Be All You Can Be In Tunisia!

The youth of Tunisia that I've had the pleasure of meeting have been some of the most promising youth I've ever been around! It seems everyone we meet is studying to be a doctor, or a PhD candidate in biotechnology, or already have a Masters Degree in Information Technology, and a number of other higher education students! We've spent our time here with people of great character and of even greater potential! Tunisia's government did a true service to its country when it made higher education free to students smart enough to pursue such a path in life - and indeed it will pay off in the future!

We met with 15 students from Insat University in Tunis to have a discussion about goals, stereotypes, and cultural understanding. These students all belong to at least one of four extra curricular groups: Biotechnology Club, Chemistry Club, Radio Club, and Theater Club. They organized a delicious traditional Tunisian lunch for us, while we hung out, conversed, and bonded for nearly five hours!

Our discussion began with having them introduce themselves and tell about their values and life/career goals. It was quite clear that these kids were shooting for the stars - and I have every bit of confidence in them that they'll make it! Many of their goals were focused on social responsibility, such as creating associations for proper nutrition, biotechnological advancements, and cultural education through theater - and one young man has already started an organization called Ecologically Engaged as a platform to do environmental education for youth in his community! Other goals focused around culture and idea exchanges, traveling and discovery, marriage, and normal goals typical of any college kid: to succeed.

It was inspiring to hear about their ambitions in life and I'm excited for them that their government is giving them the opportunities necessary to further themselves, and in the long run to further their country.

Our discussion moved more toward stereotypes as obstacles in their lives. Some of our participants had at one time or another been negatively affected in some way by a stereotype. And some had been blown away by experiences and people who had broken their previously held stereotypes! They all seemed to agree that stereotypes came from and are propagated by media, conflicts, religion, and a lack of information.

Wrapping everything up, we talked about how to correct stereotypes, and dispel these prejudices and prejudgments. Travel, discussions, and meetings were among the ideas presented to educate people about our differences and similarities. I used good ole Gandhi’s quote, "Be the change that you want to see in the world." to inspire them into knowing that they each have the power to dispel stereotypes by representing the truth about themselves, as this is a practice I hold in quite high esteem.

My favorite comment of the day was in relation to the fact that we are all connected: "If we want to build bridges, we will do it. If we want to cut them - we can too." It is all our responsibilities to recognize stereotypes for what they are, and to look beyond them and see an individual as representing the truth about themselves and no one else!

The meeting was a huge success and gave these kids the opportunity to speak about important issues. In fact, on one tangent, they got into a debate on Islamic principles governing public behavior. Tunisia is not nearly as conservative as Morocco with respect to religion, but still, a healthy, mature debate on a topic like this shows great insight into their culture and is great positive development for them!

My best to you guys and all your future endeavors! Thanks for all your hospitality and participation!

Cous Cous for Pig Skin!

Our host in Tunis is originally from Bizerte, a rather large city in the north. Mehdi has been an amazing host, showing us hospitality that we could never have even hoped for! While in Tunis on business, Medhi's mother stopped by the apartment and invited us to Bizerte for a cous cous feast! We excitedly accepted and were giddy at the opportunity for some interaction with people from a different age generation.

We learned that Mehdi's mother; Hayet, is an eye doctor and his father, Moncef, is the Mayor of Bizerte! We explained our project to them and asked if we could interview them to get a new perspective on Tunisia! After a cous cous feast that was fit for a mayor and his family, we had a nice little discussion on how they saw life in Tunisia, and the U.S.

Their values and observations about their community were eerily reminiscent of how I've heard my family speak, "The Good Old Days". They value family, respect for others, and love for one's country. With growth, as they told us, the town has become much more of a melting pot and there are people from everywhere and no one really knows anyone anymore. In the past, everyone knew each other and having a social responsibility was easy because everyone around you was your neighbor. They see all the opportunities that today's youth have, and are frustrated that they spend so much time sitting in front of a computer playing games or watching music on television. Their wishes for their grand children are "more responsibly"!

It was so close to the state of life I know in the U.S. we wanted to know their opinion of the U.S.

Moncef began by saying that even though the United States is a young country, it's very strong. The pride of Americans in their country is what makes it strong. And he went on a bit at how much he admired that. He also included that many people are upset with the U.S. for being so strongly pro-Israel, and supporting the injustice toward Palestinians.

