FAQ (in progress)

I've decided to do a FAQ for those of you who might have questions, such as "What will you be doing with the Peace Corps?" or "Why Morocco?" or "Are you nervous?" "What about safety?"

Here goes... but please do not distribute this information until I get official word as to what I can or cannot blog about.

- What is the Peace Corps, anyway?

Good question! To write on what the Peace Corps is would take a book, so I'll refer you to the official website here: www.peacecorps.gov . Definitely worth checking out, with lots of good information. In short, it is a 27-month commitment (two years service, 3 months training) to spending time in a community abroad learning about that community, being a cultural ambassador of the US, and working on some sort of project, from teaching IT to building wells, teaching English, planting trees, etc. However, both the country and the community invite Peace Corps in for specific sectors (as vague as health extension to as specific as beekeeping) and the community essentially decides what you do as a volunteer, so flexibility is key. There are lots of good places for information on specifics.

- Why Morocco?

Well, first of all, Morocco is an incredible country. I have always wanted to live in an Arab nation for some period of time because I don't know much about that culture and am curious as to the realities. That all being said, I didn't have the choice of any country I wanted. I was nominated for Middle East/North Africa doing Health Extension, which, reading between the lines, meant Morocco. My placement officer offered me a position in Latin America which I would have been happy to take, but for some reason, I had this sort of tugging feeling about Morocco. I asked if that program was still open, and it was, so that settled it! I have trepidations, as I would with any country, but am really quite excited at the prospect.

- What will you be doing?

Ah. The question that when I honestly answer "I don't know," people stare at me, dumbfounded. "What do you mean, you don't know?! You're going to Morocco for two years and you don't know what you're going to be doing, or even where you'll be?"

Nope.

But I do have some sort of an idea. You see, I know that for the first three months, I'll be in a mid-sized sort of town doing training. In actuality, I'll most likely be doing Community Based Training (CBT) which, if my observations end up being correct, means I'll spend a few days at a time as a big Health Extension group in that town, then break up into smaller groups and go to a smaller village a few hours away and stay with a family and have more hands-on training. Then, back to the group for a few days... then back to the village and homestay. In between that time, I'll most likely spend a week on field trip with a current PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). If I pass my language tests and all goes well, I swear in as a Volunteer in June (before that, I'm a Peace Corps Trainee). Then, off to my site for two years.

At that point, I still most likely know what I'll be doing for the next two years, but spend a few months in a homestay at that site, meeting people, drinking Moroccan mint tea, and conducting needs assessments to see what is needed and what the people of my site would like me to take on. I'll have support and help from the PC office as well as with a local clinic and a local "counterpart." But the projects are as varied as they can be: it could be teaching children to wash their hands or brush their teeth, building latrines, working with water sanitation in one way or another, or helping bring trainings in child or maternal health care. It could also even mean educating on nutrition or doing baby weighings, or education on how to make oral rehydration fluids and how to tell when to seek medical attention. In other words: if there is a health need and my skills or resources can be of assistance, the project starts there.


- Do you speak Arabic? What languages will you have to learn?

Morocco has a few languages that are spoken. The official language is Classical Arabic, a language I most likely will not learn. However, the dialect of Arabic that is very different than Eastern Arabic that is spoken is Darija, or Moroccan Arabic. I'm hoping to learn this very well, and should have at least some training in this.

In the rural areas there are Berber or Amazigh languages. The three dialects of Berber in Morocco are Tarifit, Tashelhiyt, and Tamazight; most likely I will also learn one of these for day-to-day dealings at my site.

French is used in Morocco in large cities and most tourists can do fine with French, though I don't think I'll use it very much and if I do, most likely it'll be in cities or with official or government business.

In the very northern part of the country, there are areas of Spanish-speaking Morocco. I won't be living there, but I do hope to take some time to visit some of those areas and use my Spanish there.

- Do you feel safe, or is Morocco dangerous?

This is one of the most common questions that I get. There's no simple answer, but so far as how it impacts me, I have complete faith in the Peace Corps as far as security and safety issues go. I have spoken with several RPCVs from Morocco as well as several people in country now and they all say that security is one of if not the top priority of PC staff and there are trainings and protocols and all sorts of things to keep me safe. I'm very thankful to have these measures, and I feel like I am probably going to be safer in Morocco than I was in Atlanta, GA.

That being said, I do understand the need to be smart and vigilant, and know to never be complacent about security and safety and general common-sense issues. All in all, the most dangerous part of living in Morocco is probably risks from car accidents.


- What will you wear?

