I made it to Rabat. Wow…this is really happening. I wasn’t sure it would. Everyone I have met has been so nice and welcoming. It feels like this is a whole new part of a family. I know it’s early to say, but it’s nice to be with a group of people who all understand the commitment, why we do this, and doing everything together. Our experiences won’t exactly be the same, but we all have to start in the same place.
Let’s recap. Sunday was my last day at home. It was bittersweet. Very bittersweet. My mom made my favorite meal for dinner and we just spent some nice time together. I knew this whole thing would be difficult, and it has been, but it was very nice to just have time to spend over a nice meal. I spent some quality time with Jake. I miss his little face.
My flight to Philadelphia on Monday was seriously early. We all woke up at 4am to leave at 4:30 for the airport. I took a shower and tried not to think about a) how early it was or b) that I was leaving everything I’d known for two years of the unknown. I didn’t even say goodbye to Jake or Abby; I knew I couldn’t handle it. Thankfully it was the right decision, but I do wish I had. I miss them so much. I got into Philadelphia around 10, took a van to the hotel with 6 other Peace Corps Trainees (we’re not volunteers until we’re sworn in), and got there around 11. After checking in (which took time because they weren’t sure my room was ready), I went to lunch with a few people at Subway. We all talked, told a bit about our lives before PC (or BPC as I may use from now on), and generally got to know each other. After heading back to the hotel, we registered with the PC training staff, all RPCVs (Returned Peace Corps Volunteers), and had some time to kill before our start of training.
During training, we did a lot of what you’d expect – getting to know each other, admin work (aka signing tons of forms), team building, and thinking about what we were getting into. At one point, we all made a circle and were told to face outwards towards the wall. The facilitator was asking us to think about all sorts of things: the reason we decided to this, what it would feel like the moment we felt we were able to get around in language, what our sites would be like, what kind of projects we would do, what we left behind, etc. I started tearing up. While it was empowering at times, it was hard to remember that this is a hard, long commitment. Afterwards, I felt better; we were all freaking out a bit and it was nice to know I wasn’t the only one. I went back upstairs to my room to change and found a photo album that I hadn’t put in my bag. It was a surprise from my mom, full of pictures from my youth, my family and friends. I couldn’t help but cry again and started to wonder if I could really do this. Thankfully, at that point, it was time to meet with my new friends for dinner. One last Yeungling was had and it was FANTASTIC!
The next morning, we all had to check out of the hotel at 9:30am. It all went very smoothly; the bellhops put all of our luggage onto three buses (there at 114 of us, each with two bags full of stuff), we boarded with some parting words from our facilitators, and were off to JFK to head to Casablanca. Our bus was awesome (bus #3 represent!) – we watched Aladdin! J We got to the airport in record time and they wouldn’t let us check in because it was too early. We unloaded and went to a few areas they let us sit in, where many people got lunch and weighed their bags again to make sure the weight was within limits. At 2pm, we started the long check in process, dropped our bags with TSA, and went through security. With 4+ hours to kill, I grabbed lunch (my first actual meal of the day), talked with my mom, and texted my friends to say a final farewell. A lot of people were really emotional, myself included. This was a big thing and we all knew it. Thankfully, some of my new friends came to sit with me and we talked for a long time. The plane came in, pictures were taken, and we got ready to go. Boarding actually went really well, considering they just let us get on en masse instead of the normal by zone thing. We were all spread out on the plane, but I was fortunate enough to sit next to and in front of some awesome trainees. At 7:15pm EST, wheels left the ground. We were off.
The plane ride isn’t much to speak of. Besides the fact that I lost my melatonin and had to buy sleeping pills in the airport to sleep on the plane, it was uneventful. It was an older-style 767 with the tv monitors in the ceiling (bummer), hot, had an interesting smell (especially coming from one of the guys in front of me), but overall fine. The food was great. We landed at approximately 6:00am Morocco time (not sure what time zone that is right now), got off the plane and into buses to take us to the terminal. After getting through customs, which wasn’t bad at all, we were greeted by our country director and director of programming and training. Once we all got our bags and got on more buses, we headed to Rabat.
On the way to Rabat, drove past an enclosed space with a camel in it. Everyone on the bus freaked out because it was our first camel experience. Said, the guy coming up with us from PC, was all confused why we were excited until we explained it was our first encounter. He got it…I think. After an uneventful, but really cool, bus ride, we got off at our hotel in Rabat – Hotel Oscar. This place is awesome. While the wifi doesn’t always work (because we overload it), the rooms are nice, the showers have hot water, the conference room space is great (even if we have to walk up 9 flights of stairs to get there, and exercise is good!), the food is fantastic, and the staff is wonderful. Best part though – I know one of our trainers. As we got here, one of the guys from the training staff walked up to the bus as we were waiting to be released to get our bags and room key. As I looked at him, I knew I had known him from somewhere but I just couldn’t place it. He got on the bus, gave us some instructions, and let us go. We kept passing each other and making eye contact (which men and women do not do in Morocco), and it seemed like he recognized me, so this wasn’t just in my head. A little later, after getting settled, he walked up to me and asked if I had worked at FSI. When I told him I did and told him I recognized him, he said he remembered me since we passed in the hall almost everyday and he was glad I was here. It’s a little strange to have someone you know do your training, but at the same time, it’s comforting to know someone. We’ve talked a bit and joked, which has been really nice.
Yesterday afternoon, we were all dead, so they just told us a bit about what to expect, when we were getting shots, and basically left it at that. Today, we broke into smaller language groups and found out area we are going to for our community based training next week. I’m headed to Fes! I’m so excited because it’s where I wanted to go. My language group is great. We did some paperwork, got our books, and started right away. This will not be an easy go, especially with the tones. We all get along and make each other laugh, so it should be a great way to learn the language. After a few more sessions today, two shots (Rabies and Typhoid), and an address by the US Ambassador to Morocco, we’re free until lunch. So far, this whole experience has been great.
No comments:
Post a Comment