Here's an interesting thought: If in your circle of friends one friend continually pissed off other people and got you into fights all the time, what would you do or say to your troublemaking friend? It would be fun to start an online dialogue about that, and I'll let any of my faithful readers comment by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this article!

Moncef also said that Americans lump all Islam/Arabs together and he wants us to realize that they can be religious without war and terrorism!

On a development theme he said that rich countries should help poor countries, but not by simply throwing money at the development woes. Financial aid should be used for infrastructure and monitored closely so that corruption can't find its place with donated funds. This would help stop illegal immigration and increase employment!

In all it was a very, very enlightening conversation. It was clear to see where Mehdi had picked up his hospitality skills. And so when we returned to Tunis, we tried to return the favor by preparing a proper Superbowl party for him!

Tim and I went all out with the only resources we could find to work with. We bought a couple packs of Tunisian beer, and a couple bottles of wine. We made a vegetable/salsa dip for potato chips, and we constructed some very rough, but delicious nachos! We had a full spread of alcohol and junk food! It rocked! Kickoff was a half hour after midnight due to the time difference and we settled right in to one of the best Superbowls, ever! We explained all the rules of football and the history behind the teams and Mehdi seemed nearly as excited as we were - well, excited as I was - Tim's on a level all his own on this one.

Poor Mehdi, though, as excited as he was, we wouldn't let him go to sleep before the end of the game at 4:30 AM! And he had work later that morning - he's doing his residency to become an eye doctor and someday run his mother's clinic! You're a good sport, Mehdi! Thanks so much for everything you've done for us!

CIA in Tunisia

This true story is based on an event that actually happened within all realms of my own reality.

Thursday, 2008-01-31, 13:17 Zulu Time.

36° 47' 59.77" North Longitude
10° 10' 51.24" East Latidtude

Agent Wade and 00Judkins were walking down the main street in the center of Tunis, and had a very bizarre encounter that instilled excitement and wonder into their already interesting day.

They were heading for the old town - the medina - where a maze of small alleys are filled with a myriad of shops and cafes when all of a sudden some "random guy" made eye contact with Tim and altered his course to "contact" him.

The agents were just outside of a hotel-ish looking building, on a crowded street when the operative, Superspy, made contact with Tim. He was carrying a cell phone in one hand, and a laptop bag around his opposite shoulder. The laptop bag very obviously contained no laptop at all. Superspy changed his direction and thumped Agent Wade's arm as we walked by. Tim and Andrew looked back and wondered, "What the hell?" as Superspy maintained his eye contact with Tim and made a gesture that neither of the two former Peace Corps Volunteers understood. Then the operative followed them.

Superspy was casual and looked like any ordinary operative on the street. He walked so as not to attract attention and carried himself in a way that let him blend into his surroundings like a fat guy standing next to a hotdog cart.

Tim and Andrew decided to stop at a tourist shop and look at some postcards to see what Superspy would do. He waited for them. They were intrigued and wondered what their next move should be. Andrew wanted to take a picture of the operative to gauge his reaction. Tim shot down his idea saying, "Are you nuts, Double "O" Judkins?! That technique is not the wisest option!" They decided instead, to continue onward to the medina - with Superspy inconspicuously on their tails.

He finally stopped following them at one intersection and watched them disappear into the crowd. They laughed at what their imaginations thought they had encountered and joked about the mysterious, classified contents of the laptop bag. After some manipulative talking, Andrew was able to convince Tim to walk back to the "contact location" to see if Superspy had returned to meet whoever he mistook them for. He was gone though - obviously he terminated any further progress as he felt his confusion had compromised the mission.

Better luck next time, Superspy!

Names and places in this story have not been changed in order to protect the identity of the fat guy next to the hotdog cart.

Sustainable Development in Islam

In addition to our stereotype discussion in Tinjdad, we got a unique opportunity to sit in on a sustainable development presentation.

At the local high school, Hachimi gave a presentation on a topic that's become a large part of what we're doing, and part of my own personal goals. However, Hachimi surprised everyone at the last minute and tweaked his presentation topic from a simple "Sustainable Development in the World" to "Sustainable Development in Islam".

Islam keeps coming up in every last aspect of everyone's life here. Religion is so powerful and so prominent in everyone's lives. Some rough notes of his outline and presentation are as follows:

Intro
His intro began with, "In the name of Allah, the most merciful." He focused his argument on human entitlement to nature and stressed that we are nature's manager, not owner.

