The minaret, football progress, summer. July 15 to 27, 2019
At Camp Kharzouza there was no mosque, and so no call to prayer throughout the day and night, but now I am back in my village, with all the normal daily sights and sounds. I brought gifts and showed pictures to my host family. I cleaned a thick layer of dust from the entire house. The bus sized dirt pile is nearly gone from the front of my house.
I had a visit, just one night, from a former Peace Corps Volunteer. She was actually released prior to the swearing in. An interesting story to tell later. The past 8 months, instead of going back to the US, she has been donating her time at different organizations that benefit women, in Morocco and India.
The Dar Shbaab continued to be slow, and I wonder how many days it was open in my absence. I was busy though, largely preparing for a community meeting with my Regional Director. I was running around, inviting key people, to give their opinions as to whether the community could support a second volunteer. In my opinion it hinges on having additional activities outside the small quarters of the Dar Shbaab, or longer hours outside of school hours (this will not happen here, as the Director lives in a different town).
Those few who showed up were supportive of the idea, and the seeds were planted for creating a youth soccer league in town.
A subsequent meeting held much promise, as the Directors of all four of the youth associations were present, in addition to my Dar Shbaab Director and University age youth. All were very supportive of the idea and we made a few decisions, including setting a timeline for the next committee meeting, community meeting and game schedule. This being Morocco, however, nothing will happen in August.
Not only will the Dar Shbaab (Youth Center) be closed the entire month, but most of the associations have summer camps. The teachers and school authorities we need are all on vacation. While I am disappointed at the delay, it does mean I have time to go to the second summer camp I’ve been invited to, this time on the Mediterranean. I will be going with the same Association as before, but this time it will be organized by their National Association. Our camp will include groups from many surrounding cities. I’ve been asked to repeat my activities from Kharzouza.
Sometimes it is the little things the make big changes. I am hoping that might be the case with the family I have met through the souk. There were twins, young men in their 20s, friendly with a few words of English, selling fruits and vegetables. They were so sweet that I headed straight for them again the following week. They introduced me to a cousin that speaks excellent English, and other family members. Several of the adjacent stalls are operated by various family members. The cousin made the often-said offer of any help I might need. I took him up on it and asked him to become involved with the Soccer league. Indeed, even though he lives in a neighboring town, he traveled here to help with the meeting. The big difference between him and the local boys, is he is my man. The older members of the committee have no influence on him and his translations include some things that the locals may skip. Big help. Plus, the big picture is not to play soccer, but to develop youth through their mid-20s, such as this young man. Hopefully he will stay involved, especially since I lose the University boys in September.
Along those lines, I was very excited to see that the young man who took over my new, advanced English class in my absence was faithful to come every time. In fact, he did not want to relinquish on my return. Very good. So, we teach the class together. Mainly I need to force him to let the students do the talking. This group knows a lot of English, but they don’t get the opportunity to practice speaking, and that is why they are here. The two top girls had quit coming when the group turned into a lecture, but they returned.
Unrelated to anything, there was a day when I was approached twice by youth, wanting money. While this has happened, older boys in the poorer neighborhood, not here in my area. One boy I did not know, came into the Dar Shbaab, looked around and then seeing no kids asked for money. Not in a criminal way, but just in the way of the entitled. He left without incident. Two girls, 13ish, approached me on the street, right in front of the coffee shop, “Auntie, give us 5 dirhams”. Never seen them before, but if my hands weren’t full, I would have grabbed their ears and had them take me to their mother.
Also unrelated, I have been semi-adopted by a cat. A very ugly, white cat that now lounges (normally they run) and begs at my door. She appears to be pregnant, so I felt sorry for her. I put a box out for her and have given her some food. She has gone in it several times, but I don’t see any sign she will use it for kittens. I thought it would be fun to have them there. You would not dare touch the animals here, as rabies and other diseases are common.
A box of lovely gifts arrived from my American friends that visited earlier this year. They are primarily for my host family, who were great hosts. I have had trouble connecting with them to make the delivery though.
Well that is it for now. Today is my last day at the Youth center until September, and tomorrow it is off to the new camp. This time we will travel in a large bus. Not my favorite thing, but all part of the experience. More soon!
