the start of Ramadan. Our first souk (market) day, in which we actually needed to buy things, and the first day of Ramadan, the makings of a notable day. We headed out to souk but decided without a fridge and plans to go to Tafraout on Friday that we should hold off on buying any vegetables. We bought a few more small items from the home-wares guy and started back to the apartment when we ran into our host father sitting in his friend’s wood shop. We noticed he had a few ponj benches and a nice round wooden table on wheels. With our host father standing there he quoted us really good locals prices. We decided to go drop our few souk purchases off and head back to buy 2 ponj benches, to be used as a bed stand, and the wooden table, in lieu of the larger plastic one from the other store in the neighboring town. When we got back our host father was gone and when we re-asked about the prices they had practically doubled. The table that moments ago was 350dh was now suddenly 650dh. Outrage was a mere understatement, but when we reminded him that Mohammed, when he was here had said that everything was 650dh, not 950dh, he agreed. So continued our little by little furnishing of our apartment.Around 2:00 on Thursday afternoon we got the text from Alex that the fridges looked like they were in from what he could see, but the store wasn’t open. Even though they told us they would be open regular hours during Ramadan it was 2:00 and they were closed. We headed over there around 3:00 hoping they would be open by then and figured we would hang out at Alex’s place if they weren’t. As we approached the blue awning the doors were open and indeed all the same refrigerators were once again covering the dust bunnies that had been exposed in their absence. The owner came in and in a last moment effort to make our final decision on which fridge to purchase, we asked the prices. In classic Moroccan fashion the prices had magically changed. The smallest by 100dh and the largest, that we were looking at, by 500dh. Again outrage started to boil. Not wanting to go crazy just yet, I walked away from the fridges to ask about the beds. Those, too had unfoundedly increased from 900dh to 1200dh and the mattress he was now claiming to be 900dh was the worst one they sold. Now I was pissed. We tried every tactic we could think of. We dropped names, we tried compromising and bargaining, we tried nicely explaining that we weren’t tourists, had limited money and that he told us they were different prices the last time we were in. Nothing. He wouldn’t budge. Outrage became fury. At this point I was so mad about the principle of the whole thing I couldn’t think straight. Alex suggested we go to his place for a little while to think about it and discuss our options. So we left and after a few hours decided we would offer 3700dh total, only 200dh less then what they were really asking which we knew was still too much, and walk away if they stayed firm. When we went back the owner was gone but his brother was there again. He told us he wasn’t involved in the prices and we would have to wait until the owner got back. We stood talking to the brother for awhile who spoke fairly decent english. We talked about fasting and Ramadan and learning Tashleheet. We hoped we were building a rapport. When the owner returned we again tried our best tactics, including having our host father talk to him and explain that we were volunteers and that we weren’t making any money. Nothing fazed him. He stayed firm. We probably would have walked out but our host father said we should just pay him the extra 200dh. I was torn between just wanting to be done with this entire charade, have a bed and fridge and move on with my life, and going through this all again, with another store further away, that wouldn’t deliver for free just out of spite, but not giving these guys a dirham of my money. To be honest it was a really difficult decision. I knew I was being wronged and had been insulted in the process. During our negotiations, or pleading really, the brother had called us greedy. He told us that there were plenty of people in the country with no money and that they didn’t try and buy things they didn’t have money for. The entire time I bit my tongue, thinking to myself that they were the ones upping prices for foreigners and lying about quoting us lower prices earlier. We are here working for them, to try and help better their communities, their neighbors and their environment. Changing our lives to help improve theirs and they won’t compromise or budge 200dh and we are the greedy ones.In the end we bought the bed and fridge for the full price they were asking.They delivered it immediately and gave us a ride home. The entire time I just kept playing the whole thing over in my head. I was so livid, but yet I had said nothing. I paid their price and kept my mouth shut. Luckily, Dave was there to do the rest of the talking. I guess I knew if I opened my mouth it wouldn’t have been good, not for getting our purchase and not for our integration into a highly conservative corner of Morocco. Maybe it was a bad idea to try and negotiate a price at the very end of the first day of Ramadan, maybe he knew we were desperate since we had been into the store almost everyday for the entire week. We knew there was no guarantee we wouldn’t go through this same thing with another vendor. Although it was a painful and disheartening experience, I know that not all Moroccans are like that and for all the people who take advantage of us their are more that have and will look out for us. I’ll find comfort in cooking dinner and drinking a glass of juice with ice in it. It took us a while, but little by little our empty apartment has begun to fill up. We have the few creature comforts that make living a little easier and as time passes we will little by little continue to make Morocco our home. Hopefully not all future transactions will be this trying.*check out the video in multimedia for a short tour of the apartment

