Nightime image outside of Rick's Cafe Americain (2004).
Friday, January 21, 2005
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Lessons learned: Through the eyes of a Moroccan family
The other night I had an interesting experience, but it wasn't the kind of experience that was dangerous or exciting or anything. It was the kind of experience that makes you kinda feel good about what's happened in your life, as well as open you up to how much the world is still in need of those who care to help out their fellow man.
So, about 6pm last night, a women friend of my counterpart comes to me and says that she wants me to help out her friend's daughter. This is all in Arabic, so my understanding of the situation was 25% at best. However, because I knew my counterpart and had worked with the woman friend of his, I went along with it. This lady told me that she would return at about 7pm with her friend so that she could meet with me and talk with me about her daughter Ghrita (aka Rita).
The mother of Rita picked me up in a car and drove me to her apartment just west of Marrakesh. The mother of Rita spoke about as good english as I do derija so I gained alittle more knowledge about how and why I was now driving with her towards her apartment. Once arriving to her home, I was greeting by three girls (one was 6yrs, one was 12yrs, and one was 15yrs). Another 20 minutes past and I was still without a clue as to why I was there. I spoke to the 15yr old girl, Rita, (who speaks pretty good english) about these "problems" that she has and how I can assist her. Eventually, Rita started to talk about the fact that she was 6'0'' and that she felt awkward at school being the tallest. Then we spoke about her love for JLo (Jennifer Lopez) and Justin Timberlake, and America in general. These were typical teenage topics and I still was really uncertaint as to why I was here. I began thinking that I was here for some sort of marriage setup or something of that nature. Another 30 mins pass, and Brahm Stoker's Dracula came on, so I decided to stay for dinner and enjoy the American film.
Then in comes four more women into the house, so now we're looking at eight women in this tiny apartment and myself. At this point, I'm sure that I'm here for the reason surrounding marriage. I began doing the math... (Single American guy + 15yr old Moroccan girl + She speaks english + many women here = had to equal marriage talks) But then, one girl, started talking to me in perfect english and began explaining the reasons why I was "really" brought there...
Aparently, the 15yr girl Rita, was out of school and she had formerly been enrolled at the "American School of Morocco". At this school, they teach entirely in english and have the same standards (if not better) than most of the public schools back in the states. This explains where and why Rita was so familar with the english language. The girl continued to explain to me that Rita was out of school because she could no longer afford to be there. Just as in the states, private schools such as this American School of Morocco, cost an arm and a leg for Moroccans to be enrolled in it. This particular school is a very prestigious school and is well received in Britian, America, Australia, Canada, etc.
The reason why Rita was out of school is because her father and mother recently got a divorce, due to infidelity as her father ran away with a prostitute from Marrakesh. Just a year ago, the entire family was living amoung one of the more well-to-do parts of Marrakesh and money was not a problem. After the father up and left, he never returned to the family he created of three beautiful girls and a wife (typical story that we're all familiar with).
Looking into solutions, Rita's mother spoke with the Head-Master of the American School of Morocco and asked if there was anyway for her daughter to get a scholarship or find someone that could help her pay for this school's cost. The Head-Master found a local (anonymous) donor that helped Rita these past 6 months. Unfortunately, that source of income has now dried up and so Rita is once again in trouble of missing out on her high-school years. Rita is beginning to lose motivation and her mother is beginning to think of out-landish ideas to help Rita continue her studies. Her mother, like me, understand that if she stops learning now than the posibilities of her future could be limited. Coming from a mother, she told me, that it's not about her own feelings, it's all about her daughters and their futures, she continued, "I could care less about anything else!!"...(words I've heard from many women caught up in the struggle of continuing after a divorce).
My first thought was that Rita should just go to one of the fully-funded public schools available throughout Marrakesh. This (to me) seemed like a perfectly sound solution, but here's the problem... because Rita has been in this American School so long now, she doesn't understand Arabic script and writings. And being that the ciriculum at these public schools are either spoken in Arabic or written in it, she'll continue to fall behind.
