I've Been to the Mountaintop

Azrou

We certainly aren't "slumming it" yet, to say the least.

Azrou is a beautiful city nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains of the Middle Atlas. It is a completely different environment here from Rabat-- breezy, slower placed, and you can't beat that view.


We're staying in what I believe is some sort of ritzy hostel; we share rooms and bathrooms, but are still spoiled crazy with delicious meals three times a day, and the building itself has that exotic Moroccan vibe. After arriving last night we settled in and went walking through the town, into the markets and around the mosque. It's very modern, with cell phone shops and internet cafes everywhere. One thing I've noticed so far about Morocco is that the ancient and modern coexist in the same environment in business and in dress, and attitude.

Having been introduced to our LCFs (Language and Culture Facilitators), we began training today with two language sessions. We work in small groups at a fast pace, adding to the vocabulary, practicing dialoge, adding vocabulary, practicing dialogue etc., etc. We're learning Darija, which is the most commonly used dialect. After some time here, we will be broken down into smaller groups and be assigned one of three different dialects. I've spent most of my off time tonight studying minus a quick trip to the Maroc Telcom shop to buy a cell phone. So.....if anyone wants to call, just remember, it's free for me! I'd post my number now but I left it in my room, and I'm sitting in the sitting room listening to M'Barek, one of the LCFs, play some sort of lute. He's really rockin' it....everyone is clapping in rhythm and singing, and I can't help but bob my head. I suppose the best way to describe it would be "fast-paced belly-dancing music".

I attempted to buy a towel tonight while we were out on the town (no towels here, it seems), forcing myself to interact and put my language abilities to the test. It's expected that we do a lot of self-directed learning, one of the forms of which is interacting with local Moroccans. It's important to have a sense of humor about it because you're going to have to do it sooner or later, and you're probably going to look and sound stupid the first twenty or thirty times. Which I did. That towel was too expensive anyway. I did get some delicious dates, though.

Tomorrow is actually a self-directed learning day, meaning that there are no scheduled sessions. One of the LCFs is taking us hiking in the morning up and around one of the mountains, which should be pretty great. I'm off to get some sleep...layla saida.

PS- check out the Photobucket (look for the Azrou link on the left) for some pics.

Médina

Last night after the day's sessions ended we were allowed to venture out of the hotel and onto the streets of Rabat. A small group of us went into the Médina-- the old part of the city-- to the souk (open market), comprised of ever-narrowing alleyways packed with vendors of food, clothing, electronics, and various media...tarps laid out on the street covered in piles of shoes, dvds and jewelry...unrecognizable fruits and foods being cooked in pans of hot oil just inches away from passers-by. The alleys are complex and seemingly infinite; one in our position would be wise to avoid exploring too deeply, as we were advised. The shops were in the process of closing as dusk approached, their owners heading home for the nightly meal. I bought a bag of almonds with my newly obtained Dirhams (or "D's" as we sometimes call them). After dinner we went back for a bit to see the lights, smells, and newly invogorated people as everything reopened. This picture isn't mine, as it isn't recommended that we have our cameras out in public, but I found this one online:

I learned yesterday that our hotel is under heavy protection by order of the King for the purpose our safety. Apparently, at our final sites, each of us will have a gendarme (government military police officer) responsible for keeping an eye on us.

Tonight is our last night in Rabat. Tomorrow morning we'll ride by bus to Azrou and settle in for something like eight days before going to CBT (Community Based Training) in villages just outside of Azrou, living with our host families. I'm looking forward to getting out of the city and seeing the mountains of the Middle Atlas. It's still a big-ish city, but looks quite different, as seen in this photo of some random guy. Should be good. Also, they have monkeys.

Rabat

So much to write about. Let's see if I can fit it all in during this lunch break. I apologize for the lack of specifics, but there is very little free time. I'm sure once I'm out at my final sight months from now, I'll have more time than I know what to do with and I can write more.

The plane ride over was surreal. Flying in a metal tube across the Atlantic to Africa. You step in from New York and step out in Morocco. The time changes, meal schedules and lighting completely screw with your mind. They feed everyone dinner, turn out the lights, and three hours later turn them back on and give you breakfast before the sun comes up and you land. We arrived at eight something in the morning and had a full day of traveling, meetings and lectures, all with almost no sleep.

Well, we are here in Rabat, the capital of Morocco, meeting for 3 days of pre-pre-service training before heading to Azrou where we will stay in yet another hotel before eventually being assigned to host families.

