Late July: The pace of things has slowed to a near-stop. The days are long, dragging, and largely unremarkable. The unreality of Groundhog's Day syndrome is setting in as the cycles and repetition of each day blur together. I do my best to keep occupied with interesting things-- reading, playing guitar, the internet, exercise, cooking meals, and napping, though these activities still don't seem enough to fill up the days. I find myself becoming restless from the long periods of solitude and sameness, eager to "fast-forward".
My good friend Abderrahim has left for the summer to find work in Rabat, leaving things particularly quiet around here. Fewer knocks at the door and no more calls from the street below my windows. I haven't written much about Abderrahim here, but he has been my closest companion throughout my service, someone I learn a lot from and and look up to, despite him being seven years my junior. He never passes up an opportunity to meet up, something which, admittedly, has driven me crazy occasionally, though ultimately I am thankful that he does so. Rarely is there a day when we aren't walking the streets or having some discussion, passing the time together. His absence leaves quite a void in the neighborhood.
Ramadan is coming up in a few weeks. Seems like people are just killing time until it gets here, though they'll just be killing time once it arrives, too. I plan on fasting this year, though I will be drinking water. I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. Peace Corps has given us approval to participate in the Casablanca marathon in late October (normally we are not allowed to take vacation during the last three months of service). I was hoping to run it, though realistically there isn't enough time to train safely in the time between the end of Ramadan until the race. I'll just play it by ear (legs?) and see how I feel. There are always more marathons to run, but not necessarily Ramadans to spend in Morocco...
I've also been occupying myself with some end-of-PC/return to America planning, beginning to think about what needs to be done as far as wrapping things up here-- travel logistics, packing, gifts-- as well as how to visit everyone I'd like to see upon returning in December. It will be a busy month. This does, however, seem to make the time pass even more slowly, but it's exciting. Recently I bought a plane ticket to Paris from Rabat for November 13th, the day after I COS, for my jaunt around France and Denmark with S before coming back to the States. \m/ (<-- devil horns gesture)
The notion of leaving here is creeping in more and more often. I see how this place has really become a home for me over nearly the past two years, and how the friends I've made are some of the best I've ever found. My mind begins to entertain what it will be like to leave them for real, and to leave this whole experience as though it was some strange dream. No doubt it will seem as such once I step off of the plane. In fact, the entirety of this has been like learning to live within a strange dream, and over time it just becomes life. In three-something months it'll be time to wake up...