As with most household issues (domestic and international), there's an issue with the lack of funds support it's growth. And unfortunately, their aren't any organizations here in Morocco for families of divorcees, and/or proper laws protecting the rights of broken households and the effects that might take place. The mother of Rita is currently un-employed due to the inappropriate actions of the men at her work and so she had to quit (you can paint in the picture yourself there). As I began to peel back the onion, the problems just continued to piling up.
I told their family that the only thing I can do is explore ways to find them help, since I myself don't have the means or don't know others throughout Morocco that can help her. Going forward, I am planning to send a letter to the US Ambassador of Morocco's wife, who (I believe) works to help empower women's rights. I am in the process of working with this family to get all the finances, divorce papers, etc needed to build a case for their situation. As I began to break down the numbers in US dollars, I realized that only $15 dollars a day will help Rita remain in school for the next 6 months. Or in other words...about $2000 for 6 months. In addition to this, I told them that I would look into finding any sort of high-school exchange programs, but I doubt this will work because it's really about the relationship between the two schools and there isn't any in Morocco that I know of.
I am offering my words of encouragement, along with the personal stories of overcoming the odds, but that can only last so long. So, as of right now, all I can do is spread the word of their issues, in hopes that someone (or even better) some group of women with similar experiences, can assist them in this time of need. If you or any group of yours is in touch with those willing to lend a helping hand (whether that be domestically or internationally), or if you have any suggestions for me going forward, please let me know. I personally don't want to get too wrapped up in this issue, but it's hard to just sit back and do nothing. I see in them the parallels that existed in my own family (from the former years), along with so many other families throughout America with their exact same challenges.
At the same time all of this is happening, and I am constantly reminded of the struggles my own mother went through to raise her three beautiful children after the divorce happened when I was only three years old. I am blessed everyday, knowing that my being here in Morocco and sharing in all these experiences thus far, have much to do (if not everything) with my Mom's perserverence, faith, sacrafice, and willingness to keep moving through those hard times. I thank you Mom for being there for me and my siblings, even though we couldn't fully understand or appreciate it until now.
So, about 6pm last night, a women friend of my counterpart comes to me and says that she wants me to help out her friend's daughter. This is all in Arabic, so my understanding of the situation was 25% at best. However, because I knew my counterpart and had worked with the woman friend of his, I went along with it. This lady told me that she would return at about 7pm with her friend so that she could meet with me and talk with me about her daughter Ghrita (aka Rita).
The mother of Rita picked me up in a car and drove me to her apartment just west of Marrakesh. The mother of Rita spoke about as good english as I do derija so I gained alittle more knowledge about how and why I was now driving with her towards her apartment. Once arriving to her home, I was greeting by three girls (one was 6yrs, one was 12yrs, and one was 15yrs). Another 20 minutes past and I was still without a clue as to why I was there. I spoke to the 15yr old girl, Rita, (who speaks pretty good english) about these "problems" that she has and how I can assist her. Eventually, Rita started to talk about the fact that she was 6'0'' and that she felt awkward at school being the tallest. Then we spoke about her love for JLo (Jennifer Lopez) and Justin Timberlake, and America in general. These were typical teenage topics and I still was really uncertaint as to why I was here. I began thinking that I was here for some sort of marriage setup or something of that nature. Another 30 mins pass, and Brahm Stoker's Dracula came on, so I decided to stay for dinner and enjoy the American film.
Then in comes four more women into the house, so now we're looking at eight women in this tiny apartment and myself. At this point, I'm sure that I'm here for the reason surrounding marriage. I began doing the math... (Single American guy + 15yr old Moroccan girl + She speaks english + many women here = had to equal marriage talks) But then, one girl, started talking to me in perfect english and began explaining the reasons why I was "really" brought there...
Aparently, the 15yr girl Rita, was out of school and she had formerly been enrolled at the "American School of Morocco". At this school, they teach entirely in english and have the same standards (if not better) than most of the public schools back in the states. This explains where and why Rita was so familar with the english language. The girl continued to explain to me that Rita was out of school because she could no longer afford to be there. Just as in the states, private schools such as this American School of Morocco, cost an arm and a leg for Moroccans to be enrolled in it. This particular school is a very prestigious school and is well received in Britian, America, Australia, Canada, etc.