The greatest part of spending PPST in Azrou is getting out of the desert and seeing trees and water and the color green. There was obviously no better place to go spend a Sunday afternoon then soaking in the cold river in the lush green site of the Zaouia d’ Ifrane. After yesterdays hike, and a week of getting up to sit in sessions, I was happy to get a chance to sleep in past 8:00. Dave woke up not feeling very well either so it was a good opportunity for him to rest. When we finally made it downstairs, as usual, most people were congregated in the main room lounging in various positions on computers, reading, chatting or already napping. We joined the masses on Facebook and discussing plans for the day. There was talk of another hike in Ifrane, the possibility of the Roman ruins near Meknes or even just chilling in Azrou. Martin and I had previously discussed going to another PCV, Steven’s, site which we were told had a nice waterfall and a great swimming hole.When we finally found Steven to ask about going to his site it was already around noon. We discussed all the logistics such as timeframes and transportation which turned out to be the most complicated part. Getting there required 2 taxis but the return trip, much like going to the lake yesterday, was the more involved endeavor. Steven informed us that there is no regular transportation out of his site and that he usually bikes about 15km to the nearest taxi stand. Worst case scenario was, once we got lunch and got to Zaouia it would be around 3 or 3:30-ish which would give us an hour or so to steep in the cold, clean, refreshing water if we had to hike the 15km to get a taxi ride back to Azrou. Best case scenario, which turned out to be our luck, we got lunch and made it to Zaouia around 3:00 and made arrangements with the driver to come back for us at 7:00, which he did promptly. Unfortunately Dave barely made it through lunch and decided it wouldn’t be wise for him to join us. In my mind when people talked about the waterfall at Zaouia I had envisioned a small waterfall maybe 20 feet in length or so. You can imagine my surprise when I got out of the taxi to hundred foot travertine cliffs blanketed in bright green moss and stream of water cascading over the lush emerald carpet. The site envy began almost immediately. Not wanting to let the jealousy fade for even a moment Steven first brought us to his house. We joke often in Peace Corps Morocco about how cushy we tend to have it with most volunteers having electricity and many having running water. As soon as we stepped into Steven’s house the words Posh Corps immediately came to mind with electricity, water, a western toilet, tiled floors and roof, a fireplace and real windows that of course looked out on the towering waterfall, envious words were all that followed.Winding our way through the Duar on our way out to the river and swimming hole we passed the lower reaches of the river flowing through town, a large pear tree and numerous fig trees. As we left town centre for towards the river the trail was bordered by many blackberry bushes and 1 beautiful mulberry tree, ripe and ready for picking. So, we foraged and walked and foraged some more. When we arrived at the river we remembered it was a holiday weekend, Throne Day, due to the throngs of people, tents and picnic areas set up. We made our way up river to the main swimming hole, which apparently is around 8 feet deep, but was too crowded to be enjoyable so we found a smaller but empty area a little further upstream. Finally, we got to immerse ourselves and for the first time in nearly 6 months I got goosebumps. We hung out for a few hours getting in and out of the water at leisure, talking and enjoying the surroundings. On our way back into town we got a special appearance from some macaques, monkeys of the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas mountains. They blend really well into the rocks and were on the other side of the river from us but it was really fun to see them in action digging in the ground and hunting for food. After our sighting we headed back to Steven’s house for a quick snack and then back out to wait for our taxi.We spent a lot of time deciding whether or not to go and figuring out logistics but once again it all worked out and made for a relaxing, delicious and exciting day. The main goal for the weekend, and the decision not to go to Fez was to get to explore the area around Azrou and get to know the Middle Atlas region, a place completely different from our everyday life in the Souss, a little better. Although, there is still a lot of Ifrane National Park and the Middle Atlas including Fez, to see, I am really happy we made that choice and I think we were indeed successful. Hopefully this revitalizing break from PPST sessions will help sustain us through this second week.**Thanks to Martin Frederickson and Charlie Kolb for the pictures as I remembered my camera during this trip but left the memory card in Azrou.

