Value Village

Typical 2 hours in a rural Moroccan village:

6:00 am Wake up on the ground next to host brother and sisters

6:10 Escorted by siblings to a patch of ground behind the cows. Instructed to pee there, in front of cows, siblings, and the neighbor's bedroom window

6:15 Take in the foggy sunrise over the rolling green hills. Baby chicks scurry around my feet, the rooster crows, and my 6 siblings pull me into a game of soccer

6:45 I enter the kitchen, where my host mom is sitting on the dirt ground in front of the fire. She's making fresh bread for breakfast while my older host sister, Hiat, is making tea (that tastes like sugar water) over a burner on the ground. In the kitchen there is only one table at knee height, some small plastic chairs, and a row of plastic bottles filled with olive oil. They make their own olive oil here and we eat it with bread at breakfast, tea, and dinner

7:15 Breakfast. Father comes in from herding sheep to join us at the short table. My youngest brother, Mohammed, has a cold and no one stops him from coughing on the food or in our faces

7:30 With my older host sister, Fuzia, I carry large plastic bottles to the well about a kilometer from the house. The surface of the well water is green from algae and frogs swim freely in the well, but we gather water and this is what they'll drink from and use to wash dishes

7:45 I help Fuzia "wash" the breakfast dishes. Because we eat the bread with our hands from a communal plate, there are only teacups and a plate to wash. A tiny bit of soap then a dunk in the well water is the wash cycle

8:00 3 of my host siblings (Nagette-11, Ayoub-13, and Zenib-8) run down the road to school. The school looks fairly new and consists of 3 classrooms for different age groups. The older kids study Classical Arabic and French. I play catch or soccer with Mohammed, who is around 3 years old. Although he got me sick, I developed a special fondness for him because his face lit up whenever he saw me. All the kids here are remarkably happy, certainly compared to the ones I know in Rabat and New York. It seems like such a healthy lifestyle for them. They don't even know much about what the internet is! They spend their time picking wildflowers and playing soccer. They are easygoing and easily-entertained, which is lucky for foreign visitors!

I stayed with this family (and their 2 cows, 1 donkey, 5 chickens, countless baby chicks, 2 dogs, and 15 sheep) for a week. There was no running water or electricity. I changed my clothes once, and slept in jeans. It's hard to write about the village stay because I loved it half the time and hated it the other. I'll just include the diary entry I wrote during the stay. Again, it has not been edited for this site, so please excuse lack of structure.

3/21(?) I'm not keeping track of days here

I don't even know what to write about village stay. At times it makes me so happy; at times it frustrates me to no end. It is not the lack of hygiene or modern amenities that bothers me (although it does bother my digestive system!). It's the lack of control/independence. And I thought my Rabat family was restrictive! I have not been alone this whole trip, including for going to the bathroom. I tried sneaking out to the toilet spot behind the cows today, but was soon followed by a few siblings. I can't make plans with friends because I am obligated to get henna (for the 3rd time--this is getting old!). As a 21 year old, it is frustrating having NO choices about my day. Eating, urinating, sleeping (I get tucked in), reading, and playing are all monitored and regulated by at least one family member. Don't get me wrong; they are extremely nice and hospitable. Mohammed, the youngest, is the most adorable and happy child ever. Striking after babysitting spoiled NYC kids. These kids are mature in a different way. My host family is pretty smart about the farm, but at least my mom (maybe others) is illiterate. Here are some moments of the village stay so far:

--Hearing Beyonce on the radio while getting henna from Fuzia

--Going to the well and seeing Mohammed running after me, grinning

--Holding a soft, white newborn lamb

--Having conversations with Mohammed consisting only of "la bess?" (Ca va?)

--Playing catch with my siblings in the grass until the sun goes down

--Waking up to the fresh air and vast fields of green

--In a discussion with the village women, being asked if Americans die!

--Walking with friends in search of a place to pee, but being followed by sheep

--Picking wildflowers every day

--Host sisters asking me to tell them what the back of their face wash instructs them to do, since they can't read

--Host sisters crying when I left. What a surprise!