Swearing In

I'm changing acronyms...I'm officially a PCV! Training is over and I took the oath in Rabat on Thursday to become a Peace Corps volunteer. I got to meet the ambassador and dress up in my fancy kaftan (it had sequins!) Then we had couscous and went to our hotel. Unfortunately, Rabat's hotels were all super full because of a karate convention, so we were packed a little tightly in our rooms (8 of us in mine with me sleep on the loveseat.) Oh well, at least I got a wonderful hot shower.

After swearing in, Kat, Erin and I went out to explore Rabat. We were craving Mexican and Kat found one in the guide book, so we went to check it out. Since it didn't open until 7:00pm, we explored a bit and had a snack at TGIF. The manager spoke a little English and told us that Papa John's is going to be in Rabat in a few months. How cool is that?!

Anyway, we went to TGIF, then walked around for awhile. Rabat is a really cosmopolitan city. They have everything! I can't wait to take a trip there for a few days when I can really explore. At 7 we went back for Mexican. As many of you know, Mexican is my favorite type of food and I'm having withdrawal. Somebody eat some chips and salsa for me! It was a great treat and I'm really glad we were able to find a good restaurant, even if it was expensive.

On Friday morning, Linda and I took off for our sites. (She's stationed about 10km from me.) Luckily, we took first class because the train from Rabat to Marrakech was very full. I'll be fine with standing normally, but it was nice to have an actual seat when I was hauling a bunch of stuff with me. We got to Kech (as the PCVs call it) and then five of us shared a taxi. We paid too much, but it was worth it for me. We had more room and he was great about stopping at each of our sites and dealing with our mounds of luggage.

I got to my site about 4:00 and the PCV I'm replacing met me at the taxi stand and took me around to introduce me to everyone. My host family for the next two months is almost exactly the same as my training site host family. My host dad works in Casablanca for most of the year. I have 4 host siblings. Zahira is 20, Kauotar is 15 (she lives at school in Ouarzazate), Hajar is 13 and the lone boy, Muhammed is 8. My host mom is part of the weaving co-op I'll be working with, which is great.

Its getting a little chilly here already, which is quite a change from my training site. I hear it gets very cold in the winter so I'm really happy to have a heater, gloves, hat, etc. I also think I'll be drinking a lot of tea!

I'll post more soon, hopefully with pictures of my new home.