This is going to be a quick post but thought I would update you and then next time I will send a thoughtful post in the next week. I am currently trying to survive Ramadan and it is surprisingly not as hard as I thought it would be. I had a lot of anxiety about Ramadan before it came because I was told there would be a lot of people trying to get me to become a Muslim. But, this is not the case and it is actually a spiritual experience. Two different times I have found myself getting stuck in Smimou because it is time to break fast and so there are not any taxis at this time. Anyways, twice I have broken fast with my favorite store owner and he gives me soup and dates and a pop all for free. Breaking fast with this guy has given me some of my favorite times here in Morocco.
I need to go but I will be back soon. I love you all. I am doing good though and starting to appreciate this experience.
Love Emmy
Friday, September 19, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Six Month Synopsis
I just need to start this blog by bragging at my skills to conserve water. I just got done making lunch and first I had to wash dishes to have the ability to boil my noodles. I used my rinse water as the boiling water for my noodles, then I saved that water for rinse water again, and then I took that rinse water and put it in the back of my toilet for flushing later, that one liter of water got used four different times. In America this would never happen, and honestly the only reason I am so efficient with my water is because I have to haul it myself, and it sucks.
My agenda for this blog is that I wanted to do a six month recap on my time here in Morocco. Can you believe I have already been here for six months. Time is weird here the days go by so slow but then when I look back on it I don't feel like I have been here this long. I am hoping that the days start going by a little faster because I have to entertain myself for most of the day. In America my life was planned for me I woke up and went to school, then went to work, and anytime leftover was spent with my friends. I dreamed to have days where nothing was going on and I could just watch CSI all day long. Now my dream has been granted and I now yearn for a job that forces me to work seventy hours a week. It is a burden to have so much time on your hands. I have been studying for the foreign service exam, playing my guitar, reading lots of books, and watching movies. I am going to start working on my resume next week, so right when I am done with the Peace Corps I can get myself that seventy hour a week job.
Back to the agenda, I left Bemidji, MN on February 29th, it was leap day. I think that was officially the scariest day of my life, I cried a lot. I had three days of training in Philly which was so intimidating. The only thing I really remember is learning that two-thirds of the Peace Corps goals is cultural exchange. This bummed me out because who cares about culture exchange but now looking back I remember that part of the reason that I wanted to live in another country for two years is to truly understand another culture. All I can remember from Philly is eating a lot of cheese steaks and I kept thinking what the hell have I got myself into?!?!
Then I started training in Ouarzazate where I spent a whole bunch of time sitting in a classroom and doing skits. I hate skits because not very many people are good at them. I did enjoy this time making some of the greatest friends I will ever have. Training was the time I call “waiting...anticipating...” Actually, all of Peace Corps so far has been a process of patience and flexibility. I waited months for my application to go through, then I waited for my country and departure time all while living with my parents and working at a gas station. Then I got to training and everyday was a waiting day. First we waited to know which language we would be speaking, of course everyone wanted Arabic and most of us did not get that. Then we waited for months to find out where was our site going to be? I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to be placed in Essaouira, you sill all understand why when you come and visit me. Then we got to our sites and we were waiting to get out of home stay, which couldn't have gone any slower. Now I live in my own place and I still wait for the next fun weekend with my friends to come or the next time I actually have work to do. I have heard that life in site is pretty slow until March then projects begin to take off.
In these past six months in country I have learned a lot. I have learned how to get around this country where transportation is not reliable. I have learned how to use a Turkish toilet and when necessary, yes I do use my hand to wipe, it really isn't that bad. I have learned the true art of taking deep breaths and just being patient for hours on end. I have never really been forced to be patient, in America everything is given to you when you want it. I wait for hours for taxi's, food, and sleep. I have learned how to live with things that I would not tolerate in America, such as unwashed sheets in hotel rooms and bedbugs. My host family had bedbugs that I could not get rid of and now live with me at my new house, but I have moved on and try not to itch.
When you don't know the language very well you have a lot of time to observe. Through my observations I have found that Moroccan culture is very different from American culture. Women here do all of the hard labor and men do a lot of sitting. I haul my water and never has a man offered to help me carry my water, but I have had girls help me. One day I tipped over my wheel barrow that was full all my water jugs went flying, all the men sat and yelled at the women to help me, I am now better at maneuvering a wheel barrow. Moroccans also really like to say you know nothing “or tsint walloo” this is the most evil saying on the planet. It happens to all of us volunteers and is a saying that we would never say, not even to an Indian telemarketer. But, I am growing a thicker skin. Moroccan people are great people and I am appreciative that they are allowing me into their lives for two years. I am especially appreciative of my host family, because they allow me an intimate view and understand what a Moroccan household is like. They are real around me and don't hide who they are.