So Cara, Dave and I decided to see if we could take 1 taxi all the way from Ouarzazate directly to our douars so as to not have to transfer bags 3 times between buses and taxis. We got quotes from a couple of cab drivers and in the end, reliable, Sidiq, our driver from Asfalou agreed to take us for the lowest price we were quoted. We trustingly tied our bags on the roof, climbed in and away we went.10 hours later, after a brief stop to drop Cara off at her site, we were unloading our bags at the front door of our new home. The wind was blowing, the air was cool and everyone was in the fields working. Harvest season is in full force and it’s a busy time around Morocco. Hopefully we will settle in quickly and start getting our hands dirty. The yellow brick road is long and windy and we are bound to meet more then a few obstacles along the way but, inshallah, we will get to meet the wizard.

We officially became Peace Corps Volunteers today! In the presence of the Governor of Ouarzazate, the U.S. Ambassador, the Peace Corps Morocco Country Director and all the LCF’s and staff we raised our right hands and swore to uphold the constitution and committed to do our best to serve the people of our communities and Morocco. It was a nice ceremony, short, sweet and to the point. Our country director spoke (in Darija), the Governor spoke (also in Darija) and 1 student from each of the three languages (Darija, Tashlheet, and Tamazight) gave a speech and the Ambassador did the honors. It felt great to be a part of it all, the last hooray for the group as a whole. Tomorrow we head out to our final sights and I know I may not see many of these people (especially health volunteers) again until close of service. After the ceremony there was a little gathering in the reception hall, we got to speak with the governor our program staff and newly inducted volunteers. We also got invited to tour the movie studios in Ouarzazate where things like Jewel of the Nile, The Mummy, Kingdom of Heaven, Gladiator and many others were filmed. It has been a really nice day and I know tomorrow will be bitter sweet. Dave, Sami and Governor of Ouarzazate Dave, Sami, Naima, Cara and MohssineThese last 2 months of training have been a roller coaster which I know isn’t even close to over yet. In fact I believe it’s just speeding up. One of the great things about training was that even during the difficult times, I could always count on coming back to Ouarzazate in a few weeks time to see everyone and share our experiences. Now we will be so far apart from some of those people whom I have come to look to for advice or even just a laugh.

Today we had a party for all our host families and counterparts to thank them for their hospitality, help and support over the last two months. The Moroccan people are warm and generous. We had the party at our cooks house and to adhere to cultural norms we had a room for the women, a room for the men and enough food to feed an army. As always our cook made delicious food. Also due to Moroccan culture which says “inshallah” (God willing) to anything in the future we weren’t really sure who of our families were actually going to show up. Well if it’s a sign of our success in our CBT everybody from all our families made an appearance, including our host mother and both of our sisters.They even said to me that they didn’t go to the fields today, which is a big deal, so they could come to the party. With our limited language the conversations were a little slow going but the little kids definitely broke up the monotony and added entertainment. After a while though mini conversations took on a life of their own. It is amazing how you can get by and still communicate with limited dialogue and a lot of patience. It sounds like the men’s room could have used a few smaller children as well to break the ice. Overall I think it went pretty well and we had fun. As people started heading out most of us ended up outside playing with the kids some more. They are a bunch of whipper-snappers, but a barrel of laughs.Hassna & Asma (Cara’s host sisters)Nadia & Abnor (2 or Martin’s host siblings)Sami and the kidsHmza, Abduwalhab, Hamid & ZackariaNadia’s glamour pose

