loganinve

Fears Confirmed

2010-01-08T04:57:00.003-07:00

Whenever I think of last winter all I remember is miserably cold weather and wearing lots and lots of layers.

Last winter I wore wool thermals for about 4 months straight - indoors, outdoors, while traveling, while sleeping. I wore at least 2 fleece jackets to bed each night. I slept in the confining space of a 20 degree sleeping bag with blankets piled on top for months on end. When I finally got the nerve to experience the momentary exposure that comes with changing clothes I would almost always be surprised by the shirt I was wearing. The shirt had been hidden under so much clothing that I had forgotten exactly which shirt I was wearing! Freezing cold toes to warm up each night before falling asleep, pumping and rubbing hands and fingers after each washing due to frigid tap water. Drinking a full cup of water usually means shivering for the next 20 minutes while the body recovers from taking in all that cold liquid.

Having experienced a good amount of this winter season, I began to wonder if I was overdoing the memory of how cold it was last year. So far this winter its been cold, but not super cold. I can wash my hands and not cringe because of the cold temperature of the water. I can walk around outside without my ears and cheeks freezing. I havent even thought about putting on thermals! I use the sleeping bag as a blanket - not zipped up. I can sleep in a thin fleece pullover and be warm.

As of yesterday all that has changed. Its COLD today. Very cold. It snowed in the surrounding mountains last night. The tap water is noticeably colder, its very cold outside, a quick walk to the corner store will leave your fingers and ears freezing. I can see my breath in the air as I write this. I was hoping we would pass this winter without having these really cold times.

Im just happy to know that these cold times will pass. Im sure this summer, like last summer, will be miserably hot. Ill sweat all night. I cant wait.

Bless us in Our Daily Lives

2009-12-26T14:51:00.004-07:00

Im shrinking while here in Morocco. A few scattered ideas to prove it.

I gave my favorite pair of pants from the States away a long time ago. They were a little too big in the US and they quickly became much too big in Morocco.

The ring I used to wear on the ring finger is too big to be there comfortably. Now the ring is always on the index finger.

A leather belt has been tightened two notches from where it was in the US. Its on the last notch.

This summer I started wearing my watch one notch smaller - it kept doing a 180 on my wrist.

Another thought. With so much talk of going green and being easier in the environment, Ive decided that joining Peace Corps is one of the most eco-friendly things I could have done. Im never in an automobile with fewer than 7 passengers. I ride the bus on long trips. I eat fresh fruits and veggies that are grown close to where I live - all organic and probably grown without much fertilizer. I dont use napkins. I dont ever eat out or get food 'to go'. My family here keeps food scraps to feed to chickens and other animals. I get 4 pieces of mail each month - no junk mail. I walk or ride my bike everywhere I go in town. The majority of electricity I use probably goes to my computer. Aside from that I have an fluorescent light bulb in my bedroom.

I should be more mindful of the use of plastic bags. I use way to many of these, and while I usually save them and use them for something else, I need to reduce my dependence.

Lowly Mild

2009-12-13T10:24:00.004-07:00

Oppression Shall Cease

2009-12-13T09:45:00.007-07:00

Its been a while. Sorry.

This week all the people who are at their one year mark in Morocco went to the capital, Rabat, for

Mid Service Medicals. We all got standard check-ups and went to the dentist. For some it was a chance to see the Peace Corps doctors face to face and get some medical issues resolved, for others it was an easy all-expense-paid week in the 'big city'. I had a great time in Rabat. I had spent only one weekend there before, so I was experiencing Rabat for the first time.

Three things about the trip really stand out to me.

1) I dont think I saw a cloud in the sky the entire week!

2) US Ambassador & Mrs. Kaplan had all of the Volunteers in Rabat for medical check-ups over to their lovely home for dinner. Mrs. Kaplan made wonderful soups for all of us.

3) A wonderful American family in Rabat had 2 friends and I over to their house for dinner. It was a unique experience and I had a great time. We even had Hershey Kisses for dessert!

Always Near

2009-10-18T14:41:00.003-06:00

Things Ive really been missing this week

1. Cafe Rio

2. Fuddruckers

3. Showering like I used to shower back home

4. Soy milk ice cream

5. Buying packs of cookies and not having them all be broken

Bless us in Our Daily Lives

2009-10-11T12:31:00.003-06:00

When I first moved to this small community in the Atlas mountains of Morocco (nearly a year ago this time), I was thrilled by something I had never done in the United States. Never before had I eaten a pomegranate. While living for a short time with a wonderful host family we would eat pomegranates every night after dinner.

As the winter came in full force pomegranates fell out of season. For nearly a year now Ive been excited by the thought of eating pomegranates again. I kept asking my host mother "When do they come back in season?" or "Are they on sale yet?".

Anyway, now that pomegranate season is back in full swing I realize that my memory of eating them last year is better than actually eating them this year. It takes so much time to dig out each little morsel, and after all that effort, its so small. Then you dig and dig again and again... You touch the outside of the pomegranate and get you fingers all dirty, then they're dirty as your digging and digging for each little morsel.

For me its quite a bit of work for such a little thing. I still eat them and I enjoy them, but the memory is by far sweeter than reality.

Come Into My Dream

2009-10-01T10:45:00.001-06:00

In an effort to provide a view into the world in which I live Ill talk about spoken language. I live in the mountains of Morocco, an area that has been home to indiginious Amazight people (AKA Berber) for a very long time. The Amazight have a long and colorful history of fighting off invaders and colonizers. Most of the time they were left unruled by the rulers of the day because they live in the mountains which were too inaccessible for the rulers to bother with them.

Anyway, signs of the past can still be seen today. Some people feel that the Amazight are under represented in government and that many mountainous areas of Morocco are not getting a fair share of government funding. Another way in which the Amazight still show signs of keeping seperate is the language they speak. The Amazight have their own language and writing system. Here in the mountains Amazight pride is strong. They are proud of their unique heritage and their uniqueness among the whole of Moroccos people, a fact that is easily seen in their language use.

Amazight is the language of the street here, its the language the vast majority of people speak in their homes (however, almost everyone here is at least bilingual; speaking Arabic or Amazight with the same proficiency). I often get asked a rapid-firing series of questings when I meet someone new. I dont know Amazight, Im an Arabic speaking Volunteer, so when I greet someone in Arabic they'll usually say 'Oh, you speak Arabic?' the next question, almost without fail will be 'Do you speak Amazight?'. When I tell them I dont I usually get the same response: You should learn Amazight. (Sometimes I wish I could get at least a little credit for having learned Arabic, but it doesnt usually happen. And then I get extra bothered when they say 'Do you speak French?' -I dont - 'You should learn French too').

Amazight is so common here there will be times, say while riding in a taxi, that I will completely blank out the chatter thats going on because chances are they're speaking Amazight and I wont understand. Sometimes Ill be surprised when I finally realize that they ARE speaking Arabic. How nice. Now I have a chance to understand what they are saying. The same goes for the street. Ill be sitting among a group of people and I figure they're speaking Amazight. It always surprises me when they're speaking Arabic. (What dictates if a conversation is in Amazight or Arabic? If you usually talk in one language is there a reason to switch to the other (ie because of the subject of the conversation)? Do the people here notice if theyre talking in Arabic or Amazight? How are you percieved differently by people here in town based on which language you use to address them?).

So I guess Ive painted a decent picture. I usually dont have any idea what people are talking about (because its in a language I dont speak). Ive learned a few Amazight words and some Amazight words are the same as Arabic, so I can usually pick up a few things, but not much. I live in a world where I figure unless someone is talking directly to me they're speaking a language I dont know. A strange reality, perhaps, but its the one Ive lived in for over a year now.

Sometimes people will speak Amazight and Ill be able to respond to what they're saying (in Arabic, of course) and they're usually caught off guard (again, I dont understand very much at all, but I can catch on to a few things). The other day I was having lunch with some people and in Amazight they said something like 'Wait, he [Logan] will eat the rest of that...' Then I said, 'Oh, no, Im done. Thanks.' Everyone there was surprised I had understood.

So thats a glimpse into my experience here in Morocco. Life here is great.

Bless us in Our Daily Lives

2009-09-24T04:05:00.002-06:00

'Bless us in Our Daily Lives' may or may not become a regular installment on this blog, a place for me to put random notes about my life in Morocco. None of the following paragraphs are meant to be related to one another - just thoughts. Thanks for reading.

As a Peace Corps Volunteer Ive had to adjust to being called all sorts of names. Theres Eisam, my 'Arabic name', that many people call me. Beyond that, I had to learn to respond to the actual names and Arabic names of previous Volunteers to serve in this small town (Richard, Rachid, Tim, Hatim). Ive also had to adjust to answer when someone yells out the name of Volunteers (past and present) from nearby towns (Jessie, Yusif, Badr). Ive even been called names of long gone Volunteers that have lived in different cities (Steven).

It seems the local police authorty has restricted the use of the field where the towns trash is thrown. Normally a guy with a donkey pulling a cart full of trash comes by several times a week to collect garbage from our neighborhood. With nobody coming to collect the garbage, certain places (empty lots, parts of the market that are typically full of vegitable vendors on market days, street corners, wide sidewalks... you name it) have become makeshift depositories for peoples trash. Not only does it smell and look bad, its a downright health risk to have so much trash accumulating in town....

Another part of our blessed daily lives here is that there are many, many, many stray/wild dogs roaming around. Ive never known one to be aggressive for no reason, and most of them head for the hills during the day so I dont see many of them while the sun is out. Ive had nights where I wake up and cant go back to sleep because there are so many dogs barking. Im not kidding. They fight, they bark, they run past my house and make noise, and those are only the dogs that are nearby. At night you can always hear dogs fighting or barking off in the distance. I dont know why someone doesnt take care of the problem. Anyway, as trash piles around town growing bigger with each passing hour, the wild dogs are having a hayday! All those leftovers, all those fish heads, all those empty tuna cans to lick out. All they have to do is tear apart the pile of trash to find all those suculent smells, grow bigger, become stronger and reproduce. And with so many trash plies around town, each dog can have its own pile, and its added to daily! Perhaps all dogs do go to heaven. Perhaps doggy heaven is, at least these days, this small town in the mountains of Morocco with no garbage men/donkies.

Now that Ramadon is over schools are getting into the full swing of things. Its interesting to me as Ive asked different students - most of them headding of to the University for the first time - when classes begin, Ive been told anywhere from 'Not tomorrow but the next day' to 'Not for another three weeks'. The most alarming, and most common type of response I get is 'Maybe Monday...' or 'I dont know, maybe in a week'. Here an apparent difference in the culture I grew up in and the culture I currently live in: many people arent sure when classes begin, and its no problem for them.

Miseducation of Little Feast

2009-09-24T03:49:00.001-06:00

Well, Ramadon is over. The calendar for such things is based on the lunar calendar, so you never exactly know when Ramadon will end in any given year. This year it lasted for a day longer so we knew the last day of Ramdon would be the 20th - it could have ended on the 19th if everything worked out lunar wise, but it didnt, so everyone knew it would end the following day.

To celebrate the end of Ramadon, a holiday known as 'little feast', people around here walk in the streets and neighborhoods visiting friends and family. Usually children and young adults are given new clothing so the procession in the streets has the tendency to be a time for people to show off a little bit. Not wanting to be shown up - especially in the fashion department - I put on a jellaba (a traditional Moroccan smock; see picture) and the purple dress shirt I got before leaving the US. I have perhaps worn that shirt three times since I bought it so I figured now was a good chance to wear something I packed along clear from the US but hardly ever wear.

Right when I left the house I felt silly. I faintly recalled a quote from Cher about if you're questioning how you look when you dress up you're on the right track to fashion. Drawing upon Cher as my strength I left the house anyway without changing what I was wearing. The first people I saw, a few neighbor kids, immediately started laughing and asked me if I was going to go to the mosque and pray (because I was wearing the jellaba). I could expect as much from the neghbor kids, so I kept walking. Then I passed a mother and her child and the child began to laugh, then the mother let a little chuckle loose. After I rounded the corner to my host families house I saw some more neighbors and they too laughed out loud.

I should have started humming one of Chers songs for motivation to keep my chin up but she has so many good songs... how could I humm just one?

When you visit families on this occasion, cookies, cake bread, dates and almonds are usually laid out for visitiors to eat. Tea is always served (except in my case, since I dont drink the tea) and there are things to dip the bread in - honney, olive oil, butter. One is expected to sit and chat for a little while eating all the things on offer. Then you move on to the next house, greeting nearly everyone you see along the way, and have the same things at the next persons house. It usually makes for a lot of sugar in your system and cookie overload.

