4 March 2008

4 March 2008
We have arrived in Morocco!! It’s wonderful to finally be here. The countryside that we saw on the way from Casablanca to Rabat was very beautiful. Flocks of large sheep, fields of cactus that look like over-sized prickly pears, donkeys pulling carts. We’re staying in a nice hotel, all 60 of us. It’s a large group to herd around, I’m sure the directors feel like the shepherds of those large sheep. Only moreso—one of the PCTGL’s (that would be Peace Corps Trainee Group Leader’s) said it was like herding cats. J
Interestingly we saw a street demonstration soon after we arrived in Rabat. We asked about it, and were informed that this past week there have been several demonstrations (which are legal with permits in Morocco). This one was about the unemployment of intelligent, educated young people. The group included both men and women, most of who weren’t over 35, but some of who probably were. It’s hard to tell from a distance. Apparently there is a shortage of jobs… or, some say, a shortage of jobs with the government. Anyway, it was an interesting glimpse into Moroccan life, economics and politics, if only a glimpse.
Rabat is a clean city, cleaner than I expected, which says more about my expectations than it does anything else. For example, I was expecting something like Dar es Salaam, but this is not a third world country. It’s a second world country. Thus, the rolling black-outs I nearly expected aren’t in evidence either, which is nice. We got to see the Peace Corps Office; a lovely little complex in the city, with a library, offices for all four sectors, doctor’s quarters, and a swimming pool that has been converted into a garden with a curious concrete lip all the way around it. The PC staff here seems friendly, excited and competent, all of which is really good to know, as all of those qualities are needed here!
So, that’s the news from me! There will be more later…