Land Reclamation
He started with verses from Koran and went into human responsibility as dictated by Allah. "Plant a tree, but don't forget that it's a gift from Allah, and if an animal eats from it, you will be rewarded in the afterlife."

Water Pollution
"No one should bathe in the water if they are unclean." He related that the only reason to have clean water is because you need it to clean yourself before you pray. So if the water is polluted, then you can't clean yourself in order to pray.

Sustainable Forestry
"If anyone plants a tree, they will be rewarded in the hereafter. Advise troops to not kill trees or animals."

Knowledge and Education
"Allah taught Adam the names of all things. This is why only humans have the knowlege of nature."

Poverty and Alleviation
"Poverty is described in Islam through a direct connection to language." Meaning there are specific words in Arabic that translate to poverty and alleviation principles.

Responsibilities Toward Underprivilaged Communities
Sustainable development is compatible with Islam in social, econimical, ecological, and political realms.

Questions from the presenter's peers:
What is the water pollution connection to sustainable development in islam?
"View water to clean your body. We need to clean before prayer."

Is there a difference between sustainable development and Islam and other religions?
"No idea."

Do all Muslim nations practice this example of sustainable development?
"Modernization is the problem for other countries. Islam accepts positive points of modernization."

How do we do this?
"Change peoples' minds"

Moderization isn't against Islam?
"Not all countries use koran as source of law."

My Thoughts
This was a challenge for me to write about neutrally. Tim pointed out that due to my natural aversion to religion, not just to Islam, that I'm biased about the twist on this sustainable development presentation. Perhaps so. I should be proud that someone is using something they believe in to make a connection to something that's good for the planet's continued health. I can definitely see the value in using a language that people understand to communicate complex principles. If people don't care about garbage and pollution, why not use a religion, like Islam, to draw a connection to the problem that people can recognize?

It was an interesting perspective on one topic I know well, and on another that keeps popping up and confusing me.

To my faithful readers - If you're not reading Tim's blog, you might be missing a significant part of my story! Some say his blogs aren't quite as magnificent as mine, others say his might be slightly more profound... Check it out!

Stereotypes in Morocco

Our first official project! And my, how successful it was!

Chris had managed to round up 20 Moroccans between the age of 15 and 21, plus two translators from the community of Tinjdad, for an intense two hour discussion! They were a great group - well prepared, and very insightful on our chosen topic of stereotypes!

We led through some examples and jokes about what a stereotype is and kind of how they exist. Our participants caught on quickly and we immediately had a sound discussion on our hands.

Tim and I asked them to brain storm some common stereotypes in their lives. The first one mentioned had to do with the level of conservatism in their town with respect to how women are supposed to dress. We talked about that a little bit, and found that the stereotype made some women uncomfortable - as you can imagine. It didn't take long, after that to start hearing other stereotypes.

They had a list of many different kinds of stereotypes and then we broke them up into four groups of four or five people to: choose a stereotype to discuss, vote on whether or not the stereotype is consistent with the truth, give examples of how the stereotype can be corrected or broken down, and finally to discuss the consequences of such a stereotype.

For their discussions, the four groups chose the following four stereotypes:

• Americans teach us well.
• Americans are rich and have nice lives.
• Americans look down on other people.
• Islam = terror.

Americans teach us well.
This stereotype came about because there have been five Peace Corps Volunteers at this site, and they have effectively created a reputation of being good teachers. While this felt like a compliment to me, I had to dig a little deeper. Turns out, this perspective was generated because the Americans that they know are better at teaching them English than the Moroccans they know. To their surprise, I explained that there are a lot of people in the United States that don't even speak English!

Americans are rich and have nice lives.
This group dispelled this stereotype after talking about what they had seen on the news after Hurricane Katrina. They decided that, in fact, there are people in America who aren't rich and who don't have nice lives. They also brought Rap music into the discussion and pointed out that the Rappers sing about how hard their lives are... I felt the first example was quite a bit more powerful.

Americans look down on other people.
The third group felt this way because in many popular movies they see Americans depicted as more powerful or "better" than Arabs. They then reinforced their stereotype from what they see happening in the news with respect to international politics. After voting and discussing for a while, they came to the conclusion that not all Americans look down on other people, and used us Peace Corps Volunteers as examples. By being here, in Morocco, and by forming friendships and bonds with these students, they can see a contrast to what different forms of media are telling them.

