Victory at last!

HELLLOOO Fabulous people!

Here we are again, reading about my current adventures, luckily for you, my loyal readers, life has been interesting in these parts. As you all know my recent grant writing had me off to the 10th annual Casablanca Women's 10k run, with my students, Ghizlane & Aicha and fellow teacher Niema. I set off early on a thursday inorder to get all of our race numbers. It took me 14 hours on a bus to get there from my site and once I made it, I realized just how use to the simple life I have gotten. Casa is the industrial central of Morocco and it is landslides bigger than my town. I had to use taxis and even a train! I knew where nothing was and I had to find 2 different places for the numbers. I got around ok and shocked many a taxi drivers with my Arabic. After little sleep I was off to find the youth center we would be staying at. I couldnt check in until 3 pm so I went for walk and about 20 minutes into it I ACCIDENTALLY found a McDonalds!!! Never in a million years would i eat this in America and yet here it is cause for instant celebration! After I indulged myself in delicious american food I explored the city for a while and returned to the center. I slept for a while and then in the evening I went to a very famous Mosque. It was really beautiful cause it is on the sea and the sun was setting right as I made it. On my way home I ACCIDENTALLY found a KFC and nearly feel over with excitement!

The next day I meet up with my students and my site mate who arrived a bit later. Everything was going off without a hitch and I was really getting excited. I spent the day relaxing and walking around where we ate delicious roasted corn on the cob and drank sugar cane juice. I know I sound ridiculous talking mostly about food but its very slim pickings where I live and to have new tastes is unreal! That night my students picked out their running outfits and we all got really pumped for the race. Our plan was to walk the race (since it was not strictly a run) and whenever we saw a tv camera we would run so people watching back at home would be impressed. They were teasing but I seriously thought about it! :)

Early the next morning we were already in the cab on our way at 7! Once we arrived it finally hit me how huge of an event this would be. 30,000 Moroccan women were set to race and in a country where simply leaving the house can be forbidden for women, this was huge! We got our event shirts and sat around waiting for the 9 oclock go time. I met up with 2 other volunteers who came to the race. I also met 13 women from england who had come just for this!....Finally we were off! The streets were just FULL of the runners and when the race started we were all cheering and singing Moroccan chants. Inspiration and empowerment filled the air! There were tons of spectators and for once it was the women who were running the streets. The symbolism of all of this did not go unnoticed. After a while I thought my untrained students and myself would die down and start to walk but we kept trucking. Before I knew it we only had 2 kilos left...was it possible that I had done this? Im not a runner and I felt like I was dreaming. With a whole lot of encouragement from my student Aicha, we completed the race, running THE ENTIRE way (10k/6.2 miles) and doing it in 1:14! When I crossed the finish line I rushed towards my students in celebration...I havent been so proud of someone in a long time! I promise you if you met some of my students you would pack up your life too to live here cause they are some of the finest, most genuine people I know. These girls had never even been to this giant city and yet here they were running through it and they were unstoppable!

After we caught our breath, we ate some icecream and headed to the dance section. We danced our tired hearts out to Moroccan hits and you couldnt wipe the smiles off their faces. Later in the afternoon, I wanted to take the girls to a restuarant to celebrate their achievements! We went to a cute pizza place and at first I thought something was wrong. The girls were acting odd and seemed upset. After talking to them and observing, it dawned on me that this might have been their very first time in a restuarant in their entire lives. Mind you niether of these girls (ages 17 &21) are poor but in Morocco, especially small cities where we live, being female and eating out is just completely unacceptable. After they took it all in, they had a great time and enjoyed their meal, I just cant imagine that since it is so different in America...the things we take for granted.

Finally we went back to the center and that night we all sat around having girl talk which eventually ended up in the topic of religion. There is alot of pressure to convert to islam and sometimes it can be overwhelming to volunteers. For this reason I usually stay clear of the topic but this conversation was amazing. We compared ideas from the Koran to the Bible and they asked me questions and I asked them too. There was so judging and no pressure, just sheer cultural exchange. After nearly 2 hours of talking, we came to the agreement that regardless of what God we believe in, each of us are blessed and for that we are so thankful.

Feeling like I was on cloud nine, I said my goodbyes and headed to the Peace Corps office in Rabat for a vaccine. It was nice to come back to the place I went to on my very first day in this country. Crazy how much has changed and how time has flown by. Life is challenging but this latest adventure has given me the purpose I have been looking for. It will forever be one of my most savored memories.

I have included pictures from the trip. I hope you enjoy! Our hope now is to start a Women's annual 5k in our own city and then send 2 new girls to the 10k next year!

I love you all so much and I want to thank you for your continued support!

Thank you Aunt Vera, Diani, and Aunt Ronnie for your beautiful birthday packages...I got all three of them today!

Thinking of you always,

Kris