The reason why Rita was out of school is because her father and mother recently got a divorce, due to infidelity as her father ran away with a prostitute from Marrakesh. Just a year ago, the entire family was living amoung one of the more well-to-do parts of Marrakesh and money was not a problem. After the father up and left, he never returned to the family he created of three beautiful girls and a wife (typical story that we're all familiar with).
Looking into solutions, Rita's mother spoke with the Head-Master of the American School of Morocco and asked if there was anyway for her daughter to get a scholarship or find someone that could help her pay for this school's cost. The Head-Master found a local (anonymous) donor that helped Rita these past 6 months. Unfortunately, that source of income has now dried up and so Rita is once again in trouble of missing out on her high-school years. Rita is beginning to lose motivation and her mother is beginning to think of out-landish ideas to help Rita continue her studies. Her mother, like me, understand that if she stops learning now than the posibilities of her future could be limited. Coming from a mother, she told me, that it's not about her own feelings, it's all about her daughters and their futures, she continued, "I could care less about anything else!!"...(words I've heard from many women caught up in the struggle of continuing after a divorce).
My first thought was that Rita should just go to one of the fully-funded public schools available throughout Marrakesh. This (to me) seemed like a perfectly sound solution, but here's the problem... because Rita has been in this American School so long now, she doesn't understand Arabic script and writings. And being that the ciriculum at these public schools are either spoken in Arabic or written in it, she'll continue to fall behind.
As with most household issues (domestic and international), there's an issue with the lack of funds support it's growth. And unfortunately, their aren't any organizations here in Morocco for families of divorcees, and/or proper laws protecting the rights of broken households and the effects that might take place. The mother of Rita is currently un-employed due to the inappropriate actions of the men at her work and so she had to quit (you can paint in the picture yourself there). As I began to peel back the onion, the problems just continued to piling up.
I told their family that the only thing I can do is explore ways to find them help, since I myself don't have the means or don't know others throughout Morocco that can help her. Going forward, I am planning to send a letter to the US Ambassador of Morocco's wife, who (I believe) works to help empower women's rights. I am in the process of working with this family to get all the finances, divorce papers, etc needed to build a case for their situation. As I began to break down the numbers in US dollars, I realized that only $15 dollars a day will help Rita remain in school for the next 6 months. Or in other words...about $2000 for 6 months. In addition to this, I told them that I would look into finding any sort of high-school exchange programs, but I doubt this will work because it's really about the relationship between the two schools and there isn't any in Morocco that I know of.
I am offering my words of encouragement, along with the personal stories of overcoming the odds, but that can only last so long. So, as of right now, all I can do is spread the word of their issues, in hopes that someone (or even better) some group of women with similar experiences, can assist them in this time of need. If you or any group of yours is in touch with those willing to lend a helping hand (whether that be domestically or internationally), or if you have any suggestions for me going forward, please let me know. I personally don't want to get too wrapped up in this issue, but it's hard to just sit back and do nothing. I see in them the parallels that existed in my own family (from the former years), along with so many other families throughout America with their exact same challenges.
At the same time all of this is happening, and I am constantly reminded of the struggles my own mother went through to raise her three beautiful children after the divorce happened when I was only three years old. I am blessed everyday, knowing that my being here in Morocco and sharing in all these experiences thus far, have much to do (if not everything) with my Mom's perserverence, faith, sacrafice, and willingness to keep moving through those hard times. I thank you Mom for being there for me and my siblings, even though we couldn't fully understand or appreciate it until now.
Monday, December 27, 2004
Holiday Wishes to each of you!
Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays!!
I've been getting private emails from multiple people about the frequency of my updates, so let me first say that I apologize. As you already know, I'm in the Peace Corps with little access to the internet, and when I actually get a chance to hit the internet (like this) it's slower than dialup. Believe me that I have a ton of pictures that just need to be transferred to digital format, and once that is finished than you will all be the first to read them. So with that being said, here's a few words on my experiences over the last month...
The swearing in ceremony was set at a beautiful Kenzi Hotel there in Ouarzazate. The governor of Ouarzazate, along with the US Ambassador to Morocco were both in attendence. In addition to this, all our host familes from each of our individual sites were present. After raising my right-hand and swearing in, we took to the poolside festivities where we all had a chance to pat eachother on our backs. At the poolside, we were greeted by a traditional berber band (dancers, drummers, etc).
