Terrain and Working In Morocco

Along with the beauty of the magnificent terrain in Morocco, the environment volunteers have been learning more about accessing resources in order to work effectively within communities. Topics of concern are; biofilia, global warming, greening Morocco, erosion control, national reserve and parks, associations that pair with Peace Corps, working to bridge gaps with local associations, crop rotation, irrigation challenges, soil degradation, plant species, education within communities and the process to introduce solutions to these problems . These topics and training will further help us to work as partners in our communities in helping Moroccans reach their overall goals.

Tinghir and Dades Gorge

The Berbers built several Kasbahs in the massive Canyon of Tinghir within the vicinity of the Gorges which is located in the Atlas Mountain region of Morocco. After a day and a half of rest from school and time with host family, I decided to join a group of Peace Corps friends for dinner and hike away from site. We walked and took transportation to a nearby town called, Kalat Maguna. I then met up with other volunteers and headed for Tinghir, which is located in a different Province outside of Ouarzazate. After 2 taxis rides each over an hour or two, and walking another hour or so,we finally hailed a local bus and made it to our hotel. We were hungry and tired but laughed along the way. Every so often we would pass a small village with a café or Marche which was a distraction from the fast paced uneasy ride which I was getting queasy from with it's narrow and windy turns. The hotel was visible from the road and appeared more beautiful than I could imagine. Located on a cliff of the gorge with interesting rock formations, our room peered beyond a rock jetting off a peak cliff. It was worth the effort travelling as the hotel and scenery was stunning. I’m continually amazed at how everything seems to work out again and again without having a plan in place. I always seem to get what I need at the right time. How amazing is this experience!

Moroccan Cooking

Moroccan tajines are generally tasty loaded with a variety of veggies, various meats and potatoes including olives with an ungodly amount of oil. It cooks for several hours on a camping stove. French fries or pom-frites are very popular and typically served on the side or sometimes inside the tajine and the meat is divided last between everyone and the guest is served the biggest portion. Everyone sits close at a circular table seated on the floor, small square plastic seats or flour sacs. Using only your right hand you scoop the food with bread called hobs (xbs), it comes in a large round loaf. Cous cous is served on Friday which is known as the day of prayer. It is a long process of preparation and Moroccans use their hands to scoop it from boiling water to a large plate called an lgs3a. Ouch! Shkoon means hot in darija which we learned early on. There are several types of bread, hobbs, msinmin, binyay pastries and cakes called keeka or hellwa. My favorite is the flat pancake bread and vegetable msinmin which is harder to find but my host mom makes it for breakfast on occasion. They eat bread with apricot or fig jam, honey, butter and oil. Coffee is a weak version of Folgers’s instant coffee loaded with sugar and consists of mainly milk which I like when it’s mild. Kids love coffee and they drink throughout the day. The mint tea is also very sweet and hard to drink. Fruit is typically served after each meal and is delicious except the apples.

Hub Training Expereince

'Hub' is the main gathering place where the Peace Corps volunteers and staff come together for mass training. This includes one hotel of environment volunteers which consists of 24 people total with 4 groups of 5 that live in different villages when we aren't together for individual training with Arabic dialects and group projects which are to prepare us for our main stay later on. The other hotel is for health volunteers (about 36) which is about a 10 minute walk from our hotel. The training at Hub is based on our small group assignments, further technical language training and evenings off to run around for personal items, relax and further integrate. It's always a treat to meet up with the whole group after a few weeks of intense training. It's a chance to shower, get decent rest, laugh and have a little fun in between. I have managed to hit the Patissere for yummy decadent treats such as pistachio ice cream and bon bons. The square is filled with shops galore and is hectic particularly at night. Bargaining is crucial in Morocco and requires lots of work in order to get a fair price. Today, there is a festival on the square and the weather is beautiful. I purchased 2 beautiful hand made blouses and a pair of pants today.

Lost In Translation

Final site visit was great and I am thankful to have a site mate. I am located in a very beautiful green farming area close to the Atlas which is noted for its olive trees and appears to be fairly clean and includes paved roads, clean water and electricity. The Mountain region and barrage are remarkably similar to the Rocky Mountains as I imagined. It

is modern and quite spread out with an approximate population of 10,000 people. Everyone is very gracious and excited about our presence in the village. We are lucky to have several Associations that are organized and open to our help. With the difficult and lack of language at this point, it creates communication gaps which then generates a major loss in translation. I have managed to communicate what is necessary and there is a lot of laughing between myself and my host sisters. One of the most challenging things lost in translation are the things we know or understand or think are funny are not understood by Moroccans. I am finding that Peace Corps has a very special name in Morocco. I was asked on the bus by tourists why I chose the Peace Corps path on a personal level. Reflecting on it, I am realizing that this question is deep and is a process in understanding further. I am learning a lot and faced with challenges that seem out of reach. Although my project and work in Morocco is unclear, I am confident that in time it will develop and relationships will grow. I am utilizing training and trying to find a rhythm that will help me come into balance as everything is new and overwhelming. I am looking forward to successfully completing my training by the end of May and starting my new journey as a full fledged Peace Corps volunteer.

Week With Host Family

A typical week spent with my homestay family starts with language until lunch, and resuming with a community activity with our village regarding the environment. I sometimes get a chance to get away and walk to my favorite spot under a tree at the mountain (jbel), where I can see my village and contemplate. Mostly my head is filled with new words, vocabulary and some 80 verbs that I am trying to memorize. This week’s experience like most come with fun, frustration and feeling very overwhelmed. I have noticed I am a lot more tired and don’t have much alone time or even time to rest. But know, I am taking great care of myself. The days are long between school and family/community integration. The meals are spread between prayers and mostly good. I mostly get up around 7am, have a few minutes to get ready for my day, go to school after breakfast around 8am and sometimes get yoga in with another volunteer or study a little. After school, I like to walk to the hill to watch the sunset before study time which starts somewhere around 7:30pm and dinner about 10:30 or later, and can study in-between. Everyone gets up early and go to bed late. They also eat throughout the day. As we pass locals in town we get invited in for tea/coffee and bread or pastries and sometimes nuts and olives which are harder to come by. I am generally reminded that I need to eat more as residents say, “coolie, coolie”. My bedroom is filled with post-its and note cards which helps push me to study. I was able to communicate my birthday and my host family and they made me a special dinner which I couldn’t determine at the time, but later found out it was cows face, gross! I couldn’t stomach more than 2 bites and I can honestly say that it wasn’t horrible but rather the texture was disturbing. I received a gift, (caddo) which is a framed picture drawn by someone in my village. My classmates made me a chocolate banana smoothie and we danced to, ‘The Beatles’, "Birthday”. .. It was a good time had by all.

Souk and Casbah

The casbah in

Ouarzazate is remarkable.

The architechure is simple and appears very stable.

Although I am still

learning about the

history of the casbah,

it was good to finally see. One of my favorite things to see

were the artists painting the

structure in watercolor and fine the structure in inked pen. The local souk markets are wonderful in a sense that they are beautiful with color. The fruits and vegis are fresh and abundant here. I am still trying to get used to live animals being killed. My bargaining skills are improving. The cost for tomatoes and oranges are approximately 45 cents. The onions are more expensive. Who knew?