Although we are in an exotic place it’s amazing how quickly your daily activities become routine. We get up in the morning have breakfast (bread and coffee) then head to school to study language and culture. For the last 2 weeks, though, we have been cracking down on the language preparing for today’s Language Proficiency Interview (LPI). But now it’s like the last week of school before summer break, the attention spans are at a minimum as is the motivation to spend all day sitting in the class practicing dialogues. Not to mention the temperature is definitely rising and the flies are hatching. Today’s LPI was fine, hard to tell how we actually did but we will find out in a few days when we are back in Ouarzazate for our final hub session before swearing in and departure to our sites. Whatever the results it’s a great weight lifted. Now we can concentrate on our party for tomorrow and saying our goodbyes to our families. It will definitely be strange to leave Asfalou and our host family since it’s been our home for the last 2 months but our brains have already started switching gears to our final site and future projects, whatever those might be.

For the last 2 days we have been celebrating Earth Day in our community. We have slowly been working on planning these activities for the last couple of weeks. We spent a lot of time meeting with different community members including people from the two different associations in town, the school teachers and director and Felicie’s host aunt from a nearby town whom works with the women's center teaching arabic. There was a lot of back and forth and meeting that felt like we didn’t get much accomplished but in the end I think they worked out well as informational awareness meetings.Yesterday, we arrived at the school at 9:00 to meet the kids and give our talk about Earth Day and 1 of the problems the community faces, which is trash. We prepared a poster of items that can be burned and items that should not be burned. After that we handed out flour sacks for everyone to go out andcollect trash. Unfortunately we only had 1 hole so we couldn’t separate into burnables and non-burnables so burying it all was our best option. The kids really seemed to have a blast running around collecting the trash and seeing it all in one big pile. Although we didn’t get to separate it I think we got the point across because today they were still talking about the things that shouldn’t be burned and the effects trash can have in general. FOR MORE WATCH MY VIDEO ON THE MOVIE PAGETodays project was to plant the trees that we got and have the kids think about and draw what the environment means to them. The kids got really excited about having paper and pencils. Actually I figured they would all love to have the colored pencils but in fact they fought over the regular lead pencils with the erasers. Afterwards they all shared what they drew, some with us and mostly with each other. Just as we were finishing up the pictures the women from the community starting walking into the school grounds. To keep thing somewhat maintained Dave, Isabel and I went outside with the kids to plant the trees while Felicie, Cara, and Martin met with the women inside the classroom. We found out later that they ended up having a conversation about global warming and the melting ice caps. I’m sorry I missed it, but it was so nice to be outside with the kids planting trees. Most of the hard work had already been done for us, as some men from the community had already dug all the holes and laid the trees out, so all we had to do was go around putting the plants in the holes and cover them with dirt, manure and water. It continues to amaze me how excited these kids get to be apart of these activities. Things like running back and forth to fill jugs and buckets with water is something they fight over wanting to do. I’m not exactly sure what is motivating them whether it’s the actual project at hand or just having something different to do. Either way they all participated and seemed genuinely interested. Later on that evening back at home our host brother, Hamza, and host sisters Fatima and Najat all sat down at the table and drew pictures of the environment. And even though all the pictures consisted of the same people, trees, river, fish, birds and sun, the point was just to get them actively thinking about the environment and that was certainly successful.

The view of our valleyToday was one of the best days we have had since we got to Morocco. After the last two weeks or so of hazy mountains and hazy minds we woke up to a clear blue sky with unlimited visibility. So during our lunch break our CBT group hiked up the mountain behind town. I don’t know if it was the long needed break from the sedentary life that training provides or the amazing views of the valley and the Atlas Mountains around us but I felt revived. Something about scrabbling up the rocks seems to have unscrambled my brain. Don’t get confused, I still can’t speak Tashlaheet, but overall it was invigorating. We got to check out some of the wildflowers and plants, get a closer look at the geology and old shells fossilized into the rocks. For the first time since we arrived I felt like I was actually getting to know the landscape and this foreign land we’ve traveled so far to become a part of. There is talk about going for another hike on Saturday on the other side of the river, then maybe on Sunday we’ll make it to Ait Ben Haddou. As they say, “in’shallah”Our partial CBT group (Left-Right: Martin, Felicie, Dave Bottom: Cara, Sami)Fossilized shells from when the mountains were under the oceanThe view towards TamdakhtThe view from the top of the hike down valley towards Ait Ben Haddou

