A Peace Corps Day Off

Feeling the need to get out of town for at least a few hours, Mal and I planned a trip further into the Atlas foothills accompanied by our friend and tutor, Sukaina.  We met up mid-morning and caught a transit bus that we thought would take us to our final destination.  However, the driver stopped at the "dinosaur tracks" area just beyond the stone archway at Imi-n-Ifri, assuming that all non-Moroccan passengers must be on board for one of these two particular tourist attractions.  

Imi-n-Ifri

Dinosaur Tracks

Well, we'd already seen Imi-n-Ifri and the dinosaur tracks, so we began walking further up the road hoping that another transit bus would come our way.  Instead, a big rig driver stopped and offered us a ride, and we spent the next hour-and-a-half crawling along at about 15 mph, holding our breath at each hairpin turn.  We eventually reached a countryside very much resembling a region of China that a good photographer friend of mine photographed extensively.  Clouds hung from the steep cliff-faces, and terraced farmland that could easily have been rice paddies rose high on the hills.

There was actually a cute little hotel at our final destination of Tizi-n-Oubadou, and the proprietor served us Moroccan mint tea, omelets and hubz (bread).  The hotel rates are about $10 per night, so Mal and I definitely see ourselves returning when temperatures again soar into the 100's and remain there for the entire months of July and August.

Typical, fabulous Moroccan tilework

We're home now, relaxing and searching Netflix for a movie to watch before our workweek begins again tomorrow.

We've begun entertaining in our new home.  My wonderful host mom, Haja, seasoned the tajine pot I purchased so that it's ready to serve as my clay oven.

Haja, with the honorary title of "best cook in Morocco", prepared the first tajine in our home during our regional manager's visit.  Haja was once the cook for all Peace Corps events in Morocco, although she currently caters weddings and similar events.  The meal she prepared was tastier than any wedding fare I've ever sampled.  Haja has been traveling a lot since we got our own place, and we miss her.

Our second entertainment event was somewhat less successful, i.e. I did the cooking.  I probably should have experimented a bit with the tajine before hosting a gathering, but even still, it was wonderful to be able to entertain a family who's been such a help to us in integrating into our community.  Soukaina, one of the daughters, tutors both Mal and me in darija and also serves as our interpreter and go-between with the local and area-wide police force.

Badr, pictured here with his beautiful wife, was instrumental in securing our incredible apartment.  He is the best bargainer in our entire town, and besides talking the landlord down to a rent that falls within the Peace Corps budget, he negotiated a great price on our punj seating arrangement.

Speaking of great food, Mal took me to a nearby restaurant/hotel for Mother's Day, and we enjoyed an incredible view as we dined on traditional Moroccan cuisine. 

 The hotel was tastefully decorated both inside and out and sported a rose garden and other beautiful landscaping, as well as Moroccan artwork and ancient treasures within.

Speaking of great food, my second attempt at tajine is ready for taste testing - thankfully only Mal and me this time.  Bismillah!

Oh, my, that was good!

Today I find myself with a glorious, easy afternoon, the first in many days since arrival at our site.  I’ve been waiting for the WiFi folks, who haven’t shown for the third day in a row, but it’s given me the opportunity to catch up on laundry, menu planning and blogging (update: Maroc Telecom did show today and we now have WiFi!!!).  But the good news is: we are in our new home at last!  We occupy the top floor and have exclusive use of the roof, which gives us some privacy while we take in a little sun.

My favorite thing about the place is the 360 degree view from the rooftop!  We can see the entire city and surrounding foothills, and even the lights of Marrakesh at night!  Star gazing has become a favorite activity.

We finally have a table and punj (traditional Moroccan seating), and once I get my tajine pot and typical Moroccan spices, we’ll be ready to cook and entertain all of the lovely people who’ve been so kind to us.  Purchasing nearly all of our food and supplies at the local suk (market) or hanoot (store) has challenged my darija ability, but between speaking Daringlish (kind of like Spanglish) and lots of miming, we’re getting by.

I never thought I’d be so happy to take charge of my own laundry again, even if the machine we purchased is only semi-automatic and requires a lot of hand-rinsing.

Mal had a local welder build me a “throne”, so I can now call myself “Queen Latifa” (Latifa being my Moroccan name).  This contraption has made use of the Turk toilet more American-style, and my knees are very thankful!

Activities are going well at our dar chebab (house of youth).  We are teaching English to a local Scout group and may have as many as 120 boys and girls in attendance at any one time.  We also teach smaller, beginner level English classes and provide tutoring to students studying for final English exams next month. 

Since soccer (called “football” everywhere else in the word) is the predominant sport in Morocco, as an alternative, Mal has begun a “hand sports” group that is currently perfecting the game of “Frisbee golf”.  I wasn’t aware of Mal’s expert status in the sport of Frisbee!  His ability to fling a Frisbee from one soccer goal into the goal at the opposite end of the field has attracted the attention of many a young man, and Frisbee has quickly become a sport that the kids want to master.

Until next time…!  Enshala!

Spring break week at camp concluded with a great hike to the accompaniment of cultural drumming and typical camp cheers.  I just fell in love with these kids, who wanted to take turns holding "Latifa's" hand as we made our way to the top of the trail.

 

Everybody dance now!

...and sing

Camp concluded with incredibly cultural closing ceremonies.  Counselors and campers alike are extremely talented!  Now we are in the process of meeting more kids and starting up English classes.  Once again, enshala.

It’s been an eventful week in the life of this new Peace Corps volunteer.  Yes, it’s official.  We were sworn in on April 1^st by the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco, Dwight Bush.  There were 95 of us, and many donned colorful jalabas and kaftans for the formal service.  A reception followed, with a delectable array of Moroccan finger food.  Afterward, many of the new mutatatw3iin found their way to a nearby Irish pub to continue the celebration.

The following day, we exchanged tearful goodbyes and well-wishes and departed for our new site assignments.  Mal and I arrived in Marrakesh in time to catch the suq bus to our site, arriving just before sunset.  We had one day to begin settling in before spending another full day travelling to Beni Mella, where our luggage was mistakenly shipped.  And then it was Easter, so we headed back to Marrakesh to attend Mass.  The Holy Martyrs Cathedral is beautiful, and it was a delight to once again experience a Catholic church with standing room only on this wonderful holy day.  Also, I truly felt like I was in Africa as the choir inspired the congregation to dance in the aisles!

But, phew, I don’t think I’ll be getting back in a taxi, bus or train anytime in the very near future. 

This week, all students in Morocco are on spring break, so Mal and I are spending time at the ḍar šabab observing day camp activities.  I’m really impressed by the energy and enthusiasm of kids and counselors alike, as well as the range of activities available for the choosing: drama, dance, music and games.

We’ve had a lot of “settling in” work to do in town, and the good news is, I believe we’ve found an apartment that will work for us.  As wonderful and hospitable as our host families have been, we’re soooo looking forward to once again having our own space.  It’s a two bedroom unit, so we’ll have a guest room for any and all visitors!  Enšala.