“Goodbye” is such a hard word.

As we prepare for our going away open house and realize that we have less than five days here in the place that has become home for many of us, I am in a whirlwind of mixed emotions. Bittersweet doesn’t quite cover the range of feelings that I am experiencing. As excited as I am to see my family, I have come to feel very needed here and although I know my family and friends miss me, they have the assurance that they will see me again, whereas the friends I have made here have the “Insha’allah, bgit nrj’a ” (God-willing, I want to return) that I can offer them. And unfortunately, I have no idea when I will return, either. I also do not want to leave with any regrets and I am not sure I have taken full advantage of the opportunities that have come my way.
Last Thursday we finished our work at the American School because they have spring break this week. This last week will be spent with friends and host families. Tuesday and Wednesday are pretty full of visits, and Thursday and Friday will be final goodbyes, plus cleaning and packing.

Please keep in your thoughts:
-The friends we are leaving behind, especially those for whom we make up half or more of their circle of friends, and those who often lose friends to their home countries- that they would know that the Counselor will be the friend that will never leave.
- That we would have peace of mind knowing the Coordinator knows what He is doing and has a plan through it all.
- That we would not miss out on opportunities even in this last week.
- That stress levels would not be too high but that everything would go smoothly and that all our stuff would fit in two suitcases and be under the weight limit because of all the stuff we bought!
- Smooth and safe travels home on Friday and Saturday.
- Reunions with family and friends

We are thankful for:
- The five months we were able to spend here and the five months worth of friends we have made.
- The people here who have supported us and been very grateful for the help we have offered.
- The friends that have welcomed us and loved us in spite of our lack of knowledge and language ability.
- The Counselor’s faithfulness through it all.
- The people back in the U.S. that have been supporting us the whole way.

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and support as we embarked on our journey!
We have been blessed by you!
--Jamila

Trip to the Coast

Before we came, Jen received a pamphlet about a school here in North Africa and was very interested in it. As Providence would have it, we met some teachers from the very school about 3 weeks after arriving here. They told us very enthusiastically that we were welcome to stay with them if we ever wanted to visit their city.

So Jen and Jamila made a trip on the 26th of March to visit the friends we made and the school they work at. After several hours on the train, we arrived in the coastal city where the school is located. Finally after some arguing with taxi drivers, we agreed to pay a little bit more than we should have- at least according to what we were told. We were dropped off on a very commercialized street that housed a Pizza Hut, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, and a Radio Shack. We found the friend's apartment and spent the evening getting to know them a little better, and being pampered by our hostesses. They made us brownies out of a Hershey's mix, and it was amazing!! A little taste of home for us, since we're both from the Lancaster/Hershey area.

The next day we went to the school and helped out in the first grade class, organized books in the library, and Jen helped with an art project in the 2nd grade class while Jamila did some filing in the secretary's office. After a fun but tiring day, we treated ourselves to a trip to the beach, which could be seen from the 1st grade classroom window. The king owns some property on the beach, so we had to go a little bit of a longer way around, and after we had been walking for about 10 minutes, it started raining. So we got wet and muddy, as you can see in the pictures below. But it was definitely worth it to see the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. And because it rained, we even got to see a rainbow!

We were also treated to Chinese food, which we hadn't enjoyed since being in Harrisburg. The next day we went to a conference about telling stories and then met Jan Heindel who had flown in from the States and we all took the train together back to our city.

Here are some pictures:



The king's property near the beach- view from the 1st grade classroom window




On our way down to the beach. This was after it had rained- see the mud?




The rainbow!



Jen enjoying the water



"Hello"
"Salaam alaikum"

Sounds and observations

As I (Jamila) listen to the banging of drums, singing and yelling coming up from somewhere below our apartment, I realize how accustomed I’ve become to being here and hearing all the sounds. It seems a little strange to have a party (probably a wedding) on a weeknight. Then I remember that it is Thursday, which makes tomorrow holy day; Friday rather than Sunday.

We as a team have talked several times about how many things here aren’t strange to us now and how the weirdest part is that it is not really weird to us. It has become fairly normal for us to hear loud parties, to be on the lookout for donkey manure on the sidewalks as we walk down the street, and to sigh at the occasional shopkeeper who displays a smirk of amusement at us and our language attempts. As I think about it I realize that even the call to prayer has become normal to me, to the point where I barely notice it anymore. Granted, we are not in immediate proximity to a mosque, but considering that it woke up a visitor of ours at five am when our window was open, and that it can be heard five times a day, I would expect to notice it more. I guess when something becomes part of everyday life, it is easier to take some things for granted. Who knows, in three months, I might be longing to hear that sound again, just for something that carries memories of my time here.

