Happy 21st Mel!

I've been in Morocco for a month now; I think we have all been waiting for this benchmark as the first tangible chunk of time. We're not tourists anymore, and I am finally starting to feel like we're in training. We are pretty comfortable in our training seminar site and from playing soccer and the occasional english class, we've begun to make friends in the community, not just among other volunteers. I think we're finally coming out of vacation mode, and the experiences have been more meaningful.
Much of this is owed to the structure of our training program. Two weeks ago, we went in pairs to existing volunteer sites all over the country. The two of us stayed in a village in the atlas mountains, and we met Zach, the current PCV. We stayed in the homes of local families and spent the week meeting local community members, practicing language, and observing the projects Zach has organized. He had done impressive work with the women's organization, the local development association, and has been the head of the Peace Corps AIDS education program. His language skills were impressive to say the least, and he has done an amazing job of integrating into his community. We were also able to see the effects of his bathroom project, where he and the local association facilitated the construction of over 100 private home latrines. Although it was intimidating to be staying with such a remarkable volunteer, it was inspirational. I think it finally clicked how important local language is to being an effective agent for change. We asked pointed questions about the difficulties of being an american in rural morocco and got honest answers (which was certainly the first step in popping the vacation bubble). Since then, I've felt more and more confident about my choice to be a PCV here.
We had about 5 days of seminar before we started our community based training (CBT). We again packed our bags and left in groups of 5 or 6 to rural villages in our province. My group went to a small village, deeper (and higher) into the Atlas mountains. It was here where we began our intensive language and cross-culture training. After 9 hours of class, we retire to our host families (who speak no english). I don't think I've ever been further outside of my comfort zone, but that awkwardness and fear was the driving force behind my desire to learn Berber. The only way to avoid being unintentionally rude, offensive or boring is to learn their language. Of course, my host family is incredible and they go to great lengths to accomodate me and my ignorance, and I have no reason to be uncomfortable. Thus, I have moved quickly from a fear of offense to a genuine desire to participate with them, to communicate with them, and to be able to demonstrate my appreciation for their work and willingness to host me. My personal goal throughout training has been to gradually move from the abstract to the concrete; to fill the holes of idealism with temporal experience. To that end, these immersion experiences have been essential in negotiating the best way for me to stay motivated. It isn't the cold, statistical need that gives you the best reasons for working in global development, or even volunteering in general. It is, through and through, the people you meet and the realtionships you establish.
Then again, it still has only been a month, and there are still 26 to go. I don't think I'm in a position to adequately digest all of this. But I have plenty of time for that.
Thank you to all who have written me letters. I know it takes a month to get here, but there's no better feeling than hearing my name at mail call. I can't express how much it means. Thanks to all the prayer and good wishes, it's been remarkably assuring. I'll write again when I can. Love to all,

Aaron

Happy birthday Melody!!!