I’m homesick for America. Actually, this is a first in nearly two years. It seems that the closer I get to my close-of-service, the more I can taste America. Literally. Some Honey BBQ on a set of boneless chicken wings from Buffalo Wild Wings. A platter of my mother’s home-cooked lasagna. Perhaps a little San […]
Category: Peace Corps
Collection of posts formerly titled under the blog I ran called “My Moroccan World” that detailed my time in Morocco as a Peace Corps Volunteer.
On Trees and Birthdays
It seemed rather absurd to shack myself up inside the Orchard House for my birthday, so I called up a friend a few hours away, and before I knew it, there was a hike planned in the heart of the Middle Atlas with a small group of volunteers from the surrounding area. Actually, the hike […]
To England and Back Again
There’s a scene in an episode of the Simpsons where Bart & Lisa are in London and walk into a candy store. The store owner warns Bart and Lisa to be careful, saying, “Word to the wise, British candy is a bit sweeter than what you’re used to ‘cross the pond,” but not heeding his warning, the […]
Sacred Goodbyes
A lot has happened lately. There’s a thousand little stories to pick from. My friends leaving. New ones coming to visit. Glasses being distributed left and right. Emails that show up with exciting or wonderful news. Emails that show up that cause you to take a step back and take a few, slow and deep […]
A Slew of New Videos
As many of you know, the glasses project proved (and continues to prove) to be an incredible fruitful part of my service. While Eyejusters were in Morocco, they took several videos, some of the Olive Orchard where I live, some of the actual glasses project. I’ve been meaning for some time to get these up for the […]
Turning Points
This morning, I sat in the cafe next to the taxi station with Caity, Avery, Nicole, and Jonathan. It’s weird. The past few months have been, in some ways, building up to their final morning in Outat. And now that it’s here and gone, none of it seems real. We waited for Caity’s taxi to […]
“The Glasses Project,” Official Recap
They say every volunteer has one big project all their energy goes into, a pinnacle of sorts to their two-year service. Actually, I don’t know who “they” are, and I’ve never heard anyone say that, so I’m entirely making that up, but it seems to me to be the truth. Almost all of the volunteers […]
The Calm Before the Storm, or Awaiting the Arrival of 700 Eyejusters Glasses
All’s been quiet on the western front lately. Lots of my classes have been canceled due to rain. Even a light mist or lots of dust can keep students from coming, and it’s not advantageous for me to ride my bike all the way to the youth center if there’s not going to be anyone […]
19 Months
If you’re a regular reader, you already know why my grandfather was so important to me, and you ought to know that he spent time in Casablanca working on planes as a mechanic during World War II. It’s just a little thing that gave me a strong sense of purpose in coming to this country, […]
The First Official Look at the so-called “Orchard House”
Anyone who reads the blog or knows me at all probably knows about the Olive Orchard house and how much I absolutely adore it. But I adore the community, too. The village leader brought me olive oil, fresh bread, and olives this morning as a kind of house-warming gift, and I couldn’t be more […]
