Officially a PCV

Okay, it has been requested so I am updating my blog-Jeff and Sarah’s mom.

I was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer and moved to my permanent site November 13th.

My new town is relatively close to Marrakech. The main stretch of town is about a mile long (not much bigger than Mary Wash) and there is one main street running in and out of the town. The buildings on the side of town with the Dar Chebab were all built after 1998. They are beautiful buildings. The Dar Chebab is smaller than the one at my CBT (Community Based Training) site but has a much nicer soccer field and it is much newer. I have a fairly active Dar Chebab, there is a woman who teaches a class for women every day to teach literacy in Arabic. The languages here are spoken languages (Moroccan Arabic and the Berber dialects) but anything written is in modern Standard Arabic. So in addition to not knowing the script these women are also learning a different language. There is also a music club. Every afternoon there is a large group of boys who come the Dar Chebab to play soccer. I have been tutoring English to random groups that come in and this week I am starting to officially teach classes at the Dar Chebab. I am very nervous.

My new host family is wonderful. There are three girls 13, 15, and 17 who all speak English pretty well which helps a lot. Our house is a lot like an ancient Roman Villa. It has an open courtyard in the middle with 2 olive trees and an orange tree. I have made friends with a women who lives across the street from my host family-in part because she is a great cook! Not really but she has made me pizza and she makes the best cookies.

A Thanksgiving without turkey, mashed potatoes, my grandfather’s famous salad, green bean casserole, or family, which really reminded me where I am and made me miss home. Now it’s December and it is weird, I haven't seen a single commercial or seen Christmas lights, or heard Christmas music anywhere.

I experienced my first Moroccan L3id Kabir. The holiday began the Saturday after Thanksgiving and lasted 5 days. The holiday remembers the act of Abraham when he offers Isaac for a sacrifice but at the last second God switches Isaac with a sheep. Here every family gets a sheep and it is sacrificed on the roof of their home. The day before I saw a man riding with a sheep on his motorbike, I really wish I had my camera then because it was quite a site.

I still can't belive I'm in Morocco!

One Month In

The first thing about the Cyber Cafe...the keyboard is in French. After figuring out how to change the keyboard to an American keyboard life has been so much better. A boy in my group left after the first and now we are down to four PCT (Peace Corps Trainees) in my CBT group.

Lots of things are happening here. I can now speak entire sentances in Arabic, I can successfully buy things from the stores, I mae bread from scratch, I learned how to peel potatos with a knife (which is a skill). All the small things I do feel like huge accomplishments. Just being able to wash my clothes is a big deal. I have been washing my own clothes since I was 13 but here washing your clothes is a skill. The women here have this awesome ablility to hand wash clothes and get them cleaner than my washing machine at home ever did.

They don't form lines at hanuts (stores) here. The hanut owner waits on you based on how well you are friends with him. I go to the same hanut every morning for bread for our lunch and breaks and now I am one of the ones who gets waited on first even if there were other people there first. :) We have a converstation every morning in darija(moroccan arabic) and he gives me the price VERY slowly in rubals which I then have to convert to durhams in my head. I am getting pretty good at it. But he is very patient and is helping me learn.

I love my host family. Last Sunday they told me that when I first came here all I could say was "hello, how are you, I'm fine, my name is Rachael" and now I can understand them when they talk to me and I can speak in full sentances (granted I only know the past tense but it's a start).

The food here is amazing! So much fresh fruit..a little too much bread. My host family has a garden with peppers, tomatoes, mint and sheba (for tea), olives (I didn't like olives in the states but here I love the plain green olives), and cucumbers.

In Morocco

I am finally in Morocco. I spent a week for an orientation with all 63 people in my training group. It consisted of a few shots and lots of paperwork. I am now at my CBT (Community Based Training) site in the mountains of Morocco. It is such a beautiful view. The 4 other people in my CBT group are a lot of fun and it should be a good 2 months here. I have learned a lot of Arabic in the past two weeks. It is very intense with Arabic classes for at least 5 hours a day. My host family is awesome. The two daughters teach English and have been a great help in learning Arabic. The first day with the family was overwhelming with a lot of Arabic spoken to me at once. I am finally starting to understand what they are saying to me--hand motions help a lot along with pointing to things. Learning to use a Turkish toliet was definitely an experience. Now I'm off to dinner with my host family.

Staging in Philly

I am sitting here at the Staging hotel for Peace Corps Morocco, feeling much better about my decision to join the Peace Corps. There are 63 in my training class of Youth Development and Business Development Volunteers, and everyone is excited and nervous. After hearing everyone here had the same concerns/anxieties it definitely helped. Knowing that we are all going in knowing very little Arabic and having no idea if we will be able to wear the clothes we packed. Tomorrow will be a busy day of shuttles and the plane ride to Morocco. It is amazing that I will be in Morocco in a little under 30 hours.

