GirlsToMorocco

My volunteer placement in Rabat, Morocco was at Le Feminin Pluriel, a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1999. This organization has a small center that focuses on women’s empowerment and educational programs. They host conferences such as the one of the Mediterranean women’s writers every year and bring in guest speakers on various topics to their center on every Thursday. Last week someone came and spoke on “Technology.” The programs are mainly in French. There is also a library and a computer lab for the members to use. Leslie and I were asked to teach English for two hours each day to the women and occasional men who are interested in learning. They have ongoing classes in the daytime and evenings, taught by volunteers from other organizations. The biggest challenge here was that we didn’t ... read more

The CCS (Cross Cultural Solutions) home base in Rabat is located in an upscale suburb. You can tell by the gated two story bungalows, clean roads and frequent Mercedes passing by here. Also, within walking distance are two malls, one of which is a high end with designer boutiques and a hypermarket. There is a spa, a hair cut place, few restaurants and cafes nearby. The drive into the city takes about 20 minutes and costs about $3 each way. Visiting the spa, I observed women dressed in fashionable western attire and had a status around them. Perhaps these were wives of diplomats or expats. The spa offered everything from aerobics, fat reduction, electro treatments to standard massages and hammam treatment that were sold in packages of 10. Our house is surrounded by a garden and ... read more

My friends travelling with me must be tired of listening to me say "This reminds me of India" dozens of times since we came here. In fact, there are a lot of similarities between India and Morocco, to say the least. Here are a few worth pointing out... Over crowdedness: When I was walking around in Casablanca, it was a similar experience as being in New Delhi i.e. utter chaos everywhere. Traffic pouring from all directions, hundreds of cars and bikes, none following road rules, yet finding their way through the mess without any incidents. My American friends felt very scared of riding in the petit taxis holding on to their seatbealt-less seats in run down cars fearing a collision at every turn. Pollution: Again, the car exhaust fumes, dust, dirt, garbage-quite like any big city ... read more

I never thought one could have so many adventures in less than 24 hours! For starters, our flight from Atlanta was delayed, which left us with a very tight layover in Paris to get our connection to Casablanca. Once we landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, things slowed down to a "French" pace. The bus took forever to go from one terminal to the next, under freezing tempratures & passengers packed in like sardines. We ran with all our might while it was way past our boarding time, only for me to be held up by the security for my tiny bottle of Purell hand sanitizer! Surely, it would have been a pity if that made us miss our flight but we made it. Along the way, we also met a lady quite randomly & started ... read more

Thank you to all the ladies who attended my Pedicure for a Purpose fundraiser this past weekend! Although the attendance was low, we had a great time. Each person got individual attention from Ruth (our Mary Kay consultant) who demonstrated products while we soaked our feet in warm tubs. We exfoliated, massaged & pampered our hands & feet (which we often tend to overlook). Then we enjoyed some hors d'oeuvres, cupcakes & lemonde. I ended up not making much with this fundraiser but I appreciate all of your support! In case you still like to purchase any items towards my fundraiser, you can do so until Saturday, Sept 25th by visiting www.marykay.com/rswank ... read more