Here We Go!

Am now officially at site and where I will be living and working for the next two years.
Well kinda....I will be with a host family for the next two months mostly continuing to
focus on the language but I will also be looking for a house to rent. I've already found a
place thats pretty sweet. Found a house with a few acres thats out in the bled (country)
a bit about 10km from Jerada and 6km from the Office of Environment where I will be
mostly working out of. Come visit!

While it was sad to say goodbye to all the volunteers and friends I've made in the last 3
months, I'm also excited to be out on my own and am welcoming the opportunity to be
settled for a change. Looking back on my recent life, I've never been in one place for
longer than 6 months since college so to be stable (so to speak) for two years will be a
little different. Am looking forward to settling in.

The swearing in ceremony went really well. The Ambassador couldn't make it so the
deputy Ambassador was there instead. It was held at a really nice fancy hotel (kind of a
tease) and there was quite a large buffet table. The idea of a line (especially when it
comes to food) hasn't really caught on here in Morocco so you really had to be assertive
in order to get any of the good food. After 20 minutes of patiently waiting in line, I
realized that all the Moroccans plates were overflowing with food while I was still waiting
in line and my plate contained a few meager pieces of bread and fruit. Thats when I
said “screw it” and knocked grandma out of the way and rushed the buffet line with
elbows swinging. Just kidding of course......well kinda:)

That was a good lesson for a few days later when we were trying to get off of a packed
train in Rabat while carrying a huge backpack and another large bag. At one point I
really didn't think we would make it off. But I just put my head down and charged blindly
ahead towards the exit while apologizing profusely and ignoring the curses that trailed
behind me that I couldn't understand anyway. After a few minutes of climbing over and
stepping on people's luggage and smashing a few faces against the window I finally
found myself stepping off the train just as it began to pull away. In that particular
instance I don't think I was very successful in the goal of improving Moroccans image of
Americans. What could I do?

Looking back on CBT (community based training) I think the highlight was the
impromptu lesson I gave on chainsaw maintenance/repair. My host family runs the
hammam (community bathhouse) so my uncle's job is to cut firewood. One day I was
looking at my uncle's chainsaw and realized it was quite dirty. I began taking it apart
and cleaning and oiling it and then when I started it I realized that the idle was up all the
way and the chain was constantly spinning. Needless to say, it was quite dangerous
and If my uncle happened to fall on the chainsaw he would cut himself in half. Anyway,
I was able to adjust the idle so that it didn't do that. At one point during all of this I
became quite nervous when I looked up at the 7 grown Moroccan men who were all
crowded around staring at me with a look of confused shock. I think they were amazed
that I was actually able to accomplish something other than wander around their village
with a notebook while speaking like a child.

So Jerada is where I will be spending the next two years of my life. Jerada is a medium sized city located 65km south of Oujda in the far reaches of NE Morocco. Its only a few hours from the Mediterranean and just a hop, skip, and a jump from Algeria. Unfortunately Algeria and Morocco haven’t been getting along lately and the border is currently closed. Oujda is a large city (around 1 million people) and has all the comforts that go along with a large population center. Jerada has around 50,000 people and I should be able to get most of what I need there without traveling to Oujda. Jerada seems to be a focus of the Moroccan Government for development. Recently construction includes an environmental education center, an artisana (small crafts center), and a new central plaza. Supposedly the King will be in town in June to bless all of these things. I’m pretty sure he’ll also be blessing me.

The area closely resembles the American Southwest or the high desert of Central Oregon. Pine forests abound and there is lots of beautiful places to bike/hike and explore. The Department of Forest and Environment that I will be working with actively manages a pine forest where both logging and goat herding take place. There is a problem of wildfires starting from the herders cooking fires so I may be involved in helping with fire management. There is a pretty sweet yellow Landrover fire truck.

Swearing in takes place on Monday. While I’m definitely looking forward to heading out on my own, being settled and starting work, it will also be a bit sad to say goodbye to folks. Fortunately In Jerada there are two current Peace Corps volunteers. One is a Youth Development volunteer and one is Small Business Development. They will both be great to collaborate with on future projects. Another volunteer will be placed in a town about about 20km that is famous for these cafes where the tables are set up in the river water. Supposed to be pretty good swimming. Hmmm.......may be spending a bit of time there?

Just finished up my final language test. While I’m good enough to be sworn in as a volunteer, I will be the first to admit that there’s room for improvement. The other day I thought I was asking a gentleman in my community if he would like a cookie. Instead what I really asked him was, “would you like to party?” He seemed genuinely surprised, confused, and maybe a little intrigued? Fortunately that was the day we left town. When I arrive in Jerada, I will spend the first 2 months living with a host family where I can really focus on becoming a fluent Darija speaker.