Summer and Wedding Season

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Disclaimer: These are my views and don't reflect those of the US Peace Corps.

This month by far the biggest news in my world is that Zach and his parents came to visit!! It was a rare glimpse for me at another side of Morocco, the tourist side. We stayed at some gorgeous hotels, that had air conditioning AND running hot water at all times AND regular toilets AND everything! I have been looking forward to their visit my entire service, in fact last summer it was one of the reasons I held out when times were tough. Being able to show off my skillzzz was fun for me. Like the day we took an 8 hour train from Fes to Marrakesh we bought first class tickets, something I have never experienced. I was excited to avoid being packed in a compartment with a bunch of people with stagnant, non air conditioned air bathed in sweat as per usual. We were all sprawled out and there was only one other person, a very high class Moroccan lady. I didn't want to do the whole dog and pony show of explaining why I know Arabic and my work and all that with her so I pretended not to know and enjoy my touristy lifestyle. After a few hours the AC stops and someone asks the conductor to turn it back on. It is only on for a little while before it turns off again. It is starting to get hot and I start to stew about all the things in arabic I am going to say to the guy if he comes by. It seems like hours, but finally he passes by again. I go out into the corridor and loudly chew him out, "Why are we going to buy first class tickets if we can't get AC?!" He replies, "There is one lady who is chilly, what am I suppose to do?" I direct towards the other compartments, "Your like the police of the train, you tell her to put on a jacket because it is easy for her to do that while we are all hot as hell!" The guy leaves and turns on the AC and I turn around and the women is behind me with the biggest grin on her face and says, "Bravo elik!!"

One of the highlights of the trip was going to the Gnawa Music Festival in Essaouira. We enjoyed native very danceable music, lounging on the beach, and partying with many other volunteers. Zach and I rode a camel in tandem along the water out to the dunes towards Jimi Hendrix's house. We went to this amazing restaurant Elizier's, the kind of talent that is exceptional and the ravioli was so good that I ordered it 2 nights in a row.

Zach and I left a bit early to go back to my sight for a Climate Change Vulnerability Workshop I facilitated back in my village. Zach took it with incredible stride; one day enjoying the rich luxuries of Marrakesh and the next going door to door with this super old toothless lady to gather people for the meeting haha! Zach is probably the tallest person they have ever seen. They blessed our "engagement" and kept insisting that we needed to have a Moroccan wedding. We didn't and instead enjoyed cooking and playing house together. For the 4th of July we had a water gun fight on my roof access and danced to some really good 60's music. It was in a word, perfect.

Since then I have been very busy doing ad hoc drip irrigation water flow and topographic surveys and other very technical matters I have had to teach myself. I enjoy it and just yesterday had a little teenage girl reading times and measurements for me so I record them. She helped me speak to land owners and make a map. She is super quick witted and I think the world of her.

Just got done with wedding season and it was insane!! One in my village and one of a friend of mine's from the city. Huge difference. Both two days straight, both crazy amounts of good tagines, but the one in my village a sat in the room with the bride for a long time or watched the old men dance with rifles. The city one there was a DJ and she made them play "Single Ladies" by Beyonce which we are both big fans of. I am the Shakira to her Beyonce. It was fun being a part of a Moroccan bridle party. In the morning we went to the hamam, got our hair done, she got her make up done, and then we picked out our dresses. I got a green "taksheeta" or gilded dress and she got 10 dresses of various colors, one was Bollywood inspired from one of our favorite movies.

I am still hammering away at trying to finish this proposal so I will end for now. I still find time to have fun though like this soccer game I went to last week. Everybody was singing and cheering all the way to the game. Even people on the roadside knew what was up! Pray or wish me luck!

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Photos

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This is the caravan on the way to a big soccer match out in the country. "Llay arbi, llay arbi llay arbi lah way way way way way way wah!"

Comments

[Big Jon]

Proud of You!
Hey Laurel!! So proud of you and what you are doing. Looks like you are having a great time! Continue to be safe and please let us know when you will be back so we can meet up sometime! Stay Safe!!!!