Moving ahead to December 1st, you find us all at our final sites (Amizmiz for me) and with our host families. There, we would stay for the next 2 months until we were acclimated to our new environments. As of right now, I'm closing in our my first month, and I'm reeeeeally ready to get my own apartment. So, about my living quarters now... well, I can say that I'm not struggling like the typical Peace Corps volunteer. I have a room to myself, a bed (which I sleep diagnal on), and a light that flickers on an off. Usually, when I need to study at night or read a book/magazine, I will use my headlamp that I bought at REI in the states. There's a hole in the middle of our house that showers all the time, due to the fact that we live at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. The rooms are all situated on the outside of this "courtyard" and each day we cross this to get from one room to the other. If you can picture a bagel, than you're more than half way there to understanding the setting. The house itself is made entirely of concrete with a few iron rods. Ooohh yeah, it's cold...insulation.... what's that??? Then there's the "Turkish" (which is hole in the ground surrounded by porclain) which is on the otherside of the "courtyard", and makes for a difficult evening if you need to use the facilities.
Let's see... well, my day... My day is pretty simple I must say. Believe it or not, but not having much to do is harder than you think. I've learned to appreciate the little successes that I might have, and try to shift down my gears. I typically try to sleep in till ooooooo about saaay 10am eachday. Then we have 1st breakfast, then we have 2nd breakfast at 11am, then we have lunch at about 2pm. Continuing with this we have 1st dinner at 6pm and 2nd dinner at 11pm. Yes, that's right... 5 meals per day. If anyone tells you that people in Africa are starving, know that it's in the Southern parts of Africa, because Moroccans eat good and often!! Continuing with my day, I might meet my sitemate (Andy) for a coffee. Have you ever seen the movie "About a Boy" with Hugh Grant?? Basically, his day is alittle like mine in that we try break up our days in segments of time. (30mins for getting dressed, 60 mins for eating, 45 mins for going into town and getting some walking excercise, 8 hours for trying to understand why I'm here and what I'm doing, and so on and so forth)... you get the picture. Basically, it's sloooooooow here! Time is of the plenty here, and it's actually a good opportunity for me to do some other things in my life where I didn't have the time previously. So, it's not all that bad, it just takes some getting used to.
For the time being, I've taken up teaching english in my community. My class consists of about 30-40 girls (age ranging between 18-22yrs). Although this isn't my primary job, it does help for me to show value in my community. And with the limited language abilities, this is something that's fairly easy for me to do considering that I'm the town expert in this language. As for my other responsibilities, I don't really have any at the moment. Believe it or not, but my job for the first 6 months to simply integrate with my community (drink tea, walk around, say hello, watch Rambo in Arabic at the local coffee house, etc.) At the same time however, I am beginning to understand alittle more about my artisan community and there desires for the future. My 500+ artisans consist of seamstresses, potters, blacksmiths, shoesmiths, carpenters. Hopefully, by the end of the 6 months I will have had a better idea as to how I can assist them for the future. (nshallah) (God Willing)
More later, ... I promise.
I've been getting private emails from multiple people about the frequency of my updates, so let me first say that I apologize. As you already know, I'm in the Peace Corps with little access to the internet, and when I actually get a chance to hit the internet (like this) it's slower than dialup. Believe me that I have a ton of pictures that just need to be transferred to digital format, and once that is finished than you will all be the first to read them. So with that being said, here's a few words on my experiences over the last month...
The swearing in ceremony was set at a beautiful Kenzi Hotel there in Ouarzazate. The governor of Ouarzazate, along with the US Ambassador to Morocco were both in attendence. In addition to this, all our host familes from each of our individual sites were present. After raising my right-hand and swearing in, we took to the poolside festivities where we all had a chance to pat eachother on our backs. At the poolside, we were greeted by a traditional berber band (dancers, drummers, etc).