After I left my host families I went to the host uncles house. I sat there for a while, told them about Madrid and Croatia then moved on. By this point people had stopped laughing at me and I was beginning to feel ok about what I was wearing. Like I said, you greet just about everyone you see in the streets. Because its a special occasion you usually shake hands while gently pushing your cheek against the other guys cheeks, each in turn, each twice (its not done between men and women unless you're family or very well acquainted). It takes a bit of time and as you do it you have to say things like "How are you, are you fine? Im doing fine. Happy 'little feast'. May God grant you grace..." and so on. It can take time. If you stop to greet one person you should greet all the people with them.

There were hordes of young men in some parts of the streets waiting to greet one another. There were a few awkard moments when I saw people I didint know, and they knew they'd have to greet me. What a site I must have been for them: some weird foreigner in a small town in the mountains of Morocco wearing a jellaba and a dress shirt, greeting people and speaking bad Arabic as they celebrate the end of a very Muslim tradition, indeed, Ramadon is a pillar of Islam.

After the host uncles house, and after greeting many people in the streets there and back, I went to the grandmas house. There they had the usual array of cookies and breads and tea. There were also memebers of the extended family - host aunts and uncles and stuff - that I was happy to see. They all pretended like they liked my jellaba. Too bad they probably dont know Cher and her views on fashion that gave me the strength to leave the house that morning. (How do you say "If Cher were here, she'd applaud me for wearing this get-up in public" in Arabic? Anyway... its not important.)

After spending a while at the grandmas house it was nearing 11:30am and I left my house that morning around 8:30 so I was rather feeling like Cinderella must have felt just before midnight - it was time for this princess to get home. I headed for home, greeted about 30 other people in the streets, and ripped off the jellaba once I finally got through the door.

When I came out later people asked me "Wheres the jellaba you were wearing?" With a chuckle Id reply "At home."

All in all the little feast celebration in this small town is a great experience. A time when everyone is happy to celebrate the passing of yet another Ramadon, a time to wish each other well and generally resume the life they left behind nearly 30 days ago.

Photo Time

2009-09-22T04:51:00.003-06:00

The harbor at Dubrovnic, Croatia.

The National Park with the cool lakes.

Candace getting some serious meditation in at the botanical gardens in Zagreb, Croatia.

Photo Time

2009-09-22T04:38:00.002-06:00

The church where I heard Organ music (and my eyes welled up with tears.... not reall).One of Zagreb, Croatias main plazas.
After 'sleeping' over night in the airport.
Famous sign in Madrid.

I love candy!
Some pictures from Croatia.

Croatia Feet

2009-09-22T04:36:00.002-06:00

Last week I got back from a trip to Croatia, eastern Europe. Croatia was developed, fun, not too expensive, and very kind. I had a great time. We flew from Marrakech to Madrid. We had time to go see Madrid and do some shopping. Then we spent the night at the airport. I dont sleep too well unless Im comfortable. I hardly ever sleep on buses, trains or planes so I didnt get much sleep that night.

The next morning we flew to Munich, Germany for a very fast layover then on to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. We spent 2 days there, going to museums and the botanical garden. We went in an old chruch and I heard the organ. It made me very happy.

After Zagreb we went to a National Park of some beautiful lakes. Its amazing how beautiful the water is there. The next day we did the 12 hour bus ride to the very southern coastal city of Dubrovnic. There are some beaches in Dubrovnic and we hung out at one for a little while, but it was cloudy and windy while we were there so we never got in the water. Dubrovnic has a beautiful walled city filled with tourists, shops and places to eat.

While in Dubrovnic we decided we really needed to take some time out to do laundry. Since every time we've done laundry in the past year we've done it by hand, we set out to buy laundry detergent and asked the hostel for a bucket. After doing a bit of laundry we both remarked that the laundry detergent we got was not very good. It just wasnt working out like the detergent in Morocco. Only the next morning did I realize that the detergent we bought was designed to be used in a machiene, not by hand. I think its funny that we are so used to washing by hand that we didnt bother to think that the soap we purchased might not be for washing by hand!

Two days later we headed north on the coast to a city called Split. Split was nice. It was still pretty cool outside, but the sun was shining for one of the days we were there. We took a ferry out to a nearby island, again with amazing crystal clear light blue water. I swam a little while we were hanging out on the beach there. This trip to Croatia marks the first time Ive seen crystal clear blue ocean water like that.

Soon enough we were on a train headed back to Zagreb, the capital, to catch our flight the next afternoon. We heard about a museum that had a light display exhibit. I was very excited to see it. We found the museum and were escorted into the nearly completely dark exhibit area. As I stumbled around in the dark, fearful of knocking into something while waiting for my eyes to adjust, I thought for sure it must have been some kind of social experiment and there were night vision cameras recording my erratic, fear-filled movements through the room. The exhibit featured only a few light displays but it was very cool. I had never seen anything like that before. In one room there was a circle of lights above your head and as you walked to the center of the room it looked like the circle of light was getting smaller and smaller. In another room there were hundreds of points of lights moving in unison; some moving forward and some moving backward. It was pretty cool; pretty trippy.

Later that afternoon we saw a guy in a park that had a shirt that read "FRESHNESS". Candace and I both knew this type of shirt is very popular in Morocco right now, so when the man passed us we asked him "Where are you from?" We were both shocked when he told us that he is studying in Casablanca. We thought it was pretty funny we were able to guess he might be from Morocco because of his t shirt.

Again, we had an overnight layover in Madrid. Candaces dad, who travels frequently, managed to get us a very nice hotel room at the Hilton Madrid Airport. It was the nicest hotel room Ive ever been in. Im glad we were able to say there - it was much better than sleeping in the airport.

We stayed in hostels while in Croatia. They seemed to be filled with Aussies, which I didnt expect. We met this nice girl from Germany. We even met up with her later on when we were in the same city then we traveled back to the capital together. Candace and I told her she should come to visit Morocco and we'd show her around.

My favorite part was probably the capital city, Zagreb. It has plenty of old stately looking buildings, nice streets, cool resturaunts - we even ate Chineese food - and nice parks all over the place. They have a good tram (street-level subway) system that was good to ride. We never took taxis anywhere. Oh, and some of the taxis were nice, new-ish Mercedes Benz. I even saw a few that were very nice, new Mercedes. I was impressed.

Getting back to Morocco felt nice. Croatia was fun but I missed Morocco quite a bit, I even dreamed about it a few times while away. I got a hard wake-up call to realities of life in Morocco when the guy at the bus station tried to rip me off - WAAAY rip me off - on my bus ticket. Then he made sure, by giving me the wrong ticket, that Id have further problems on the bus after I had left Marrakech. Bless that mans heart (and to do something so horrible to someone during Ramadon is even worse for a God-fearing Muslim)!

Fall On Your Knees

2009-08-01T04:45:00.002-06:00

So Im back on the coast working another fantastic summer camp. Honestly, I jumped at the chance to get out of my hot hot hot hot hot house and get back on the beach. Camp has been fun.

We still have a few days left of English Immersion camp for Moroccan youth and already we've had the acting US Ambassador visit the camp, the Peace Corps Morocco Director has visited us, we've been to the beach a bunch of times, unlike last camp no campers have gotten black eyes from fights with other campers (keep your fingers crossed), people from the Consulate in Casablanca and some staff from the US Embassy in Rabat. Good times.

All the foregoing excitement notwithstanding, one of the main highlights has got to be a visit I made with two friends to a grocery store here in town. This grocery store is pretty legit by American grocery store standards. I dont often get the chance to go into places like that. As I was stainding at the registers waiting to pay for my items I heard a familiar song on the stores speakers. Living for so long in a Muslim society it took me an extra long time to pinpoint how I knew the song....

I was astonished to realize it was Celin Dion singing 'Oh Holy Night'. What? Really? Oh Holy Night? In July? In a proud Muslim nation? Yes, yes, its true.

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again. Bless Moroccos heart.

Glitter in the Dark

2009-07-18T11:15:00.002-06:00

Well, Im back home from working summer camp on the coast near Casablanca, Morocco. It was a really good time. I was able to meet some great kids from all over Morocco and expand my ideas about what life in Morocco is like. I was also able to go to the beach a number of times and the weather was great every day.

The US Embassy in Rabat coordinates these summer camps for Moroccan youth. They are English Immersion Camps. Among Moroccan volunteers, Peace Corps Volunteers also work the camp teaching English and leading different activities. The camp lasted for 14 days.

One of my favorite memories was going to the beach with the kids. We'd all get in the water together and stay in a big group. Some of the people there had never been to the beach before so we stayed together for safety. After we were all done swimming we'd go back up on the beach and play on the sand. There are guys that walk around on the beach and sell doughnuts so many of the kids would buy doughnuts after getting out of the water. The doughnuts were really good. I ate quite a few myself.

There was also a carnival in town. One of the shows was a guy riding a motorcycle on the walls of a circular building made of wood. The audience stands at the top and look down into the circle and watch the guy ride around on the walls. It was loud, exhaust-filled and shaky every time he'd drive the motorcycle past your part of the circle. Good times. I actually paid to see him twice. Ha ha. They also had cotton candy at the carnival, and I love cotton candy.

I found some BBQ - REAL BBQ - sauce at a fancy grocery store in town so I went out for hamburgers and fries as often as possible. I cant get hamburgers and fries in the small town where I live so I took full advantage of the situation.

The last night the camp served hamburgers. Dont tell anyone else, but I ate 4 of them right then and there. Ha ha. And at that point I was out of BBQ sauce so I ate them just as they were. They were pretty good though. I have no regrets.

All in all it was a nice time out on the coast. It was great to see a different part of Morocco and help the kids at the camp. There were 16 Peace Corps Volunteers working the camp and it went really well. I think all the kids had fun.

We also got visits from the minister of Youth and Sports for all of Morocco. She is an Olympic Gold Medalist. When she came news crews came with her - there is a picture below of her and the news cameras. We also got two visits from people from the US Embassy in Rabat. It was nice to have them come visit and hang out with the kids.

We also had a fashion show and a Halloween night, as pictured below. The classrooms for the camp were usually outside under big tents - as you can see in one of the photos. Enjoy.

Bring Together

2009-07-18T11:10:00.002-06:00

Even Before We Call

2009-07-18T10:59:00.002-06:00

Love Today

2009-07-18T10:34:00.002-06:00

Reality Check/Rain Check

2009-06-15T04:51:00.002-06:00

So I want to get something clear here. All my posts lately have been of photos of me doing fun stuff, traveling around Morocco and stuff. Most of the trips Ive taken lately have been work related. I just got back from a week in Marrakech for In Service Training and most of the week we were in long sessions learning about stuff. Of course, I ve only posted fun or interesting photos.

I hope nobody gets the idea that all Im doing is goofing around and not working. On the contrary, I dont post photos of or text about work because its all I do all day every day and I dont figure anyone really wants to hear how I had a difficult time teaching about phrasal verbs so students can pass their English exams.

Typically I work 5 days a a week for a few hours teaching English classes at one of three locations around town. It keeps me pretty busy.

But, when I do get out and do fun things, Im excited to share them with friends and family back home. So enjoy.

Dont Go Chasing

2009-06-15T04:32:00.002-06:00

Beautiful waterfalls in Ouzoud, Morocco.

Shattered Dreams

2009-06-15T04:19:00.002-06:00

Meetings in Marrakech for our In Service Training

Me eating Top Ramen - WOW. Soo tasty!

Election leaflets scattered on jema fin'a - the famous square in Marrakech.

My friend and I in Marrakech.

Back In Time

2009-06-15T04:06:00.002-06:00

Near the Sahara desert.

Lunch time.

Watermellon seed spitting contest.

Dressed up for dinner with a Moroccan family.

Im Steppin' Out

2009-05-30T11:08:00.000-06:00

Maybe I should step back in?

Volumes About Me Recently

2009-05-26T10:47:00.002-06:00

All I do is Cannonball

2009-05-26T09:27:00.003-06:00

Island in the Lake Picnic, 2009

Getting ready for the swim race (out to the guy on the tube and back).

Sack races.

Tug 'o war

On the way home - over an hour on the slow moving barge. It was a great day.

Live for Tomorrow

2009-05-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

I thought Id update the blog with photos, but its just not going to happen. The internet around town is acting up. Oh well. Ill do it tomorrow.... maybe.

Things around here have been going really well. It was warm for nearly a week, then we had a cool weekend, but its warmed up today.

I did laundry (by hand) this morning and its hanging on the line to dry as I type this.

Last weekend I went with a local association to an island in the middle of the nearby lake. They rented a boat to take everyone - 200 people all together.

There were many activities to do like cliff/rock jumping (I did it a bunch of times), tug of war, sack races, foot races, swimming races. Good times. One kid did something to make his head bleed a bit, Im not sure what he did, but he was ok.

By the time the afternoon came I was ready to get off the island and back to home. It was a fun trip and a great chance to get to know other pepople from the community.

