Things are going well in our little town. Last week, Aisha, from the environment sector of Peace Corps came for a site visit. We talked to the president of a local association and met with a senior staff member of the Department of Water and Forests in Essaouira. The meeting was successful, and we generated several ideas for projects in the community. When these projects actually get started, we’ll give more details, but laying the groundwork should keep me busy for a while. We also received our Peace Corps bikes. It is nice to be able to get out of town on a bike ride. They are good exercise and a good way to get to the rural towns outside of our main site. We have to wear helmets at all times, which gets us an occasional smirk, but a lot of the kids in town have said that they wanted to get helmets too. Last night, it sprinkled for about half an hour. This is the first time that it has rained since we’ve been in site. Rain during the summer is uncommon, and for the last 10 years, Morocco has been experiencing a prolonged drought.
Last week we visited a town about 10miles away where a group of about 10 French students were building latrines for the local elementary. It was interesting to compare methods and see another organization working on projects similar to ours. They finished up on Saturday and will spend the next few weeks touring the country, starting with Essaouira. In addition to the French volunteers, this weekend, about 10 Peace Corp volunteers met up in Essaouira for a weekend of fun and relaxation. A couple of people from the high atlas mountains, and a couple of people from the Tata region of southern Morocco (where it gets 140 F for weeks at a time) were there, so it was interesting to compare experiences. We also got to see a chameleon, Chamaeleo chamaeleon. This is the first chameleon formally described by Linnaeus in 1758. So far we have seen a chameleon and the tortoise, Testudo graeca, wondering the streets of the historic old medina in Essaouira. Although there is no green space within the town (which is surrounded by walls), it is turning out to be a good place for wildlife. I guess animals like World Heritage Sites. So far, two people from our cohort have gone home – one from the health sector and one from the environment sector. One was for medical reasons, the other for personal reasons. Everyone else seems to be doing well.
We move into our own apartment this week. Many previous volunteers say that home stay is one of the harder parts of PC service in Morocco and we look forward to getting the privacy that we were used to back in the states. As a married couple, moving out of the home stay family’s house is much easier. Moroccans understand that as a married couple, it is time that we live on our own. For single volunteers, however, families often don’t understand why anyone would want to be a lonely mesqina (poor thing) living all alone, so volunteers are sometimes pressured to stay with the host families. This is a culture where family ties and human interaction is a very important and integral part of life, so many people from several generations often live together, and the idea of “alone time” doesn’t hold much appeal.

We got our bikes today which was quite exciting for us and for the rest of the town. It’s peace corps policy for us to wear helmets which got us even more stares but interestingly enough a few boys asked if we had some they could wear. This weekend there are several volunteers coming into Essaouira so we’ll be going in to hang out and it should be a fun time. Next week is the big move in week. It seems that it may be a slow transition. Our host mother said that we are still welcome to have our meals with them which was really sweet especially since we won’t have our stove hooked up yet. I guess that’s about it for now, we’ll try to get some pictures up soon.

Hello again from Morocco. Things are slow but we’re lucky to have such an active community in which we will be able to accomplish some of the Peace Corps goals. Currently, there is a technician who is creating a cost estimate for the school bathroom project. After this estimate is completed, we will have a town meeting to develop an action plan. In the next week or so, we will also, with any luck, have meetings with the headmaster for the local middle schoolto discuss a library enrichment project and a gardening project and with a council member from a nearby town to discuss potential projects including wastewater treatment. All of these projects are still in the planning stage and none are certain yet. In Morocco, as in other countries, many volunteers have worked hard on projects only to have them fall through at the last minute. Inthe mean time, we have had plenty of activities to keep us busy.

Two weekends ago, the annual international gnaoua music festival was held in Essaouira. We met with about 20 other volunteers and thousands of tourists and Moroccans to listen to some good music in a festive atmosphere. There was lots of merrymaking and a nice getaway. Carrie and I slept on our hotel roof. The atmosphere has been no less festive at our site. Over a three day period, we had three parties. The first of these was a circumcision party (we think) while the other two were wedding parties. Men and women stay in different parts of the house for these parties. Women mingle and joke with one another, but also sing and dance. Men are a little more relaxed, and just lounge about sociably, talking about current events (like the stranger in the room). Both men and women eat well. After snacks and tea, a main course of lamb, chickpeas, onions, and tomatoes in a tajin is served. Next is a bowl of couscous with lamb or organs and vegetables. Finally, melon, apples, oranges, and bananas serve as desert. Most people don’t stay long at these parties. We were never at one for more than a few hours. However, the party itself is a long affair with people coming and going throughout the day. It is traditional to give a small gift or some money (about $2.00 US per person) to help cover the cost of the party. Finally, if projects and parties aren’t enough, we were also given several DVDs from a closing volunteer. I’ve always refused to watch TV series like 24, but it’s pretty good. Also, we are starting to make plans to buy some lumber for a top secret construction project at our apartment.Speaking of the apartment, we will be moving in a couple of weeks. We have already begun to buy some goods such as a fridgerater (PC isn’t that hard), carpets, pillows, mattress. We were also given an oven and stove. Homestay is cool and the family that we are staying with is really great, but we are ready to live by ourselves