Moving ahead to December 1st, you find us all at our final sites (Amizmiz for me) and with our host families. There, we would stay for the next 2 months until we were acclimated to our new environments. As of right now, I'm closing in our my first month, and I'm reeeeeally ready to get my own apartment. So, about my living quarters now... well, I can say that I'm not struggling like the typical Peace Corps volunteer. I have a room to myself, a bed (which I sleep diagnal on), and a light that flickers on an off. Usually, when I need to study at night or read a book/magazine, I will use my headlamp that I bought at REI in the states. There's a hole in the middle of our house that showers all the time, due to the fact that we live at the foothills of the High Atlas Mountains. The rooms are all situated on the outside of this "courtyard" and each day we cross this to get from one room to the other. If you can picture a bagel, than you're more than half way there to understanding the setting. The house itself is made entirely of concrete with a few iron rods. Ooohh yeah, it's cold...insulation.... what's that??? Then there's the "Turkish" (which is hole in the ground surrounded by porclain) which is on the otherside of the "courtyard", and makes for a difficult evening if you need to use the facilities.
Let's see... well, my day... My day is pretty simple I must say. Believe it or not, but not having much to do is harder than you think. I've learned to appreciate the little successes that I might have, and try to shift down my gears. I typically try to sleep in till ooooooo about saaay 10am eachday. Then we have 1st breakfast, then we have 2nd breakfast at 11am, then we have lunch at about 2pm. Continuing with this we have 1st dinner at 6pm and 2nd dinner at 11pm. Yes, that's right... 5 meals per day. If anyone tells you that people in Africa are starving, know that it's in the Southern parts of Africa, because Moroccans eat good and often!! Continuing with my day, I might meet my sitemate (Andy) for a coffee. Have you ever seen the movie "About a Boy" with Hugh Grant?? Basically, his day is alittle like mine in that we try break up our days in segments of time. (30mins for getting dressed, 60 mins for eating, 45 mins for going into town and getting some walking excercise, 8 hours for trying to understand why I'm here and what I'm doing, and so on and so forth)... you get the picture. Basically, it's sloooooooow here! Time is of the plenty here, and it's actually a good opportunity for me to do some other things in my life where I didn't have the time previously. So, it's not all that bad, it just takes some getting used to.
For the time being, I've taken up teaching english in my community. My class consists of about 30-40 girls (age ranging between 18-22yrs). Although this isn't my primary job, it does help for me to show value in my community. And with the limited language abilities, this is something that's fairly easy for me to do considering that I'm the town expert in this language. As for my other responsibilities, I don't really have any at the moment. Believe it or not, but my job for the first 6 months to simply integrate with my community (drink tea, walk around, say hello, watch Rambo in Arabic at the local coffee house, etc.) At the same time however, I am beginning to understand alittle more about my artisan community and there desires for the future. My 500+ artisans consist of seamstresses, potters, blacksmiths, shoesmiths, carpenters. Hopefully, by the end of the 6 months I will have had a better idea as to how I can assist them for the future. (nshallah) (God Willing)
More later, ... I promise.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Jan.2005: National Geographic Issue
The January '05 Nat'l Geographic Magazine features a story called "Among the Berbers: a journey through Morocco's high Atlas mountains". I thought this might be of interest to you (families and friends) back home who are wondering what Berber culture is and their daily life. It will give you a picture into the daily life of those living within the Atlas mountains (including myself).
Here's the link for the story:
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0501/feature4/index.html
Thomas T. Riley - U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
Thomas T. Riley was confirmed as the United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Morocco on December 9, 2003, culminating almost three decades of work in international business, technology, and energy management.
Mr. Riley earned his Bachelor of Science degree in industrial engineering from Stanford University in 1972. He began his professional life as an Associate Engineer for the Boeing Company in Seattle, Washington. After a year of service with Boeing, Mr. Riley attended Harvard Business School, where he was awarded an MBA in 1975.
Following graduation from Harvard, Mr. Riley spent four years overseas with TRW, based in Northern Ireland, England and France, rising rapidly to the position of Manager of European Operations. He then returned to California and co-founded General Resources Corporation, an equipment distribution company, establishing partnerships with local service companies in Kenya, Djibouti, Somalia and Sudan. Mr. Riley speaks French fluently.
