Mom in Morocco

I had my first visitor here in Morocco. My mom. As I am sure many of you are already aware. It was an interesting experience having a visitor. I was able to hear another persons’ perceptions of my situation.

During her visit we were busy but were still left with plenty of time to relax and enjoy each others company.

We ate and spent time with my Moroccan family, spend time with my Moroccan friends, visited my workplace, visited Marrakesh, Casablanca, the countryside, and met seven of my Peace Corps friends.

In Marrakesh, one of Morocco’s most sought after tourist destinations, we shopped, ate ice cream, visited world heritage sites, and most of all took in all the sights, sounds, and smells of another culture. 

Having been to Marrakesh a number of times before I did my best to be a patient tour guide to a newcomer. The constant zipping of the mopeds in the tight labyrinth of the old medina proved to be a nerve-wracking experience for mom. As well as the snake charmers and monkey handlers.

We left Marrakesh in one piece and a week later we were in Casablanca. We met up with my friend Ryan and his also visiting father, Ray. Together we saw Hassan II mosque, the old city, and ate lunch at the famous Rick’s American Café.

I got lots of compliments from mom about my language skills and strength. It actually proved to me just how long I’ve been in Morocco and how the abnormal has become normal. Things that got to her didn’t even phase me.

It was interesting to see Morocco through her eyes. It made me realize just how adjusted I am to this culture. Having someone from my American life see me here made me feel even stronger. It’s also nice to have someone from America share this experience with me.

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The not so royal royal wedding

The royal wedding that you won't be reading too much about is one in China. Because it's not exactly royal but rather a replication of the real thing.

Wang Xueqian, the 23-year-old Chinese groom wed his bride, on April 18th,  donning ceremonial garb inspired by the British royals.

After the ceremony, the 50,000 yuan (7,600 dollar) wedding parade involved 50 people, a dozen cars, two horses and a carriage for the couple.


The groom expressed the exotic quality he felt was part of a wedding like this.

Firecrackers were also included, as an essential part of any Chinese celebration, much to the dismay of the horses. After being set off too early the horses pulling the carriage were startled and had to be calmed down by their handlers.

Due to China's economic growth in the past three decades many urban Chinese couples are stepping out of the box and engaging in less that traditional ways of getting hitched.

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Peddle your way to power

At one Portland, Oregon gym the energy created from your exercise is what powers your equipment.

By turning work into watts small generators on some of the gyms' cardio equipment provide the energy for t.v. sets and ceiling fans.

Maybe peddling towards the end of a show is exactly the motivation some people need.

The 3-year-old Green Microgym finds other ways to be green by using solar panels, recycled toilet paper, and renewable source flooring. The efforts are very pleasing to it’s 200 green enthusiastic members. 

This gym is not just in the business of green to save themselves some green. According to Kurt Broadhag, an LA health club consultant, it would take 15 years for the pricey equipment to start paying for itself.  Three times longer than the life of the machine.

The effort comes from an attempt to educate people about care of  the environment. With all the steps  taken by this gym it seems they are doing just that. Member Martha Jones also appreciates the supportive atmosphere of the small gym.  

It just shows where technology can take us in our green efforts in the future.

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Basketball is up and running

After many roadblocks and much frustration since December 10' we now have our very own place to play basketball at your youth center.

Back in December when we had the idea to start a basketball team we were constantly frustrated while finding (or in our case not finding) a place to hold a practice. There are two public places to play basketball in decent condition. However, the only times we were able to hold practices were during peak times when the space was already filled.

We went another route and tried to get permission to use the basketball court at one of the high schools but, due to liability reasons, that never worked either.

We then moved on to see if we could play at our very own youth center. The place that we work, spend most of our time, and have most control over.

Money was constantly brought up as an obstacle  there. Different figures were thrown around, then no figures, then different figures yet again. Finally, against my better judgment, I decided to front some of the money myself. Along with my sitemate Bradley we gave 200 dirham of our own money between us. This is not something I like to do because I don't like to present myself as a walking ATM who can sweep in and give up the cash whenever something calls for it. I am just a volunteer myself.

We had the basketball poles, backboards, and rims already at our youth center, they just needed to be installed on our open area outside. With the money we paid cement was bought and again after weeks of petty excuses from our director the goals were up.

We have one ball that we are all sharing between us. My hope is that the kids will respect the court, not do anything to harm it, and keep our equipment in good condition.

So far the basketball court has been a place for fun and exercise. It has brought new kids to the center looking for something new and interesting to do. The weather has been fantastic and the days are long. It's never been a better time to enjoy this.

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Allow me to apologize for my absence. It pains me to neglect this blog and you, my readers. You all read about my bout at spring camp which kept me busy, now I'm busy entertaining my mom here in Morocco. Next week when my life slows back down again you can expect some more updates from me and of course some delicious content that I hope you all love.

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Vacation in Mohammadia

After spending my time working at camp in Ben Slimane I traveled about an hour west to the coastal town of Mohammadia. I had plans to see a Moroccan friend of mine,Ilham, who lives there. I hadn’t seen her in a long time and missed her very much.

After getting off the bus I took there I was in awe of my surroundings. I had heard of Mohammadia many times, as it is near to where I live, but I really didn’t expect quite this much. There were incredible giant palm trees perfectly aligned and gorgeous landscaped grassy spots. The sidewalks were large and in charge and people were walking around sporting their beach gear.