There are days that I hate it here and there are days that I love it here. I am on a roller coaster of emotions constantly. Within a day I can feel completely different but I know that I am here for a reason. If anything I will be a more patient person when I get home. I have been to seventeen countries and Morocco has challenged me more than any of the other sixteen. But, there is something to be said for toughing it out and seeing what you are made of. I can do this for two years but not a day longer. My goal for the rest of my time spent here in Morocco is to be as good at guitar as Eric Clapton, travel all over this country, survive, and most of all learn everything there is to know about Moroccan people.
I love you all
Emmy
My agenda for this blog is that I wanted to do a six month recap on my time here in Morocco. Can you believe I have already been here for six months. Time is weird here the days go by so slow but then when I look back on it I don't feel like I have been here this long. I am hoping that the days start going by a little faster because I have to entertain myself for most of the day. In America my life was planned for me I woke up and went to school, then went to work, and anytime leftover was spent with my friends. I dreamed to have days where nothing was going on and I could just watch CSI all day long. Now my dream has been granted and I now yearn for a job that forces me to work seventy hours a week. It is a burden to have so much time on your hands. I have been studying for the foreign service exam, playing my guitar, reading lots of books, and watching movies. I am going to start working on my resume next week, so right when I am done with the Peace Corps I can get myself that seventy hour a week job.
Back to the agenda, I left Bemidji, MN on February 29th, it was leap day. I think that was officially the scariest day of my life, I cried a lot. I had three days of training in Philly which was so intimidating. The only thing I really remember is learning that two-thirds of the Peace Corps goals is cultural exchange. This bummed me out because who cares about culture exchange but now looking back I remember that part of the reason that I wanted to live in another country for two years is to truly understand another culture. All I can remember from Philly is eating a lot of cheese steaks and I kept thinking what the hell have I got myself into?!?!
Then I started training in Ouarzazate where I spent a whole bunch of time sitting in a classroom and doing skits. I hate skits because not very many people are good at them. I did enjoy this time making some of the greatest friends I will ever have. Training was the time I call “waiting...anticipating...” Actually, all of Peace Corps so far has been a process of patience and flexibility. I waited months for my application to go through, then I waited for my country and departure time all while living with my parents and working at a gas station. Then I got to training and everyday was a waiting day. First we waited to know which language we would be speaking, of course everyone wanted Arabic and most of us did not get that. Then we waited for months to find out where was our site going to be? I still can't believe that I was lucky enough to be placed in Essaouira, you sill all understand why when you come and visit me. Then we got to our sites and we were waiting to get out of home stay, which couldn't have gone any slower. Now I live in my own place and I still wait for the next fun weekend with my friends to come or the next time I actually have work to do. I have heard that life in site is pretty slow until March then projects begin to take off.
In these past six months in country I have learned a lot. I have learned how to get around this country where transportation is not reliable. I have learned how to use a Turkish toilet and when necessary, yes I do use my hand to wipe, it really isn't that bad. I have learned the true art of taking deep breaths and just being patient for hours on end. I have never really been forced to be patient, in America everything is given to you when you want it. I wait for hours for taxi's, food, and sleep. I have learned how to live with things that I would not tolerate in America, such as unwashed sheets in hotel rooms and bedbugs. My host family had bedbugs that I could not get rid of and now live with me at my new house, but I have moved on and try not to itch.
When you don't know the language very well you have a lot of time to observe. Through my observations I have found that Moroccan culture is very different from American culture. Women here do all of the hard labor and men do a lot of sitting. I haul my water and never has a man offered to help me carry my water, but I have had girls help me. One day I tipped over my wheel barrow that was full all my water jugs went flying, all the men sat and yelled at the women to help me, I am now better at maneuvering a wheel barrow. Moroccans also really like to say you know nothing “or tsint walloo” this is the most evil saying on the planet. It happens to all of us volunteers and is a saying that we would never say, not even to an Indian telemarketer. But, I am growing a thicker skin. Moroccan people are great people and I am appreciative that they are allowing me into their lives for two years. I am especially appreciative of my host family, because they allow me an intimate view and understand what a Moroccan household is like. They are real around me and don't hide who they are.
There are days that I hate it here and there are days that I love it here. I am on a roller coaster of emotions constantly. Within a day I can feel completely different but I know that I am here for a reason. If anything I will be a more patient person when I get home. I have been to seventeen countries and Morocco has challenged me more than any of the other sixteen. But, there is something to be said for toughing it out and seeing what you are made of. I can do this for two years but not a day longer. My goal for the rest of my time spent here in Morocco is to be as good at guitar as Eric Clapton, travel all over this country, survive, and most of all learn everything there is to know about Moroccan people.
I love you all
Emmy
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