This depends on me and on the community I will eventually be living with. In the cities, I'll most likely dress like an American: jeans or pants, shirts, etc. In the bled, I'll most likely dress like the community. This can mean long skirts or baggy pants with long shirts, long-sleeve shirts or at least sleeves that come to my elbow, and maybe or maybe not a hijab, or head-covering. It's essentially up to me as to what I wear. If I don't want to wear a hijab, I won't. If it makes assimilation easier or makes projects go smoother, most likely I will. I am bringing some long skirts as well as some pants and a pair of jeans; the rest just depends on where I am and the choices I make. Some volunteers can wear jeans at their site, some feel pressured into wearing skirts or baggy pants with long shirts. I'll know more when I get to my community.

I definitely want to get a djelleba made as well as a nice kaftan, but I think I'll need to save up for those. Google the images if you're curious, but I'm particularly excited about getting a heavy wool djelleba.


- What will you eat?

For those of you who know me and my particular pseudo-vegetarian ways, you know this will most likely be challenging for me. I will eat the way a Moroccan eats. Most common dishes are couscous and tagines (stews). There are pages on the internet dedicated to Moroccan food, but know that there is no pork or other pig products, the most common meats are chicken, beef, and lamb, and that the diet tends to be very carbohydrate-heavy with lots of breads dipped in olive oil and some pasta dishes.

As best as I can, I plan on trying to be as vegetarian as possible, without being a problem or insulting for the people I am with. If I can choose, I'll choose vegetarian. That all being said, most likely, I'll end up eating more chicken, beef, and lamb than ever before, but will try to avoid eating organ meats, using something sensitive and honest, relating not eating organ meats to family tradition or respecting my parents' wishes.

Most women PCVs in Morocco gain weight during their homestays and training (first 5-6 months) with all the carbohydrates but lose weight when they can cook for themselves and lean more towards a fruits/veggie/balanced diet. Since I am on the bigger side of people, a RPCV from Morocco said it was more likely for me to lose weight than to gain weight because of all the activity.


- Are you afraid?

This is kind of a loaded question. Change is always scary. I'm going in with enough negative expectations (that I'll get sick, that I'll stress out about gender issues, that I'll have problems communicating, that I'll question why I'm over there, that I'll be lonely, that I might not be in love with the people I'm working with, that it'll be isolating, that I'll feel frustration often, that I'll get fed up with bureaucracy...) that hopefully nothing will surprise me.

My biggest fear right now is getting sent home for some reason without being able to fulfill the 27-month comittment.

The beginning.

Marhaba!

Welcome! This blog will soon become a place for me to update about my experiences as an invitee (currently), a trainee (from 3.3.07-5.07), and a Volunteer (5.07-5.09) with the United States Peace Corps in the Health Extension sector of Morocco.

I will not update again until I've made it in-country, but I wanted to go ahead and get a blog started that I will be able to give the link now to people who are interested. I don't know for sure if I'll be able to keep a blog or how often I will be able to update, but hopefully if I'm able, this will be the place!

Why "shwiyabshwiya"? I kept a blog while studying abroad in China and would like to do the same while in Morocco, but I did not know what to call it. I don't know where I will be in Morocco. I don't know what languages I will be learning (most likely Darija: Moroccan Arabic, and either Atlas Tamazight or Tachelhit which are Amazigh languages). I don't know what kind of projects my community will want me to assist with. I have very little to work from as far as what kind of expectations to have, but I do know this much: I expect to be sick often, I expect to have problems communicating with people, I expect to struggle with languages, I expect to struggle with issues related to gender, I expect to be very lonely at times, I expect to make an absolute fool out of myself and laugh at myself often, and I expect to have the time of my life.

The more I thought of a journal title, the more "Shwiya b shwiya" made sense to me. I learned that phrase from reading current PCV (Peace Corps Volunteers) blogs. It means "Little by little." To me, I think that is the most realistic expectation to have... to expect to do everything little by little. Baby steps. Enshallah.

So there you have it. The Peace Corps has been a dream for me since I was fifteen. Eight years later, I wait anxiously, getting rid of superfluous stuff, saying goodbyes, trying unsuccessfully to learn Darija, and of course, the typical dilemma of not knowing what to pack. I know in the long run, it doesn't matter if I pack three skirts or two, or if I have a solar charger or not, but it is much easier to fixate on those questions than what it will be like to possibly live in the desert for two years in a place where all I can say right now is "ana mirikaniya, lebas, l-Hamdullah, bgrit n-ness, ana xaddama maa hayat s-salaam."

I'm embarking full of questions and full of excitement; and for the time being, (until after orientation and I learn about PC's official policy on blogging), I leave you with links!

www.peacecorps.gov
www.friendsofmorocco.org
http://french.about.com/library/travel/bl-ma-index.htm
http://www.mincom.gov.ma/
http://www.peacecorpsjournals.com/mo.html