Only a week left in Morocco

I cannot believe that I have been so negligent towards my blog! I’m sorry! I just get so busy all during the week that I simply forget to write.

For my birthday, I went to Marrakesh with a friend from the consulate and his friends. Marrakesh is about a three hour drive away. My friend’s family has an apartment there and often goes to visit for the weekend. The first night (Friday) we went out to dinner at the most amazing Moroccan restaurant ever. The food was so good.. I had beef tajine with dried apricots. Seriously, I am going to try to introduce tajines to America. That is definitely going to be one of the main things I will miss when I leave. So anyway, dinner was fabulous and afterwards we went out to ring in my 20^th birthday. Afterwards the group went back to the apartment and tried to sleep. The next morning we got up bright and early, had a fabulous Moroccan breakfast, and then spent the day at a water park absorbing the sun and going on those ridiculous water slides. That night after taking a shower and a nap, we went out again where I was treated to dinner, birthday cake, and the club full of people singing me happy birthday. We walked like zombies back to the apartment after that, so tired from the long day and long night. That birthday was one of the best I have ever had. The only thing that could make it perfect was if Natalie had been there! On Sunday we went to the markets where I bought myself a birthday present, and I picked up some gifts for the family. The group reluctantly got into the car after that and we started the roadtrip back to Casablanca and back to work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakech

The week following the amazing birthday was uneventful. Work was the same, busy most of the time and stressful. The following Friday I went to Rabat for a newcomer orientation. It gave some background on the Embassy and the functions of most of the offices. The duties of the Embassy are quite different from the consulate and it was interesting to compare the two. In addition, the Embassy has a large compound and a huge American community including the Foreign Service and their families of about 300 people, whereas the Consulate is small and I think I have met everyone, including most of the family members. After the orientation, we went to the touristy sites in Rabat. Like an idiot, I left my camera in Casablanca so I couldn’t take pictures of all the cool stuff, including the very beautiful ancient Islamic ruins. It is on the list to go back again, with a camera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabat

There is not much news other than this because work is the same and the weekdays are usually uneventful. We have been invited to dinner with many consulate folks so that has become increasingly appreciated. Everyone is so nice and it really has been enjoyable to get to know everyone.

Last week we had our monthly consulate barbeque out on the back patio. It is usually kind of potlucky where people bring things to share and we all just take the afternoon to relax. This time we had meshwee/mechoui/meshwi, which is a huge roasted lamb on a spit that is heavily spiced and oh so good. We also had bastilla, a Moroccan pastry that is, hands down, my favorite thing to eat here. Oh man, I want one right now..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastilla

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&category_id=18&article=17548

I have been making a mental list of all the things I love about Morocco as I am sure that I will continue adding to the list, here is what I have so far:

1. Food. The traditional food is fabulous (couscous, meshwee, tajine, mint tea, bastilla) but also in Casablanca the accessibility of all restaurant styles is very good. There is a lot of Italian, French, some American, lots of cafes, and cute bakeries and amazing produce. Really, any type of food can be found. This was one aspect of Morocco that I found the most surprising, considering it is a developing country. The other interns and I joke when we see something that is so not third-world, we look at each other and note “this is not a developing country!” At least, not so much in the major cities. I bet out in the country and in the mountains it is a different situation.

2. The produce, which could be part of #1. The produce is beautiful, cheap, and very tasty. Last week I went to the local grocery store and picked up some produce for the consulate barbeque. I made a tomato and cucumber salad. I bought seven tomatoes, three large cucumbers, an onion and two lemons for about 12 dirhams, which is about a dollar and a half. Additionally, after I washed the tomatoes and cut into them, I was astonished to see that each tomato was absolutely perfect; sweet and juicy and perfectly ripe. The same goes for the cucumbers; they were the most perfect cucumbers I have ever seen. When I go back to the genetically engineered produce of America, I know the first thing I will miss is the naturally perfect veggies of Morocco.

3. Taking shoes off as a sign of respect. I love this. Shoes are taken off when entering homes and anywhere else to show respect. If it were up to me, I would make everyone go barefoot all the time.

4. Eating with the hands. It took a little bit of getting used to for me but once you get the hang of it, it is more fun than forks and knives and just overall better.

5. The country as a whole. I haven’t been to a city that I didn’t like and I don’t have a favorite city because I just like them all so much. I love Casablanca because you can find just about anything. Although it is a big city, it feels small to me especially since you can pretty much walk everywhere if you live in the middle. Rabat is simply beautiful and is slower paced and friendly. The countryside is beautiful as well.

6. The weather in Casa in the summer is perfect. We had two overcast days the entire time I have been here. And there has been only one painfully hot day. All the rest have been perfect, bright sunshine, blue sky, slight breeze, and perfect temperature. It is impossible to have a bad time in this city when everyday is this beautiful.

7. The people. I haven’t met a Moroccan that I haven’t liked. They are all super friendly and always happy and welcoming and just great. When I told one of the drivers that I was leaving in a couple weeks he broke into crocodile tears. It was so nice. Some of the other Moroccans that I was talking to about my departure insisted that I switch to a University here in Morocco. Then when I said I couldn’t do that, they said that they would raise money from everyone in the Consulate for my flight back to Morocco next summer. I said if they got me a ticket, I would be back as soon as possible.

The life of an intern is hard work!