We are thankful for:
-Jan’s safe arrival and the enjoyable visit she had with us
-Relationships that continue to grow
-Team unity, in spite of our many separate involvements

Things to remember us for:
-A few of us have had a bit of an upset stomach type sickness today.
-Energy, focus, and passion for what we’re doing
-That we would take time to spend with the Counselor.
-Jen and I are hoping to get involved with and go along on some health trips to some neighboring towns and villages, but have not been able to get in touch with the right people yet. The weekly trips only happen weekly, and with only 5 weeks left, we’re quickly running out of time.
-That we would be able to find things that we really enjoy and are passionate about it, since for some of us our main activities are finishing and/or slowing down.

Busy traveling...

We have been busy traveling these past weeks, exploring more of this beautiful country than we did in the first two months! One highlight was a week long trip to Barcelona, Spain. It was wonderful to visit friends there, and then turn around and bring them back with us. Together we spent a weekend in the Sarah desert, rode camels, climbed sand dunes and slept in tents under the star filled sky.

This is an amazing country, culture and people. We are continuing to discover what it means to live and love our temporary home. It has been decided that we will likely never settle into a normal routine, but are thankful that as needs are made known to us we are able to offer ourselves and our skills in many different ways. Perhaps one of our greatest challenges lies in the temptation to busy ourselves with tasks, which can easily distract us from greater things. It is a lesson not easily learned, but a challenge we continue to work at.

On any given day we may be found in five different locations throughout the city. Whether teaching art classes, substituting for various subjects, tutoring elementary students, helping with childcare, spending time at a center for girls, attending to social events with friends (who have shown us there is a true art to hospitality) or assisting at the Inc. we’ve enjoyed plugging in. We are starting to feel at home and delight in the surprises daily life often entails.

-Heidi

Dead ends leading to friends

The Counselor is our rock. He provides for us even in the most unlikely situations. His timing is perfect and he has a plan even when it feels like we keep running into walls or coming to dead ends. One day in our village trip really taught me this.
We started out the day with a crowded bus ride and a visit to a hotel, the place of employment of a friend. We then asked several people where the road to our next destination (B*) was. We were told several times that it is too far to B. "f'rajlkum? baid bzeff!" ("you're going on foot? it's so far!") Finally though, we made it to the road we were headed for and walked for a while. After maybe an hour, we saw a road that turned off to the side that looked like a more scenic route and we decided to take it. We didn't know that it did not lead to our intended destination. After a little while a man told us that we couldn't get to B by that road, we would have to turn around and go back to the main road if we wanted to go to B. By this time it was about 3:30 so we stopped for a little while to ask the counselor what he wanted us to do. We decided to continue on that road and see where we were an hour later. We made it another half an hour before another man told us that he was concerned for our safety since we were pretty much out in the middle of nowhere, so we sat in the grass with a woman and her daughter who were grazing two cows and some sheep on a hill while a younger guy tried to get us a taxi back to the main road or on to a different town. We waited maybe half an hour and none came that could take us, and we didn't really feel welcomed there so we started walking back to the main road that we had turned off. We met a man who helped us out a little bit, he pulled some bread out of his jilabba (like a jacket dress)hood and gave it to us and then when we got to the road, he stood with us for like 20 minutes or half an hour trying to get us on a bus to B. He was finally successful and we were on our way. By this time, the sun was beginning to set and we were on our way to a town where for a time foreigners were not allowed to spend the night, and we had been told by a young woman on the road to not accept rides from strangers because it isn't safe. Needless to say, most of us were a little nervous.
On the bus, both Heidi and Jordan made friends and exchanged phone numbers but when we got to B we said goodbye to them; the girl Heidi met told us that we could stay with them if we didn't find anywhere else. Before too long it was dark, so we called Heidi's friend and asked if we could spend the night with them. That was fine, so we planned on that, but not 10 minutes later, Jordan's friend called and said we were her guests. So in a matter of 15 minutes we went from being shelterless to having two options of a place to stay. We ended up splitting up, three in one house and three in the other.
As I was literally tucked in bed and given a good night kiss from our host mom several hours later, I realized how good our counselor is to us. We spent the day roaming around in the middle of nowhere and feeling opposition from most people we met; the men who told us we should turn around, the people who didn't seem to welcome us. It all seemed to be for nothing, a waste of our time. But if we hadn't done that, we would not have made it to that bus at that time and we wouldn't have met those people who welcomed us into their home so warmly. We ended up spending two nights in the town where not too long ago it would have been illegal to spend one night! The counselor knew exactly what he was doing, and we've made some amazing friends!


Thanks so much for your thoughts as we were traveling!
-Jamila

*city not specified.

moving on...

