Some Summer Photos 2009

Me with my host sister, Hafsa on a field trip during English Camp in El Jadida.

Some PCV's enjoying some beach time.

When I arrived back at my house in Skoura after summer camps, I found this candle like this. That is how hot it is here-->

Hot Summer Days. Fun Summer Camps.

Finally after a month on the road working in Morocco I am home in Skoura, Humdullah. What a crazy busy month it was! Let's start at the beginning shall we : ) I headed up to Imouzzer to help out at a summer camp with local PCV Duncan for about a week. It was great to get out of my hot site and to see my CBT family while doing the Imouzzer camp. Once my services were no longer needed in Imouzzer I headed to the coast of Morocco on one of the longest and most hot train rides of my life to El Jadida for the annual English Summer Camp Peace Corps does along with the American Embassy. Camp El Jadida was fun, different, and very busy. My girls from Skoura LOVED the camp and were crying their eyes out when they all had to say good-bye to their new made friends. The Moroccan staff was wonderful to work with and seeing a few other PCV's at the camp with me was enjoyable. In the mornings I went jogging on the beach and by the afternoon I was back at the beach with the kids to have some free time/swim time. I love my girls from my site, but when we are together in the ocean trying to swim and deal with the current, it is not the best move to scratch the PCV to the point of her arm bleeding due to a wave coming and then taking her down with you. Lesson learned. The only bummer about the whole camp was that the cooks at the camp were not very friendly towards my request for no meat in my meals, so for 10 days I really only ate soup and salad. I survived.

Once everyone said their good-byes I was on the next train to Rabat for some medical issues, nothing too extreme just broken glasses and a root canal.. well that one sucked. Root canals are not much fun and I hope that is the last one for a while or EVER. I did get sick once I was in Rabat with a fever of 102.2 but the doctors at the Peace Corps office slowly nursed my back to health by giving me water and feeding me cookies:) While I was waiting for my root canal to happen I came across a really cool museum in the heart of Rabat. The Museum of Archeology! I took some photos and got a tour in French and Arabic on the collection there and the fun thing was that other than the artifacts, I actually understood most of the tour and it was not even in English! woohoo!

Once all my doctor appointments were done I had one last hummus and pita meal and headed back home to Skoura. It was a long 12 hour ride, but I made it home safe and sound. Now it is August 14th, so that means I am about 6 days away from RAMADAN ! at least I got all my traveling out of me now because it is not fun to travel during this long 30 day plus holiday. Now is the time for me to start up my lesson planning at the Dar Chabab, get seriously into studying my Arabic again, and get some fun reading under my belt before October hits and I will have not time for anything like that since my kids will be keeping me busy enough with English grammar questions I MAY be able to answer and clubs that will be starting up for them at my site, inchallah.

I hope everyone had a great summer and enjoyed the sun, sand, and company as much as I did. Peace and Love to all. I miss you and am always thinking of ya! HuGs!