The past couple of weeks have been quite busy out here! On Thursday the 18th Nora and I gained another roommate! His name is Patrick and he goes to college in Colorado. His parents live in Cairo and he spent most of his school years out there. He knows Arabic pretty well but it’s the Arabic that is spoken in Egypt, which is quite different from the Moroccan dialect. Anyway, he is working in Consular Affairs and after his first couple of weeks likes it very much. It is really great to have a guy around now for so many reasons. Our group of three has had a good time so far. We walk to work and go out to lunch together and spend the weekends exploring.

Last week we were informed that the apartment that we moved into initially is to be given back to the landlord, that our lease is up. So we moved on Tuesday and Wednesday to the new apartment. The move was difficult for me because, as being a Management intern, it was my job to organize most of the logistics of the move in addition to my current duties. I ended up making about six trips from the old apartment to the new apartment with most during the day so I had to miss some work. But despite the stress and frustration, everything worked out. Unfortunately we now live about 20 minutes walking from the consulate, verses the eight-minute walk we had previously. The apartment is bigger, though, and we are in a more interesting neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shopping. As for most moves, my most recent one has been good for some things and bad for others but this is the way it goes.

I have been in charge of the motor pool here for a little over three weeks now and it is becoming easier to manage the more understanding I have of it. The most difficult part is not managing the drivers and cars but managing the requests and issues that come from all the people in the consulate. I had a breakthrough on Friday that was another one of those surreal moments that I will remember for the rest of my life. As I said, the motor pool has been difficult at times and I have been driven to the edge of sanity. A few people have missed their rides and there have been misunderstandings, lack of information, and language barriers. Fortunately, though, these problems are coming up fewer and fewer as I get to know the drivers and I understand the system in place. I still have a fear that I am a complete and utter failure; I worry that I am doing everything wrong. Some of these drivers have been working with the consulate for 15+ years and truly know what works and how to best operate. I come in after no training and try to take over this huge task. I’m sure it was difficult for them as well to try to work with this American teenager (yep still a teenager until tomorrow) that speaks neither Arabic nor French and is quite culturally ignorant. Anyway so on Friday afternoon I was sitting in my office waiting to bring the stressful week to an end when I received a phone call from one of the drivers requesting me to come to the driver’s room. I had never been summoned like that before so I really had no idea what was going on. My first reaction was that they were planning an intervention. I thought they were going to sit me down and explain everything that I had been doing wrong. They were going to pick my bones clean, or at least I thought. I prepared for the worst. I gathered up my planner and notebook and walked out to the driver’s lounge trying to look confident but prepared to be humbled. As I approached their room, which is more like a trailer detached from the main consulate building, they could see me through the windows and I was greeted at the door by one of the drivers. He announced “staff meeting!” and I felt a little bit better but still worried that they were going to let me have it. I walked in and approached the sofas arranged in a circle and saw in the middle on the small coffee table a massive plate of couscous. “Just kidding!” they joked. I could not be more surprised. You see, couscous is a huge cultural thing here in Morocco. It is eaten every Friday (the Sabbath) and the whole thing, starting with couscous, then fruit, and ending with traditional mint tea, could last a couple hours. And being invited to share couscous with Moroccans or in a Moroccan home is a huge deal. I was so overwhelmed with joy and surprise and simply filled with love. The kindness I experienced was astonishing. Picture it… me, this white girl that is not outstanding or extraordinary, just plain and simple me that doesn’t have big adventures or interesting stories to tell, but there I was. I was the only white person, the only female, and the only person under 25 in the room. I was surrounded by five Moroccan men, completely outside anything I have ever known but yet having one of the greatest moments of my life. It was amazing. We joked about how I thought it was a real meeting and I had brought my notebook and planner. They poked fun and one of them said "it's Friday. There's no work today!"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MoroccanCouscous.jpg

The weekend was happily welcomed by the three exhausted interns. Saturday afternoon was good for catching up on sleep and relaxing. That evening, though, we went to poker night with some consulate folks. The poker started around 9pm and lasted until about 1 or 1:30 in the morning. I ended up losing only 60 dirhams (about $7.50) haha.. and it was a lot of fun.

The next morning on Sunday, Nora and I travelled to a place called Sidi Moumen which is a suburb of Casablanca and one of Casablanca's first shantytowns. We went with a Moroccan that opened a community outreach center there. The town became notorious for being the hometown of all of the Moroccan suicide bombers from 2003 and 2007. The people here, especially the children, are living in dire situations and are vulnerable to persuasion. The man we went with explained that he wants to provide the children of that area with opportunities for success. There is a library, tutor centers, computer lab, sports equipment, and so much more. The facility is in great condition but could always use more money and more volunteers. The center is truly a great thing. I felt so inspired just by visiting it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3930349.stm

After visiting Sidi Moumen, Nora and I rushed back to the apartment to get ready to go to the Embassy in Rabat for the annual Independence Day party. We shuttled out there, ate some food, met the Rabat interns and pretended to mingle with the some 500+ guests. They also had a nice fireworks display that woke up the entire neighborhood. I was so glad to get to see some fireworks this year. It is starting to really feel like my birthday. My life right now is so far from any other normal summer that having even a little connection to home means a lot. Especially around my birthday. We returned to Casablanca that evening after the party and prepared to start another week of work.