It's Ramadan now, meaning most Moroccans don't eat or drink during daylight hours. This is a little weird for us, because while they fast, those belonging to the hotel kitchen staff are busy presenting us with sprawling, delicious meals three times a day, plus snack times in between. I take every opportunity to have some of the famed hot sweet mint tea; it is quite tasty. I'd tell you more about the food, but I don't know what any of it is aside from the basic ingredient-- things like fish, lamb, potatoes, beans, curry, rice. I've got two years to learn about the food. I'll be sure to pass along some tasty recipes.

This morning they gave us the extra vaccinations; I needed one for rabies. The staff members take turns giving presentations on health and safety with some basic language lessons thrown in. Lots of paperwork and handouts. Those in charge are approachable, lighthearted and knowledgable, and I'm confident that they will prepare us well. Yesterday we were restricted to the hotel; today we are allowed to venture out. We have some Dirhams (the currency) and can go wandering after the day's presentations are over. The American Ambassador to Morocco came by and spoke this morning. It was a big deal-- bodyguards in the corners of the room, entourage of shiny black vehicles speeding up and then away, disappearing down the mazes of streets. It was nice of him to stop by. I'm looking forward to hitting the streets later, us trying our hardest to be inconspicuous and failing miserably, mangling the little language we "know", and possibly offending many.

The hotel is pretty swanky. It's interesting trying to figure out little things such as light "switches" which are more like buttons, the locations of which aren't necessarily indicative of what room or fixture they might seemingly control. My favorite part is the balcony off of the top floor that runs the length of the building, overlooking the Palais du Royale. There is a mosque at the palace where a muezzin calls prayers from a minnaret five times a day. This morning I woke up sometime before sunrise and listened in the dark as his voice echoed spookily off of the buildings and into the still room. Gave me the chills and prompted the reminder, "Hey, I'm in Morocco."

MAROC

Well that's what they call it here. We arrived safe and sound (and completely exhausted) in Maroc as the sun was rising this morning. I have much to write about, but for the time being, check out the Photobucket link to the right for a few pictures of the Casablanca Airport, the scenery from the bus ride to Rabat, and the view from our hotel balcony.

Big Philly Style

I'm sitting at JFK International, amid a sea of luggage, waiting for the check-in counter to open. We left Philadelphia at 11 this morning by charter bus, driving through Manhattan and Queens on our way to the airport. It's 3:25 PM; our flight departs at 8-something this evening. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

The past two days were spent in a Sheraton in Philadelphia with fifty-eight other Peace Corps Trainees. The majority of the "staging" involved us gathered in a ballroom, listening to the coordinators going over the agenda for the following few days. Also discussed were ways to cope with anxieties, dealing with unwanted attention in country, Peace Corps rules, etc.etc....everything you'd think would be involved with moving overseas.

Meeting my fellow Trainees has been wonderful-- such a relief from the previous days' uneasiness. Everyone's "in the same boat", or in this case, the same hotel. Actually right now it's the same airport. It's amazing how quickly we've bonded, it really feels like a kind of family. The staging coordinators did an exceptional job of preparing us, and by the end of our last session Sunday night, everyone was pretty pumped up to go. I'm proud to be a part of this group and the Peace Corps in general.

The stereotype of the Peace Corps Volunteer as the hippy loser with no direction looking for a free ride across the world seems completely inadequate, at least in this group. In fact I feel a bit out of my league here-- many of the people here have graduate degrees, tons of experience, and are exceedingly bright. Good company.

That's it for the moment; going to relax a bit and read while we wait. The next time I write I'll truly be doing it "from the cold land with the hot sun".











Also, enjoy this picture of the instructional sign inside the bus lavatory.

Gloomy Chicago

Ugh, what a day to leave. It was an early start this morning, waking to a 5:30 AM alarm and dreary skies, finally having to face the day I thought I'd always just talk about. It was really tough to say goodbye. I sat silently panicking in my train seat as the midwestern towns flashed by, having suddenly realized the reality of my situation. Two years seems like such an eternity right now. I found myself thinking things such as, "I'm really tired right now; it'll be nice when this is over and I can go home and lie down."

*twinge of panic*

The queasiness has subsided for the moment, however, as I sit typing this in my hotel room at O'Hare International. There's a giant flatscreen TV in here. I haven't tried it out yet but man, it looks impressive. A lot of feelings turned on full blast and sort of stirred up today-- one minute it's exhilarating, the next is a wave of almost unbearable homesickness. I've only been gone eight and a half hours!

So this afternoon/evening I'm going to walk my route to the terminal (don't want to get lost tomorrow), look for some food, maybe explore around the hotel a bit, go over the agenda for tomorrow, relax, and hopefully get to sleep early tonight. It's another 5 AM wakeup call tomorrow as I head to the magic land they call............PHILADELPHIA!!