Lillies of the Field

2009-05-15T10:22:00.003-06:00

Well, I spent the last week traveling around Morocco, visiting old friends, spending time in Marrakech and going to a cool Rose Festival in a town on the edge of the great African Sahara desert. I had a great time.

Marrakech was much the same as before, but I enjoyed it. Its kind of a tourist trap so its hard to not get charged too much for stuff, but I guess thats all part of the game. I went to the Mecca of American-esque grocery stores, the 'Wal-Mart of Morocco', Marjane. I was blown away, for the second time, by all the things they had. I felt as though I could have actually been in Wal-Mart.

Its funny to be in a situation like that after only having small corner stores from which to do your grocery shopping. You think you miss the big-box retailer experience so much, you dream of it.... and then you're there, and its all overpriced and unecessary stuff for sale. Besides, I never really liked Wal-Mart.

I ended up getting only candy and a little tupperware container. Ha ha. Oh well, my intentions were good.

After a night in Marrakech (or as we call it, Kech - thats with an 'SH' sound on the end) I went to Ourzazette to hang out with a friend. I helped her a little to make cupcakes and cookies. It was fun.

Then we went on to the Rose Festival in Kla'a Mgouna. It was a really great experience. The festival is known to nearly all Moroccans. There were very few tourists at the festival so it made for a really cool, authentic experience.

At the Festival they had many Rose products for sale: rose water, rose cream, rose perfume... everything. They had a short parade, which, somehow I manged to miss, and many booths set up for vendors (see photos below).

I think one of the highlights of the trip was riding on a bus home in the afternoon. Prices were raised because of the increased traffic in the area. I saw a super funny older man lead a small rebellion in the back of the bus protesting the price increase.

As the bus rolled on through the gentle hills and valleys of the desert he continued to be the main feature of the back of the bus. He was settling disputes, cracking jokes, leading chants and other songs... this man did it all.

I didnt understand any of it because he was speaking the local dialect but I was laughing at his antics. After a while I put in my headphones and slipped away. When I returned and removed the headphones the man was still the ringleader of the back of the bus. Every now and then someone would make a meowww-ing sound and everyone would roar with laughter. The the older man would respond with a growling sound and everyone would roar with laughter again.

Ive never seen such a thing on a bus in Morocco before. I really enjoyed the experience. The raised bus fare was easily worth the in-bus entertainment. The bus line should consider hiring this guy.

Evenutally I was back in Kech again and enduing the tourist traps. When I woke up it was cloudy and cool - a welcomed blessing in Kech. As I finally returned home in the early afternoon it was cloudy and cool at home as well.

I recently got a kitten from a friend (see photo below) and my host brother took care of the cat while I was away. I was happy to find the cat alive and not only well but a little bigger than I had remembered him.

Life in Morocco is great. I really enjoy living here and helping the youth of Morocco develop and be productive.

Gone Straight Home

2009-05-15T09:37:00.004-06:00

My little cat. He is mewoing in this picture, not hissing.

The famous plaza in Marrakech at night.

Crammed in the back of a taxi racing through the desert at mid-day.

Sour gumi worms. My favorite.

At the Rose Festival in Kla'a Mguna, Morocco. It was really cool.

Festival photos and Kla'a a night.

Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda, Here I Am at Camp Granada

2009-04-07T06:47:00.004-06:00

Im back from camp. It was interesting. A few months ago when I went to Ourzazette for an English Teacher Training I came back to home with a refreshed view of life here. (Ourzazette is very touristy, with chic cafes and bakeries, a plesent square to hang out on). The same thing has happened now that Ive been gone to camp for a week.

I was in camp in a nice costal town. The center where we slept and conducted some of the camp activities was right on the river. You could see the tides coming and going each day. It was really cool. The center was nice and kept clean while we were there.

There were two other Peace Corps Volunteers that worked the camp. Both of them ended up getting sick and throwing up. The kitchen staff said it was probably the tap water and that all the foreigners they've had there have gotten sick off of it - a great thing to be told after drinking the water for 4 days straight. Right then I started drinking bottled water and the leg aches and night chills I had experienced the past few nights went away. I was so glad I never threw up or anything.

The center also had hot water all the time - and it never ran out. I think I showered more frequently while at camp than I ever have since coming to Morocco. It was nice.

Our part of the camp was to teach English to the kids and have them work up to performing a small theater skit. It was long and hard at first, but in the end each group put on a pretty good theater skit. It was nice. Each afternoon they'd usually do something with the Moroccan camp staff - field trip to nearby towns, walk along the river, walk around the town where we were staying. It was nice. Each night they'd turn up the music, play thier drums and dance and sing until pretty late.

We found a cool juice making place near the center so the three of us Peace Corps Volunteers would often go there and hang out.

Camp was not like I thought it would be, but it was effective and the campers had fun. I was so tired by the end of camp. Then, of course, I had to travel for 7 hours to get home.

When I finally got home I made some pasta (how irronic since I was so tired of eating pasta at camp - but its all I had) and climbed into bed. I pretty much slept from that afternoon until the next morning.

Its nice to be home. I have a new view of Morocco and of the village where I live. Its good to be home but it was nice to be away for a while.

2009-04-07T05:31:00.004-06:00

Old Spanish (or Portuguese) water storage area.

Theater skits.

Game with toilet paper headbands.

Working on projects.

The two other Peace Corps Volunteers at the camp.

Getting ready for a jazz chant.

Peace (Corps).

Coolest trash art creation.

Halloween night.

During class.

Best Actors from final theater performance.

Fix it Again Tony

2009-03-24T14:12:00.003-06:00

The Roman baths in the city of Bath.

My bro and his wife before Wicked.

You can see Big Ben off in the distance.

Where they keep the Crown Jewels.

Stonehenge.

Cool old castle.

St. Martin in the Fields church.

The tube.

Thanks to You I Get What I Want

2009-03-23T06:16:00.004-06:00

So Ive been AWL from the blog for a while. Let me just say that things are fine. Life in Morocco is still greater than I ever imagined it would be and it gets better all the time.

I recently went to visit my brother and his wife in London. It was a nice opportunity to get away after adjusting to Moroccan culture since early September 2008.

Before I left town from Marrakech I spent some time at the famous suqare there - D'jema l'fnaa - and I enjoyed it. I got offered hashish (pot) more times than I could count and got heckled to buy shopkeepers' stuff even more. I met a nice guy from Belgium that had been traveling in Morocco alone for about 15 days.

D'jema l'finaa after dark is full of food vendor stalls. A nice Moroccan by the name of Mohamed was tring to get me to eat at his stall and asked me where I was from (in English). "Im from the US - from Utah." Much to my surprise he said "Oh, Utah.... thats in the west, right? Salt Lake City?." I was impressed - I dont remember another Moroccan telling me so much about Utah.

What he said next has NEVER happend to me before in Morocco "In Utah are too many Mormons, are you Mormon?" "Yeah, Im Mormon. I dont know anyone in Morocco that knows a lot of Mormons live in Utah." He went on to tell me he likes to learn about the US and that he knows there are "Too many Mormons in Utah." I told him its "many Mormons" not "too many Mormons." He told me what he knew about the Chruch and its beliefs in the Savior. I corrected one thing he had wrong, told him the real name of the Chruch, and ordered some Moroccan soup at his food stall. What can I say, I was very very impressed. Im looking forward to seeing him again the next time Im back in Marrakech.

While in London I did many of the usual things: heard Big Ben (which was my nickname while I worked at the bank) chime on the hour, saw a cool building facade DECKED OUT in LEDs, went to so many museums and historical sites they lost all meaning, ate Chineese and Thai food. The best meal I had was dinner the last night in London. I was in a cheap hotel in Luton, where one of Londons airports is, and went to a small Italian place. I had pasta and it was FANTASTIC. I really enjoyed it, in fact, I almost ordered another plate of it.

I went with my brother to Stonehenge (smaller than I thought it would be), Bath (bigger than I expected), Saulsbury Cathedral and Warwick Castle. With my brother and his wife we went to see Wicked in London (I new very little about it going into it and enjoyed it very much), ate pizza, had Hall style tacos and went to church together. It was my first time going to chruch in about 6 months. It felt good to be back in such a familiar religious environment again.

My brothers wife washed my clothes for me (the first time my clothes have been dryed in an electric dryer since early September 2008). They smelled like dryer sheets afterward. I love that smell.

London was good, it was a great vacation, but I was very anxious to get back. As the plane touched down in Marrakech my eyes welled up with tears and I knew I was home (not really, but it sounds good). No, really though, I missed Morocco a lot and was very excited to get back home.

Shortly before I left my boss came to visit from Rabat. She helped me work through some snags Ive encountered here and she also brought me a mountain bike. Its great. Ive been riding nearly every day since I got the bike.

I try to lay as low as possible and blend in as much as I can, but when Im on the bike it seems nearly impossible. Peace Corps requires me to wear a helmet (Id still wear it even if it werent required) which is something very very very few people do here, I have some biking gloves, and a pretty decent mountain bike.

Its like Im wearing a sequin dress and ruby red slippers while I ride - EVERYONE stares at me. People call for me to come over to them, people yell out 'give me a ride!'... the list goes on and on. Oh well. I like biking and Ill keep riding around town until people get sick of noticing me (until, that is, I actually wear ruby red slippers and a sequin dress - then they'll all stare again, but at least they'll have something new to stare at).

Spring on In

2009-02-23T05:44:00.002-07:00

So Im pretty sure spring is here, and that its here to stay. Im so glad because I thought this cold winter would never end. This was the coldest winter here in about 15 years. Lots of rain and cold days. Im happy the gray skies have cleared up. Its been kinda warm and very sunny lately. Im so glad.

I found some cotton candy at the big market that comes to town once a week. I never thought about finding cottong candy here, but if I had, I would have thought it impossible. Anyway, I bought some and snarfed it down. It was heavenly. It tasted very good.

This weekend I went to the lake. Last weekend I also went to the lake but only for an hour or so. This weekend we went and made food there and spent most of the day. It was very nice. Its still too cold out to swim, but we hung out and enjoyed ourselves. Some of the country around here looks very similar to southern Utah. Its cool. Life here is great and Im enjoying it here.

Casting Shadow

2009-02-23T04:45:00.004-07:00

Look! Cotton candy in Morocco! Im in love. I never thought Id see this stuff here.

The busy market on market day - one day a week when vendors from surrounding areas come to town to sell there stuff.

On our way to the lake.

Last weekend with freinds at the lake. The kid closest to me had some cool techno on his phone. It reminded me of my brother, Morgan.

Look, Tiger Woods!

Breakfast from Home

2009-02-05T05:19:00.002-07:00

Well, Im happy to say this morning I had a peanut butter sandwich and a glass (really a small Nalgene bottle, not a glass) of warm (soy) milk. All thanks to my dad. He sent peanut butter packets and powdered soy milk mix. It was great. Its like I was home for a brief moment. Ha ha. Thanks dad.

Things here are going well. Last night I went to teach English at the Youth Center (and I even had a fun game to play with the students) but the power went out shortly into the lesson and we all went home. How sad.

I finally got the window in the cieling of my house to stop leeking. Its nice not to have to sqeegie the water out the door every day. Ha ha. Ive decided that having a house with the window in the cielling is a bit like a convertable. It seems so fun and cute at first but then you realize that wind noise in convertables is annoying, the roof leeks easily, and it really windy when the top is down. All of the sudden convertibles arent as cute anymore.

Not that I regret living where I live, I really like it. Its just funny the things you realize once you get accustomed to something. Also, over the window I have a sheet of plastic. Every time it gets hit by rain the sound is amplified all through the house. Its like sleeping in a tent when you can hear the rain hitting and you dread having to leave. Then you go outside and its not nearly as bad as it sounded from inside. That happens to me all the time. Ha ha. I think its going to be raining really hard out but its only sprinkling a little.

In Morocco they have Turkish toilets, right? So how do kids give each other swirlies? Well, Ill tell you (I saw it happen the other day at the public bath). Two kids were play fighting and the bigger kid was trying to put the littler kids head into the buckets of water they use in the public bath. There you go. Thats a Moroccan swirley. Of course it would be a bit difficlut to get mad at a kid, get him to go to the bath with you, change your clothes, enter the bath, fill up the bucket then try to dunk his head in it... but hey, you work with what you've got, right?

Ok, things here are still cold and windy and rainy. I tell people I cant wait for summer and they all tell me that it gets really really hot in the summer and I should not be wishing for it. I dont care. Im ready for summer - or at least spring.

Universal Protection

2009-02-03T05:22:00.002-07:00

Well, Ive spent the past week in Ourzazette, Morocco. Its in the south, south of Marakech, and it was warmer there than I had expected. It was sunny every day - it was really nice. Peace Corps had a English Teacher Workshop. It was nice to be around with other Volunteers and friends from training.

