Hello Friends and family,
So another week has gone by and with after surviving my trip to the dentist I am happy to report that I am alive and well. It was a long trip, 4 days total for a 10 minute long dentist appointment but I got to see a lot of friends along the way and more importantly I traveled to a town that had PIZZA! ;)
I am almost moved into my new house…Just doing some final touches. All in all its been great but I find that I am increasingly frustrated with my lack of independence. Its small things but they add up. I live in a world where at times just saying ‘How much is that blanket?’ is hard, so moving has brought many challenges. For instance my stove top which is fueled by a propane tank was extremely hard to set up. I finally did it but I no longer have any arm hair and I am amazed that I am alive after the fire I accidentally set. There are plenty of people I could ask for help but it’s a matter of pride now. I even walked across town with a metal ladder that weighed more than me because I just wanted to show people that I was strong lol. I know you think I am crazy but I promise you if you always felt like a child because you couldn’t form a proper sentence you would carry heavy things too. The patience people have with my language is absolutely amazing but I still get frustrated at times. Since things are falling into place and I will have my own space now I will have lots more time to study…thank god!
This month we celebrated the Arabic new year which was sooooo fun! On their calendar is it year 1429, I don’t know much about the holiday other than its my favorite as of yet. My orphanage threw a huge party and I was the guest of honor! It was by far one of my favorite memories in Morocco! It started with good company and a delicious meal! Its like cous cous but big and a tradition is that they put one date in each dish and whoever finds the date has good luck all year. Out of 20 tables, 4 kids found dates, then those 4 the played a game. Much to my surprise it was trivia about me! The kids were asked basic questions like my age, hometown etc. After confirming their answers, I picked the winner and they won some candy. It was a really nice surprise. Then they brought out these HUGE plates of nuts, figs, candy and fruit. Instead of just all eating together, it is a holiday tradition that all the goodies be separated equally for the people at the table. The girls I sat with were so cute counting every last peanut, almond and candy bar. Then they gave me a bag to take all my food home and we took some pictures. Lastly the presented their ‘teacher’ (me) with a box of chocolates to thank you for my hard work (even though I feel like I haven’t done ANYTHING yet lol) I know it sounds small but that night was priceless. Before the meal, a boy started singing the Koran, which I don’t understand and honestly hear it almost everyday. Well anyway I don’t even consider myself a very religious person and yet I truly felt a presence in the room. Whether it was their god or mine didn’t matter, the sound of silence and grace took me back. At that moment I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world. I feel overwhelming blessed here. Its hard to see people that have less than you all the time, while morocco is rather developed the news here is very depressing for me. I suppose I am finally seeing what ‘real news’ looks like. I hope that upon returning to the states I do not lose the sense of gratitude that I hold so close to my heart now.
Aside from that I am trying to start a women’s walking club for my city and next week I will be starting a girls club at my orphanage. Its funny what I consider ‘work’ nowadays. Today I was supposed to have class at the Dar Talib but the director was traveling so that kids were too busy running a muck to be bothered with English ;) They have a long vacation coming up so they are a little antsy. Anyway instead I went into the girls corridor and talked with them for while. We ended up talking about brad pitt and john Travolta lol. Believe it or not I left feeling like I accomplished something. Maybe im lazy I don’t know but sometimes I feel like more than anything these kids just need someone to listen to them; Even if they are just talking about celebrities.
Well I hope all is well in America…I am a little jealous that you all can keep such a close eye on the election! I check the internet daily and I hope you are all planning on voting! :) I miss everyone very much! If I can summon up the language skills to set up internet in my house, communication will only get easier! I will be trying this week so wish me luck! I will be posting pictures of my apartment soon!
Love you with all my Moroccan heart,
Kris
So another week has gone by and with after surviving my trip to the dentist I am happy to report that I am alive and well. It was a long trip, 4 days total for a 10 minute long dentist appointment but I got to see a lot of friends along the way and more importantly I traveled to a town that had PIZZA! ;)
I am almost moved into my new house…Just doing some final touches. All in all its been great but I find that I am increasingly frustrated with my lack of independence. Its small things but they add up. I live in a world where at times just saying ‘How much is that blanket?’ is hard, so moving has brought many challenges. For instance my stove top which is fueled by a propane tank was extremely hard to set up. I finally did it but I no longer have any arm hair and I am amazed that I am alive after the fire I accidentally set. There are plenty of people I could ask for help but it’s a matter of pride now. I even walked across town with a metal ladder that weighed more than me because I just wanted to show people that I was strong lol. I know you think I am crazy but I promise you if you always felt like a child because you couldn’t form a proper sentence you would carry heavy things too. The patience people have with my language is absolutely amazing but I still get frustrated at times. Since things are falling into place and I will have my own space now I will have lots more time to study…thank god!
This month we celebrated the Arabic new year which was sooooo fun! On their calendar is it year 1429, I don’t know much about the holiday other than its my favorite as of yet. My orphanage threw a huge party and I was the guest of honor! It was by far one of my favorite memories in Morocco! It started with good company and a delicious meal! Its like cous cous but big and a tradition is that they put one date in each dish and whoever finds the date has good luck all year. Out of 20 tables, 4 kids found dates, then those 4 the played a game. Much to my surprise it was trivia about me! The kids were asked basic questions like my age, hometown etc. After confirming their answers, I picked the winner and they won some candy. It was a really nice surprise. Then they brought out these HUGE plates of nuts, figs, candy and fruit. Instead of just all eating together, it is a holiday tradition that all the goodies be separated equally for the people at the table. The girls I sat with were so cute counting every last peanut, almond and candy bar. Then they gave me a bag to take all my food home and we took some pictures. Lastly the presented their ‘teacher’ (me) with a box of chocolates to thank you for my hard work (even though I feel like I haven’t done ANYTHING yet lol) I know it sounds small but that night was priceless. Before the meal, a boy started singing the Koran, which I don’t understand and honestly hear it almost everyday. Well anyway I don’t even consider myself a very religious person and yet I truly felt a presence in the room. Whether it was their god or mine didn’t matter, the sound of silence and grace took me back. At that moment I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else in the world. I feel overwhelming blessed here. Its hard to see people that have less than you all the time, while morocco is rather developed the news here is very depressing for me. I suppose I am finally seeing what ‘real news’ looks like. I hope that upon returning to the states I do not lose the sense of gratitude that I hold so close to my heart now.
Aside from that I am trying to start a women’s walking club for my city and next week I will be starting a girls club at my orphanage. Its funny what I consider ‘work’ nowadays. Today I was supposed to have class at the Dar Talib but the director was traveling so that kids were too busy running a muck to be bothered with English ;) They have a long vacation coming up so they are a little antsy. Anyway instead I went into the girls corridor and talked with them for while. We ended up talking about brad pitt and john Travolta lol. Believe it or not I left feeling like I accomplished something. Maybe im lazy I don’t know but sometimes I feel like more than anything these kids just need someone to listen to them; Even if they are just talking about celebrities.
Well I hope all is well in America…I am a little jealous that you all can keep such a close eye on the election! I check the internet daily and I hope you are all planning on voting! :) I miss everyone very much! If I can summon up the language skills to set up internet in my house, communication will only get easier! I will be trying this week so wish me luck! I will be posting pictures of my apartment soon!
Love you with all my Moroccan heart,
Kris
ps attached are just some pictures from my friends house when i was traveling...
