Come with us as we travel to Morocco with the Peace Corps to learn more about each other, ourselves, and what we'd like to be when we grow up.
Milestones...
Mike here.
6 months and counting…
To be honest I sit here and don’t know what this entry is going to entail but we are about to go to our In Service Training and it is something of a milestone for us anyways because it means we can actually start applying for funding from Peace Corps for larger scale projects that we may decide to do. An added benefit of IST is that we get to see all the volunteers that we went through our training with but haven’t seen for 6 months because of our remoteness (meaning we are not by a beach, a large town, or anywhere closely resembling a tourist attraction unless you count the blue buildings Tata is “known” for, according to one website. (This of course is like saying our bed is “known” for the pink blanket we have on it, which means, because you are reading this, it can now be said that someone knows about our pink blanket- get it?))
So this was going to be just another mind-numbing entry telling you Mike and Jana in Morocco this, and Mike and Jana in Morocco that but instead I decided, since we have been in country a whole nine months and out on our own for six months why not make it list time so, here goes…
Some ways you know you’ve integrated (In some cases maybe just a little TOO well)
- “It wasn’t a bad taste, except that I know peanuts aren’t supposed to taste like VOMIT.” Said by my lovely wife just 2 days ago.
- Dreams of bacon frying in the pan have changed to dreams of me eating an entire camel rump roast
- Showers have now become optional. Bucket baths, even with warm water is just too cold!
- Everything we drink tastes better when we drink it out of teeny tea glasses.
- As of last night’s tutor session, we have learned approximately 12 variations for expressing gratitude.
- We’re actually asking tourist to “Donnez moi une stylo” and gawking at their enormous campers and tremendously taught, slightly exposed bellies in ill fitting muscle shirts. And shoulders are downright scandalous!
Okay, that's all the hilarity I've got for now. More soon...
posted by jana | 8:08 AM
3 Comments:
Congratulations on the 9 months.
Love the list. By the way, how big is a camel rump roast? In my recollection that's a good chunk of meat.
-Craig, Anissa and Graham
How tough is a camel rump roast?!! If it compares to water buffalo, you can cook it, it smells pretty good, you can cut it, but chewing is a real task. Do you have your requests all in order, or they yet to come-you actual requests for funding?
Trust you traveling goes/went well.
Congratulations on achieving your milestone. We are curious to see what projects you will be starting with, now that you can officially begin.
We love the list. It sounds like you two are now ready for a traditional Norwegian-American Christmas dinner of Lutefisk. Lutefisk is cod preserved/petrified in lye. When you get up the nerve to eat it, you tie it up in cheese cloth and put it into boiling water. Soon, an aroma like an old fishing dock combined with a backed-up sewer pervades the house. When you sit down to eat it, you will (of course, hold your nose) see a semi-gelatinous, slimey mass of something that could only have been thought-up by Frankenstein visiting a "Jell-O" factory. It is traditionally served with drawn butter or cream. Strong drink is not necessary but sometimes helps fortify your nerves, because the family expects you to put some of this stuff in your mouth. Grandpa always said it would put hair on your chest (which would exlain Auntie Leena) but it always seems a high price to pay just to uphold old family traditions.
We think you and Jana are ready for this. It will make the Camel Rump Roast look like Kolbe Beef.
By-the-way, Bestemor always cooked hamburgers when she use to serve Lutefisk, because she won't touch the stuff herself.
Love, Papa R.
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