While I was in Marakech I stopped by Marjane - the Wal-Mart of Morocco. It did not let me down! That store is awesome. Before Christmas I went to a grocery store near where I live but I was let down. Marjane is the real deal. It was great! I got some speakers to use with my MP3 player at home.

I also got a cool blanket for my bed and a new sweater. I got to hang out with my Peace Corps BFF while in Ourzazette too. She is great.

Being away and seeing other Volunteers sites made me happy for what Ive got and where I live. Its a small town surrounded by beautiful mountains. I would not want to be anywhere else. I appreciate the friends I have made here.

Now our Peace Corps mandated travel/visitors from home restriction has been lifted. Feel free to visit anytime. Life here is AMAZING.

I spent a small amount of time in Marakech. Im excited to go back and explore more than the bus station and a few main streets.

After lugging my new speakers and suitcase full of stuff I bought in Ourzazette all the way back to a nearby city I learned that the road to where I live was closed because of snow. All I wanted to do was go home! Anyway, I saw a freind at the taxi stand and he finagled one of the taxi drivers into taking us home. It truly was a miracle for me. Without him I would have spent the night away from home - again - when all I wanted was to go home.

Peanut Butter Sweetheart

2009-01-26T05:26:00.002-07:00

Life here is going really well. To be honest I never thought Id like life here so much. I love living here and would not rather be anywhere else... except maybe Disneyland - but only because its the happiest place on earth.

We had two nice, warm, sunny days then yesterday it rained all day. How sad. Im on my own now. Any guesses as to what I prepared for my first meal? Ill give you a hint: it starts with H and ends with ot dogs! 3 of em! They were great. I had catsup and everything.

I only have one cooking pan so I cant make rice or pasta yet. Last night I made some kind of veggie/meat stir fry that was pretty good. My little brother was over and I dont think he liked it much, but he's kinda a picky eater.

Yesterday morning I figured Id make some peanunt butter - thats a good sabbath activity, right? So I roasted some peanunts and broke out the new blender for its maiden voyage. I quickly learned, however, that the blender doesnt work. I dont know why. We'll have to take it back and get another. Also, I discovered the blender has two settings: on and off.

On one of the two sunny days I talked about I bought a used shirt. Its cool. Its a t shirt with button up front. Its blue and black. Im excited about it.

Some kids at the youth center have started a Ping Pong club and Im in it. Ive never really played before but on Saturday I played for a total of 4 hours - kinda allot of time to play ping pong. Im not very good though - imagine that! I was twice beat by a kid thats probably 8 years old. Bless my heart!

Anyway, thats about it for me for now. I like living on my own and cooking on my own. Life seems to get better and better all the time.

Much Too Long

2009-01-22T08:20:00.002-07:00

Well, after a few crazy and really busy weeks Im going to move into the house Ive rented. Earlier this week we got the furniture and now Im ready to sleep there. Im pretty excited. Every Peace Corps Volunteer looks forward to the time when they can have their own space in a community. Its kinda like now Im really a part of town and not just living with someone else in town - the host family.

This week has been as cold as its ever been. Very strong, gusty (not gutsy) winds, lots and lots of rain, and, from time to time, snow. Every day that passes gets us closer to spring and summer and I cant wait.

Left so Long

2009-01-20T09:43:00.002-07:00

Today it has been very windy and raining hard for most of the day. Its been an unusually wet and cold winter round these parts. Stuff with me getting my own little house is coming along. This morning - after more than a week of hoop jumping - the power got hooked up. I also went with my host father and brother to buy stuff for the house. We got a mattress, some couch pads, a stove top, blender and water heater. Im looking forward to moving in by the end of the week.

Late last week the power went out for a few hours. It was cool to look over the town and only see darkness. It was a good chance for me to pull out a few of the many flashlghts I brought.

Things are going really well here. I really enjoy working for Peace Corps and living among Moroccans. They are a very kind and welcoming people. In the past few days Ive even had the chance to talk with guys who speak good English and Ive been able to ask questions about Islam and some of their beliefs. Its all very interesting to me. This is a fascinating experience and Im looking forward to two years of it.

Country Hens

2009-01-15T07:12:00.003-07:00

The taxi lot where most of the action in town happens.

Im afraid of animals that are larger than I am - and this town is full of donkeys and horses. Here are two horses along the main road. Im slowly overcoming my fear.

Me on the roof. Im wearing two jackets because its been cold lately. The green jacket was a birthday present from my brother and his wife.

View from the roof of my little house.

This is common around here - kinda a window in the cieling. Its pretty cool.

The kitchen.

The front room. There are transparent bricks below the window in the cieling so the house below has sunlight too.

The cool resivor/lake nearby. Its beautiful. Cant wait to go there in the summer.

It snowed a few weeks ago. It was pretty cold.

A Moroccan kid that looks like he could be my little brother - or cousin. Im wearing a Jellaba in this picture.

Special New Years Dinner just for me. Fried chicken and french fries. We had cake after. It was great.

New Years party at the Youth Center.

My Super Sweet 27.5 - 27.995

2009-01-05T04:52:00.006-07:00

So Im no longer 27 (my idea of the 'Sexiest age for a young man' http://loganinve.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-super-sweet-27-so-far.html ). And the latter part of my 27th year has been plenty exciting. Here are some highlights:

Moved to Morocco and completed Pre Service Training with Peace Corps.
Began adjusting to a new culture and different way of life.
Dedicated myself to serving those around me full-time.
Mastered the basics of Moroccan Arabic.
Got accustomed to using Turkish toilets.
Stopped going to Chruch, which is kinda weird for me.
Began integrating into an awesome little town in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Lived with host families for 5 months.

Learned adllot about Islam and Muslims, although I still have a million questions I want to answer.

Relied on Aljazeera for all my news - not CNN.

Spent a little over $100.00 of my own money.

Long December

2009-01-05T04:48:00.002-07:00

Its been a while since I wrote last. Plenty has gone on since then. New Years was exciting. The host fam made an American meal - we even had french fries! It was nice of them and a total surprise to me.

Im still looking for a good little house to rent. Ive seen a few but none are quite right. New Years Day I looked at 4 but 3 were far from where I work and 1 was in the center of town and filthy. Oh well, someday my prince will come... er... uh... someday a good house will come. Peace Corps rules say that I stay with the host fam until the end of Jan, so Im with them either way.

Plenty of people have been sick in town. I think Ive avoided getting the bug somehow. That makes me happy.

I got two packages from home. One of them had a journal I've really been wanting and I also got a great, soft, warm (not black) jacket. I appreciate the support from friends and family back in the States.

Yesterday was Christmas

2008-12-26T09:53:00.002-07:00

Christmas day was wonderful here in Morocco. It was pretty much a normal day with the exception of opening a few packages from home. I got a cool book on hiking in Morocco, some candy, a family calendar and some toys to share with kids around town.

I also got to call home and talk with most of the family, which was nice. Yesterday was pretty warm and sunny.

I also had a few gifts for the host family. It was nice to be able to share Christmas with them since they have shared so much with me.

Today is even sunnier and warmer than it was yesterday. I love it. Im so happy its not as cold as it has been. My only fear is that its going to get cold and stormy again in a few days or a week. How sad.

I actually took off the thermal bottoms I usually wear all the time and have kept them off for over 48 hours. Not bad considering I had worn them for over a month straight because it was so cold (but, however, I did take them off to wash them).

This morning when I woke up it was over 50 degrees in my bedroom. I was super happy about that.

Merry Christmas. Thanks to everyone who has sent packages and emails wishing me well. I appreciate each of you.

Kinda Disappointed

2008-12-22T08:44:00.002-07:00

Well, things are going pretty well around here. There is a real grocery store - like we have in the states - an hour from here. Ive been wanting to go for a while, so I finally went today. I was hoping to have all my wild dreams of finding boxed cereal, peanut butter and soy milk fulfilled.

Well, the store was nice and had many things that are hard to find but, alas, no peanut butter or soy milk. I did get some soy sauce and some gumi fruit snacks. Anyway, the store was more like an old K-Mart without a clothing section and a small toy section.

At first I was so excited I decided to walk up and down each aisle. That got old pretty quick, but I kept going up and down each aisle anyway. I thought Id spend a good amount of money but ended up spending only a small amount.

Aside from the grocery store disappointment, today is sunny and nice. I really appreciate that.

The cold is wearning me pretty thin, Ill be honest. I never take off my wool thermals. Last night I went to bed with wool thermals and fleece pants on. I was also wearing 2 t-shirts, a hoody and my nice fleece jacket.

I noticed a long time ago that all the jackets/warm clothes I brought with me are black. People around here must think its my favorite color or something, but really it happened by chance. And since Im always wearing the same black jackets they never see that my shirts are usually not black! Wait til summer comes and everyone can actually see the colors of my clothes. Its going to be awesome. It will be like I have a whole new wardrobe.

Facebook Picture

2008-12-19T10:20:00.002-07:00

We're on sunny day in a row number 3 around here and I could not be happier about it. Its still pretty cold at night - or even indoors during midday - but its nice to have warm sun outside.

Today I went for a long walk and it was fun. I saw very few people while on the walk but still managed to run into 2 people I know.

So far Ive gotten two Christmas packages from home and I appreciate them very much. Ill wait until Christmas day to open them. Im also looking forward to talking about Christmas as an American holiday and having a cultural exchange with the host family.

Frail Existence

2008-12-15T05:14:00.005-07:00

You can see the cactus patches in the bottom left corner - I fell right into one of those. Ha ah. Of all the spots to stuble I chose the center of a hard patch of cactus.

On Saturday I went on a fun hike with an association here in town. It was great fun. I almost didnt go because I was afraid it would be rainy and cold the entire time. It rained a little, but for the most part it was pleasant.

I also got a different perspective on town and got to meet allot of great people. Im glad they invited me to go along. When I left to meet with them at 7am I thought we'd be back by 10am. Well, we didnt get back into town until 6pm or so - they knew that was the plan, but somehow I missed that part. ha ha.

I ended up hiking up the mountain two times. It was great. I only fell once, and I happened to fall right into a huge patch of this tough cactus plant. It was pretty funny and only made my hand bleed on the edge - nothing serious.

E Power

2008-12-15T04:40:00.004-07:00

Here are some pictures:
Me with my host parents and the sheep we slaughtered for l'aid Kbir

This was just before the blood started gushing.

Already skinned and starting to gut the sheep.

Two of my host brothers reveling in the excitement of it all...

And the following days feasts.

Like I dont Care

2008-12-15T04:17:00.002-07:00

Well, the big holiday is over around here. Kids had a whole week off of school and had to go back this morning. Attached are a few pictures of what all went on. Each family gets a sheep and slaughter it then they eat eat eat eat eat sheep meat like its nobodys business. Some returned Morocco Peace Corps Volunteers warned me that Id eat way more meat than I thought was possible and I kinda didnt believe them. Well, now I know what they were talking about. I recall one meal in the past week where lamb was not served. No kidding. EVERY meal - even breakfast had lamb in it. Bless Moroccos heart!

Sun Above

2008-12-06T09:11:00.002-07:00

Today is the 2nd day of sun we've had in a little while and its been nice. Its not so cold and its fun to go outside and walk around.

Islams biggest holiday is coming up on Tuesday, so Im excited for the new experience. Its kinda like thanksgiving but they kill and eat sheep instead of turkies. Its simmilar in that family comes together from far distances to be together during this time. Ive met so many people around town that are from this community but have lived in Europe for years - but they're back home now to celebrate the holiday.

Im excited to see what it will be like.

Things are great here. Ill write more after 3id l'kbir.

Very First Time

2008-12-02T09:27:00.002-07:00

Today I have good news and bad news.

Bad news is that the apartment I thought I was going to be moving into has been rented to someone else. They offered more money than I can pay. How sad. Oh well, Im sure another cool place will come along.

The good news is last night I went to the public bath. A friend of a frend had offered to take me and show me how it was since it was my first time going. However, it should be noted that people often go to the public bath in groups. Anyway, I had read that going to the baths was kinda complicated and that it was easy to do things the wrong way.

Anyway, after going once with someone that knows is easy as pie and not a problem. At the baths is very very hot - like a sauna, but with water to wash with. We sat there for a while and enjoyed the heat, sweat a bunch, then soaped up and rinced off. It was nice.

As Ive said before indoor heating is rare around here, so it was nice to be able to be hot for a while.

Life in Morocco gets better all the time.

Lamp Post

2008-12-01T09:16:00.002-07:00

I have an exciting announcement: my host father found a place for me to live. Its cool too. Its a little apartment in a nice part of town. Its got a useable rooftop too, so Im excited about that.

