Less than a week ago, myself and 68 fellow volunteers from the Health and Environment sectors were sworn in and officially became volunteers. Everyone got dressed up in their one fancy set of clothes that we all brought to Morocco, and will probably never use again. We were able to meet with the Governor of Oaurzazat and the United States Ambassador. Congratulations all around, and lots of hugs. Some of us may not see each other again for quite a long time.
We are spread across the country now, North to South (except in the Western Sahara region), and East to West. As a group we speak 3 different languages, tamazight, tashelhight, and Darija. We are in varying conditions, from the scorching hot of the desert to the bitter cold winters of the mountains. I think that we all are extremely motivated to get started on integration into our communities, exploration of the surrounding area, and looking for future projects to work on once our language skills are up to par. As for me, language is going great, life is good, and I'm stuck in one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Been running, hiking, enjoying nature in general. I still don't know the majority of plants here, but I know what they are similar to, and I'm learning the local names for many of them. The day I get my hands on a good guide book to the area will be a happy day. The children at the local school gave me a Moroccan name finally. Xalid (the x is like a kh in the back of the throat like you are hocking a loogie!), which means "the thing that stays forever" from what I've been told. Been looking for possible projects around the town, meeting lots of people, perhaps too many. Names keep leaving my head as soon as they go in. There are just too many people in a given day to remember everyone, not to mention these names are ones that I've never heard before in my life. Oh well, such is life, and the ones that are important to know will stick eventually.
No comments:
Post a Comment