Hark! Is that a donkey I hear?

Hey all!

Amazing news! I found a house! I can't wait to put up pictures of before and after photos (that is, after I decorate...with what exactly, I don't know yet.) But anyhow, I'm going to live there in little under two weeks! Hoorah! I call it my early Christmas gift to myself. 

(As a complete aside-the power goes off often here, and every time it does, my host father goes, "Ooh la la!" and every time he does it, it makes me giggle and I have to work to stifle it.)

Also, it's Christmas time and I am more than prepared to start listening to all of my Christmas music that exists on my computer. I was listening to "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" and tears came to my eyes. I was briefly overwhelmed by that sudden, 'O my gosh, I'm in Morocco and why doesn't my house smell like pine and chex mix?, home sick feeling.' I suspect that I'll be a little weird on Christmas day. However! I have plans with some really lively people who are going to spend Christmas day with me. 

For those of you wondering what the cake is about, I still hang out with a baker who dotes on me. She asked if she could make me a Christmas cake. Therefore, you all, Happy Christmas! Let us celebrate the holiday joy wherever we are!

learning the Alphabet

Today I decided that I should put on my investigation glasses and go searching for an apartment myself. I did this because I was somewhat curious and somewhat wondering what the response to my question would be. I did this because I was somewhat curious and interested in what people I just talked to would say. Anyhow, I asked around and to my delight I got some answers and so tomorrow, I may see another apartment. I have to continually remind myself to be really patient with everything. My inner mantra is thrumming away to the lines of, "Everything is going to be okay."

I also decided today that since I speak a dialect of Arabic, maybe I should learn how to read it. . So, I took it upon myself to start copying things from my English-Darija workbook. Then after a session with my tutor, I found that I can vaguely muddle my way through words. I feel elated. I also feel like I have a new and fun superpower.

I wanted you to enjoy the fruits of my labor! This page says really fun things like, “Where is the post office?” and my personal favorite, “What is the name of the chief doctor at the hospital?”

As of late.

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven’t been writing too much. I’ve been preoccupied with being a smidgen sick with the world's best cold. I was even really thoughtful and gave it to my host mom. Poor thing. Thankfully, I feel as though I’m beginning to recoup and my host mom isn't as bad as I am, so we're going to make it. I even made it all the way to my Nedi Neswy (Women’s club) to tell them this fun fact: "hey I’m alive but sick. I’ll be back on Wednesday!" They took the news well, so all is good there.

I’ve found an apartment and I think I’ll make two years there without going insane. Hooray. The bathroom’s a bit small but I’m pretty sure I can install a shower in there. Things are looking up. When I move in, I really want to put up pictures of fun things. I'm also really looking forward to being able to control food intake a bit more. I'm glad i'm not starving, I'm just looking forward to cooking for myself in smaller portions. 

On another subject, I want you to enjoy pictures of henna! I got some really spectacular wedding henna done on me, courtesy of my old host family. 

A place of my own.

Finding a house in a small dusty town can be….in a word, overwhelming. It doesn’t help that I hate searching for a place to live anyways, but I needed to share this with you because obviously, dear reader, you care.

I was fortunate enough to spend the early hours of this morning invested in watching the television show “Dexter.” Trust me, it provides loads of entertainment for the slightly morose.  Anyhow, I decided today was a good day to go look for a house. I’m really glad I brought a book to the office where I went to try and search for a house because I was there for three hours. Thankfully though, no one let me down on actually finding a place!

After five minutes of walking around an apartment, I have decided I may just keep mine eyes peeled.  As much as I loathe looking for a house, it is rather exciting to see a brand new place and dreaming about whether or not I might decorate those barren walls. I’ve heard from other volunteers that some of the happiest times they have had have been when they first moved into their own house. I’m really excited that for the first time ever, I will have a place all my own.

I'm attempting to keep a log about what books I'm reading.

But mostly I'm doing this because it's of my own egocentric interest.
As of now, I'm reading Stephen King's, The Stand. Until I get better about managing my time, it may take me a while to get through it. Hoorah. I will definitely be adding the new books I'm reading and attempting to make a bigger list of what books that I have remembered reading.

In case you forgot what this big, thick book looks like, here you are:

The Stand: Expanded Edition: For the First Time Complete and Uncut (Signet) by Stephen King

Fun with food

I got tricked into eating stomach! ACH! I was eating couscous like it was all hunky dory and then the meat that sits in the middle of the great dish of grains was cut and a piece was handed to me. I cut a smaller piece, eyed it suspiciously and then just said, heck, I'll just eat it because I don't know what it is. Then I put it in my mouth. I give myself 100 points of awesome for swallowing it. Although, I did feel like an idiot because the reception that this poor Moroccan family who was so kind to invite me for dinner was watching me attempt to masticate this piece of stomach. But still! This time I didn't even run to the bathroom. Stomach may get easier to eat but the taste still hasn't left my mouth yet.

Anyhow, enough about that. I've recently had the good luck to make friends with the local baker. She invites me over to her shop during closing. Then she lets me help make the rest of the cookies she's currently making and hands me cookie after delicious cookie. Today I had a coconut macaroon that tasted like...well I don't know what it tasted like, something like crunchy happiness in sugary bread form? The slight downside of this interaction is that eventually I will become (the appropriate Arabic word here is: glida, don't you think that's the most appropriate word for fat?) more rubenesque by the time I leave Morocco. This is a serious food culture. Even when I came home after eating dinner with some really nice people, my host family was like, "WHAT? I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU ATE! YOU WILL EAT SPAGHETTI NOW." (slightly exaggerated)

But they were cool with me making a weak attempt at me eating. Sometimes unspecified people (to protect those who have been kind enough to invite me over) rate me on how much I've eaten at meals. For instance, if I don't clear the food triangle designated for me (since usually we eat meals communally out of one plate) they tell me I haven't eaten well. So I have tried to come up with fun ways of counteracting this behavior. I like saying things like: "I have a small stomach. I will get a food baby. I will get sick if I eat more. I eat slowly because that's how I eat in America.(that one is a last ditch effort trying to get the people serving me not to notice if I'm scraping food into other triangles so I don't have to eat it all). 

Now I want you to take the time to notice that I don't look sickly or pale in this picture. I even feel slightly elated in this because my host fam just gave me this beautiful bag. Even my real dad said I didn't look too bad. Bssha people, bssha (to your health).

So I bought a modem. This modem allows me to have the internet at my fingertips! Oh the power! My need for internet is finally sated.

On a different note, I'd just like to say that while I write this, my host father is watching a television show from Egypt where this man is helping students by phone with their algebra homework. I am deeply amused.
But aside from that, I am a real Peace Corps Volunteer now! I'm sworn in and at my permanent site. Things are good. I have been in site for one full week and it has flown by.

I'm still figuring things out here in town and although it's small, I get turned around because there are still streets I don't know etc. I'm really fortunate that I found a tutor so fast. You can tell he loves to teach and hopefully within a few months I'll be able to say more exciting sentences than, "This is a wall." and "I like soup," and my personal favorite, "gosh it's cold."

My host family spoils me tons. Everyday my host mom wakes up and makes me french toast and coffee. I am sorely tempted to live my two years with them. I really like having a family that I can communicate decently with and that watch out for my safety. I'm really relieved that I've such an awesome host family. But alas, I should really move out on my own and grow up. I hope all is well with ya'll!

For your enjoyment, here's a picture of cookies I made with my first host family.