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Peace Corps Rich - Richard C. Landrigan

I am a 25 year old Peace Corps volunteer currently serving in Morocco. As a member of Peace Corps' Youth Development Sector, I am working in a Dar Chebab(House of Youth) teaching English and trying to help the locals create sustainable community programs for young Moroccan boys and girls. This blog is intended to share my Peace Corps experience with my friends and family back home and around the world. Enjoy!

(Also, check out Heather Jasper's blog, a friend of mine also currently serving in Peace Corps Morocco!)

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this blog are in no way intended to represent the views of the Peace Corps or the United States Government.

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Joined on: October 14th 2005
Last Login: July 23rd 2008

Blog Entries: 22
Photos: 140

TB Code: [blogger=7841]
Status: BLOGGER

Blogs & Travel Journals

by Peace-Corps-Rich, order by Date newest first.

By Peace Corps Rich
November 2nd 2006

And We're Back!

Africa » Morocco » Souss-Massa-Draâ » Ouarzazate

I've been too busy growing this moustache

How embarrassing! It’s been months since I last posted here. Sorry, everyone, for the long hiatus. Sometimes life gets in its own way and priorities have to be readjusted to fit new realities. Or maybe I just got lazy for a while ;) Anyway, I’m back and I have plenty to tell. About twice a week for the next month or so I’ll be releasing new blogs to try to get you all back up to speed. Again I apologize! I realize that I’m throwing a large amount of material at you all at once and it will probably take you [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
September 15th 2006

High Adventure in the High Atlas

Africa » Morocco » Tadla-Azilal » Azilal

Team Sidi H does it in style

NOTE FROM RICH: "The following blog entry comes from an article I recently wrote for an upcoming issue of Peaceworks, a volunteer produced Peace Corps periodical. Enjoy!" "High Atlas Training of Trainers Hike, September 2006" (or "Four City Volunteers Take on the Great Moroccan Outdoors") By Rich Landrigan YD Ouaouizerht, Morocco Nestled up in the Azilal region of the High Atlas Mountains there’s a sleepy little valley named Ait Bououli. The hike from the top of the pass down to the dirt road that runs along the river bed boasts some of the most awe inspiring views in the Moroc [View Full Entry]

...and green grass on this side of the mountains.

By Peace Corps Rich
August 31st 2006

And now for something completely different

Africa » Morocco

The Landrigans in Essaouira

NOTE FROM RICH: "Hi everyone! This blog entry comes from an RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer) who was one of the earliest to sign up, way back when the Peace Corps was only a few years old. I've been writing too much lately so I'll just be quiet after asking you to please welcome my dad, Richard F. Landrigan (Chile '66-'68)." Richard invited me to submit a piece to add to his blog perhaps because he wanted to see a returned Volunteer’s impressions of the current generation of serving Peace Corps Volunteers. A couple of weeks after we returned from visiting [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
July 31st 2006

Summer Camp + Musings

Africa » Morocco » Doukkala-Abda » El Jadida

Welcome to camp!

Just like in America, Moroccan kids get a nice long summer vacation. Also like in America, many Moroccan kids go away to summer camp for various activities such as sports, music, art, and language. Just like in the springtime, Peace Corps participates in these ministry sponsored camps by sending volunteers from the Youth Development sector to run language classes and clubs. The extra bonus attached to summer camp is that the ministry provides each volunteer with three scholarships to be handed out at our discretion, i.e. each volunteer picks three kids from their town that would otherwise b [View Full Entry]

Cross-cultural collaberation (say that 5 times fast)

By Peace Corps Rich
June 30th 2006

Moroccan Beach Groove

Africa » Morocco » Marrakech-Tensift-El Haouz » Essaouira

O'er the ramparts we watched...

Essaouira! I have found one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. If you come to Morocco you MUST go to Essaouira! With its white washed city walls, its sprawling beaches, its bustling medina packed with some of the most inspired examples of Moroccan craftsmanship, and a history so long and tangible that you can see it and feel it all around you, it is one of the true gems of a country already filled with many marvelous sights. Best of all, Essaouira (pronounced Ess-u-air-ah) is the home of Gnaoua (pronounced Gn-ow-ah), a style of music that is, in its roots [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
June 20th 2006

IST

Africa » Morocco » Souss-Massa-Draâ » Ouarzazate

South Beach...Agadir!

One of Peace Corps’ most important philosophies is that volunteers are happiest when their support network is primarily made up of Host Country Nationals (HCN’s). I have certainly found this to be true. If I didn’t have a lot of friends and great people to work with in my town, where I spend the majority of my time, then I doubt I’d being enjoying my service nearly as much as I am. Human beings, even those of us who enjoy large amounts of privacy and solitude, are naturally social beings. We need person-to-person interaction in our daily lives to keep us [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
May 15th 2006

Ait Imazere Picnic

Africa » Morocco » Souss-Massa-Draâ » Ouarzazate

Picnic Anyone?

Every year in the middle of May, one of the most beautiful months here in Ouaouizerht, Jamayat Tawasul holds their biggest fund raiser of the year: a community boat trip across the lake to a peninsula, named Ait Imazere, for a picnic and games. They sell tickets for 20 dirhams a pieces, first come first serve, to about 200 lucky people, and on the appointed day everyone grabs their tagines, blankets, and soccer balls and heads down to the shore. So it was that at 6:00 on a beautiful Sunday morning I found myself sitting in the café with one of [View Full Entry]

Jalal: Student, Friend, Professional Picnicker

By Peace Corps Rich
April 30th 2006

Bouzneka Spring Camp '06

Africa » Morocco » Chaouia-Ouardigha » Bouznika

Welcome to Camp!

Each year the Moroccan Ministry of Youth & Sports is responsible for providing camps for kids during the spring and summer school vacations. Because of our special relationship with the Ministry, as volunteers in the Dar Chebabs, Youth Development Volunteers are invited to participate in some of these camps as English teachers. The kids that come to our camps are specifically there for the language skills but, working in conjunction with Moroccan staffers, we also try to provide a range of activities outside of the classroom. In addition to teaching, we run theme based clubs such as art, th [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
March 27th 2006

The Longest Picnic EVER

Africa » Morocco » Souss-Massa-Draâ » Ouarzazate

Da Croo

Hi everyone! Not a lot to report today, but I thought I'd let you all know about a fun little adventure I recently had. Last Sunday my young adult class from Jamayat Tawasul decided to take me on the first of their spring picnics! Apparently they do this fairly regularly so this is probably just the first of many such outings. At 5:30 in the morning I dragged myself out of bed, had a quick bite and then went off to meet up with them. As I stumbled towards the meeting place, bleary-eyed and longing for my pillow, I found, to [View Full Entry]

By Peace Corps Rich
March 14th 2006

6 MONTHS!

Africa » Morocco » Souss-Massa-Draâ » Ouarzazate

Got Indy beat here

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 [View Full Entry]

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