Week of maddness, and random add ins

So you remember that thing I said about time flying by and the past month feeling more like a year? Well this week was that phenomenon on crack. I have been busier than I can remember myself ever being, and have been challenged just as much. When I say challenged, I am referring to the 40 children and the job assignment I was given to teach them all English activities that will allow them to burn off steam and learn simultaneously. In addition, we had to create lesson plans for the more advanced students, which was difficult in they are at very different levels, and we had a very minimal amount of time to work with. On top of that, we have been really cracking down on language training since the end of CBT is in the incredibly near future (Sunday).

On top of all that, the week became truly crazy when the host mother of one of my PC counterparts passed away. It really took everyone by surprise, especially because she had seemed relatively healthy just a week prior to when it happened. So, yet another intercultural experience for us to observe…what happens when someone dies. Basically it included most of the town gathering around the house where she had lived(which happened to be located right next to where we had been taking language classes) and mourning…her body was brought to the house, along with a lamb to be slaughtered. The PC staff decided it was a good idea for us to leave in such a situation, and thus we were evacuated back to Fes a few days before the other CBT groups. Despite all of the challenges we have faced in our CBT group of 5 people, one thing has become apparent…at this point, we are certainly ready for a lot.

One thing that I forgot to mention about in my last entry was Leid Sgr, the Muslim holiday that immediately follows Ramadan. This was fun and overwhelming at the same time, like many of the experiences I have had thus far. It started with waking up early and eating a giant breakfast consisting of an incredible amount of pastries. I was then taken to the roof and was told to bring my guitar. My older brother and his friends brought a hooka up and we spent about 2 hours playing music, smoking hooka, eating pastries, and making interesting Darjish conversation. My LCF and 2 of my counterparts joined me and were dressed up in classic Moroccan dress, thus making me obligated to do the same(note pic).

This was followed by spending the remainder of the day walking around the town and visiting the host families of the other volunteers. By visit I mean sitting down and at each house, eating pastries, and drinking lots and lots of tea (otherwise known as Moroccan Whiskey…if you are sitting down in a Moroccan household, chances are you will have a cup in front of you).

Alright, I suppose that’s enough for now…I look forward to having a consistent schedule in the near future, and for things to be a little less insane so I can give more consistent, more organized entries. Halloween is right around the corner, which should be a very interesting experience in a country where its unheard of, with other Americans who are planning on going all out in celebration regardless. Until next time…

Down To Business...

So I have now been in Morocco for over a month…which has possibly been the most eventful month of my entire existence. I am truly amazed at what can be crammed into such a small amount of time. Allow me to elaborate…in the past month I have:

-learned as much Darija (Moroccan Arabic) as I learned in Spanish after 3 years of taking it in highschool.
-Nearly been bitten in the face by the snake of a snake charmer.
-Learned to really appreciate awkward intercultural moments and laugh at them hysterically.
-Learned how to teach, and taught English classes.
-Formed a new, sustainable (hopefully) youth program in a rural town where it is badly needed.
-Learned 100 ways to not get sick and/or die in Morocco.
-Taken more pepto than I anticipated taking in my first year of service.
-Found a real appreciation for the bucket shower. (Its actually really practical and not bad at all when the waters hot…I would just never, ever want to be seen taking one.
-Eaten more hardboiled eggs, bread, and cheese than I have eaten in my entire life.
-Eaten at Mcdonald’s 3 times (Ah yes, my own little slice of American filth).
-Become a master at the art of hand gestures (I would kick ass at charades right now).

Clearly a lot has happened and I have not had enough time to keep things up to date with all the juicy details as I should have. Hopefully I can start being consistent with the entry of these minutiae right about now…I shall certainly try, yet the Peace Corps schedule is insane, so for all you impatient fans of mine out there, you’ll have to bear with me.
Today was my first day ever teaching an English class. It went amazingly well, especially for the seemingly small amount of Darija I speak. I co-taught the class yet didn’t feel the need for another teacher there. I have never, in any class anywhere, seen students who are as anxious to learn something as these kids are anxious to learn English. It was as if I had just announced it to be national free candy day(or something to that respect). They follow every detail, and are always asking for more. These are kids that are coming to this class on their own time after 6 hours of school. I think back to my days sitting in Spanish class, taking it for granted and hating the world, and it disgusts me.

After conducting preliminary English testing last week, it was determined that only 2 students out of about 40 are above the very lowest beginner’s level, and those 2 students scored just barley above it. It’s certainly overwhelming, yet has got to be one of the most rewarding feelings a person helping a people in need can feel. It was when I was able to make a connection in a students head, and actually see he/she learn that I thought to myself "so this is why people teach." Needless to say, it made me pretty pumped up to be doing youth development, and gave me that same yearning that I saw in the students to see what’s next.

The next 2 weeks are packed with activities and more English classes. We are trying our best to utilize our time wisely, as we are unsure of the sustainability of our programs here. Unfortunately I was placed in the only site based training site without a volunteer currently serving here. It does, however, have the advantage of offering what could be a closer resemblance to what our permanent sites will be like. After a meeting with a local NGO, it appears that we have at least one resource for a permanent English teacher that could take over classes in the dar chebab (house of youth) once we are gone. Regardless of what happens when we leave, we are doing something that I believe to be of great use right now, which is providing a foundation for which they can build on. In order for something great to happen (ie skill building clubs/organizations that will improve the community by giving the youth more opportunities for success), there has got to be an example by which they can follow. Something they can look at and say to themselves "oh, so that’s how that’s done…and it actually works!"