Mr. Riley also has a strong foundation in technology, having worked in the Silicon Valley in California for the past 20 years. He has served as the President and CEO of Unity Systems (automated building controls), Web State (online training) and most recently ActivePhoto (online digital photo services). Mr. Riley is often invited to speak at industry conferences in the US and Europe, and was awarded a U.S. Patent for an innovative energy management system.
Mr. Riley has actively donated his professional expertise through volunteering at organizations such as Bizworld, a program that teaches business principles to elementary schools, and Hope Rehabilitation Services, a charity serving those with mental disabilities. He and his wife Nancy, a tax attorney, have 2 daughters in college.
Monday, December 20, 2004
Friday, November 26, 2004
Thursday, November 25, 2004
Thanksgiving Update...
Dear Family & Friends,
I just wanted to let you all know 2 small things...
The 1st, is that I passed my language exam that's needed to graduate from the Peace Corps Training Program. I'm by far, not the best, but I think I'm doing well personally. I'm truly surprised how much I already know, but equally humbled by how much I don't. In addition to that, the language spoken within the classroom is 100mphs slower than that spoken outside of the classroom. I've been courageous enough to start building friendships with local Moroccans, and I think that's what's paid off. Allowing myself to fail has helped me succeed.
Over the coming months, I will be searching for an Arabic tutor in Marrakesh to teach me both Darisa (common dialect of Arabic spoken here in Morocco) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). MSA is the formal Arabic that is written and spoken throughout the contemporary Arab world. Also known as Fus'ha, it is used in various forms by approximately 208 million Christian and Muslim Arabs. In the Arab world, MSA is the language of the news media, intellectual life, and literature from the Qur'an to the historian Ibn Khaldun and to the Nobel Prize winning author Nagib Mahfuz. MSA is the form of Arabic universally taught in schools of the Arab world. In addition, Modern Standard Arabic is the lingua franca used and respected by educated Muslims throughout the entire world.
If all goes as planned, I will be studying these two forms of Arabic for the next 370 days or so, which will give me full-access into a world that sometimes mis-understood by many Americans. Come next December, I will start learning French, which is also a language widely-spoken here in Morocco. Until then, it's heads down on this Arabic stuff.
The 2nd, is that I'll be updating my website bi-weekly, due now to the fact that I'll be moving out of my semi-large training site and into my little village in early December.
I've been pretty busy the last few weeks, so I haven't had a ton of time to post stuff to my website. However, because of this high-activity, I've experienced some really cool things that I'll soon share with each of you (as well as a ton of new pictures). I should have a bunch of time over the next week, so I'll use that time to get that all posted for you. Along with these past few weeks, I'll also be posting some of the backdated stories and pictures from September on. So you might want to revisit all the months and see if there's anything that you haven't yet read.
Miss you all and wish I could be spending Thanksgiving with you. Be at ease that everything is going smoothly, thus far. This goes without saying, but thanks for all your love and support.
I just wanted to let you all know 2 small things...
The 1st, is that I passed my language exam that's needed to graduate from the Peace Corps Training Program. I'm by far, not the best, but I think I'm doing well personally. I'm truly surprised how much I already know, but equally humbled by how much I don't. In addition to that, the language spoken within the classroom is 100mphs slower than that spoken outside of the classroom. I've been courageous enough to start building friendships with local Moroccans, and I think that's what's paid off. Allowing myself to fail has helped me succeed.
Over the coming months, I will be searching for an Arabic tutor in Marrakesh to teach me both Darisa (common dialect of Arabic spoken here in Morocco) and Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). MSA is the formal Arabic that is written and spoken throughout the contemporary Arab world. Also known as Fus'ha, it is used in various forms by approximately 208 million Christian and Muslim Arabs. In the Arab world, MSA is the language of the news media, intellectual life, and literature from the Qur'an to the historian Ibn Khaldun and to the Nobel Prize winning author Nagib Mahfuz. MSA is the form of Arabic universally taught in schools of the Arab world. In addition, Modern Standard Arabic is the lingua franca used and respected by educated Muslims throughout the entire world.
If all goes as planned, I will be studying these two forms of Arabic for the next 370 days or so, which will give me full-access into a world that sometimes mis-understood by many Americans. Come next December, I will start learning French, which is also a language widely-spoken here in Morocco. Until then, it's heads down on this Arabic stuff.