I am very thankful for my host fathers help getting me settled into the community and everything. He has been a great help with getting an ID card and finding a house. Im not sure if Ill ever be able to thank him enough.

Other than that things are going great. It countinues to be cloudy and rainy and cold. But its winter, so what else would there be? Other Volunteers in the area keep telling me that the summer is hot in these parts, and right now that sounds like a great idea.

What Day

2008-11-28T09:09:00.002-07:00

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, although I didnt realize it until a Moroccan friend reminded me, and that was about 2 in the afternoon. ha ha.

Things here are going great. In the past few days Ive spent some time at the House of Youth where Ill be working for the next two years. Just getting to know the Director of the center and some of the youth that come by. It seems like everyone is excited for me to teach English classes. Im happy to do what I can.

Im also getting more and more excited to live on my own and learn to cook with local fruits/veggies and spices - which I hope happens. I looked through the Peace Corps Morocco cook book and there are some great things in there. Ive never been one to cook much, so we'll see how it goes. For the time being Im looking forward to learning... I think my sister in law Julie would really enjoy cooking in Morocco because so many cool things are available and its all fresh.

Today is sunny and nice, its very welcome because the past few days have been rainy. There is a good coating of snow on the surrounding mountain peaks. Its beautiful. Yesterday was pretty cold, though. I could easily see my breath as I was laying in bed under all my covers. I was warm under there, but it was pretty cold out.

Im also getting excited to travel a little bit. As a new Volunteer Im restricted from traveling too far from home for the first couple of months but after that I can go anywhere, including out of the country. Im excited to see the desert along the Morocco/Algeria boarder. Im excited to see Marakech, although Ive heard its very touristy. Im also excited to go up into Europe - Ive never been there before. In Europe I want to ride one of the really fast trains. That would be cool.

Goose Is Getting Fat

2008-11-25T04:35:00.002-07:00

Two posts in one day... look at me go....

I now have an address where I can get packages. Getting packages is one of my favorite things in the world (which is why I liked ordering things online so much).

Ive been keeping a list of things I would like to have sent to me and there are very very few things on the list, here they are:

Old Spice deoaderant
Power adaptor (that makes an outlet go from the standard European 2 round prong outlet to the standard US 3 prong outlet - NOT a voltage converter)
Very Sexy (from Victorias Secret) or Fierce (Abercrombie) cologne
Sour gumi worms

In all honesty its easy to go without sour gumi worms and I dont miss them all the time. I can get cologne here, so why have it sent from the States? I only need one or two power adaptors. And I dont need any Old Spice, yet.

Im not really sure what Im saying here. I guess Im saying there's not much I need/want sent to me.

But I still love getting packages.

I still love organ music, wouldnt mind some more organ music. I dont have any DVDs with me - not even Simpsons, so it might be nice to get some of those (hopefully burned or bought used). But even then, these things are not all that important to me right now.

All in all I dont need anything too special sent from the states. Life here is great and Im happy.

Clown Car

2008-11-25T04:16:00.002-07:00

Things are going really well around here. There are a few new things I'll share.

First, and Ill keep this really short, I lost a little paper that I need and its driving me nuts not being able to find it. NUTS. I havent lost any sleep over it, yet, so I guess its not bothering me that bad. I have gone through all the stuff I brought with me several times.

Now that Im actually in the little town where Ill be spending the next two years its time to get a residency/id card. Its been a bit of a process, but it hasnt been too bad yet - but Im still not done with everything. And, once Im done with everything there is the wait for the card, Ive heard it can take over a year in extreeme cases.

As I was meeting with the local authorities the highest ranking officer said 'You have to tell me where you're going whenever you leave town. Im in charge of your security.' The last Volunteer here said the authorities always wanted to know where he was if he left town. Its nice to know they are aware of me and interested in my safety. Ive heard stories of Volunteers leaving town without telling the authorities only to have the authorities call Peace Corps and ask if the Volunteer is ok because they cant find them anywhere in their communities.

There is plenty of fresh fruit in Morocco. Its great. Yesterday after lunch I enjoyed some fruit with my family. I noticed what looked like a lemon in the fruit bowl. I thought 'Wow, who is going to eat a plain lemon?.... wow.' A few minutes later someone was encouraging me to eat the lemon. 'No, no, Im ok. Im full' they continued 'Go on, eat it, its good!' Now Im thinking this must be some sort of trick or something.

I started peeling the lemon and, sure enough, it smelled just like a lemon. I started thinking if Id actually be able to eat an entire lemon without leading on that I was not enjoying it.

I peeled off some and moved it toward my mouth.... to my surprise it did not taste like a lemon at all. It was even kinda flavorless, compared to what I was expecting to taste.

So, it wasnt a lemon after all. I still dont know exactly what it was, but its wasnt a lemon and it was pretty tasty.

Oh, and the other day someone asked me 'When are you going to go to the hemmam?' (hemmam is the public baths). What a good way to make someone feel really self concious.... just ask them 'Uh... when are you going to shower next?'

All in all life is great around here, and filled with awkard moments due to the language barrier. Nearly everyone thinks Im French, so they try speaking to me in French. Its great.

That Happy Cat

2008-11-22T09:26:00.003-07:00

Its been a while since I wrote last. Quite a bit has gone on. We all ended our week long 'site visit' and headed back to the traning center for over a week. It was nice to be with everyone again, as always. Here are some ramblings about whats been going on:

First of all, I want you all to know that Ive been living out of my suitcase for the past 3 months, and Ill continue living out of it for 2 more! Its not that big of a deal, but you can bet Im looking forward to having a place to lay out all my stuff.....ahhh, that will be nice. It will be nice to have a place to put stuff instead of just piling everything back in my suitcase only to search through everything the next time I want it. Its a small worry, but it gets old fast.

While we were at the training center we had a good time. We all knew this would be the last time all of us Youth Development and Small Business Development trainees would be near each other for a while. We had a talent show between the two sectors and it was fun. Some people did monologues from movies, some danced, some sang songs with new lyrics outlining our Peace Corps experience up until now. It was a good time.

At the training center they have a satellite dish. A channel called Fox Movies is always showing good movies. There have been a few times when many of us pile on the couches and watch whatever movie they are playing. You need to understand that at the end of a long day of language studying and training sessions on Peace Corps policy, its nice to just sit and vegg.

We also had dance parties. The setup during one particular dance party was pretty interesting. We would have an 'American' song where the Americans would teach the Moroccans how to dance (a line dance, for example). Then we'd have a Moroccan song and a Moroccan would teach us how to dance to that song. We had a good time. As you can imagine, the lights I like to bring to dances provided a good amount of fun for everyone.

A while ago I was talking about all the rain we had been getting. Well, Im happy to say that its been nice, and almost always sunny for about 15 days. Its great, and it hasnt been too cold. Of course, I still sleep in fleece pants and a fleece jacket.

We also had our Language Procficiency Interview, which is a test to see if you have acquired enough skill in the language to be qualified to be sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Im pretty sure we all passed, which is nice.

On Thursday, 20 November, we went to a nice hotel in Fez (a large city considered the cultural capital of Morocco) to swear in. It was a short ceremony with talks by two trainees, two deligates from the Moroccan government and a few words by the US Ambassador. After the quick talks we were sworn in, by the Ambassador, as Peace Corps Volunteers. After the swearing in there were refreshments for everyone. All the host families that had hosted us during the traning period were invied to attend.

The next morning we all went our seperate ways to the communities we have been assigned. Im at my assigned community now and its nice to be here. The small town has a nice feel to it and Im excited for visitors to come and see where I live and work. Its beautiful.

I traveled here yesterday with all of my luggage I brought from home plus pound after pound of books and manuals given to me by Peace Corps. I was dreading traveling with so many bags and so much weight but it all turned out very well. Im very glad that traveling with all my luggage is over with.

Actually, during this whole process Ive drawn paralelles between Peace Corps service and the time I spent serving as a missionary for the LDS Chruch in Maracaibo, Venezuela. Each has involved months of language training, and complete immersion into the culture. With each Ive experienced varying amounts of homesickness and culture shock, and bouts of stomache trouble I dont even want to begin to describe (nothing super serious, just discomfort).

One of the greatest barriers involved in both experiences is the initial lack of language abilities. I can speak and understand a functional amount, but I have a really tough time expressing anything that is not a basic thought (such as my troubles explaining to my host family 'if the pharmacy is open now, Id like to go right away'). Its also frusturating because I dont feel like I have much of an identity here.

Its difficult to express my thoughts to those around me, so I often remain silent. I have a hard time understanding what people are saying, so my response is delayed, so I usually end up saying only 'ok' or 'yes'. (By the way, Moroccans dont say 'ok'. For some reason I figured 'ok' was pretty universal. Even now I catch myself saying 'ok' when I really mean to say the Moroccan Arabic equivallent).

I feel like Im a white peice of paper with no real color - yet. Im sure it will come. Earlier today I was thinking of how I love (and often dance) the new Moroccan dances Ive learned. At the training center I would break out in dance all the time, especially after eating or after policy sessions. Its great. I love doing it. Its pretty funny too, but for now, in my current situation isolated from my friends and fellow English speakers, Im a white peice of paper - I have no real identity. Im a person with no history, no opinions, no comments, no insight, no funny Moroccan dance moves. Doing such a dance in front of my host family would be so out of place they would not know what to think - and I would not be able to explain why Im doing it.

(I should clarify that the dance moves are not funny, its a white American redhead doing them that makes it funny).

Another paralell with my experience as a missionary is that Im not with a companion, and I am not constantly talking with people. As a missionary I had a companion that knew the language and the area with me all the time. He could help out and help me express ideas to people. But here Im alone, without anyone by my side that can help me express what I want to say. And here I dont have a reason to speak to people I see, Im not visiting people and teaching them. Its harder to get practice in this situation because I dont have much to say to people. At least as a missionary there was a set message I desired to share with people.

The foregoing notwithstanding, Im here to thrive. Im here to learn the language, integrate and become a part of this community and to help the youth in this area of Morocco. I dont doubt my ability to do these things, Im sure they will happen. Its just the first steps that are before me, and they will probaly be the hardest steps. Im ready to take them.

Another mission/Peace Corps paralell: it was hard to learn Spanish, what Im feeling now is what I felt when I was new to Venezuela. Now Spanish seems so easy, so logical. Venezuela seems so laid back and carefree. I cant wait until I can say the same about Moroccan Arabic and life in Morocco.

Ok, two more things and Ill be done... First of all, the region in which Im living is known for good olive oil and IT IS GOOOOOOD. Its great.

And, lately Ive been thinking I want to study geography. Ive always been interested in geography and I think it would interesting to study. However Im pretty sure a degree in geography will be about as useful as a degree in Sociology - which is what I have.

Whats worse than one worthless degree? Two worthless degrees!

On a Leash

2008-11-07T08:53:00.002-07:00

Things are still going well here, although I have a funny story Id like to share.

Of course the issue of me not drinking delicious Moroccan tea seemed weird to my host family. Fair enough. Add to that the fact that I dont drink coffee... what? am i really human? Add to that the fact that I dont eat dairy products... what? not even butter? no cheese?!.

Anyway, those three things have formed a bit of my identity this past week. i think its funny. I will be introduced to people then hear 'he doesnt drink tea or coffee or eat dairy products!'.

for a while there i felt kinda picked on (poor me... i know) because im NOT a picky eater. im really not. aside from tea, coffee and dairy products ill eat just about anything! why is the focus on the few things i dont eat?!

Anyway, it didnt take me too long to get over it. And it didnt take too long for my family to get used to the idea that i really DONT eat those three things.

Ok, like I said, I was feeling a little picked on. it just so happens that the morning after i got here my throat started hurting. the next day i had a stuffy nose/head. i called the peace corps doctor one night and he said to run to the pharmacy and grab some stuff.

well, that started a mini-fiasco all by itself because i dont know how to say 'open' as in 'is the pharmacy open right now?'. eventually everything was clear and my host father went to the pharmacy with me and everything worked out.

so there I was... this strange kid that doesnt speak the language, drink tea, coffee or eat dairy products and now he needs to go to the pharmacy for some reason.

like i said, i felt picked on when all this began. at this point i felt like i must have been viewed as a sickly little freak.

anyway, things are fine now - but the stuffy nose is kinda lingering - and my family and i get more accustomed to each other every day. im glad about that.

Whats on the Roof

2008-11-06T09:58:00.002-07:00

well, things here are going very well. the rain has stopped, for now, and its been sunny and pretty warm during the day for the past two days. its been great.

im really enjoyng the chance to spend some time with my new host family. they are great. yesterday was the towns commerce day - merchants and consumers from all around come into town to buy the stuff they need. my little brother took me around to the different parts of the market. it was pretty cool.

my host dad and i went to the post office to open a po box. not only will the po box enable me to receive packages from home, it is the way peace corps will send my living allowances for the first couple of months. anyway, the guy behind the counter told us to come back after the new year if we want to open a po box. (what... go through christmas without packages!). im hoping we just got the guy on a bad day and he'll feel better - or not be working - when i go in again. that way ill be able to get living allowances from peace corps and packages/letters from home.

