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Published: January 18th 2013
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January 15-16, 2013
2 days melt into 1 as we cross the ocean… We have arrived in the fabulous Kingdom of Morocco!!!
So there we were, sitting and watching approximately 100 people in the lobby of the Holiday Inn trying to load two years’ worth of luggage on three buses… We must admit that the sight was interesting and it was delightful to watch the humorous mayhem. Group leaders were selected yesterday to organize the endeavor and collect money for tips. One of the female Peace Corp Volunteers (PCV’s) asked Clay if he was good at fixing “knots” and then asked Ann if she minded if Clay rubbed out her “knot.” Now, don’t think anything too much about it, she actually DID have a crick in her neck.
Once seated on the bus, we were given a couple of really great pep talks. We were then pepped, packed and prepared for liftoff!!! As we rolled towards the airport (JFK), we had not yet received our PC passports or tickets to Morocco. No one really seemed concerned about that issues and everyone was chatting very excitedly about what was to come, without knowing much at all. Our bus had
awesome people and one PCV brought a copious amount of homemade deer jerky and was very happy to share with us all! Story after story was told about “how I ended up on this bus” and the variety of backgrounds kept things very interesting and hopping. We shared our unique attributes and idiosyncrasies that we brought from different parts of the country. On the way, we also got to see the sights of New Jersey and New York from our bus, our last real sites of the US for a while (statue of liberty and all!). Ann’s thoughts during these last moments in the country were of her memories of childhood, then lastly, the love for her family and friends. Clay’s thoughts were of Little Joe, lil’Girl, Little Lisa, Smith Jr. and Baby Eric.
It would have been impossible to actually imagine the 100 PCVs arriving at JFK airport in three buses with those 2 ½ years of luggage about 4 hours early for check-in. It was quite the spectacle. However, our PC facilitators kept it surprisingly organized. We all put blue yarn on our bags (tradition) to identify them as PC bags. There were some crazy situations involving
the logistics of the staging in the airport, including issues with where we would stand for hours prior to our check in. Even crazier, we misunderstood the baggage criteria and we were at the counter with the most patient clerk in the history of any airline, while we moved things from bag to bag to make it work. Profusely sweating by the end of that feat, we had to lug our bags again across the terminal to the scanner. By now, Ann was whining about her back being broken, but luckily, she was just being dramatic. (NOTE: Ann actually wrote that last sentence, not I!) J
Once the issue of the baggage was dealt with in a satisfactory manner, we decided to go ahead, although hours early, through the security gate and head towards our boarding area. Many others from our group had the same idea. By now, you could already see the roles that various people were taking and it was almost like the Lord of the Flies. It has been a great opportunity to see how this unique “society” has already begun to develop and unfolded before us.
The carryout restaurant that we settled on for
lunch in the airport was directly in front if the Air China terminal and it actually sells containers of ramen noodles. You simply purchase the paper bowl and the counter clerk fills it up with hot water (VERY cultural) and off you go! Additionally, the restaurant had really good homemade (really) chicken soup, the latter of which we had. Our departure terminal “wing” was only international - - flights for Shanghai, Moscow, etc. We used the hours before departure to people watch and to learn more our new friends.
At long last, we all boarded the plane and crowded into coach. The flight was near capacity and it was indeed and interesting flight. At a little after 6, we took off for Morocco and our approximately 7 hour flight. Without belaboring the flight, surprisingly, Ann slept a little and Clay did not. We ate a sort of pot roast for dinner. We drank lots of water but the crew did not come around to offer any refreshments at all. However, they were not opposed to us helping ourselves to water, juice, sodas or the giant bag of rolls that they had in the galley. So, basically, we had a
self-serve flight. The movie “Mirror Mirror” was offered. Our headphones (BOSE noise cancelling QC15 over the ear) were invaluable due to the unfortunate children who were suffering during the flight. About 5:30 a.m., Morocco time (before midnight US time), we landed. Just image the scene of almost 100 of us, clearing immigration and customs and getting our 2 years’ worth of bags to two buses in 30 minutes flat!!! It was a minor miracle. When we stepped outside of the terminal, it was really cold, but as the sun began to rise, the temperature rose and it felt really refreshing and helped us to wake up a little bit.
For those who have experienced an international flight before, you know how the morning of arrival feels and how your body protests the time change. We were the recipients of a couple more great pep talks before taking off in the bus for Rabat. Prior to our boarding, they gave us a breakfast bag with wonderful fresh fruit. The excitement of the start of our adventure kept us from sleeping on the bus from Casablanca to Rabat. (Clay, of course, was taking pictures.) What a beautiful view we experienced. It
is lush and green. We could see the Atlantic Ocean with its blue-greenish tinges. One observation we made is that there are very few billboards mucking up the scenery, for whatever reason, we do not know why.
About an hour and a half later, we arrived at the Hotel ******** (formerly Hotel ******). Now we would like for you to envision the approximately 100 people checking in at one time with one clerk and trying to locate his or her luggage all at the same time. Gratefully, somehow it all worked. Kindly, we were given several hours before a 12:30 lunch that was followed by some classes. Our hotel room was super-cold so we took advantage of the time and set our alarm, hunkering down under the big covers and took about an hour-long nap. Of course, this was just a tease, but it did help. At 12:30, we went to eat lunch at the restaurant in the hotel (where we will take all of our meals here in Rabat), which was a buffet style with wonderful Moroccan food. There were many local Peace Corps people with whom to talk about Moroccan language (Darija) and culture. The one thing
that stood out from the beginning was that these folks seem as happy and honored for us to be here as we are to be here.
After lunch (and more carbs) we went to class for a few hours to cover mostly administrative things (people were really sensitive that we were burned out). After that, we had to get some vaccines (we thought were through with all of that!) and then we went to walk around town with some of the other PCVs (Peace Corps Volunteers - - yes, we have learned lots of acronyms) at around 6:00. At that time, Rabat was very busy with people walking the streets and sidewalks, visiting shops and cafes. There are vendors of all kinds, from food to appliances, to street stalls laid out with clothing. Rotisserie chickens, fresh meat, bread (about .10 US per loaf), pastries, fresh vegetables (artichokes the size of a cantaloupe) and beautiful fruit are all available. What great fun just walking around!
After our stroll, we returned to the restaurant Oscar for dinner and had another fantastic buffet. We sat with several of the local PC people and had really great and interesting conversations, sharing both
of our cultures. We will detail food things in future blogs. For now, we are so very tired and tomorrow will begin our intensive language classes. Also, tomorrow we will learn where we will be spending the next few months in training and with whom we will be going, but for now it is a huge secret. For those who have expressed concern, we are safe and sound. Lala saida (layla saEda) (goodnight).
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