A typical training day: • Getting up in the morning having agarum (bread) and lqawa (coffee) with sweetened milk around 7:30 • Lmadrasa (school) by 8:00 • Intense language lessons until around 10:00 • 10:00 atay (tea) which usually consists of sweetened mint tea and more coffee and milk, bread, laughing cow cheese, lconfituer (jam), honey and a delicious, and sweet, pastry of some sort. • Then from 10:30 to 12ish we have more language lessons • Around 12:00 we usually eat a 2 course lunch beginning with a big salad of rice and vegetables followed by almost anything. Usually tagine with potatoes, carrots, onions, green beans and chicken, suksu (cous cous) with veggies or some sort of beans. Whatever it is it is usually delicious. Our cook is fantastic and if I could fold her up and put her in my pocket and bring her with me to my sight I most certainly would. • We usually spend our afternoon discussing culture, meeting with people in our village (i.e. the imam, school teachers, farmers, association leaders etc...) • After school, around 6:30ish we usually walk home and either sit at the table in the main room or in our room and study and review more language • 7:30 we have another tea time with more atay and baked carbohydrates of some sort, after which I usually help do the dishes and finish preparing and cook dinner. • Then we usually eat dinner somewhere between 9 and 10:00 then more dishes and quickly off to bed.One of the hardest parts of the culture besides the language is the eating every 2 hours, the mass amounts of starch and sugar, and eating dinner at 10:00. We do get some vegetable in the suksu and tagine but they are usually cooked to the point of mush so that you can eat it with the bread. They do have a lot of spices in Morocco, but most of the food here is really mild. We do get a lot of really good fruit including the most delicious oranges, bananas and apples. Our host mom also makes really good carrot and orange and cucumber and orange drinks. They are really refreshing and would make a wonderful summer dessert or cocktail, in the U.S., with your liquor of choice.

Last night I got Henna’d. We had “talked” about it a day or so ago and last night while I was studying at the table all the women started speaking at once in Tashlaheet. Of the 5 conversations going on I understood 2 words: l-Henna and iminsi (dinner). So, I shrugged my shoulders smiled and said waxxa (okay).Then before dinner they called me into the kitchen and the 4 other women sat around while Fatima (the younger one, there are 2) painted Henna on my hands. It was a long process just putting it on. Then you wait a while for it to dry and then they dabb the hand with a cotton ball soaked in some sort of garlic and oil concoction. It doesn’t smell very good and then they informed me that I couldn’t wash my hands until tomorrow. I have heard from other people, though, that they have had their hands wrapped in plastic bags overnight. Luckily, they didn’t do that to me.I felt very honored. It felt like an acceptance into a new tribe to have them ask me and take the effort, which it was, to put it on. It is nice having so many women in the house. It definitely feels like a sisterhood and one that they are allowing me to become a part of. They are all very caring and it amazes me how hard they work and still manage to smile all day. I’m not sure I could spend all day in the kitchen constantly cooking and cleaning and I know I couldn’t do it without complaining.