Islam = Terror
Of course this is not a stereotype belonging to our participants, but they are well aware that it exists in Europe and across the ocean. It was clear to see that they were quite offended by this stereotype and were quick to point out it's falacies. They contradicted the misled belief that all Muslims are terrorists because they themselves are Muslims and are, in fact, not terrorists. They further supported their argument by stating that terrorist groups exist who are not Muslim, citing the ETA in Spain, and the IRA in Northern Ireland. They concluded their argument by citing that the Koran and Islam teach Muslims to be tolerant of and peaceful to other religions.
We talked about the consequences of these stereotypes and explained that stereotypes beget stereotypes, throwing those involved into the realms of a destructive state of fear and anger over what people do not understand.

In conclusion we discussed further the consequences of stereotypes and emphasized that it was important for all people to not always take things at face value - to think about what they're hearing and to consider that it may not be true for all people.

Our group was a great, intelligent group and they were extremely insightful about how Moroccans view the West. It was nice to hear what another culture thinks about my own culture, but at the same time, I found it a bit disheartening that some of these stereotypes exist about my home. I completely understand, though, because stereotypes from my home must certainly equally dishearten them. In the end, my opinion is still to not judge a person or a culture based on hearsay and rumors. It's an opinion that I feel was shared this night by all participants.

I Bless the Kids Down in Africa!

We arrived to Tinjdad where we met up with our Peace Corps connection - Chris Blackwood. He took us on a walk through a little part of town called a duwar, which is kind of like a separated neighborhood. Our mission was to get some interesting photographs of how the locals here live - clay houses, dirt roads, palm tree oases, etc.


Upon our entrance to the duwar, we passed through a group of kids who saw Tim's camera and immediately wanted their picture taken! Tim humored them with his youth skills and got them riled up about posing. After that, they decided to follow us on our hike through the palm oasis. We had 18 following us, giggling, yelling, laughing, and posing to get their photo taken again and again. The boys were really aggressive, and the girls were super shy! I accidentally made one girl cry by walking towards her with a big smile on my face! After some time though, even the girls wanted their pictures taken. We taught them English words like sun, moon, and tree - whatever we could point at. We taught high-fives and learned the word for friend and said it over and over and over! When the kids started asking for money, I turned it around on them and asked them for money. One kid actually gave me two Durhams! Of course I didn't keep it. They were persistent in asking for some kind of gift so I gave in and made the mistake of giving something... I gave one kid an old earplug I had in my bag. He ran to Chris, who speaks Arabic, and said "Your friend gave me this. Can I eat it?" as he was putting it into his mouth! After that, all the kids wanted an earplug! Oops - won't do that again!

The experience as a whole was overwhelming in a delightful way. A crazy, huge group of kids followed us around for nearly an hour with a level of excitement that could have powered the towns electricity needs for a week!

I've Been through the Desert on a Bus with no Name!

A very unsuccessful beginning started one of our most successful days.

Woke up super early in Taghazout in order to get on a bus and head up into the mountains. We were to catch a bus from Agadir and travel to Ouarzazate, however Agadir proved to be more than we had planned for. We wasted four hours hopping from station to station trying to find any bus leaving town. No dice. After the forth station, we decided to take a taxi to the next town over and catch a bus from there. The bus station was a chaotic mess of ticket sellers running toward us trying to guess where we were going and all fighting to sell us a ticket! We were lost and had an incapacitating deficiency of the French language, which all the locals seem to know.

Greeting the ticket sellers with the two Arabic words we know made a group of gals giggle and Tim caught the word "British" to which he turned and said, "No, we're American. Do you think you could help us out?" For the next hour or so, we had three wonderful new friends: Siham, Ilham, and Wafa. They were all studying English at the University and have dreams of becoming teachers! They were very interested in the project we were doing to educate Americans about other cultures and to educate other cultures about Americans.

We talked a bit about their lives and compared studies and career goals in the U.S. and Morocco. They helped us buy some food from the market and get situated with our bus. It was a kindness we had heard about but not yet experienced. And it initiated a whole new perspective on this beautiful country.

On the bus, we met a man named Abder who we had the great opportunity to converse with at great lengths. We talked about gold mining and mineralogy (his old profession), olive and almond harvesting (his new profession), work or lack thereof and poverty in Morocco, politics and the King of Morocco, relationships, sex, and love - everything under the sun!

