10 months of waiting to find out which country I'd be assigned to for Peace Corps
8 months of waiting to leave for Morocco after receiving my placement
2 months of waiting for my final site announcement during pre-service training
...All leading up to one announcement, received two days ago in a hotel in Rabat. After saying goodbye to our training cities and teary-eyed host families on a cloudy Saturday morning, we lugged our bags to Fes and boarded the buses taking us back to Rabat, where we had stayed during our first 9 days in Morocco. Reunited with all 100+ trainees again, some of whom we hadn't seen in over two months, we hugged, laughed, and gabbed about our differing training experiences - the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the challenging. After only a few hours' time, we found ourselves sitting in the huge conference room on the top floor of our hotel, literally on the edges of our seats, waiting to finally find out where we'd be living for the next 2 years of our lives.
They announced the regions first, splitting us up into smaller groups and giving us just the knowledge of where in the country we'd be headed. The anticipation was palpable - each region was announced in front of the entire group, and slowly but surely we watched as the group became smaller and smaller until we were all divided by region.
Finally, in our smaller regional groups, we were shown our final sites one by one - and after 20 months of waiting, I can actually tell you where I will be living, working, and integrating for the next 2 years!!
My site: A small town about 1 hour east of the beautiful coastal city of Agadir! It’s in the Souss region in the southwestern portion of Morocco, in the Taroudannt province.
We received a folder of information about our sites; here are a few things I’ve learned so far:
- The population is difficult to pinpoint, but small. There are a lot of smaller villages surrounding the town, which is on a main road to Agadir
- The area is known for its orange groves and for good produce in general. Almond and argon trees are also common
- The climate is HOT! In the summer, it can range anywhere from 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit! Most things close down in July and August because of the heat
- Most people speak Darija (Moroccan Arabic). Some people, especially older women, speak Tashelheit, a dialect of an Amazigh (Berber) language
- There is both a Dar Chebab (youth center) and a Nadi Neswi (women’s center). I think a big reason I got placed here is that the Nadi Neswi recently lost their Mudir (director) and is in need of someone to help keep things running and add some more activities. There are also a good number of gender-related organizations in the area that could be potential partners on projects. It sounds like there’s a lot of great work to be done there!
- I’ll be replacing a current volunteer there who is finishing her service about 2 weeks after I arrive
My initial thoughts:
I was surprised at first by my placement in a smaller site. I had requested a larger site because of my interest and skill set in bringing together multiple organizations working on similar issues, and that sort of work is usually done in more urban environments. After learning more about my site, though it seems to really be a great fit for me – especially because of the need for leadership assistance in the Nadi Neswi and the presence of lots of different gender-related organizations in surrounding cities. Plus, the rural areas are, in a lot of respects, the places where the most GAD (Gender and development) work can be done, and where there are fewer people already filling that need.
I hadn't requested any particular region or climate in my site placement interview, because what I cared most about was being able to do the kind of work I’m passionate about and good at. Because of that, I didn’t really have any expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by my placement way down in the south. Though I experienced it for a short time in Egypt, I’ve never lived in that type of climate, and it should be a good experience! Plus, being so close to the coast and Agadir itself will be amazing – Agadir is known for its miles and miles of beautiful beaches.
All of us trainees are here in Rabat for now doing some transition-related training, and on Thursday morning we leave for our new homes! A group of us heading to the Souss will be taking a train and then a bus down to Agadir, and the whole trip will take somewhere around 8 hours. We’ll live with new host families for a minimum of 2 weeks or until we find our own houses/apartments, and then we’ll be on our own!
The next update will come from my final site - I can’t believe this is actually happening!!
8 months of waiting to leave for Morocco after receiving my placement
2 months of waiting for my final site announcement during pre-service training
...All leading up to one announcement, received two days ago in a hotel in Rabat. After saying goodbye to our training cities and teary-eyed host families on a cloudy Saturday morning, we lugged our bags to Fes and boarded the buses taking us back to Rabat, where we had stayed during our first 9 days in Morocco. Reunited with all 100+ trainees again, some of whom we hadn't seen in over two months, we hugged, laughed, and gabbed about our differing training experiences - the good, the bad, the hilarious, and the challenging. After only a few hours' time, we found ourselves sitting in the huge conference room on the top floor of our hotel, literally on the edges of our seats, waiting to finally find out where we'd be living for the next 2 years of our lives.
They announced the regions first, splitting us up into smaller groups and giving us just the knowledge of where in the country we'd be headed. The anticipation was palpable - each region was announced in front of the entire group, and slowly but surely we watched as the group became smaller and smaller until we were all divided by region.
Finally, in our smaller regional groups, we were shown our final sites one by one - and after 20 months of waiting, I can actually tell you where I will be living, working, and integrating for the next 2 years!!
My site: A small town about 1 hour east of the beautiful coastal city of Agadir! It’s in the Souss region in the southwestern portion of Morocco, in the Taroudannt province.
We received a folder of information about our sites; here are a few things I’ve learned so far:
- The population is difficult to pinpoint, but small. There are a lot of smaller villages surrounding the town, which is on a main road to Agadir
- The area is known for its orange groves and for good produce in general. Almond and argon trees are also common
- The climate is HOT! In the summer, it can range anywhere from 100-120 degrees Fahrenheit! Most things close down in July and August because of the heat
- Most people speak Darija (Moroccan Arabic). Some people, especially older women, speak Tashelheit, a dialect of an Amazigh (Berber) language
- There is both a Dar Chebab (youth center) and a Nadi Neswi (women’s center). I think a big reason I got placed here is that the Nadi Neswi recently lost their Mudir (director) and is in need of someone to help keep things running and add some more activities. There are also a good number of gender-related organizations in the area that could be potential partners on projects. It sounds like there’s a lot of great work to be done there!
- I’ll be replacing a current volunteer there who is finishing her service about 2 weeks after I arrive
My initial thoughts:
I was surprised at first by my placement in a smaller site. I had requested a larger site because of my interest and skill set in bringing together multiple organizations working on similar issues, and that sort of work is usually done in more urban environments. After learning more about my site, though it seems to really be a great fit for me – especially because of the need for leadership assistance in the Nadi Neswi and the presence of lots of different gender-related organizations in surrounding cities. Plus, the rural areas are, in a lot of respects, the places where the most GAD (Gender and development) work can be done, and where there are fewer people already filling that need.
I hadn't requested any particular region or climate in my site placement interview, because what I cared most about was being able to do the kind of work I’m passionate about and good at. Because of that, I didn’t really have any expectations, and was pleasantly surprised by my placement way down in the south. Though I experienced it for a short time in Egypt, I’ve never lived in that type of climate, and it should be a good experience! Plus, being so close to the coast and Agadir itself will be amazing – Agadir is known for its miles and miles of beautiful beaches.
All of us trainees are here in Rabat for now doing some transition-related training, and on Thursday morning we leave for our new homes! A group of us heading to the Souss will be taking a train and then a bus down to Agadir, and the whole trip will take somewhere around 8 hours. We’ll live with new host families for a minimum of 2 weeks or until we find our own houses/apartments, and then we’ll be on our own!
The next update will come from my final site - I can’t believe this is actually happening!!
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