We have been in country for exactly a week now and it feels like at least a month. Here is the quick logistical rundown so far.Wed March 3rd: Arrived in Casablanca, and drove 2 hours to Marrakech. On practically no sleep we had about 3 hours of policy talks and a medical orientation.Thur. March 4th: Drove 4 hours from Marrakech to Ouarzazate, It was a beautiful, windy drive over the snow capped mountains through the desert and down into the palm tree lined, meticulously clean streets of Morocco’s version of Hollywood. At the Bab Sahara Hotel we continue our policy, safety and health conversations and begin some “survival” language training. Fri. March 5th: Continuation of yesterday’s activities. We got to meet with some current volunteers who had alot of insightful comments, suggestions and opinions to offer. We also got our cell phone working, exchanged Dollars to Dirhams, our first real Darija (Moroccan Arabic) language lessons, and had interviews with the Environment directors about our thoughts and feelings on training, language and a little about site placement. Overall a little intimidating but equally exciting about the upcoming work.Sat. March 6th: A big day for sure. We finally found out our Community Based Training (CBT) sites, the language we will be learning and speaking for the next 2 years and our Language and Culture Facilitator (LCF). CBT Site: AsfalouLanguage: TashlheetLCF: SaidSun. March 7th: Say good-bye to all the other volunteers and our 6 person CBT group left for our little village. It was a pretty short drive from Ouarzazate but a world away. A population of around 300 or 400 people. Technically they have running water but this mostly consists of 1 tap of non-potable water.Our host family is, comparably a small one. It is the father, Elhassan, who is the Moqaddm (authoritative leader) of the community, his wife Rahma and their children 14 year old Najat, 9 year old Hamza and 25 year old Khadija who is pregnant. They are very nice, although Elhasan is an overpowering, commanding, presence. He runs a tight ship, but when you do get a smile it’s worth a million bucks. Najat is very nice and helpful. She can read the arabic script so we can use our book to communicate, even when we can’t pronounce words and phrases correctly. She is definitely a warm and friendly person and a happy addition to have around.This is a new CBT site, in that no PC volunteers have been there before so all the families seem to act differently. It sounds like the others in our group are having a more welcoming experience. I guess it will be good practice in putting ourselves out there and taking initiative. Other then being shown our room and the bit-lma (bathroom, with Turkish toilet) we have had to ask for everything, including where to brush our teeth and wash our hands. The response to which we have so far only gotten the latter. With 2 days of language training so far we have to take things imik S imik (little by little). The language is going slowly, but to our credit it really has only been 2 days. At home practicing and studying, I feel like a 4 year old, counting from 1 to 10. We will just have to give it time.Pictures coming soon...

Well, this will be the last post from the United States. We arrived in Philadelphia yesterday for staging and met the other 63 or so Moroccan volunteers. Everyone seems extremely nice and chill and in different stages of excitement and nervousness. Ourselves included. Monday was a long day of orientation into Peace Corps policies and core expectations, talking and drawing about our feelings of anticipation and aspirations and concerns. At the end of the day people split off into last meal desires, while one group went out for steaks and burgers, and some went for asian fusion a large contingency including us went for sushi. Thank goodness for our per diem.This morning we met in the lobby at 10:00 am to board the bus for JFK airport. Our flight departs for Casablanca at 7:01pm. So, we are currently sitting at our gate waiting for boarding, and have been so doing for the past 3-1/2 hours and have another 1-1/2 to go. Luckily the iPhone has an app for that, since there is no free wifi, I’m able to make my last farewell from the states. Thanks again to everyone who attended our going away party and a VERY SPECIAL thanks to Meredith, Carolynn and my parents for throwing us such a fabulous party and putting so much thought and effort into making it so fun and memorable. Also, to Josh, Kate, Mason and Levi for braving the snow storm and going to such great lengths to get here from Colorado. It meant the world to Dave and I. So thank you all for your thoughtfulness and appreciation.

