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Published: March 15th 2006
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Unbelievable! Yesterday was the 6 month anniversary of our arrival in Morocco. I've now been out of the US for a full half-year and it feels like somewhere inbetween an eternity and a split-second. On the one hand, each day can seem to take forever, but on the other hand, looking back on everything that's happened since our arrival, I can't believe that we've already come this far. The most startling thing is just how NORMAL this all feels now. Psychologically I am firmly established in the mindset of "Hello, I am a Peace Corps Volunteer!" We were trainees for so long that at times it felt as if we would never actually be doing what we came here to do. All of the volunteers we met during training, even those who had only been here a short while, seemed so worldly, so experienced, and it's incredible to think that we are finally becoming like them. I remember what it was like to be a freshman in college, meeting all the upper classmen and thinking "Wow, these guys are amazing! They know so much more than I do! I wonder if I'll even appear like that to anyone else?" By the
time I was a senior I certainly felt much more comfortable, but even when I met the incoming freshmen it was hard to see myself the way I saw the seniors when I had first arrived. Just living the day-to-day life it's hard to notice the change in myself, but this weekend I finally got to meet up with some friends that I hadn't seen since we all departed for our sites in late November, and the change that had come over them was enormous. They no longer had the "deer in headlights" look that I imagine we all had not too long ago. Everybody can speak the language with relative ease, everyone knows how to get around, and everyone has stories of homestay, holidays, teaching, all the friends they've made, and what life is like on a daily basis.
We're actually LIVING here!
We've seen the end of summer turn into fall, fall turn into winter, and now winter is finally changing into spring. Soon enough spring will give way to summer again, and before we all know it we'll have been here a year! I don't want to get ahead of myself, but when I think
about the fact that I'm only 24 years old, and that I'll be 25 one month before our 1 year anniversary, it suddenly becomes very shocking to realize that 1/25 of my short life will have been spent here, with over another year to go afterwards. I think about the enormous steps I took in high school, the even more enormous steps I took in college, and then the transition into real adult life that I made during the two years following. What will I be like 21 months from now when I finally take that plane ride home? It's impossible to say but I have the distinct immpression that you'll all have to take some time getting to know me again, and probably vice versa as well.
In many ways I haven't changed a bit since I was 14, when the world around me started to present itself in ways that were very much different from anything I had experienced before. Over a full decade later I still make plenty of the same mistakes I made then, with more than a few extras thrown in, but somewhere along the way I turned into a person that can stand
up in front of a classroom of kids or young adults of all ages and teach them something about life, language, their environment, and a dozen or so other topics. I'm still trying to figure out what all this means for myself but the fact remains that, at least to some degree, I know what I want to do here, and, to perhaps a lesser degree but still enough to be meaningful, I know how to do it.
A recent triumph came this weekend when a bunch of us went to Marrakesh to relax and celebrate the milestone. John and I were walking through the medina when I saw a shirt that I've been looking for for a while. I went into the shop to try it on and ask how much it cost and the man told me 90 DH, which was far more than I was willing to pay. Understandably, the vendors always ask for more than whatever they're selling is worth to put themselves in a good position from which to barter, and when they see Westerners the price gets jacked up even more. I was determined, however, not to be treated like a common tourist
so, having seen lots of Moroccans engage in this process, I decided to let the man know that I could walk the walk. After checking with John to decide on what we thought was a good price (in English of course) I launched into my plan of attack. The first move is, of course, to display haughty displeasure with the offered price. I laughed and let him know that I thought 90 DH was an outrageous sum that only an absolute fool would pay. He had to be dreaming. He quickly turned on the defensive and told me that it was a good price, but I gave him my best sneer and he dropped to 80 DH. No, no, I said, not even close. He must think I had money growing in my pockets! Well alright, he said, what did I think was a good price? I looked at the shirt as if it were a piece of garbage and said there was no way I would pay more than 30 DH for something so shabby. It was his turn to laugh and he turned to help another customer, ostensibly cutting off our line of communication. After a moment I
said I guessed I could give him 35 DH but that was definitely my last price. No, no, he said 70 DH was a good price. I held up the shirt and pointed out as many flaws as I could and he dropped to 60 DH. Still not good enough, said I, but I suppose I could give 40 DH (the price John and I had agreed upon). No chance, he said, and I began to take off the shirt with a shake of my head. He was talking to the other customer again but when he turned back he said, alright 50 DH, but that was his final offer. I thanked him, handed him the shirt and began to walk away. Finally he took my arm, led me back to the counter and said, okay 40 DH. Before he could say anything else I flashed him my biggest smile, shook his hand and passed him the money.
I'm afraid many of you will think I'm a bit of a jerk for having acted in this way, but honestly that's how it works here. Vendors and buyers rarely walk away as friends, but the truth of the matter is
that a vendor will never sell below value, so I know the man got his money's worth, even if he was hoping for more. Naturally at dinner tonight my host father said I still overpaid the man by at least 10 DH, but I have to say that I'm pretty proud of the fact that I knocked 50 DH off the price and was able to stick to my original sum. Bartering is just another one of those thing that at first seemed impossibly intimidating but now is actually becoming an enjoyable part of life here. I don't bother arguing over small things like coffee or eggs, particularly since I know those people can really use the money, but when I find myself among the big city merchants or the traveling souk salesmen I'm suddenly presented with an opportunity to find out just how integrated I am to this culture. Being a good haggler is a point of distinction here and, although I'm far from being a master, it's obvious that the vendors look at me differently once they discover that I'm not just another wealthy siteseer.
It's going to be hard to pay full price the next time
I walk into BestBuy 😉
So now half a year is gone; I'm a little bit wiser, a little bit bolder, and a little bit closer to home. It won't be the home I left, and I won't be the person who left it, but it will be fun to unlearn it, relearn it, and maybe teach it something new. There's a lot of time left between now and December 2007. Let's see where the story goes...
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Lindsay
non-member comment
You're growing up!
Hey Rich - having known you as a freshman in college, it's pretty great to see how much you've grown up, and how self-aware you are, even at 24! I love reading your blog and seeing your experiences through your eyes, and I think it's fantastic that the blog really allows you to explore the ways in which you are growing because of your experiences. It shows that you're not taking anything for granted. Keep learning and absorbing - and definitely keep writing!!!