The Process

Why did I join the Peace Corps? I don't even remember the reason anymore. I have always liked helping people and traveling. The Peace Corps seemed like the perfect way to combine the two. I kept reading articles about Mary Washington alumni joining the Peace Corps and I knew that that is what I wanted to do. I had a lot of support from the faculty at Mary Wash, my boss, and my family who encouraged me through the process. Two years is a long time, and it is the main reason that deters people from joining. However, it is a once in a lifetime experience and two years is not really that long. I spent four years in college and it seems like a blur now.

My Peace Corps Time Line:
The whole process was exhausting, full of anticipation, waiting, and lots of forms. Overall it was the most lengthy, time-consuming "job application" that I have ever endured. In the end it was worth it...well I hope since I don't leave for a week. It has been over a year since I started this process:

July 21st 2008:
Submitted Peace Corps Application.

July 31st 2008:
Received an e-mail from my recruiter.

September 2008:
After a lot of phone tag with my recruiter I FINALLY had my interview. After a lengthy, two hour phone interview I was nominated. She told me I had been nominated for the Caucus Region of Eastern Europe (including countries such as Azerbaijan and Armenia). I was stocked!

Then I received my medical paperwork and began making doctors appointments-doctor, dentist, and eye doctor.

January 2009:
Finished all the doctors appointments and mailed in my medical paperwork.

February 14, 2009: Dentally Cleared!

March 2009: Medical Clearance!!

April 2009: A placement officer called. I had officially been offered and invitation to serve in the Peace Corps, however she did not tell me where I was going, I had to wait for the mail. 5 days later it came! A huge envelope. In it my invitation to serve as a Youth Development Volunteer in Morocco!
--Morocco, I was so surprised since I had been nominated for another region entirely. However, I was ecstatic with the news.

April 23, 2009: I accepted my invitation for Peace Corps Morocco.

And you that that was all?? Once you accept your invitation there is much more to do.
-Fill out a Government Passport application (which is different than a personal passport) and take new passport photos.
-Then send in an aspiration and motivation statement. I thought the essays were over after the application, apparently not.
-Send in a resume and my transcripts.
-Every so often the Morocco Country desk will send an e-mail with a questionnaire. It is to help them with placing you with a family and the structure of training.

August 2009: Recieved the information about staging. I finally knew where the first leg of the journey was. I will be going to Philadelphia, PA September 8th then on the 9th we will be bussed to JFK and will fly out that night.

Sending Mail/E-mail

Here is what the Peace Corps writes about communicating with Peace Corps Volunteers:

Mail:

It normally takes 10 to 12 days for an airmail letter to arrive from the United States. Surface mail takes from one to four months. Mail that goes through the Moroccan post office is subject to customs inspection, censorship, and currency control. Mail delivery is sporadic. Also, do not send cash through the mail, as it will seldom reach me. Please check the U.S. Post Service website at www.usps.com for the latest updates on how best to send your letter or package. Currently, the USPS recommends air Parcel Post (not surface mail) for packages, or airmail for letters.

Packages should be sent in brown padded envelopes. Make sure they have the green customs label and are marked as gifts, which should prevent the imposition of fees. However, packages can not be sent during training, it is best to wait until volunteers have a permanent address. My training ends in November so I should have a permanent address I will post then.

E-mail:

Volunteers, typically, are able to access e-mail and the Internet at cybercafes. Most Volunteers do not have a cyber café at their site, but most are within a few hours’ travel from one. I should have internet pretty close to my site. Youth Development Volunteers often are placed in larger cities which have more internet capabilities.

In short, don't be worried if I don't respond right away. I am not sure how often I will have internet or how long it will take for mail to reach me, so be patient. Thanks!

My First Blog

So, this is my first blog. I promised everyone I would create a blog to detail my adventures in the Peace Corps, so here it is. I can't believe leave in less than two weeks. It was a over a year ago I put in my application for the Peace Corps, then there was the interview, the medical and dental forms, and finally my invitation to the Peace Corps which arrived in April. It has been such a long process. I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I finally bought some luggage, who knows if it will be the best type of luggage, but you live and learn right?

I have kept myself busy this summer visiting all my friends and family who I will not see during my time in the Peace Corps. It has been a great summer full of wonderful adventures in the US before I head over seas. I spent a week with my aunt in Waco, Texas. We went to Austin and San Antonio. Then I spent a week with my grandparents in NJ. My grandmother took my mom, aunt and I to NYC where we spent the night in Times Square and saw Lion King on Broadway! I also went on a two week road trip. We went to Chicago, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, Salt Lake City, Denver, and St. Louis. It was a trip I will not soon forget.