Peace Corps Rich

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 Morocco. There are towering peaks of clay and sandstone, ancient Berber mud mansions that house entire extended families (called igrams), groves of olive, apple, and walnut trees, and trains of mules and donkeys carrying the loads of ... read more

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 be unable to pay to go to camp, and the ministry covers all the costs, including transportation! It’s a great chance for a lot of these kids, many of whom have never been more than a few dozen kilometers ... read more

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 energized and busy or else we become reclusive and morose, missing out on the best parts of life. Peace Corps Volunteers in particular need to reach out to the people in our communities, not only ... read more

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, theatre, music, journalism, science, and more. There’s also fun nighttime activities like dance parties and talent shows which help to round out the camp experience. Having worked for several years at camps back home, this is one of ... read more

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 ... read more