Ill be living with my current host famliy for two months, then ill move into a place of my own. im not sure what kind of housing options are available here, so im anxious to get started. at the same time, i head back to the training center this weekend and we'll all be there for something like two weeks - so there is still time to look for houses.

the family im staying with has some sheep and a goat. they keep them up on the roof. its pretty unusual when compared to the US but not unusual for morocco. sometimes at night you can hear them stomping around up there.

yesterday the peace corps volunteer nearest to where ive been assigned stopped by to say hi. we hung out and he showed me around town a little bit. it was nice of him to stop by and i really appreciate it.

yep, life is great around here. sometimes i miss the US and the life i had there, but not all that often. i really enjoy it here.

Eyes To Sleep

2008-11-04T09:20:00.003-07:00

Here are some photos of where I've been placed by Peace Corps. Im still exploring town... but as far as I know what you see is what you get. There is no specific 'downtown' area. Im very excited to be here.

Chasing Waterfalls

2008-11-03T09:30:00.002-07:00

Wow, it feels like its been forever since i last updated this blog and i have so much to tell.

leaving our community based training site and my uber-generous host family there was hard, but i knew it was coming. i was very excited, it made my day, actually, when my host parents called me the other night just to make sure i was ok. they are very sweet and i cant wait to visit them again sometime - perhaps sometime when i can say more than 'how are you? is everything fine?' to them. ha ha.

morocco has gotten allot - and i mean allot - of rain lately. roads are getting washed out all over the country. anway, its been cold and rainy at our training center too.

on halloween we all found out our site assignments. i am assigned to a small town about 2.5 hours to the east of marrakech (or however you spell it). its about an hour away from a bigger city. its a small community with mountains, heat in the summer and cold in the winter, a good sized body of water.... wow. its awesome. im here now for 'site visit' which will last 6 days. my new host family is fantastic and they have hosted at least 2 other volunteers.

this community has not had a peace corps volunteer in almost a year. the volunteer last assigned here left before he completed his two years of service.

im excited to be assigned here. im sure im going to enjoy being a peace corps volunteer here.

I think its interesting the dream i had about the waterfall and site assignemnts. there is water nearby and if people could see my site im pretty sure they'd be jealous. there are many opportunities for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing and even river rafting. i have it good. it also seems that living within the allowances peace corps gives us will be feasable living in a place like this.

its been raining for most of the 24 hours ive been on site visit. like i said before, we've gotten plenty of rain lately and im pretty tired of it. oh well, it will pass... in a few months.

in the mountains towering over this little community there is a good dusting of snow already. im not too sure but i think the snow usually does not come down into town.

this morning i went with my new host father to the police station to let them know im here and introduce myself. it was interesting how everything turned out, but they were helpful and nice. as volunteers the local police authorities are pretty concerned about where we are - they want us to be safe and not have any problems. from what i hear the last volunteer told the police whenever he was leaving town and when he expected to be back.

anway, ill post pictures sometime, but im not sure when.

i should be getting a post office box tomorrow (so if you want my address and/or want to send me packages) let me know and ill send you the address once i get it.

Up The Canyon

2008-10-29T09:50:00.005-06:00

Well, we're leaving our community based training site tomorrow. we'll never come back here - at least not as trainees. its kinda sad. ill miss my family. we shared one (perhaps final) bonding moment last night as we were talking pictures of all of us together. my host mom also gave me a gift and i really appreciate it. they sure are a great family and i have appreciated living with them and sharing experiences with themm.

earlier this week we had a party to thank all the host families. lost of people were there. i went with two of my brothers and a cousin. there was plenty of pasteries, cookies, juice, soda... and even a cake. it was great. we also had a duscission about the differences in moroccan/american culture and everyone was invited to ask questions about why we do things the way we do.

GO WHERE YOU WANT ME TO GO

in the next few days we'll get our site placement assignemnts. im excited to find out where ill be sent. its kinda like waiting for a mission call all over again... ha ha.

i had a dream a few nights ago that we all got our site assignements and i was assigned to work in the most beautiful area of morocco with a huge waterfall nearby. everyone was jealous i got assigned to work there. ha ha.

we'll see how the actual site placemtns work out. a fellow trainee has been having premonitions regarding where people will be placed. when i ask here where i might go she draws a blank (bless her hert). i wish she could give me some idea. im dying to find out.

(sorry for any errors in this post - the keyboard im using is incredibly sticky and hard to use).

i have a small gift to give my famiy to show my appreciation for their efforts to make me comfortable and safe here in morocco. they have been great.

im also anxious for site placement because a few days after finding out our assignmnts we;ll go to the site for site visits - which should last about 5 days. its scary to think ill have to do most of the following with the meager language skills i have right now: meet local law enforcement, meet school/various association directors, observe activities at the house of youth, open a po box (get ready to send me packages, please ha ha), start the papers for a moroccan identification card, and get used to new host families...oh yeah, two more things... travel to the place, somewhere ive never been before, and keep an eye out for an apartment to move into within the next month and a half.

wow. how exciting. thats allot to do with so little language skills, but im sure it will work out.

RUNNING BACK TO ME

i have a miracle id like to share. a few nights ago i lost one of the zipper pull strings off my beloved patagonia rain jacket. when i saw it was gone my very first thought was 'oh, ill find it somewhere' but then i quickyl thought 'it could be anywhere, i wear this coat everywhere i go, oh well, its gone'.

the next day i asked my fellow trainees to keep an eye out for it. well.... that night one of the other trainees found it in the classroom we use to teach english. it was a miracle. i was so happy. some bunny up there loves me.

Forget to Tell Somebody

2008-10-23T08:13:00.002-06:00

Yesterday afternoon and today have been pretty cool around this little town. The clouds moved in and now its foggy. today after class we opened the door to our teachers house and could not see to the end of the neighboring lot. its pretty cool.

last night our training site - our little town - was visited by two of the Peace Corps Morocco big wigs. it went well, it was very casual. we sat and talked about the training period, what we thought was going well, what we think should be changed. then they came to the 'house of youth' to see what activities are going on there. last night there was an english class, a singing group and play practice going on. (Usher was there too!).

today is thursday - my last thrusday living with my uber-sweet host family. we go back to the training center wednesday morning. its kinda sad, really. and its strange that time here during training has gone by so fast. oh well, i guess thats life.

after we go back to the training center we'll find out where were going to be assigned to work for the next 2 years. thats pretty exciting. im anxious to find out where i will be placed. i have not had any requests about where i would like to be placed other than id like to be in a small city/large town.

Happy Birthday Mom II - From Usher

2008-10-20T12:06:00.007-06:00

Me and Usher after he gave dance lessons to the youth at our 'house of youth'. ha!

I dont see too many look alikes around these parts, but from time to time i hit the jackpot! there is one kid that kinda looks like donnie osmond, maybe ill get his picture and upload it. there is also a kid that reminds me of carrol burnett - but that would be rude of me to post his picture and say he looks like a girl .

anyway, i have done my laundry and the rain seems to be keeping away - for now. i also went to the public showers again and the water was hot the entire time! it was great. now im clean, i have clean clothes drying on the line... life is good. when i got to the showers (a short walk from our house) the lights were off in all of the individual showers. i was kinda excited because it would have been a fun opportunity for me to use one of the many flashlights i carry with me wherever i go... but they got the lights working before i even had a chance to whip out a flashlight. oh well.

i also got to talk to my (real) mom because today is her birthday. i only had to try to call from 5 different phones and have two people help me before i finally got to talk to her. happy birthday mom.

peace corps asks us to do nice things for our families while we are staying with them - help around the house, buy laundry detergent, help out by buying things we use often. anway, i thought it would be fun if i bought some pasteries and took them home so we could have them after dinner.

i bought some pasteries and left them in the kitchen. we had dinner... but no pasteries after. the next morning we had pasteries for breakfast (along with other more nutritious stuff, of course). i was happy.

little did i realize that i would be having pasteries for breakfast (new pasteries - not the pasteries i bought) for breakfast for the next few days. it was a funny experience becasue i didnt mean to imply that i wanted pasteries often - i just thought it would be fun for a change, a one time thing.

i love my family. they are great people.

to finish things off here is a picture of me on a lovely tree-lined street near one of the schools where we went and shared with the students about protecting the environment.

Happy Birthday Mom

2008-10-20T08:09:00.002-06:00

well, happy birthday mom. i hope you have a great day.

things are going well here in morocco. the end of our training period as we now know it is coming to a close - just 9 more days before we find out or final placement sites and go for a site visit. after that we'll have classes and stuff for a while until we swear in and become Peace Corps Volunteers! weeee! its crazy to think is coming so soon. and its even more crazy to think i can hardly put a sentance together in moroccan arabic! ha ha.

my tummy has been acting funny lately. yesterday i laid in bed and didnt eat anything for 24 hours. now im eating but my tummy doesnt seem so sure about it. sometimes it feels like something is swimming around in my stomache. oh well, it will pass - hopefully.

there is a american-like grocery store here called marjane. i really want to go but is a few towns away and cant go - per peace corps rules - unless i go with someone in my family. anyway, we talke about going to marjane all the time and this weekend two girls from my training group went with their families. one of the girls, candace, even brought me some candy from the marjane! now im totally jealous. oh well, im sure ill get a chance to go sooner or later.

anyway, i really should get going since i need to run home and get some laundry done. over the weekend i made up some flash cards and they real helped me allot.

Like A Virgin

2008-10-18T11:47:00.003-06:00

this week has gone by really fast. i cant believe is saturday already. we did the major part of the activity that everyone has been planning for the past month. we went to two different schools and cleaned up the grounds and taught about preserving the environment. the kids were pretty cool and fun to be around - so eager to help and learn.

my cousin was at one of the schools so it was cool to see him. he kept smiling at me and wanting me to come by his desk to show me his drawing. he is a good little kid.

I still have not gone to the hemmam - public bath house - but i have gone to the public showers. the showers i went to were nicer than i expected and, sadly, the water didnt get very hot until I was about to turn the water off. so i decided to brush my teeth in the shower so i could enjoy the hot water. I think ill go back on monday. lets hope the water is hot the whole time.

we have a lady from the community that cooks lunch for us every day we have class. we buy the groceries and she cooks for us (we pay her to do it). anyway, earlier in the week we asked her to make stir fry. it was pretty good considering she had never heard of the stuff. today we had her make french toast. it turned out waaaay better than i would have imagined. it was good.

all the trainees in the group and our teacher have put in allot of hard work this week. we're ready for a break. sunday is our only day 'off' although we usually end up having some sort of meeting for something but it seems like tomorrow might actually be completely off. that will be nice.

i have a funny pictgure i want to post but dont have the wire to connect my camera to the computer so it will have to wait... but look forward to it soon.

My Hips Dont Lie

2008-10-16T09:42:00.004-06:00

Kids getting trash around the school yard for an activity.
The kid in red LOVED the guy in gray. Mohamed, the guy in gray, is one of the organizers of the activity.
This picture is out of order. This is the park we went to on Sunday to figure out the activity.

All of us with the school director after the activity.
During the activity they started burning some of the brush they cleared away. Mind you school was in session and kids were running around the grounds at the time. It was great.
The newly cleared out soccer field at the school. When they were done they put Moroccos star in the middle of the field.
All the girls LOVED trina, a fellow trainee. She loved every minute of it.

Zions Hill

2008-10-13T12:50:00.003-06:00

Well, i dont have anyting specific to say. im pretty much trying to kill time before dinner.

this weekend was a great one. on sunday morning - sunday is supposed to be our day off but it hardly turns out that way - we went to a park with some of the youth from the 'house of youth'. we went to the source of some springs we have in our little town. its a pretty cool place but the springs dont run much these days - especially since the water bottling company moved into town.

anyway, we walked to the spring park and played games in preparation for an activity the youth have planned later this week. we had allot of fun playing all the different games. kids came from the park to watch us and this nice lady even joined in. turns out she speaks a decent amount of english and is a teacher in a neighboring city. she was really fun. she wanted us - peace corps trainees and youth from the town - to come to her shool and play the games with her students.

after we were done in the park some of us walked the long way home. it was great to see the outer parts of town and get a different perspective on things.

today has been a busy day. we had class this moring, then went to the market to buy veggies and fruits for lunch for the entire week. like always, we run into people we know in the market. its great. then one of our training directors came and met with each of us.

when we started talking about site placement - like where ill be assigned to live and work for the next two years i told him that would like to have a larger site - maybe a small city or something. other than that i dont have many requests. it can be hot or cold and i wont really care.

after the interview i went home and did some lanudry - by bucket - again. it was nice to get that out of the way. when i got home my dad asked me if i had already eaten and i said that i had.... about 10 mins later my brother called me from the bathroom - where i was washing my clothes - and told me to come eat. they had food ready for me anyway.

i live with a great family and i love and appreciate them. my dad is anxious to have all the other trainees and our teacher over for tea someday (how do you say 'when is a good time for my friends to come over for tea?' in Moroccan Arabic?). Morocco has great mint tea and everyone dirinks it all day long - except for me. i abstain from the tea. i usually dont even drink soda but lately my mom has been getting 7up for dinner and i have some of it. its good. oh yeah, this morning we had apricot jam on bread for breakfast and the jam was AMAZING. holy cow it was good!

