Sunday, October 2, 2011

Surviving Ramadan and a site change

I know it’s been a while since my last entry, part of which was due to limited internet access, being surprisingly busy, AND being too lazy to write about my life. That said, let me give you all a brief summary of my life these past 2 months.
            Ramadan….it came, it past, and I survived. Not much happened during the month of August. I spent my days watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I heart Spike), working out, reading, and chatting with other PCV’s on the phone (thank god for the phone plan). Boredom throughout the daytime really set in within the first week. I noticed that I was going slightly crazy one day when I was sitting on my roof and staring at the sheep. In the distance I noticed a large white tent. (For those of you that don’t know, I am located in the Ouarzazate province, home of a large movie studio. Here movies such as Gladiator, Prince of Persia, and Sex and the City 2 were filmed). I watched the tent and started wondering if maybe, just maybe, James Franco was filming his next movie in my little village. He would then discover that a Peace Corps Volunteer lived nearby and knock on my door. He would look past the fact that I haven’t showered in days and dress like a homeless person, and we would instantly fall in love. Suddenly I thought “What am I, 12 years old sitting in the back of my Magrande’s truck with my cousins and truly believing that it is Jonathan Taylor Thomas driving behind us?” I immediately went inside and called a friend for moral support. Turns out I’m not the only one with a crazy imagination. I suppose that’s what happens when you are the only English speaker in a village of 400 people.
As the night started to fall during Ramadan, I would walk around and in no time, I would get an invite from somebody in my village to break fast. Initially I was worried about breaking fast, as I was getting tired of the typical Moroccan dishes served to me during home stay. However, I was pleasantly surprised when instead of being served tagine and cous cous, there would be an array of deliciousness such as fresh figs, dates, soup, pastries, etc. I was also surprised to find myself enjoying spending time with people in my village, especially my host family. I was able to practice my language (which continues to be atrocious) and often get laughed at when I would sit around not knowing what the hell was going on. This was, in a nut shell, my life in August….
Now we move to September, which was a very busy and somewhat stressful month. I will make this very long and complicated story short: The closest volunteer to me had an incident which involved a site change. Because I have to travel through her site all the time to get to Tamalkout, Peace Corps decided that for safety precautions, I too needed a site change. Three weeks went by and we both moved to another site (still in the Ouarzazate region) called Tidili. I now have 3 AMAZING site mates and after all the confusion and stress, I feel very content with my move. Not only is my new site absolutely gorgeous, there is a lot of work to be done. I do, however, worry because I am in the mountains, which means that winters will be quite harsh. As I am used to my sunny Arizona winters, I am beginning to mentally prepare myself for the large amounts of suffering I will endure come November. Until then, I am enjoying the beautiful weather.
In addition to my site change, and a rockin’ birthday celebration in Ouarzazate, I went to Rabat for my first VSN (Volunteer Support Network) committee meeting. Rabat was fabulous. It was modern, clean, and had all the food a person could ask for. Because I have spent so much time in the rural parts of Morocco, Rabat made me feel out of place. My mom told me that maybe once a month I should go to Rabat just so I could have normal interactions with people. After experiencing multiple James Franco and Spike fantasies, I am beginning to think she is right.  
The other day I got together with my site mates (Alex, Alexa, and Angelica) at Alex’s house to discuss potential projects. We then made lunch, discussed our Halloween costumes, and then played darts. This all happened on a Tuesday between 10am until 4pm. When we were walking home we started to laugh, wondering at what other moments in our lives would a day like this make for a productive Tuesday afternoon? Gotta love the life as a Peace Corps Volunteer. No need to worry though, there are many projects to be done in Tidili, so your tax dollars won’t be a complete waste.
Yesterday Alexa and I walked through my village and stopped to sit on a rock next to a creek. An old man walked by and handed us some walnuts. He then took them out of our hands, cracked every single one for us, and left us with a delicious snack. When we were done at least 2 more people handed us walnuts and apples. The day before that we met up with each other in our souq town, and after doing our shopping, we got a beverage and decided to sit down on the side of the road to chat. A man saw us and not only brought us a table and chairs to sit in, he gave us a bowl of walnuts and made us tea. Say what you will about Morocco, but the hospitality in this country, especially in my site, never ceases to astound me.
My wonderful, beautiful, and amazing friend Annie, that I taught with in Honduras, is coming to see me tomorrow. It’s been a little over 2 years since I have seen her, so it will be a lovely 10 days. Also, in 2 weeks, my dad is coming for a short visit. Seeing how I haven’t gone longer than 3 months without seeing him, his visit will be quite amazing. Also, I will not be coming home for Christmas. As much as I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to go home, I worry that going back to Morocco, with still a year and a half to go, would be difficult. Instead I will be traveling up to Spain with some friends.
Hope everybody is doing well back home. When you eat bacon or drink a beer on tap, think of me.
Leigh Anne

My new address is:
BP9 Inghrom N Oudal 45253
Ouarzazate, Morocco