We are down to exactly 14 days until we leave for Morocco. I can’t believe how quickly these last three months have gone. I expect the next two weeks to pass like the wind in the night, fast and somewhat unnoticed. I think it is starting to slowly sink in that we are actually leaving for 2 years. I had my self-absorbed revelation the other day that life as usual will continue to go on without me. There will still be family vacations and holidays, my niece and nephews will continue to grow and develop, my friends will still go out and have a good time, even though I’m not there. It’s a strange realization, one that makes me aware of exactly how much I am going to miss, both in reality and in my heart.A couple of days ago we decided to gather everything we are thinking of bringing with us into one room. First we picked through what we anticipate we’ll need and what we can, hopefully, live without. Next we packed it all up to see if we could fit it in our bags and meet the stringent Peace Corp baggage requirements, which are: • Checked baggage should not exceed 80 pounds total with a max weight allowance of 50 pounds for any one bag. • The combined linear dimensions of checked baggage may not exceed 107”. The larger piece of checked baggage may not exceed 62”. Your carry-on baggage may not exceed a total linear measurement of 45”PROBLEM: We haven’t actually measured our bags but we weighed them on the house scale. Our backpacks each weighed in around 50 pounds, but that means, according to the Peace Corps rules and regulations, our next bag can only weigh 30 pounds. SOLUTION: Look for different rules and regulations. With that in mind, we decided to check out Delta’s requirements. “To the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia - Economy Class 2 checked bags Each bag at a maximum 50 lbs (23 kg) and 62 linear inches (157 cm)”Since we are driving to staging we figure we only need to adhere to Delta’s baggage allowance and this is totally achievable. It was actually a great exercise. Now that we have finished I feel much more relaxed about the whole thing. I think we will be able to fit the majority of the stuff we want to bring. As far as what we need, we are going on a wing and a prayer for that. We ordered 2 new suitcases today. The Osprey Meridian 28” which are convertible bags that can either be wheelie or backpacks and have detachable day packs on the front. I think they will be very useful and versatile. Hopefully they will arrive before we have to leave.Other then that, I still haven’t decided which books, of my ever expanding pile I want to bring. It’s dangerous working at a book store and never having time to read. We also are working on getting the operating system to work on the netbook and still need a few more office/art supplies to get, but otherwise I think we have everything we need.

With 3 weeks left until departure it is starting to feel like cram time, and the question is how many things can you jam into one day? • Work as many hours as possible • Spend as much time with the family as I can • Read, Read and Read • Pack, unpack and Repack • Practice Arabic • Eat as much good food as I can stomachand all the other boring odds and ends to tie up before leaving, like: • canceling monthly accounts • figuring out finances • filing taxes...the list goes on, and as one thing gets checked off another two, at least, get added. Yet, mostly all I want to do is sleep. I imagine that comes later. For now, I will continue to procrastinate. A skill I have mastered through the years. I hope being proactive in the Peace Corps might help rid me of this useful aptitude, but for now I will embrace my natural talents and lie down until the feeling goes away.

Getting ready to leave for the Peace Corps is a daunting task. I'm excited and also very nervous. I feel like there is so much to do, or there should be, but I don't really know what. It’s either a million little small tasks or a few gigantic ones. Either way it feels like all the things I should be doing are so monumental they are nearly impossible. Although I know they are not. So I'm breaking out the pens, making lists and trying to figure it out one thing at a time. Today I started my packing list and pulling clothes and such out of drawers and setting them aside. Even though the likelihood Is we will be learning some dialect of the Berber language I decided I don’t want to study French as much as getting familiar with Arabic, so I picked up basic Arabic audio lessons. Now I just have to make the time to listen to them. There are numerous other things on the to do and to get lists and even more decisions, mainly based on packing, to make. All of these things I will continue to tackle one at a time. If any of you returned volunteers or any other seasoned travelers have suggestions I’m all ears. If anyone has suggestions on good books bring or new music I shouldn’t be without please let me know. Any suggestions big or small, although not to big as we have a size and weight limit on baggage, are appreciated.

Even though we spoke to our placement officer on Thursday December 17th and she told us our invitation was in the mail, she couldn’t tell us where we were going. Today, the packet arrived and it’s official, we are going to Morocco. I would have been excited about Jordan but we are on cloud 9 about Morocco. Our Assignment:Program: Community Based Environmental Education and Awareness Job Title: Environment Educator and Community Development AgentDates of Service: May 5, 2010 - May 5, 2012Departure: March 1, 2010We still don’t know where exactly in Morocco we will be living and we won’t find that out until the end of pre-service training. Reading the details of our assignment there is so much we could possibly be doing. We will likely be working with communities in or near national parks, reserves or other biologically or ecologically important sites teaching natural resource conservation and rural community development. The entire concept of the Peace Corps is excessively exciting and daunting. Until now it has been mostly speculative, but at present there is a lot to think about, organize and prepare for. We will call to officially accept the invitation tomorrow. Hopefully someone is at the Peace Corps office before the Christmas holiday.