Safe and Sound

This morning I arrived in Morocco! I am safe, I am sound, and I am more excited than ever to begin my training. Seventy other Peace Corps invitees (people who have been invited to become a volunteer but have yet to complete the pre-service training) travelled with me from JFK airport to Casablanca. After a three hour drive, we arrived in Marrakesh where we met the Peace Corps Morocco staff.

I don't know what I expected of Morocco, but my expectations have already been surpassed. From the moment we drove away from the airport, my senses have been overwhelmed with the different shades of Moroccan skin tone, the feel of the sun as it weaves in and out of cloud cover, the soft wind, the taste of sweet Moroccan mint tea, and sound of a new and exciting language. I found myself closing my eyes to take it all in...and the best part is that it is just the beginning! Today was a day of rest. We stayed at a hotel in the outskirts of Marrakesh and have been eating fresh fruit, well seasoned meat, the most wonderful mint tea. We are also staying in bugalows (mini-apartments) with 5-6 invitees to a bungalow. We have a toilet, a shower, a bed, a kitchen, and a common area...most importantly, we have wireless internet. This is a luxury that I will never again take for granted. As I have been talking with Peace Corps staff, I've realized that there is a very real possibility that the community I live in may not have running water, electricity, or internet access. I could have all of these ammenties...or none...or somewhere in between. I have my coleman camping shower so I'm set on the water (besides I like wells), and electricity I can go without (or I can learn to)...but if there was anyway that I could garuntee one thing it would be internet access. Now, I know this can't happen without electricity, but my priorities have already been made in my mind. However, I go into the next few days with low expectations, not because I think little of the community where I will be training for the next 10 weeks (starting on Sunday) but because it is better to have low expectations and be surprised than to have you hopes dashed because of unrealistic expectations.

So what is next for me? Tomorrow morning the invitees and Peace Corps staff will travel to the Ouarzazate provence, on the other side of the Atlas Mountains. We will stay there for a few days to finish some fo the medical interviews, vaccinations, training information, etc. On Sunday, we will be split up into small groups (5-6 people) and we will travel to a rural community where we will begin our language training and some health training. We will each stay with a host family during our ten weeks of pre-service training. Throughout the pre-service training, we will occassionally meet as a group again with the 70 other volunteers. At the end of the training, we will take several proficiency test (including policy, language, culture, etc.) and those that make it through (which will hopefully be all of us) will officially be sworn in as Peace Corps volunteers. Yep...and THEN the hard stuff really begins....2 years of service in a rural community.

Sounds crazy? Well, I couldn't be more excited. I have alot to learn and alot to experience (good and bad). I have yet to experience a Moroccan toilet, I have not gotten sick, I have not felt alone, I don't know what it feels like to be the only person who speaks English within a 10 mile radius, and I haven't started craving sushi yet. But then again....I haven't heard the native tongue on my lips, I haven't washed my first batch of clothes (by myself, with the water I pulled from the well), I haven't seen the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean, I haven't eaten goat yet (which I AM looking forward to), and I haven't been able to be a part of the cultural exchange which makes the Peace Corps the amazing experience that it is.

Like I said, there is so much for me to experience and I my plan is still to take it one day at a time, not to sweat the small things, and learn to celebrate the successes (no matter how small they may seem). I look forward to hearing your support during the tough times and sharing the happy times with you. I'm in it to win it...there's no turning back now. There are too many amazing things is this country, this culture, and these people that I have yet to discover and I'm looking forward to the next 27 months to do that.