Posted by shiite on Monday, March 25, 2013,
In :
peace corps
 Beholden
to no one, the fearless mika (plastic bag) soars majestically, tossed
every which way, possibly the cheapest barometer known to man.
Its
flighty escapade comes to a halt as it intertwines with the branches of a
fallow apple tree.  Across
the field, a hand grabs the top edge of the transit’s side window and
pulls upward. Ali, the driver, wedges a screwdriver forcefully into the crevice
between the door and window - a simple yet sure fix to the woes of a 20-year
old tumobil.  Anzar (r... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Tuesday, January 1, 2013,
In :
peace corps
With a sharp intake of breath, I
muster up the superhuman courage reserved deep within to vacate the wholly
awesome (and awesomely holy) refuge of my -40°F rated North Face Dark Star
sleeping bag and two blankets.
I lumber to my feet, the cold air
greeting me with unsolicited rawness and familiarity. Despite burning firewood
with the furnace idgam (last night), the temperature has climbed back
down to an unfriendly 42°F. 
The count-down to warmth and
equilibrium starts.
Hurriedly I pull on... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Monday, September 24, 2012,
In :
morocco
 I suppose I could say a lot of things here.
Like how my rural isolation makes it
difficult to get to a cyber café (if you like rickety old-fashioned
rollercoasters, you’ll love the “transit” van that travels 130km to the nearest
city to the east).
Or how I’ve been “busy” travelling – both back
home to the good ol’ US of A, to Europe, and within Morocco – and haven’t had
the time to sit down and write.
Or how I was
occupied/exhausted/asleep/hibernating for Ramadan.
Or ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, March 22, 2012,
In :
morocco
I’m
not sure if I’m being brave for doing this, but I’m afraid that I haven’t
necessarily been telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
(so help me God) here in my blog.
I’ve
been avoiding some unpleasant truths, sidestepping some harsh realities of life
here: I’ve been doing some editing, if you will – perhaps to paint a more
genteel, simplified, and inspiring picture of life as a Peace Corps volunteer,
or to prevent any pointed ugliness from spilling out ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, August 11, 2011,
In :
peace corps
(Prescript: if you're an incoming Peace Corps Trainee to Morocco this coming September, and don't want to wade through all the rambling and want to get to the "good stuff", a.k.a. an updated packing list for Peace Corps Morocco, skip to the bottom. My heart will not be dismayed.)
'Tis been 'bout 149 days now in lmghrib (Morocco), if I have my rryadiat (math) correct.
[Considering that I spent the better majority of my college years closely snuggled up with The Calculus, hopefully my math has... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Friday, July 15, 2011,
In :
peace corps
After swearing in as an official PCV (oh the memories) and being sent to my final site (oh the anxiety), I was forced to ask around for housing for rent.
After asking possibly a baker's dozen of mddn [people] (and by that, I of course mean men) if there was housing available, I was able to look at rb3a n taddart i kru (four houses for rent).
House #1: an old, somewhat run-down house that belonged to the brother of the person who showed me the house (he is a professor/teacher in a city). Somet... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Saturday, June 11, 2011,
In :
morocco
About 15 days have I now stared down and conquered.
...Not that I am on a gluttonous conquest or anything (or am I), but it's nice (should I say gratifying?) to feel a sense of accomplishment, particularly when headed and bucked with a notably immense task of integrating into a new community to whom "Peace Corps" ("hay'at salaam") rings as hollow as a dollar-store recorder.
Nonetheless, let the "integration" begin.
And happily so, for my first dozen or so days in my final site has gone by ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, March 10, 2011,
In :
peace corps
 The goods are packed; final packing list in Excel format here for those interested.
Library books and DVDs have been returned.
Gave my banks the "Oh hey, I'm going to be in Morocco for the next 27 months..." '411' rundown.
Said good-byes to family and some friends still in town.
Only three days remain to frolic about in the barren corn fields of Indiana!
After my last frolic, I will board a plane to Philly, where I will join 60+ other Peace Corps Trainees (PCTs) on the byzantine journey to... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, March 3, 2011,
In :
peace corps
Only 11 days separate me from my long-held dream of joining the Peace Corps of the United States of America.
I couldn't be and have never been more excited about anything else in my entire life.
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of Peace Corps: on March 1st, 1961, the U.S. Peace Corps was established by Executive Order 10924 under President John F. Kennedy.
A lot of moving tributes have been made on this occasion, but this video tribute from the U.S. Embassy in London reall... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, October 14, 2010,
In :
peace corps
NOTE: This was written maybe a week ago, before my invitation for Lesotho was cancelled 20 days before Staging (!!, to be discussed in the near future).
“Um, I don’t know (said with nice inflection), I think I’ve always been interested in joining the Peace Corps ever since being a junior or senior in high school.”
“I always thought it would be neat to travel to another part of the world and live there for two years and really be able to integrate with a community.”
“I kind of w... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Tuesday, October 5, 2010,
In :
peace corps
The application to Peace Corps for me was one of the most trying and frustrating things I've had to go through. My specific experience may very well be (highly) unique, but I was not expecting for the process to take as long as it did (I was expecting to know my assignment within 6-8 months). There were two slight complications while I was applying: one, I was wearing braces and was expecting to have jaw surgery over Christmas Break 2009 (Peace Corps does not allow you to leave until braces ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Saturday, September 25, 2010,
In :
peace corps
Last couple days I've been trying not to let stress completely overwhelm me, but it would not be accurate to say it has not gotten the better half of me... I submitted my application for a no-fee U.S. Government passport (required of all PCV's, regardless of whether you have a personal passport) along with two new passport photos in the pre-paid UPS next-day air envelope included in the Invitation Kit, looked over most of the remaining paperwork (which really isn't all that bad, but paperwork ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Tuesday, September 21, 2010,
In :
peace corps
Lesotho! Today in the evening, I was at a Journal Club meeting for my research group and was walking back towards my truck around 5:30pm, when my dad called me and told me that UPS had dropped off my Peace Corps invitation in the mail! I drove home in a mad rush, trying not to let giddiness lead to *speeding ticket*, opened the front door and promptly opened the UPS package. Inside, it read (as expected) that I am going to Lesotho! I will leave Nov. 2, 2010, and my two-year service period is ... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Thursday, September 16, 2010,
In :
peace corps
So, The Day That I Thought Would Never Arrive...has arrived! Around 12pm, today, September 16th, 2010, I received the best phone call I have ever received: my PC placement officer told me that my invitation to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer is now in the mail and should arrive in a couple days! I have been invited to serve as a Science Teacher, instead of a Math Teacher (as originally nominated), based off of I suppose greater need in science (?), my background in science, and experience as... Continue reading ...
Posted by shiite on Saturday, May 8, 2010,
In :
school
I just had my final Final of college the other day and I'm not quite sure whether I'm sad or excited to be over and done with college. This semester went by so fast (!) and hopefully before I know it I'll be off in another continent, serving in the Peace Corps for 27 months. I am supposed to hear back by "early May" regarding my placement, so I'm hoping I'll hear back this week. Serving in the Peace Corps has been a "dream" of mine ever since I became "such-a-fuckin'-hipster" (some would say ... Continue reading ...
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The Author
Llah y3awn, salaam 3laykum! I am serving as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Eastern High Atlas region of Morocco from March 2011 - May 2013, inshallah...
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Some common Peace Corps terminology:
- PC: Peace Corps
- PCV: Peace Corps Volunteer
- PST: Pre-Service Training
- Inshallah: "God willing"
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