The 2nd, is that I'll be updating my website bi-weekly, due now to the fact that I'll be moving out of my semi-large training site and into my little village in early December.
I've been pretty busy the last few weeks, so I haven't had a ton of time to post stuff to my website. However, because of this high-activity, I've experienced some really cool things that I'll soon share with each of you (as well as a ton of new pictures). I should have a bunch of time over the next week, so I'll use that time to get that all posted for you. Along with these past few weeks, I'll also be posting some of the backdated stories and pictures from September on. So you might want to revisit all the months and see if there's anything that you haven't yet read.
Miss you all and wish I could be spending Thanksgiving with you. Be at ease that everything is going smoothly, thus far. This goes without saying, but thanks for all your love and support.
Saturday, November 06, 2004
MISS NOVEMBER: Melissa M. (1980-2004)
On this very sad day, the entire Peace Corps family here in Morocco, prayed for Melissa's friends and family, as we mourned the death of our fellow SBD Peace Corps volunteer, Melissa. On the afternoon of November 6th, Melissa suffered a fatal car accident just 10K outside of Ouarzazate. Although I personally only knew her for a short period of time, we grew very close. She will be missed dearly by not only me, but the entire SBD class of 2004. It has been mentioned that the government of Ouarzazate will pay tribute to her and honor her memory by dedicating a local learning center in her name. Shower us with your blessing Melissa, thank you.
For the official statement by Peace Corps HQ, click here... (http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.press.view&news_id=992)
As an added note, I wanted to state that students traveling abroad face many dangerous on the roads of many of these 3rd World Countries. A family that experienced the same tradegy as Melissa's family decided to devlop a portable seat-belt that students could carry with them on these dangerous roadways. The story and video can be viewed by clicking here.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
FINAL SITE: Amizmiz (aka Amezmiz)
Map of my Moroccan Region:
(Amizmiz, Morocco = Stockton, California)
Monday, November 01, 2004
About Amezmiz (aka Amizmiz)...
At the end of the High Atlas Mountains, just southwest from Marrakech, is the simple town of Amizmiz (pop. 16,000) which has been famed as the home town for their pottery and in ancient times for their acrobats since medieval times (That fact has yet to be validated). But, like many rural settlements, it has a saintly founder, one Sidi Ahmed. As far as sights go, there is a semi-ruined kasbah and an important Tuesday morning souk. Otherwise, it’s a stopping place on the round-the-mountains route to Ouirgane – or a starting point for some short walks into the Atlas. The post office, bank and cybercafé are handily located in a new district on the main road as you arrive from Marrakech.
About my (new) Host Family...
I live (fortunately) with my Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Boumlik. He himself is an artist and is the President of my town's artist association. He has (just one) wife named Klaulija, 3 beautiful girls ranging from 22-28, and two boys 19 and 27. I've yet to meet the older boy Adelrahim (27) due to the fact that he is (from what my limited language can obtain) a parachutist in the Moroccan Armed Forces. The youngest boy of Hamid (19) is a simple minded kid, that works as an apprectice for his father. The three girls; Hasna (22), Nezha (26), and Leila (28) all live in Marrekesh and work there also. Mostly, they all work in some sort of adminstrative role. The youngest girl, Hasna, will move back home just around the time that I arrive on site. We've already discussed that she will be my Arabic tutor to begin with. She's very patient and so I believe this will work out just nicely. I just have to teach her how to teach me, which might be a hurdle. (But then again, what hasn't been a hurdle thus far).
In and around Amizmiz...
Due North about 40 minutes is Marrakesh (pop. 980,000, which I'm sure you can find information on over the web). Other than that, there is the resort town of Oukaimeden, which is about an hour away from my site at the most. Oukaimeden is North Africa's largest ski resort and has the continent's highest lift at alittle over 10,000ft. It is a relatively short and easy drive from Marrakech, where you can stay in relative luxury. Oukaimeden was initially developed by the French and when conditions are good there are up to 20 km (13 miles) of runs, the longest one 3 km (nearly 2 miles) in length. You can take a donkey ride up to access terrain not served by lifts, opening up some impressive steeps and chutes. So all in all as a summary of my site, and when conditions are good, you may choose to mix your sking with a game of golf at one of their three courses; The Royal Golf Club, Golf Palmeraie, or Club Amelkis which range in price from $43-71 US. In addition to that you might also do some mountain biking, camel riding, rock climbing or check out the first rate surfing on the coast (which is only about 3 hours away) there in Agadir. And last, but certainly not least, I can take a 3-4 hour rapid train ride into the famed city of Casablanca.