Well, as another chapter of our North Africa experience comes to a close, I am reminded once again of how short our time here actually is. The end of Salaam 2, our second level of language class, took me back to high school graduation a little bit. Heidi, Lavonda, and I have been taking language class since the beginning of our time here and it's end is a little bit bittersweet.
So now, what will we be doing with the rest of our time?
Tomorrow we are leaving in the morning for a trip to some villages. We basically are taking a change of clothes and some snacks and walking for 6 days, depending on the hospitality of the village people, who will be mostly Berbers (the natives of the North Africa), for our shelter and meals.
After that, two of us will be going to do childcare for a retreat in Melilla, Spain. (It's on the continent of Africa but Spanish property.) And then on the 26th we go vacationing in Spain!!
When we are done with all these amazing trips, we're hoping to get more involved in some volunteer opportunities. We've been doing some childcare for workers and volunteering at an American School, but there are a couple opportunities that interest us that have yet to work out. Hopefully with a freer schedule those things will fall into place.
Things to think about:
-health safety and provision for the village trip.
-that our volunteering opportunities would come together when we get back.
-guidance and wisdom in everything
-team unity
-that we would continue to learn the language outside the classroom and build relationships.
We are thankful for:
-our opportunity to see the countryside and its people.
-successful completion of language school.
-good weather over the last couple days and a good forecast for our walking through villages!

Thanks for your support!
Jamila for the team.

We have successfully finished salaam one, our language class! On the last day of class, the king was in town, so we took a walk to see him. Heidi saw him waving, the rest of us just saw his car. One the way home we stopped by a clinic and saw the new baby girl of our one teachers and his wife. Some of us will continue with language studies but others are finished.
Yesterday we were given four more froshes for our apartment. We put two in the corner of our study/living room and it really makes the place comfortable and homier. We were joking about it being our home makeover.
This next week will be full of new things for most of us. Some new things include starting salaam two, teaching at the American school, tutoring, helping with health awareness, and taking a trip to an orphanage. Each of us will end up being involved in different areas, though many of the areas overlap.
We are thankful for:
-Cooking for ourselves is going very well
-We have many supportive and encouraging friends here
Things to remember:
-That we would take time in our days to just stop and be thankful
-That we would be effective in our relationships, what we say and what we do

--Jen for the team

It's just a feeling...

What does Morocco feel like?

It is my icy toes, trying desperately to pull heat from my muddy black shoes. The pitter patter of raindrops on my hair and face and hands as we wind through the crowded streets. And the sunshine that slides down over my skin and cloaks me in sweet, glittering warmth.

It is the itchiness of the worn blanket that has sheltered every member of my new family. It is the uneven and unyielding pillow that consistently wakes me to remind me that, in this country, softness is the exception rather than the rule. And the settling of heat that wraps around my body as I drift off to sleep.

It is the bumping, jostling, bouncing of the bus that tosses its passengers from side to side, and the crushing of toes from a neighbor’s unsteady foot. The bodies against bodies against bodies as my life overlaps with those of my fellow passengers. And the plastic bus seat that provides me with a haven of privacy as I sink below eye level of those standing around me.

It is the gentle touch of elderly hands that slip over mine as I yawn and settle further down into my blankets. The firm, genuine, enthusiastic embrace that takes me by the shoulders and pulls me closer, closer, closer. And the softness of cheek touching cheek in welcoming kisses.

We have an apartment!

A toilet, a shower, hot water, a washing machine, and windows. A month ago, I'm not sure I would have expected to be so incredibly grateful for things that we consider in the states to be bare necessities. But after four weeks with host families, the last two of which none of us had access to a shower except the hammam- or public bathhouse- we are very grateful for some familiar facilities and our own space. As of Monday, we have moved into our new apartment, about a week or two before we had expected to. The apartment opened up and we looked at it, loved it and, for various reasons, decided we were ready to have our own space. It has been great so far. I'm finally unpacked and am no longer living out of my suitcase (after a month of being away from home...) We're learning to do our own shopping and using the wonderful vocabulary and phrases we've learned in Arabic class.
Speaking of Arabic class, we have about a week or a week and a half left in Salaam 1 (the first level class). We have finally learned how to conjugate verbs, which would have been very helpful to have while we were in host families, but the teachers kept telling us, "No, you can wait. You don't need verbs yet." I'm not quite sure what they had in mind for us to use in place of verbs in a sentence; we have learned through various forms that verbs are very important, pretty much essential to the structure of a sentence! At this point, we are not yet sure where language study will go after we complete Salaam 1.
It's really good for us as a team to all be finally living in one place. It helps our communication about different things a lot! We are still working on finding volunteer opportunities and have meetings set up with some of our contact people to help us get started. We have formed a lot of good relationships, both with Moroccans and other expatriates here. One struggle with that may become trying to figure out which relationships to invest in more heavily, because as we were told by a fellow expat, Moroccans have high expectations for relationships.

Things to keep in mind for us:
-language learning- clarity of mind and brains like sponges is what we need right now!
-relationships with Moroccans
-team unity as we now live together, which will help communication, but will pose other challenges.
-wisdom and open doors for volunteering.

We're thankful for:
-our apartment!
-the unity we have experienced so far.
-the relationships we have established
-the opportunities we have had to learn more about our options for volunteer work.


Thanks for your thoughts,

Jamila for the team