And under the sun we were. Even in winter, the Moroccan sun is a strong one! I can't begin to imagine what summer is like. Abder told us that as we left the city and headed up the mountain, the temperature would drop significantly. It didn't. Not on the bus, anyway. The winding roads yielded view after view of a beautiful, yet rugged landscape. Despite its beauty, I can't seem to grasp how people are living out here. The soil seems so... so non-existent! It looks like everywhere is a giant field of rocks with very few determined and uncompromising plant species that have managed to find a way to live. We occasionally passed Argon trees to which some shepherd had led his flock of goats. Tim and I would stare like tourists at the goats, which had managed to climb the trees in order to eat their fruit. Can you even imagine - a goat, 15 feet in the air and quite literally out on a limb, trying to find food? Neither can we, and that's why we stared!

Abder was very willing to share with us, and it seemed he was almost nearly as willing to hear what we had to share. Much of the conversation he related back to Islam. From what I understand, which I'll admit, isn't much, Islam is the culture of Morocco. It seems to dictate and fully define every aspect of these peoples' lives, traditions, celebrations, food, relationships, clothing, character, behavior in public, gender roles, and even their language. Understanding the culture of Morocco will only be possible by having some understanding of Islam.

We lost the battle of the buses and consequently didn't make it all the way to Ouarzazate. We had to stop for the night in a small village called Taliouine. There we met an interesting character named Abdula.Abdula was an intensely excited individual trying to make it through university. He spoke Berber, Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, and English! He had never even received formal English lessons! Very impressive! Abdula exhibited so much potential, but was limited by unfortunate circumstances in his life. Instead of finishing his degree in Spanish Literature, he has come home to work in order to support his family. It sounds sad from a western perspective, but there is no sadness in his soul. Every fiber of his being was glowing with enthusiasm at the chance to speak with a couple of Americans. He told us about Morocco, about the history of the Berber people and the three Berber dialects in Morocco. From there, our conversation moved on to stereotypes, prejudices and religion. And when I say 'religion' I mean Islam. It seems that most conversations lead to or end up at Islam. I need to explore that further to have a better insight into these peoples thinking.

At the end of the day, we had come from not really experiencing any of Morocco's culture - only observing it - to three wonderful, insightful experiences and five new friends! All five of our new friends have invited us back to their villages after we complete our project in Tinjdad! Their generosity and kindness is something as foreign as their language to me. It's a welcomed and refreshing change from the rough start we had in Morocco.

International Language: Taekwondo! Choo-ahh!

Tim wanted to learn Taekwondo, and I have been itching at the chance to train again so we made plans during this trip to train. And in the beach town of Taghazout, we're finding that we have lots of free time because we don't have surfboards.

This is a laid back, quiet community, nearly how I would imagine a typical surfer town on the West Coast to be... about 30 or 40 years ago! Now I get what the Beach Boys were singing about!

The beach here is big and beautiful. Perfect sand, perfect surf! And there's nobody in sight! We set out for our first formal Taekwondo lesson and it was intense! I really worked Tim hard! Half-way through our session, a young girl walked up out of nowhere and said, "Taekwondo?" She didn't speak any English, just Arabic and French (just!), but had trained in Taekwondo at some point in her past and wanted to work out with us. She knew the first three forms, exactly as I had been taught - half a world away!It's a cool feeling to know that despite our differences, and total lack of communication - we were able to establish a bond with this young Moroccan girl on the basis of world's most popular Martial Art. It's as exciting as the universal language of math - no matter where you are, our base 10 mathematical system is the same! And here we are, in a foreign country, where we don't speak the any of the local languages nor have we successfully integrated into the local cultures, Yet, we were able to make a connection with someone - to teach and to learn - with the international language of Taekwondo to communicate similarities in personal development through exercise and philosophy.We trained for nearly two hours in total, and just after the sun set, I dismissed my new class. Raza, our new friend, communicated that she wanted to train with us again. I showed her on her watch when we could meet - the next day at 10am.The next day, Tim and I ran on the beach in the morning for a warm up and began class at 10am. Raza showed up around 10:30 so I made her do push-ups for being late. She explained to me that she lived three or four towns away in Agadir and had to take the bus to meet us. "Too bad!" I responded! Haha! All in good fun! I taught a new set of material and enjoyed the diversity in students. I felt proud to share a martial art that's become such a significant part of who I am!

The Last Express Train to Marrakech

After our week's stay in Sevilla, we pushed on southbound! It was hard to leave such a beautiful city. During our stay we met people from all over the world and explained our project. Everyone was quite enthused for us and we greatly appreciated the international support!