. July 15 to
At Camp Kharzouza there was no mosque, and so no call to prayer throughout the day and night, but now I am back in my village, with all the normal daily sights and sounds. I brought gifts and showed pictures to my host family. I cleaned a thick layer of dust from the entire house. The bus sized dirt pile is nearly gone from the front of my house.
I had a visit, just one night, from a former Peace Corps Volunteer. She was actually released prior to the swearing in. An interesting story to tell later. The past 8 months, instead of going back to the US, she has been donating her time at different organizations that benefit women, in Morocco and India.
The Dar Shbaab continued to be slow, and I wonder how many days it was open in my absence. I was busy though, largely preparing for a community meeting with my Regional Director. I was running around, inviting key people, to give their opinions as to whether the community could support a second volunteer. In my opinion it hinges on having additional activities outside the small quarters of the Dar Shbaab, or longer hours outside of school hours (this will not happen here, as the Director lives in a different town).
Those few who showed up were supportive of the idea, and the seeds were planted for creating a youth soccer league in town.
A subsequent meeting held much promise, as the Directors of all four of the youth associations were present, in addition to my Dar Shbaab Director and University age youth. All were very supportive of the idea and we made a few decisions, including setting a timeline for the next committee meeting, community meeting and game schedule. This being Morocco, however, nothing will happen in August.
Not only will the Dar Shbaab (Youth Center) be closed the entire month, but most of the associations have summer camps. The teachers and school authorities we need are all on vacation. While I am disappointed at the delay, it does mean I have time to go to the second summer camp I’ve been invited to, this time on the Mediterranean. I will be going with the same Association as before, but this time it will be organized by their National Association. Our camp will include groups from many surrounding cities. I’ve been asked to repeat my activities from Kharzouza.
Sometimes it is the little things the make big changes. I am hoping that might be the case with the family I have met through the souk. There were twins, young men in their 20s, friendly with a few words of English, selling fruits and vegetables. They were so sweet that I headed straight for them again the following week. They introduced me to a cousin that speaks excellent English, and other family members. Several of the adjacent stalls are operated by various family members. The cousin made the often-said offer of any help I might need. I took him up on it and asked him to become involved with the Soccer league. Indeed, even though he lives in a neighboring town, he traveled here to help with the meeting. The big difference between him and the local boys, is he is my man. The older members of the committee have no influence on him and his translations include some things that the locals may skip. Big help. Plus, the big picture is not to play soccer, but to develop youth through their mid-20s, such as this young man. Hopefully he will stay involved, especially since I lose the University boys in September.
Along those lines, I was very excited to see that the young man who took over my new, advanced English class in my absence was faithful to come every time. In fact, he did not want to relinquish on my return. Very good. So, we teach the class together. Mainly I need to force him to let the students do the talking. This group knows a lot of English, but they don’t get the opportunity to practice speaking, and that is why they are here. The two top girls had quit coming when the group turned into a lecture, but they returned.
Unrelated to anything, there was a day when I was approached twice by youth, wanting money. While this has happened, older boys in the poorer neighborhood, not here in my area. One boy I did not know, came into the Dar Shbaab, looked around and then seeing no kids asked for money. Not in a criminal way, but just in the way of the entitled. He left without incident. Two girls, 13ish, approached me on the street, right in front of the coffee shop, “Auntie, give us 5 dirhams”. Never seen them before, but if my hands weren’t full, I would have grabbed their ears and had them take me to their mother.
Also unrelated, I have been semi-adopted by a cat. A very ugly, white cat that now lounges (normally they run) and begs at my door. She appears to be pregnant, so I felt sorry for her. I put a box out for her and have given her some food. She has gone in it several times, but I don’t see any sign she will use it for kittens. I thought it would be fun to have them there. You would not dare touch the animals here, as rabies and other diseases are common.
A box of lovely gifts arrived from my American friends that visited earlier this year. They are primarily for my host family, who were great hosts. I have had trouble connecting with them to make the delivery though.
Well that is it for now. Today is my last day at the Youth center until September, and tomorrow it is off to the new camp. This time we will travel in a large bus. Not my favorite thing, but all part of the experience. More soon!
