Catchup

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I have been in a whirlwind the past week or so, which was sorely needed after sitting around my site for too long. The short and sweet of it is:

Tuesday, June 6
I met with some other volunteers in Marrakech to attend the official opening of the American library with Karen Hughes, Under-Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy.

Friday, June 9
I went with Bart and Brian who I was in Pre-Service Training with to our training town Sefrou, which is north of me close to Fes. We visited our host families and attended the yearly cherry festival which was going on all weekend. It was wonderful for me to see my host family there and so much fun to be able to communicate with them this time. They were very impressed with how much my Arabic has improved in the past six months. The festival itself was a lot like festivals in the States. There was a large market area selling fair sorts of things, plus the crowning of the Cherry Queen who was paraded around town followed by all sorts of floats, most of which were pulled by tractors.

Monday, June 12
I went to Agadir (my first time on the Moroccan coast!) for In-Service Training. All the Youth Development and Small Business volunteers who arrived last September were back together again. Most of them I hadn’t seen since we swore in back in November. It was great to be back together and to be in a nice hotel on the beach, though we were in sessions working from 8am until almost 7pm every day. The first two days our “counterpart” (which is sometimes more like a supervisor than a co-worker) was with us in sessions as we talked about our work together and plans for future projects and work development. It was exhausting, but productive.

Saturday, June 17
I went with a few other volunteers north along the coast a bit to Essouira. It was kind of on the way home. The road from Marrakech to Agadir is beautiful, but I was very happy to break the travel into two days and take a night to relax in Essouira and see the beach just a little more. We ate fresh fish on the pier at night - I had red snapper and shrimp. I loved the cooler weather on the coast, but made it back to my site on Sunday with enough time to clean up the kitchen that my cat had trashed before I collapsed from exhaustion and got to sleep in my own bed. Coming home wasn’t exactly easy for me (i.e. leaving the other volunteers) but my downstairs neighbor reminded me that their home is my home and I am not alone here. Only 18 more months.

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Photos

Karen Hughes, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy
with a group of humble Peace Corps Volunteers. HOw did I get lucky enough to be invited to the official opening of the American Library in Marrakech?

The Declaration of Liberty
I assume I am not the only one who has never before see the Declaration in Arabic. If you come to Marrakech I will be more than happy to take you to see it up close and in person.

Giant Cherry
Only in Sefrou, and only once a year.

Anonymous PCVs Working Hard
Sorry, no photos of us actually working at In-Service Training, but I couldn't resist getting some pics of our break time by the hotel pool.

Birthday Cake
Thank you Mom for sending colored frosting in squeeze tubes. If only I knew how to decorate a cake so it didn't look like a 5 year old did it. We had four on the same day of training, and added the ones from the previous week to the celebration.

On to Essouira
My feet first touched the Atlantic in Agadir, but I had more time to enjoy the beach in Essouira.

Camels on the Beach
I got cajoled into a tourist ride by another volunteer who had never been on a camel. Anywhere there are tourists, there are camels.

Awkward Beasts
I always think I am going to fall off every time the camel stands up or kneels down; they pitch forward so violently.