All of the PCVs in my stage spent the last two weeks in Azrou for more technical training, really a great excuse to see everyone, catch up, and re-motivate ourselves when we get back to site. I appreciate PC staff so much for planning the schedule, Jay at the mousse shop for taking me on a mini-tour of the city and making us ice cream, Abdu at the rug store for his cultural insight, the LCFs for their language help and energy, PCVs for the in-class (?)/out-of-class entertainment, and the neighborhood “newspaper stand” for much needed breaks. (PHOTO: SBDers obviously have more fun than the YDers)
Azrou itself was unlike any other Moroccan town I’ve visited so far. It reminded me of Kona, if Kona was in Portugal. Locals are used to tourists, not much bustle, nice people, rolling green hills, donkeys…okay I’m stretching it. From the rooftop at Jay’s café, I got to see a beautiful view of the centrally-located mosque, the cafes located around it, the encircling townhouses, and green fields and hills after. I only had to climb up 4 flights of stairs, but after eating so much mousse at the restaurant, it was worth it. She took me and another PCV to shantytown, a delicious hole-in-the wall bakery, and a local produce market (where she bought strawberries that appeared on the next batch of mousses). (PHOTO: Banana Cherry Mousse)
In the medina, there’s a man named Abdou who’s a friend of all PCVs. My first day in the city, some friends and I hung out at his shop, where he has hundreds of rugs and traditional Moroccan handicrafts. We tried on heavy, winter wedding wraps. He made an unreal blend of “Moroccan” tea using so many different herbs, and he entertained us with his stories, cats, and the adorable family kids. Later, we got to go on a “SBD field trip” to his place, where he explained the Moroccan rug market. His valuable information really cleared up a lot of questions I had about the industry (that’s worth a whole separate blog entry). (PHOTO: Field Trip)
On the weekend, some of us took a day trip to Ifrane, a.k.a. Little Switzerland. I was blown away by the amount of local tourists there: snapping photos with their digital cameras of a lion sculpted out of rock by a POW (so the rumor goes), picnicking in the park, and snacking on pizza and ice cream at the cafes. There’s an English-speaking university there too, but despite my best language efforts, the guards wouldn’t let us in on a non-weekday. I found a bunch of magazines in French (planning to take the Moroccan food one home in 2 years…). Overall, the trip was a nice break from sessions and being with the whole group. That night, I finally got to make proper use of the lovely hotel bed…and sleep for a long time. Compared to the YD hotel, we were so pampered. On top of cloth napkins, daily shampoo refills, and wifi, the staff threw us a party on our last night: complete with cake and leftover ice cream (from our ice cream party that day), live music, and head-banging dancers. What a way to end the vacation, er I mean, training. (PHOTO: Lion)
When I got back to site, the two weeks of mostly speaking English took its toll. I’ve been told I forgot my darija, got fat, and have a bad sunglass tan. ALPC (Acronym-Loving PC) has given me a NFMAP (New 4-Month Action Plan) to help guide my next few months at site. Today, I got to meet the first SBD PCV in Btown. Not only has she started a very promising company working with Moroccan handicrafts (Mushmina), but she’s marrying a Btownian and is only an hour away from me… Cheers to the next 4 months!
And happy Valentine's Day!
p.s. <3 to pong, alicia, and erin for the weekend blog shoutouts
All of the PCVs in my stage spent the last two weeks in Azrou for more technical training, really a great excuse to see everyone, catch up, and re-motivate ourselves when we get back to site. I appreciate PC staff so much for planning the schedule, Jay at the mousse shop for taking me on a mini-tour of the city and making us ice cream, Abdu at the rug store for his cultural insight, the LCFs for their language help and energy, PCVs for the in-class (?)/out-of-class entertainment, and the neighborhood “newspaper stand” for much needed breaks. (PHOTO: SBDers obviously have more fun than the YDers)
Azrou itself was unlike any other Moroccan town I’ve visited so far. It reminded me of Kona, if Kona was in Portugal. Locals are used to tourists, not much bustle, nice people, rolling green hills, donkeys…okay I’m stretching it. From the rooftop at Jay’s café, I got to see a beautiful view of the centrally-located mosque, the cafes located around it, the encircling townhouses, and green fields and hills after. I only had to climb up 4 flights of stairs, but after eating so much mousse at the restaurant, it was worth it. She took me and another PCV to shantytown, a delicious hole-in-the wall bakery, and a local produce market (where she bought strawberries that appeared on the next batch of mousses). (PHOTO: Banana Cherry Mousse)
In the medina, there’s a man named Abdou who’s a friend of all PCVs. My first day in the city, some friends and I hung out at his shop, where he has hundreds of rugs and traditional Moroccan handicrafts. We tried on heavy, winter wedding wraps. He made an unreal blend of “Moroccan” tea using so many different herbs, and he entertained us with his stories, cats, and the adorable family kids. Later, we got to go on a “SBD field trip” to his place, where he explained the Moroccan rug market. His valuable information really cleared up a lot of questions I had about the industry (that’s worth a whole separate blog entry). (PHOTO: Field Trip)
On the weekend, some of us took a day trip to Ifrane, a.k.a. Little Switzerland. I was blown away by the amount of local tourists there: snapping photos with their digital cameras of a lion sculpted out of rock by a POW (so the rumor goes), picnicking in the park, and snacking on pizza and ice cream at the cafes. There’s an English-speaking university there too, but despite my best language efforts, the guards wouldn’t let us in on a non-weekday. I found a bunch of magazines in French (planning to take the Moroccan food one home in 2 years…). Overall, the trip was a nice break from sessions and being with the whole group. That night, I finally got to make proper use of the lovely hotel bed…and sleep for a long time. Compared to the YD hotel, we were so pampered. On top of cloth napkins, daily shampoo refills, and wifi, the staff threw us a party on our last night: complete with cake and leftover ice cream (from our ice cream party that day), live music, and head-banging dancers. What a way to end the vacation, er I mean, training. (PHOTO: Lion)
When I got back to site, the two weeks of mostly speaking English took its toll. I’ve been told I forgot my darija, got fat, and have a bad sunglass tan. ALPC (Acronym-Loving PC) has given me a NFMAP (New 4-Month Action Plan) to help guide my next few months at site. Today, I got to meet the first SBD PCV in Btown. Not only has she started a very promising company working with Moroccan handicrafts (Mushmina), but she’s marrying a Btownian and is only an hour away from me… Cheers to the next 4 months!