When I met up with Ilham I thanked her for hosting me in such a beautiful place. After taking a little rest we headed out on the town. We firstly walked to the beach near her apartment and I quickly named it the best beach I had been to in Morocco. We ended up stopping for a coffee at a café right on the beach. Our chairs were parked right in the sand. It was a perfect time of late afternoon where the weather was perfect and a cool breeze was in the air.

Mohammadia is bigger than I thought and is a popular tourist destination for Moroccans who live somewhat near the area. Ilham said it is very busy in the summer when Moroccans who were living abroad come back to reclaim their living space near the beach. At the café I asked if many of the people we were sitting with were tourists. She said some were but many were locals. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have a daily occurrence of yours be having a coffee on the beautiful beach. Sounds so surreal.

We had dinner that night at a nice Italian restaurant. Normally I’m not up for splurging on food but I was really in the mood to treat myself. We at a pizza with scrimp on it and shared this incredible pasta dish that I can only say was very salty and garlicky. Two things that always make me happy. I actually think it was the best food I’ve ever eaten in Morocco.

Ilham and I enjoyed lots of nice conversation during our day and a half visit. It was so nice to catch up with her. She speaks more than perfect English due to it being a love of hers since her teens where she picked up lots of vocabulary and slang from movies.

I hope to go back to Mohammadia soon as it is so close and now I know that I love it there.

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Camp pictures galore

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Spring Camp Ben Slimane

I firstly need to apologize for my near two week hiatus. We all suffer from longing when our favorite shows are off the air for several weeks. If I’m good enough maybe you suffered the same longing for this blog.



Well anyways part of the reason I wasn’t able to write was that I was out of town last week working in a Moroccan spring camp. As you may have read a year ago I did the very same thing this time last year. I went to a different city this year and got to see some new places and meet new faces.

Please sit back, relax, and read as I try to encompass into words the phenomenal week I had.    

Ben Slimane is a city very near mine and can be accessed by a direct taxi ride. I chose this site because I didn’t want to pay too much money to travel. I also chose it because I had heard of the famous forest it has. I needed to finally see it for myself.

I was glad that the forest brought me there because I got to experience a lot more than that. I started out the week feeling a little lonely for some reason but soon as the campers started to arrive I felt more and more alive. Aged 13-17 the teen campers were among some of the coolest youth I’ve met in Morocco. I enjoyed so much hanging out with them.

Camp consisted of English classes, clubs, games, activities, and sports. I taught the advanced English class and I chose to base my lessons around American culture. We learned about American government, Barack Obama, Halloween, and wrote letters to an American class.

In my club I taught the campers the Cha Cha Slide. Some were willing while some just watched. We got a lot of mileage out of that dance because we performed it at one of our night events and used it as a trivia question in a later on competition.  I chose this as an activity because it is a fun way to use new vocabulary. Next time all my student hear the words “slide to the left!” they surely will know what to do.

In the evenings we had group activities. The first night we played some games to get to know each others names. We also had a small open mic style talent show, a movie night, and a dance.

The biggest night event was the Moroccan wedding. I’m not sure what the appeal of having a fake wedding is but we sure did have a good time. The bride and groom were selected and Yassine and Wiessam were the lucky two. The bride and groom prepared and dressed then entered the room in their traditional clothing to chanting and music from the other campers. After some dancing and pictures the couple left, just as a authentic couple would, to change their clothes. This time they reappeared in modern clothing. If this were a real wedding at least five more clothing changes would have happened.

The wedding was paired with some performances of singing, rapping, and dances from their fellow campers. They were all considered gifts to the new couple.

On Thursday we took our field trip to the forest of Ben Slimane. We had a small bus that we had to make two trips to transport the girls and then the boys.  When we made it to the forest and started walking in I couldn’t believe how much beauty I saw. I felt back at home in the beauty of that nature and was happy to be experiencing it with others who enjoyed it just as much.

As the girls awaited the arrival of their guys we explored our surroundings a little bit. After we heard drumming coming down the trail we knew the boys had arrived and we started playing some field games. Capture the flag was included and I’m proud to say the girls’ team won.

After we spent enough time there we were bussed to another location to have our picnic lunch. We laid out under the trees eating our sandwiches and fries. After we ate everyone just did their own thing. I played some small games with the kids but my favorite part was just talking with them.

I enjoy so much getting to talk to these youth to find out their hopes, dreams, problems, and obstacles. I love getting insight to another culture this way. I surely found some interesting kids. Lots of them have a love for American culture that makes me feel like I am talking to a friend back home. And I love their questions about life in America. I enjoy giving them the honest truth and either confirming or changing the view they receive when watching the American media. Some kids like to ask about cliques in American high school because it is something not present in their own high school.

I had been waiting for nearly 19 months to have what I could say was my best day in Morocco. I finally got to label our day in the forest as just that. It was beautiful, interesting, serene, relaxing, different, and above all perfect.

Probably the most memorable moments at the camp, along with all the other camps, was the times that we danced. Moroccans LOVE to dance and so do I so in they way I really fit here. We always dance to a mix of traditional Moroccan music and some amazing hardcore club/house/techno music just perfect for jumping around till your heart’s content. Everyone who knows me well knows I love this kind of music so I am basically in my own heaven while all this is going on.

I made some great relationships with the campers this week and since I live so close I really hope to see some of them again.


Lots more photos on my facebook page. 

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