Just a few thoughts...

Let me take a few moments here to let you know what's going on with me here in North-West Africa (Morocco)...

Well, just this last weekend I was visiting a friend (Mostism) in the area of Northern Africa and decided to take a hike in the beautiful mountainside that he's become accustom to there in Asrou/Ifrane. Mid-hike I came across a pack of wild/rabid dogs and was caught in some danger. I decided to move forward and while I was paying attention to one of the 5 dogs there, another came up from behind and bit my leg. Penetrating two pairs of pants, this rabid dog bit a hole in my leg! I was a bit shocked at first and didn't really know what happened until I was out of the immediate danger. Later, my leg revealed bit marks that easily pentrated my skin. As you may or may not already know, Rabies are 100% fatal. And there are stories of people being bitten by rabid dogs, that 2 months later are found dead. Fortunately for me, before entering Morocco we were all shot with just about every antibody there is. About 12-15 shots in all, and 3 of those were preventative rabies shots. I now find myself in Rabat at our agency's headquarters and just today have been given 1 of my 2 booster shots for rabies. The second of my 2 booster shots will be given on this upcoming Wednesday. However, all is good. According to my doctor(a) I've caught this head-on and in time to cure it. However, keep me in your thoughts for the next 2 months.

Other than that, everything gets better and than gets bad. It's very up and down when you're living internationally. Reason being that there are so many Highs and Lows! There really isn't any middle ground. A "High" might be a new word learned or discovering a new way to make a difference within the realm of your job here. A "Low" might be the departure of your fellow Peace Corps friends due to government policies that are placed on us to protect our well being. However, if you're looking at these policies from an outsider's perspective, it can seem alittle like the movie entitled "The Truman Show". Another "Low" point might be one of the many dangerous situations you might find yourself in,like the one I found myself in this last weekend.

As far as language gains, I've begun to take on French, to suppliment my Dariza (Moroccan Arabic Dialect). Due to the fact that everyone here (both in Marrakech and in my site Amizmiz) speak French, it makes sense for me to learn this language. As well, this is a language that is widely spoken throughout the world, and one that I would personally enjoy knowing. However, after my first 3 classes I can tell you that this language is damned HARD!! The pronunciation itself is a challenge for me. What might look like an "e", might sound like an "a". It definately takes some getting used to, but if I can withstand being here in Morocco I will walk away from this whole experience with a fairly good (or basic) understanding of both Moroccan Arabic and French.

So, what else is going on... Well, I've begun preparations to depart my current habitat and transfer into another house. Reason being, that my current establishment is more like a consulate building because of its sheer size!! As I mentioned earlier, I live in a building with 6-8 rooms to myself (not including the kitchen, 2 bathrooms,etc). My current home is alittle overwhelming and doesn't do well for the feeling of "hominess". As well, let me encourage you tonight to take a few more minutes in the luxury that you find yourself in currently. Simple "hot" showers are something of fairy-tales and myth here. Imagine if you will, having to hook up a Buta Gas tank to your sinks or showers!? It's a pain in the &#&$@! and isn't the lease bit safe. In fact, my friend (Motism from Asrou), 2 weeks ago found himself in a life threatening situation. I won't go into too much detail, but basically he was ambulance'd away and his heart stopped a few times due to a lack of oxygen!

And this my good friends/family, is the reality that I'm in. The actually work of Peace Corps isn't the difficult part, so don't let anyone tell you different. The difficulty is in creating some sort of balance between your "American" lifestyle and your current "3rd-World" lifestyle. Substituting the common luxuries of life from the states with momentary luxurious episodes of eating a peanutbutter & jelly sandwich or drinking chocolate milk. Seriously, no BS! It's like that! In fact, I was out in Marrakech one weekend with my friends and found an Asian restaurant. I damn near cried as I sunk my teeth into an "egg-roll". And I'm not even going to go into the "soy sauce"....ahhhhh.

But, on a positive note... This experience truly is becoming the cliche saying of "This is the hardest job you'll ever love". There are amazing accomplishments that I see in myself and in my attitude towards life in general. Departing from a world that is so comsumed with monetary goods, this experience is doing wonders for me. Yes, I will be re-entering that lifestyle in the near future... however, the angle at which I experience it and absorb it will be ever enriched by what I'm doing today.

Hope all is well... luv ya all... May God be with each of you!! (Allah ouwn likum)