The Long Goodbyes

Oct 3
We’ve just completed our Close of Service conference in Rabat and I’m on the train as I type this (to be posted later) to Fes. Caught Rebecca quickly on the phone last night to make certain she got to the riad safely. Spoke to her as she had a glass of red wine and was sitting down to dinner. Hamdullah. My train is on time and I’ll join her in a couple hours to start catching up.


The conferece was really geared to the youner PCVs who will be returning to the states to face job hunting, grad school, etc. The best session for me was the last one-getting us thinking about how we’ll say goodbye to the people of our communities. I need to have a game plan and communicate my timing as the last 2 weeks will be really crazy and involve some last-minute PC travel.

Our superlatives and photo session (complete w/burgers and onion rings at the American Club) was followed by a party at the Marine House behind the American Club. The Marine House is part bar and part fraternity. While my fraternity party-going days are long behind me, it was fun to be there as a group, dancing together, having GOOD beer, a final hurrah all together. We’ll all be together again for our 72 hour checkout when we officially sign out of service, but this was our last opportunity for a gathering like this. Now I need to sign off as the train is pulling into the Fes station.