In April, the Tashlheet (local Berber) channel came and did a filming while I was living in my old village. They interviewed me in Tashlheet and in English, they filmed me "helping" the women make Argan oil and even dressed me up like a Berber bride to be paraded around on a horse. After asking and asking when it might air, everyone kept telling me "later, God Willing". Figuring it would be just a 5-6 minute showing during the news, I was sure my interview was going to get cut, seeing as how my Tashlheet isn't exactly at a "natives" level and that there would be a short clip of me making oil or dressed as a bride.
A few weeks ago I was walking through my new town when I heard a man yelling for me. Ignoring him, as usual, I proceeded to walk past him. He then starting yelling "I saw you on T.V. I saw you on T.V. You are the American who speaks Tashlheet." I immediately stopped and turned around. He then told me how he had seen my interview on the Tashlheet channel and how cool he thought it was that the "American that speaks Tashlheet" now lives in his village. He also told me that my Tashlheet was good (another check mark for my self-confidence).
A few days later a fellow PCV called me and told me her entire host family had seen me on the T.V. and they were so impressed that there were other Americans who could speak their language. I was quickly becoming famous, in rural southern Morocco.
Apparently everyone but me has seen this clip. I have scoured the internet with no luck. Since I don't have a T.V. and I couldn't even begin to guess what the Moroccan re-run schedule is, I might never get to see my silly self speaking Tashlheet on Moroccan T.V. Either way I am a local celebrity now, which is pretty cool.
If that wasn't enough, yesterday night (on my birthday, might I add) I got a Facebook message from a sorority sister telling me that my face was on the cover of our quarterly Kappa Delta magazine, The Angelos! I immediately went to the link and was SHOCKED to find my face plastered across the front cover!
Last fall there was a call in the magazine asking for stories about people who volunteer. I sent in my information and the editor, Judy, and I traded emails for a few months, outlining what life is like here. When she asked for pictures, I assumed they would be small and just accompany the paragraph or so article deep in the magazine. I was surprised to see my smiling self on the front cover and a LONG article inside the magazine detailing what life is like here. I guess if I would have known that the pictures might end up on the cover of a magazine, I might have chosen ones where I look more showered, more put-together. Alas, this is what I look like though, without running water or daily hot showers. So fellow Kappa Deltas, this is what it really looks like to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. It surely is much less glamorous than when I was an active in college.
Check out the magazine article at http://www.kappadelta.org/angelosmagazine
so proud of you! and you look so pretty in that pic!
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