My sister left for college Sunday morning. Saturday night we had a party/dinner thing at our house. it was an interesting experience for me. for the most part women sat in one room with the little kids while the men sat in another room. before dinner was served a washbasin was brought around with some soap for each of us to wash our hands. we did it while sitting at the table which was new to me. then the food was brought in, then when we finished the first course we had the next course. to finish it off we had fruit. after we were all done the wash basin was brought back in again and we washed our hands again. only this time the two guys in front of me slurped a little of the water out of their hands, swished it around their mouths then spit the water into the basin. i was kinda weirded out by this - because i had never seen this done before. i didnt know if it would be ok if i didnt wash out my mouth so, sure enough, when it was my turn i washed my hands and swished water in my mouth then spit it in the basin.

i was totally relieved when the basin passed to the next guy. only as i sat back into my seat did i notice that i had spilled some water all over my lap! it was great. so i sat there with wet spots all over my pants while the guys talked and talked.

my host grandpa was there. i had never met him before. he is a really great guy with clear brown eyes. it was nice to meet and mix with extended family. the neighbor girl - who is a cousin - was there with her little brother and they love hanging out wiht me. to be honest i enjoy hanging out with them too.

anyway, things are shaping up really well around here. the past few days have been warm and pleasant.

today i learned that the public showers - they have both public baths (hemmam) and public showers - are very near my house. i think ill stop by in the next few days and soak in the hot showers. (unlike the hemmam, public showers are private, you pay then go to your own enclosed shower and proceed as you like).

im really excited for this opportunity to be here among such amazing people.

Im Stepping Out

2008-10-11T06:01:00.004-06:00

Hey, in case you cant tell i got a haircut - and i got steps cut into my hair. when i worked at the bank we joked about doing it all the time but this time i realy did it. all it took was a month in morocco. hey, lets be honest, i im a fair skinned redhead and i stick out like a sore thumb in morocco. i get stared at all the time so why not get steps and really give everyone a good reason to stare? so far the feedback ive gotten from the steps is positive.

anyway, we just got back from almost a week at our training center about 40 mins away from where i live with my host family and fellow trainees. we had a good time. it was nice to be back in one place with all the trainees. we were in training sessions all day long. sessions on health, stds, peace corps policy... on and on. we also had workshops on how to coordinate theater activities and aids workshops and stuff.

its gotten colder now. the past few nights ive been sorta cold. there are not many heaters in morocco and i for sure did not have one at the training center and i wont have one with my host family so I was sure to bring my sleeping bag with me so i dont get too cold.

PHOBIA

ill have those of you who think im a total germ-o-phobe that i often eat with my hands, surrounded by other people eating with thier hands and we all eat off the same dish. i do it every day and its getting more and more normal for me. its really not a big deal.

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

its nice to be back in our community based training site. before we left my group of 6 trainees and i had just gotten to the point where we could not go anywhere around town without seeing someone we knew. we randomly run into youth from the 'house of youth' and -host- parents/family members of the other trainees. its nice to be here and know people. we have also made friends with several vendors at the market. if you want bread you should go to the nice woman on the corner, if you want pasteries you go to the nice woman across the street. if you want general stuff like soap, soda, cookies, shampoo, toothpaste, you go to this guy named Omar. if you want nuts you go to this nice man that smiles allot. if you want fruit you go the guy at the center of the market and he'll make sure you get taken care of.

My heck! Belss Moroccos heart. This place is amazing.

2008-10-04T08:34:00.002-06:00

other traineees... im not sure why i loaded this photo.
on this cool hill near the center of town where our training center is.
the other redhead int he group. he is awesome.
cool sign in our training town.
advertisment of an activity we're putting on tonight.

2008-10-04T08:11:00.002-06:00

Our training group outside the language teachers house, with Peace Corps Morocco Country Director David Lilly.
Us in language class - we sit here for hours and hours every day except Sunday.
Our lang group when we were back a the training center.

At the hotel in Rabat.
Hotel in Rabat.
Practice makes perfect: getting ready for a few years using turkish toilets. if you dont know what im talking about, google turkish toilets.

Yes, I Want Fries With That

2008-10-04T07:52:00.009-06:00

Lunch a few days ago.

Our language teacher FINALLY able to eat during the day with us - now Ramadon is over.

Beautiful tree lined street that I walk down each day as I go to language class.

The view from the side of our house. The tall pointy building in the distance is the mosque. Prayers ring out from its tower 5 times a day.

Our cool house and the awesome view beyond. My laundry is some of the laundry on the line.

The little neighbor girl - I think she is a cousin of my family - she likes to hang out with me. Before we took this picture we were chillin in front of our house with other neighborhood kids and listening to the lame pop/techno music I have on my cell phone.

Hard Knock Llife

2008-10-03T10:44:00.002-06:00

Well, things are going really well around here. Ramadon ended on Tuesday night. Wednesday was a holiday so we didnt have class. I actually had breakfast with my family! Wow. (and in subsiquent breakfasts my -host- dad and i have eaten breakfast in my room. once, during breakfast, he took a good long look at my nalgene bottle, he read the english words on it, unscrewed the top, screwed it back on then gave an approving 'hmmm'. it was great). when wednesday morning rolled around and i knew we would not have class i decided it was time to wash my clothes. i was almost out of clean under clothing and totally out of all other clean clothing. so i asked my sister for the wash bucket and started washing. i learned that i should make it a goal to do laundry every three or four days so i dont have so much laundry to do all at once.

i felt like little orphan annie washing away while nearly everyone else in the house was asleep. as a side note i practically live in my patagonia r1 hoodie right now. its great. i love it more than i love allot of things. its never let me down (except in the smell department. it will catch smells so easily. if i wear it in the house while someone it cooking, it smells like food until you wash it. thats my only complaint about it.)

yesterday was a great day. david lillie - the peace corps morocco head cheese - came and spend most of the day in our town. he got into his position about the same time we got to morocco so he is new. the country director before him, bruce cohen, was here for 6 years. anway, dave came and had lunch with us, sat through a class with us. then we went to see some of the other projects this towns current volunteer has done. while at one of the project sites, a cafe/research center with computers and all that, dave met with each of us individually. he actually spent the night with a moroccan family too. thats really cool of him. im glad he came and spent time with us. he is a very busy man. after we left the cafe/research center we went to the 'house of youth' and had an activity with some of the youth. it was fun. dave sat in on that as well.

after dave left to his host families house we went to this two-bit carnival that has been in town for the past few weeks. they had bumper cars, a fariswheel and a merry go round. we did the bumper cars and it was way fun. tons of fun. each of us peace corps trainees teamed up with someone from the house of youth and then tried to mow everyone else down. we had a great time. after that we decided to ride the sketchy looking fariswheel. somehow the guys operating that thing thought it was funny that we all loaded on there so we kept going around and around. ive never been on a fariswheel going so fast. we must have been spinning round and round for 10 mins or more. it was bad. i think two people - but none of the peace corps people - threw up after they got off. i took allot of pictures and still need to see about getting them uploaded.

going to the carnival is probably the most fun we've had since entering training. it was a blast. i got home late and my family had already eaten dinner, but they saved some for me. i was feeing a bit motion sick from the fariswheel so i went right to bed. i slept like an angel (bless my heart!).

in a few days we head back to the main training center where all of us youth development volunteers will be together. it will be great to see everyone again. and it will be nice to be in a semi-hotel environment again. that way i can shower whenever i want and not have to worry im tying up the shower for too long... you know, little worries you tend to have while being a guest in someones home.

in morocco they have public baths. no, no, no, i know what you may be thinking and the answer is no. they are strictly for bathing and relaxing. in fact, everyone uses the public baths. i guess people will wash up at home but if they really want to get clean they almost always head to the hemmam and spend a while. i have not yet experienced the public bath, but from what i hear its an enjoyable expericene. i know one guy who went and said he didnt feel comfortable while there. he felt like he might get athelets foot all over his body since you sit on the floor while youre there. (i know youre wondering so im going to say it. guys wear underwear and never go nude. i know hte girls keep their bottom parts covered but im not sure about their top parts.... ok enough of that).

about an hour ago when we got out of class i went around the market and bought some laundry detergent for my family, saw my little brother in the market, and spent 10 mins interacting with a busy shop keeper that had something to say to me, but the message was not getting through. he kept pointing at me, then pointing at himself then he did an eating motion then did a sleeping motion. i think he was asking where i ate and slept or he was saying he wanted me to stay at his house. when it was clear we were getting nowhere he told me to come back tomorrow...

morocco used to be ruled by the french. there is still a strong french influence in morocco. because of this everyone thinks we're from france. they will say bonjour to us, speak to us in french and all that good stuff. they are usually surprised and let down when we tell them we're not french. this guy at the shop started speaking french to me and i had to burst his bubble when i told him that im from the us and i speak english or spanish and a little arabic. (the people are only let down because they cant speak to us easily because they dont know english but they know french. i dont mean to say that they want us to be french and not american. they just want to be able to easliy communicate with us).

all in all i could not be happier here. its great.

In the Henna of His Hand

2008-09-29T08:43:00.002-06:00

Well, Ramadon is winding down. Might end tomorrow night or the next night. During the past few nights girls all over Morocco have been getting together to put henna all over their hands. Its pretty cool and knda makes me wish I were a girl - but only for hennas sake.

Life here continues to move on. Sunday the only day of the week we dont have class, so I read a book, studied Moroccan Arabic, read the scriptures, listened to Church music on my MP3 player and watched tv with my host family. My (host) mom made french fries for both lunch and dinner. I feel bad when she makes me breakfast or lunch because everyone else in the house is fasting. She is a sweetie - bless her heart!

I really need to do laundry - in a wash bucket, mind you (no washing machine) - but its been raining off and on for the past few days so I dont know when my clothes would have time to line dry outside. Oh well.

The view from my bedroom is pretty cool. Our house is on a hill and overlooks a big valley full of farms and stuff. Last night when I turned out the light to go to sleep there was an amazing lighting storm going on over the valley. I sat and watched. It was awesome.

Learning the language is coming allong pretty well. As is typical for me I dont study nearly as much as I should (which means I dont study much at all). But I tell myself every day that Ill start studying regularly 'tomorrow'. But I swear.... TODAY will be the day I start studying regularly :0)

We have been holding activities with the youth at the 'house of youth' a few times a week. Its cool to see the kids at the 'house of youth' then see them the next day in the market or somewhere on the streets. They are great kids and very friendly.

One night I was walking home from the 'house of youth' and just got to the dark section of my walk home. I take Morocco to be very safe and Im not too worried about something dangerous happening, but if I have learned anything during all our training meetings with Peace Corps its that we should do EVERYTHING we can to be safe and bad things do happen and we shoud always try to think of every possible security risk and do what we can to minimize it.

Anyway, so Im walking down the dark dirt road - almost to my house - and I think I hear someone yell 'Logan!'. But I keep walking. A few seconds later I hear 'Logan!'. Now Im pretty sure my name is being called but I dont think Ill turn around to see who is calling my name as I walk the dark streets by myself. Again I hear someone call 'Logan!'. I turn around. A ways up the street two guys are walking toward me. They are not walking fast, and they dont really look thereatening but I still dont know what do to. I dont recognize them. I figure they must have something to do with the 'house of youth' or they would not know my name.

Finally they walk to where I am and they both greet me. Then one, in English, says "They call me the Red Goblin" and I immediately think 'Oh man, I got stopped by some video game junkies. All I want to do is go home and go to bed!'. He pulls a coin out of his pocket, puts it in his hand and asks me to blow on his hand. At this point Im thinking 'Oh man, I should have kept on walking. All I want to do is go home and go to bed' So I stand there while this kid does his little trick with the coin. I say 'Wow, how did you do that? Thats great' then turned to continue walking home.

The other kid told me they were at the 'house of youth' earlier that day and they saw me there. It turns out one of them lived near me so he walked me the rest of the way home. It seems I got all paranoid over nothing (thanks Peace Corps) - just some kids wanting to say hi and walk me home. It was very nice of them.

