Advertisement
Published: January 5th 2006
Most experiences have their ups and downs. Morocco (especially Ouaouizarth) has mountains and valleys. My last two blogs were kind of depressing because, frankly, I was a little down. As I've probably told many of you, most of my favorite albums are the ones I hated the first time I listened to them. The more you listen, though, the more you hear, and sometimes you have to listen to something at the right time or after the right experience before it means something to you. Living in a new home, particularly an economically depressed one, can be pretty hard, especially if it's a long way from all your old homes. It's like breaking in a new pair of shoes that seem too small, or, in this case, trying to fill some olds ones that seem too worn out. You have to walk pretty far before your feet get used to the texture and padding and those shoes become YOURS. Ouaouizarth is not mine and it never will be, but it is starting to fit a little more comfortably.
I've spent a lot of dirhams sitting in internet cafes writing about the pace of life here and how hard it is
to adapt to it after ingesting 24 years worth of American culture, but as it turns out a little patience goes a long way. After a long month of getting the word out I am happy to announce that I have now had a full week of succesfull English classes and then some! Last Tuesday my first 5 students showed up for the Beginner class. Although 5 doesn't seem like a lot I'm willing to take small victories wherever I can. Thursday's Intermediate class produced 10 students and Friday's Advanced Class brought me 5 more. Last night 3 more showed up for the Beginner class and a man I met in the café has promised to start sending his two daughters (my first female students!). Although the Dar Chebab is still primarily a hangout for boys jamming on drums, violins, and guitars (with the amp turned all the way up) it seems that the word is spreading. The "bonjour's" I used to receive walking around town are slowing being replaced by "salam's" as people start to figure out that I am not a French tourist but, in fact, an Arabic-speaking American. Some kids who I haven't met yet even know
my name!
Tides changes slowly and only by great force, but they DO change.
In other news, the holidays scored a 10 out of 10. As weird and sad as it was to be away from old friends and family at this time of year, I have had few experiences as memorable as the ones I found last week. For Christmas I traveled a long, loooooong, way to a little village high up in the mountains where other volunteers were gathered to celebrate. We cooked a huge Christmas feast and even had some local neighbors over to help us finish all the food. We stayed up late into the night playing games and singing Christmas songs and capped it all off with a Yankee swap of gifts that we had all brought. The 3 foot long ram horns that I picked up in souk turned out to be a big hit and the proud winner promised me that he would mount them on his car when he finishes service and returns to the states in a few months 😊 New Years was equally exciting as my friends Brahim and Hicham kidnapped me and brought me to one of
their friend's house where the festivities were already in full swing. A long night (at least 7 hours) of dancing, singing, playing music, and eating tagine rang in the New Year with an exciting tune.
Invigorated by these simple pleasures I'm turning to my work and my language studies with a new found zeal. The prospect of moving into my own house (at last!) has me on the edge of my seat too, and the upcoming l3id kbir, the biggest Muslim feast day of the year, promises to create even more happy memories. This isn't perfect (I really want a bacon-cheeseburger and a beer) but the more times I spin the record and the more kilometers I walk, the more this place starts to feel like my new old home.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.099s; Tpl: 0.02s; cc: 11; qc: 63; dbt: 0.054s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Dave Steadman
non-member comment
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Rich! Sounds like 2006 is going to be good to you. Keep it up!