The Art of Being "Alone"

One of things I have learned to master in the Peace Corps is the art of being alone. Its surprisingly harder than I would have ever imagined to be in your own company for many hours out of the day.

Peace Corps sort of eased us into this rural normalcy stage by stage until finally we didn't even realize how alone we were.

I have learned to just be comfortable in my own presence and frankly, that can be difficult at times. Sure I have neighbors, I live next door to my work and the children are always a-knocking but I am still alone. Alone in my world of English speaking and Western movies, a cool beer after a rough day and my love of books. The old adage holds true that you can still be alone in a room full of people.

As the months have passed on I have learned to deal with this. I have started getting to know myself and trying to keep the not-so-great parts hidden. I have learned to cook and read and pass days in the presence of just myself.

A month ago this all changed. Claire came into town and I have had a non-stop companion, someone to share funny stories with and help cook dinner. Today Claire left and I feel more "alone" than ever. I had become accustomed to someone to be around who "gets" me.

The reality is that I must go through a re-learning of the process all over again, learning to be comfortable in my own company.

The good news is that I have 8 hours of bussing tomorrow to begin that process :)

Good bye Claire and sangria, hello warm weather and rocks.

After too many expensive pitchers of delicious Sangria, my clothing's trip through a real washing machine and dryer, a tour of the Spanish royal palace and the purchase of a new jacket, our trip in Spain has come to a close.

I have to admit that I am a little bummed about leaving indoor heat, Starbucks coffee, delicious food, being able to drink beer in public and the beauty that surrounds me. I am sad to leave but excited to get back. I can't wait to give my favorite boy in the village his Barcelona soccer team post card, he's going to love it!

Our week ended with a trip to Botin, one of the oldest restaurants in the world. Claire and I drink our way through two pitchers of Sangria and Claire even ended up spilling an entire glass all over the table and on the floor. Always classy.



A view of the royal palace from the balcony of the Cathedral next door!


We woke up early and went to the palace, looking forward to being one of the first in to take the tour. When we got there, there was a big sign saying it was closed for the day. Claire was heartbroken and yelling at the Palace. We decided to take the tour of the Cathedral next door (definitely worth it) and then by the time we were done up in the dome, the Palace was open. Claire could have cried she was so happy.


We got bacon cheese fries with ranch at the "American" restaurant in Madrid. Yummy.


An amazing view of Madrid from the roof of the cathedral.


The park was awesome! It made me miss green grass and running water :)

I like the Peace Corps.

So my blog may not always reflect the excitement and love I have for my job and how privlidged I feel to be able to volunteer. The ability to volunteer truly is a privlidge and I do not take that for granted, even for a single day.

On that note, I wanted to share a link that has a cool Peace Corps produced video on it that sort of explains what explaining life in Morocco is like.

I want to be able to share stories, pictures and funny things that happen and I am happy to do this via blog/ phone/ email, ect but some things are just hard to explain!

Check out this video and the rest of them on the Peace Corps You Tube site. They are funny and inspiring :)

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.media.psa.television

Life is calling. How far will you go?

I think Heaven looks something like Madrid.

Claire and I departed Marrakech around noon on Sunday and we have been having a ball in Madrid since then. We have explored museums, visited parks, walked the streets, eaten delicious food and most importantly drank delicious alcohol. Last night we walked around the city for a little while, I purchased a great little bag for traveling and then got TexMex. Yes, real TexMex. It was amazing. Everything I could have hoped for and more.

Today we have done a lot of walking around, lots of sampling and even drank sangria at noon.

Madrid is such a welcome relief, a breath of fresh air from the harassment, language challenges and cultural differences faced everyday in Morocco. Here we have become anonymous. What a wonderful feeling.

We are back in the hostel (more like a super clean hotel) resting and then in an hour we are headed back to Plaza de Sol for a movie (Little Fockers) and then tapas and drinks!

I am looking forward to my next 2 days with Claire and in Madrid but somewhat dreading the LSAT study cram session up head. Holding on the dream of London in a month and then America in 4!




I am eating nachos. Yummy.



Yes, Starbucks in Madrid. It was wonderful!

Culture Shock.

Claire has been here a couple of weeks now and to be completely honest, it has been the most welcome relief since moving here. Claire has been a breath of fresh air and a reminder of my life in America. The "old" me can be easily forgotten and lost in the ambush of Tashlheet and Islamic culture remaining only as a small glimmer seen in old photos. Claire has brought my two worlds together.

She flew into Marrakech after a 31 hour travel day just to get here. We have spent the previous days exploring Marrakech and all of its insanity, spending Christmas at Martin's house in Essaouira, relaxing for some much needed down time in Ait Erkha and back up to a riad in Essaouira for a New Year's celebration.

Tidbits about our trip:
-I caught a guy, red handed, with his hand in my purse trying to steal my wallet on a city bus in Marrakech. His response was classic.
-Claire got pooped on by a seagull on the pier in Essa. Hilarious.
-We ate lamb tajine, Claire didn't participate.
-Our laundry line fell down and we had to rewash everything (needless to say we are almost out of water).
-Claire doesn't like 7 people to a cab, rides.

The most important thing I realized while Claire has been here is just how comfortable I have become. Claire went through some major culture shock once we got to the village after all of the traveling, ect. I realized that the cab rides, bargaining, haggling, harassment and difficult transport doesn't seem to phase me anymore. I have actually adjusted to life here, what a welcome relief.

So now we are headed back to Ait Erkha to do some more exploring around my provence before our big departure and trip to Madrid.


A real Dominos pizza at the amazing mall in Marrakech


Claire in Essa, after she was pooped on.


My updated living room complete with Claire's stuff, my new ponge covers and my heater!