My assignment...
My particular site assignment has yet to be fully realized and/or determined, but for now I believe I will be helping out with the new Co-Operative building that the Government of Marrekesh is donating to the town of Amizmiz. Another possible side project might be working with an American Christian organization and helping to map out the locate villages throughout my area. Another side project might be to design a Regional Brochure (The ones you usually find at hotels) and provide that to the Governor of Ouarzazate. I've already created a smaller one already, and he was impressed with it. As far as mediums for my particular site, so far I've seen pottery, retail clothing for women, and some carpentry. Stay tuned on these topics.
At the end of the High Atlas Mountains, just southwest from Marrakech, is the simple town of Amizmiz (pop. 16,000) which has been famed as the home town for their pottery and in ancient times for their acrobats since medieval times (That fact has yet to be validated). But, like many rural settlements, it has a saintly founder, one Sidi Ahmed. As far as sights go, there is a semi-ruined kasbah and an important Tuesday morning souk. Otherwise, it’s a stopping place on the round-the-mountains route to Ouirgane – or a starting point for some short walks into the Atlas. The post office, bank and cybercafé are handily located in a new district on the main road as you arrive from Marrakech.
About my (new) Host Family...
I live (fortunately) with my Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Boumlik. He himself is an artist and is the President of my town's artist association. He has (just one) wife named Klaulija, 3 beautiful girls ranging from 22-28, and two boys 19 and 27. I've yet to meet the older boy Adelrahim (27) due to the fact that he is (from what my limited language can obtain) a parachutist in the Moroccan Armed Forces. The youngest boy of Hamid (19) is a simple minded kid, that works as an apprectice for his father. The three girls; Hasna (22), Nezha (26), and Leila (28) all live in Marrekesh and work there also. Mostly, they all work in some sort of adminstrative role. The youngest girl, Hasna, will move back home just around the time that I arrive on site. We've already discussed that she will be my Arabic tutor to begin with. She's very patient and so I believe this will work out just nicely. I just have to teach her how to teach me, which might be a hurdle. (But then again, what hasn't been a hurdle thus far).
In and around Amizmiz...
Due North about 40 minutes is Marrakesh (pop. 980,000, which I'm sure you can find information on over the web). Other than that, there is the resort town of Oukaimeden, which is about an hour away from my site at the most. Oukaimeden is North Africa's largest ski resort and has the continent's highest lift at alittle over 10,000ft. It is a relatively short and easy drive from Marrakech, where you can stay in relative luxury. Oukaimeden was initially developed by the French and when conditions are good there are up to 20 km (13 miles) of runs, the longest one 3 km (nearly 2 miles) in length. You can take a donkey ride up to access terrain not served by lifts, opening up some impressive steeps and chutes. So all in all as a summary of my site, and when conditions are good, you may choose to mix your sking with a game of golf at one of their three courses; The Royal Golf Club, Golf Palmeraie, or Club Amelkis which range in price from $43-71 US. In addition to that you might also do some mountain biking, camel riding, rock climbing or check out the first rate surfing on the coast (which is only about 3 hours away) there in Agadir. And last, but certainly not least, I can take a 3-4 hour rapid train ride into the famed city of Casablanca.
My assignment...
My particular site assignment has yet to be fully realized and/or determined, but for now I believe I will be helping out with the new Co-Operative building that the Government of Marrekesh is donating to the town of Amizmiz. Another possible side project might be working with an American Christian organization and helping to map out the locate villages throughout my area. Another side project might be to design a Regional Brochure (The ones you usually find at hotels) and provide that to the Governor of Ouarzazate. I've already created a smaller one already, and he was impressed with it. As far as mediums for my particular site, so far I've seen pottery, retail clothing for women, and some carpentry. Stay tuned on these topics.
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