I feel very blessed for the opportunity to be here and do what I do. I love Morocco. I love hanging out with the youth here. Im excited to improve my communication skills (Becky, if you're reading this you should be proud of me since you always nag and say that is something I need to work on) and help further develop the youth here. Its interesting how life unfolds and its even more interesting to see life unfold in my current circumstances.

Im working on getting some pictures posted, so get excited for that - but not too excited because it might take a while.

Whispers This To Me

2008-09-24T09:20:00.002-06:00

Im happy to be writing this blog post. Yesterday afternoon when I posted I was pretty much in 'this bows' mode. This means that the adjustment to life in Morocco was wearning pretty thin on me - which is lame because Ive only been in 'real' Morocco (not living with 30 other Americans in a place Peace Corps rented) for 3 nights! (Bless my little heart, I know, I know). Im happy because my perspective on things has turned around.

Here are some things that have helped turn my perspective:

MOTHER KNOWS BEST. I had eaten very little all day yesterday and by early evening I was really anxious to eat. When I got home my host mom had a meal ready for me - this was the first time this had happened. Usually I eat at sundown with everyone else, but some how my mom knew to have a little meal ready for me. I really appreciated this. While I was eating the sun went down so soon everyone was gathered around the table and we were all eating together. Bless my Moroccan mothers heart! (The meal she made for me was this great chicken dish. It tasted great!).

SOUNDS OF MOROCCO. The Center Peace Corps rented for us, its the 'base camp' for our 3 month long training - but we only live at the center on occasion-, is kinda in a wooded area near the mountains. At the Center, when everyone would get quite and settle into bed we all noticed and were pretty annoyed by how many barking dogs there were outside. On top of the barking there were roosters cock-a-doodle-dooing in the morning and donkies he-hawing all night long. One morning a rooster, which must have been right outside our window, was having a doodle-doo-off with himself. For at least 15 mins straight that rooster welcomed the morning with his call and only paused for about 10 seconds at a time!

Eventually we all got used to the sounds we encountered at the Center and didnt even notice them. Well, Im happy to report that at my families house here in Morocco there are all those same sounds to lul me into sleep - although the sounds are more distant than they were at the Center. At first the sounds were kind annoying, now they are the sounds of home.

THE FAMILY. One of the many things that impresses me about my family here is that we always eat dinner together. Sometimes we have visitors but otherwise we are all there and we eat and talk together. Its nice. I think thats a time allot of people in the world miss out on.

DRINK WITH ME. One thing I remember driving me nuts in Venezuela is that we could not drink the tap water. Our drinking water had to be bottled or boiled. I happy that the water in the tap where Im living now is CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN! I love being able to drink straight from the tap.

SINCE YOU BEEN GONE. I have a cell phone here in Morocco - most of the trainees do and we all have the same phone. Its a cheap Nokia monochrome screened 'candy bar' style phone. They work well and we can text each other, so what else do we need? At least two things make my Moroccan cell phone better than my old phone in the States: a flashlight on the top and snake. I dont know why they stoped making phones with Snake on them but Im so glad they didnt stop in Morocco. My high score is 2015! As far as I know its unbeat in my group of trainees. And the phone has a little white LED flashlight on the top of it. If you know me at all you know I must love that little light more than I love allot of things.

Dot my Eye

2008-09-23T09:44:00.003-06:00

Things here are going very well. Sorry I have not been able to get to a computer to update this for a while. We have divided from our gropu of almost sixty people into the YOuth Development group - almost thirty people. We have now divided again into groups of 5 or6 and we're each staying with host families. My host family rocks. We have fun together and I appreciate their generosity. I dont speak much Derija so when we're together we usually watch tv and I listen to them chatter with one another. IN all Ill be living with them for over a month so IM sure we'll form better bonds with one another and my language skills will also improve.

Im in a small town known for growing great apples. Its fun to go to the marked and see all the produce for sale. Yesterday we met with the local police force and today we met with they mayor. Its very safe and fun here.

Its Ramadon so everyone is fasting during the day and eating like crazy all night long - literally. Stores are open much later, everyone east 'breakfast' at sundown, about six thirty, then 'lunch' at midnight, and 'dinner' at 4am or so. I feel badly because I go to bed about ten thirty so I can get up for class in the morning. I wish I could stay up and hang out with the family I cant really communicate with, but IM sure things will change soon.

Morocco is kinder and more beautiful than I had ever imagined.

Mr. Ambassador

2008-09-10T12:57:00.004-06:00

This is day two in Rabat. Its great here. The Ambassador came and spoke to us about Morocco and its relations with the US. It was good to meet him. We got a briefing by the Embassy security guy, so now we're allowed to leave the hotel. I plan to get a cell phone tonight or sometime tomorrow - Im not sure why, its not like I have anyone to call or text, but we'll all have cell phones sooner or later and I want to get mine right away. I left the hotel with a small group just to walk around and check things out. It was cool. Lots of people driving all over the place, honking, guys selling stuff in the markets. Its cool. Like Ive said before, many things I see here remind me of living in Venezuela.

Yesterday afternoon I washed all my dirty clothes in the bathroom sink. It was pretty funny, I got everying in there soaking wet but at least I dont have any dirty clothes right now. Im tired of living out of my suitcase but we'll have to stay in hotels for the next couple of days - so my suitcase living days are not over yet.

We eat all our meals at the hotel diner. Its nice and the food is amazing.

Right now Im on the rooftop deck of the hotel. Its about 5 stories up and there are good views. We can even see the ocean. This hotel has wireless, so we're all spoiled by being able to connect so easily.

Right now is Ramadan so most of the people dont eat while the sun is up. A few minutes ago the mosque, which is right by our hotel, blew a cannon shot signaling everyone could eat again. After the cannon was fired prayers were said over the loudspeakers so the whole town could hear.

Anyway, so far life is going very well in Morocco. Let me know if there are any questions you'd like answered about life here.

Fame Never Ends

2008-09-09T08:08:00.005-06:00

Im in Rabat now. We flew into Casablanca this morning then took a bus to Rabat. We toured Peace Corps office then checked into the hotel. Its funny, as we were driving to Rabat I had a really good feeling about what I have decided to do. No regret. Just peace and a feeling of ease. That was nice. Im going to love it here.

We only saw Casablanca from a distance. The road between Casa and Rabat is near the coast, you could see the ocean most of the time - something we never see back home in Utah.

We had lunch at the hotel diner. It was amazing, so many different foods and flavors.

While on the bus I saw some kids tearing through a field on a donkey cart. The must have been pushing the donkey pretty hard. It was funny to see.

Anyway, Im really tired and we still have more meetings later tonight so Im outta here for now.

Oh, and all Ive read about Morocco is that its a very conservitave society. After getting into the airport I had to go to the bathroom so I went to the nearest bathroom and went #1. Well, when I turned away from the urinal I found a woman standing by the sinks wiping down the mirror! It took me by surprise - but she didnt seem to think anything of it.

So.... This is Christmas?

2008-09-06T19:01:00.007-06:00

I'm in Philadelphia now, been here just over 24 hours, so far I love it. Maybe someday Ill get married and move here - or not get married and still move here. I went and saw the Wanamaker Organ inside Macy's department store. I was there for a 45 minute concert and it was enjoyable. For some reason it took me until the last few notes of "Shenandoah" to realize what song it was. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star was also played and I liked it. I took the subway - my first time on a subway - it was great.

This morning I went with my counterpart, Eric, to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Its huge and really really cool although the front is totally covered for renovation (pictured).

We registered with Peace Corps today (now I'm officially a trainee - no longer an invitee) and I met all the other trainees. It seems like a really good group. I thought there might be another Volunteer from Salt Lake City, but I don't think there is. There are 56 (I think) people in our group - all headed to Morocco on Monday morning. There is one married couple and someone who has served in Peace Corps once before.

So far in Philly I have:

Seen a biker that got hit by a car (he seemed ok).
Eaten at Chili's twice.
Had two stomach-ache causing pastries from Starbucks.
Been given 177.00 (thanks Peace Corps!).

Mean English Girls

2008-08-28T21:47:00.004-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came to the going away party up Provo Canyon. I appreciate the support you show as I get ready to take off. Ill miss you all. Thanks for your love and friendship.

If You Could Bike to Kolob

2008-08-19T21:32:00.005-06:00

Today I got a way cool shirt. I bought it off of http://www.threadless.com/ (check it out).

I like this shirt because I've been riding my bike quite a bit lately - and I love it (even though yesterday I rode so hard on a full stomach that I thought I was going to throw up). Its a great time. I highly recommend biking whenever possible!

My Super Sweet 27 (so far...)

2008-08-09T21:16:00.005-06:00

I think 27 is the sexiest age for a young man. I've looked forward to being 27 for years now. I turned 27 on 4 January 2008, so Im a good 7 months into being the 'sexiest age for a young man'. Notable events of my 27th year:

Had the most crazy semester of my college education. It started the day before my birthday.
Finished bachelors degree - first graduating class at Utah Valley University.
Relied on my bike as my only wheeled form of transportation, which has been awesome. No regrets for not buying a car after my Neon was totalled mid-May.
Been in the best shape Ive been in in years.
Saw President Thomas S. Monson in person after becoming Prophet (Tabernacle Choir Easter Concert 22 March 2008).
Went to Disneyland, Las Vegas, mountain biking in Moab, rafting on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho, hiked Mount Nebo - one of my favorite hikes.
Got invited to be a Youth Development Volunteer in Morocco for the US Peace Corps (18 April 2008).
Made friends with a cool guy from Korea.
Spent an afternoon with an old mission companion, Andy Poll, and his young family.
Went to two awesome organ concerts in Salt Lake City, Utah - one at the Tabernacle on Temple Square (Felix Hell performing, 17 June 2008). As an encore Hell performed my favorite organ piece to date, Symphony No. 1-Final composed by Louis Vierne. The other concert was at the Cathedral of the Madeline (27 June 2008). To my knowledge this was the first concert in history where all Temple Square organists performed together at a concert held exclusively for their performances.
Got a raise at work.
Saved up more money than I've ever been able to save before.
Opened an IRA.
Saw a reinactment of the driving of the Golden Spike at Promontory, Utah on its 139th anniversary 10 May 2008.
Stopped eating dairy - gotta love that soy milk!

Now a few things I have not done since being 27:

Found an eternal companion.
Gotten sunburned.
Learned to swim.

Will You Remember the Dress I Wore?

2008-08-05T20:03:00.009-06:00

Lately I've been reflecting on the past few years. I graduate this week and wont be in school again for over 2 years - I really enjoy being a student and I will miss student life. I enjoy working at the bank and I love my co-workers. I will miss them very much. I'll also miss riding my mountain bike on the Bonneville Shoreline Trail (or anywhere else for that matter), occasional trips to Vegas, concerts on Temple Square, JBC's from Wendy's (to be exact, two JBC's -hold the cheese- and an order of nuggets with honey mustard), ordering things online, attending church regularly, and of course, having family and long time friends so near. This is a very brief list of a few things Ill miss.

The foregoing notwithstanding, I'm excited for what the near future holds. Morocco awaits with wonderful lessons and experiences. I'll make lasting friendships with Moroccans and my fellow Peace Corps Volunteers. It will be a great time in my life and I'm ready to take it on -- but not without some hesitation.

Peace Corps Explain(e)r

2008-07-14T08:12:00.000-06:00

Based on my observations very few people understand what the Peace Corps is and how it functions.

Peace Corps is a US government agency which sends Volunteers to over 74 countries in the world. It has no direct association with any branch of US armed forces (a common misconception). Volunteers are expected to serve for 27 months - three months of training in the country in which they will serve, and two years as a Volunteer. Volunteers serve in areas ranging from Small Business Development and Agriculture, to Health and Youth Development.

Generally Volunteers live alone in their assigned area and remain there for the entire 2 years of service. Volunteers must have a 4 year degree or extensive experience. Peace Corps covers most of a Volunteers expenses. Upon completing 27 months of service Volunteers receive a $6,000 readjustment allowance, otherwise there is no monetary compensation.

Currently there are a little over 8,000 Volunteers throughout the world. Just over half of them are female.

Volunteers are encouraged to have friends and family visit.

Volunteers accrue vacation time and may travel to other countries and even visit home.

Married couples can be Volunteers.

There is no upper age limit to become a Volunteer.

Learn more at http://www.peacecorps.gov/

Happiness is an R1 hoody

2008-07-08T22:06:00.000-06:00

Last semester a classmate asked me to complete a survey. In the survey I listed my most valuable posessions (tangible things only). I listed my R1 hoody. It is by far one of the coolest things I own. It also has special memories for me because I bought it in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA, while visiting my brother and his wife.