OMG it's OCT

Wow. October already. Only 6 weeks left in country. Yikes. So much to do.

I’m in Rabat for our Close of Service Conference and final medical exams. Medical and Dental are done and a clean bill of health, Hamdullah. The good news is that everyone is really delighted w/the Medical staff-a complete turnover and turnaround from last year’s Medical fiascos. Our conference starts this afternoon.

It’s been a really sweet couple of days w/just our SBD group. We’ve been a very tight-knit group and it’s great to see everyone and catch up. Funny thing is that despite how spread out across the country we are, we’ve been able to see one another (side trips, work related leave trips, etc.) fairly often. We’re staying at the Balima-a nice hotel for a change (nice=towels, soap, good water pressure and hot water all day, etc.). Shukran.

Got to catch up with Sarah on her and Brahim’s wedding. So great to hear about the traditions in her far southern Berber town. So different from the Arabic-style weddings of our area. I’ll post a photo of she and Brahim in their wedding attire. Wish I’d been able to go, but had promised Jess I’d be in Fes to help her with her show instead. Dena, another of our stajj-mates announced last night that’s she’s now engaged to her Moroccan boyfriend. She’ll be staying here in Morocco after we’re done as she’s already got a job w/an organization that runs Morocco cultural tours for student studying abroad in Europe. Tbarkalikum.

Why has it taken us 2 years to discover the restaurant at the French Institute? I could have been treating myself every time I’ve come into Rabat. Seven of us ate there the other night-maybe the best meal I’ve had in Morocco-sole meuniere, fresh spinach, crème brulee. Yum. Cynthia and I are going back for lunch today before we have to head to the office.

Tonight we’ve got a party set up at the American Club for just our stajj. Joy’s been polling everyone to develop “superlatives” on each member of our group and Lisa has spent the last week making an ink drawing of our entire group-it’s amazing, and we’ll each get a copy of it.

Meanwhile there’s even more work to be done. I received an email from an American woman who has seen Adwal’s website and wants to order product-Yipee! However, the women aren’t monitoring their email, so this American has tracked me down somehow and persisted in making contact-hamdullah. Need to coordinate that order. In addition, a group from the US Embassy is having a meeting in Marrakech the first week in November and contacted me about bringing in some artisans to sell their stuff. I volunteered to help coordinate this and they took me up on the offer. Be careful what you wish for! Since it’s the week of the new Volunteer’s site visit-and I’m supposed to be replaced-and the week before we leave the country, I’m gonna try to get someone else to do the coordination-timing is just tough. And then I’ve been invited to participate in the Environment/Health PCV training in Marrakech, so that’s another long trip to fit in. I’m running out of days. Quickly.

Anyway, it’s been a nice quiet week, with time to get things done around our medical appts, and it will be good to see the YD PCVs who are coming in today. Now I need to get dressed to meet up w/Cynthia. B’slama.