We arrived in Tanger by way of ferry from Algerciras. We got taken for tickets and paid too much, and that seemed to set the pace for much of our time in Morocco.

Much to our disappointment, our first project partner, Moroccan NGO CADIX, turned out to be a scam. We've been in communication with them for more than half a year and just a couple days prior to our arrival they emailed us and informed us of the "price" to volunteer... Money had never before been mentioned, even when we asked, and being that we would rather be able to get to more organizations, we had to tell CADIX to take a hike.

In order to salvage our time in Morocco, we went back to our roots - the Peace Corps! We found a Youth Development Volunteer that has agreed to let us come and be guest speakers at his school. So we're going to prepare a discussion on stereotypes!

Speaking of stereotypes, here is what we've seen of Morocco:

Tim and I hit the ground running, almost literally! As soon as the boat landed we were on a mission to get to the train station. Exiting the boat was like jumping into the ball pit at McDonalds - and each ball wanted to sell us something. Chaos! After some time we got to the train station and booked our overnight train to Marrakech.

Arriving in Marrakech was more of the same - a giant ball pit! You can say "no" a million times and never get out of the pit. From taxis and hotels to hash-hish and directions, it's one scamming ball after another.


We found a cheap hotel, and later found that it could have been cheaper... There are no set prices here - on anything. And even though we're well aware that locals are paying a small fraction of what we're paying - we find it a bit difficult to pay less than cheap European prices. We're definitely treated more as an opportunity than a friend.


As we walk through the streets, we're constantly hassled: "Come into my shop", "That way is closed up ahead", "Hash-hish", "We have rooms, very cheap", "Let me show you something", and on and on and on. And it never ends! It's impossible to stand in one place and just observe! Even if we had money to shop with, the sales technique here is so overpowering that it turns off anyone with an interest in whatever product is being offered. And by 'offered' I mean 'pushed'. One young kid said to us, "The tannery is that way." We didn't have an agenda so we took that street to go see the tannery. He followed us and started giving a tour of the streets. Immediately, we stopped and said, "Thanks, but we don't have any money to pay you." "No problem, don't worry" he responded and continued "showing us the way"... His intentions were as apparent as my draining wallet: take us through the maze of streets that is Marrakech to get us lost and then ask for money to get us back. Eventually, he did lead us to the tannery and it was every bit as impressive as any other ditch filled with smelly water and animal carcasses. Great. Then he asked us for a "gift". When we told him that we already told him we wouldn't pay him, he got pissed, called us "Jewish people" and disappeared, leaving us in the middle of nowhere. Lucky for us, we had our walking legs on and enjoyed exploring Marrakech.

The city itself is quite beautiful. The big Atlas Mountains in the background. The most perfect minaret near the center. The architecture, arches, streets, fashion, people, everything! And the food! There are spices and flavors here that I've never even imagined! It's all so different and interesting! In the main square, there're thousands of people at any given moment throughout the day (and night) busy selling fruit, nuts, juices or performing - snake tamers, musicians, story tellers - the works! Kids run through the streets banging on drums - sometimes they'll gather in small groups and "rock out" to the random, unorganized beat of 10 drums drumming. It's sensory overload everywhere you look! There is so much life happening in every direction, at every moment, in every way!

Later, we managed to strike up a conversation with a young shop keeper on the street who seemed interested in things other than selling us women's shoes so we stayed a while and chatted. Yunis was 27 and had been taking English lessons for 3 months. He seemed like a good guy so we mentioned that we'd come back to this area of town and invited him for dinner with us. We met him at 7pm and he took us to a tiny food shop that we had been eyeing. We had a great conversation about Moroccan people - the Arabs and the Berbers - life and work in Morocco. It all went great until it was time to pay. Scam. We figured since we were with a "friend" that we didn't need to haggle before we ordered. Our meal was much smaller than anything else we had gotten at proper restaurants, and I didn't even get a drink, but the price was the same as other places. Thanks, Yunis, didn't think we had to pay for the conversation...

These experiences left me wondering - is this a simple difference in cultures or are we being consistently taken advantage of because we're different? The answer came to me on a bus ride to Essaouira as I started to observe the locals' interaction with each other.

I took a giant leap backwards to escape my Cartesian perspective and learned that the beauty and mystery that Morocco has to offer are still far from our grasp. We haven't even found the surface - much less figured out a way to scratch at it! I arrogantly thought we could walk into this culture and learn about it. In fact, it will be nearly impossible to do that without some kind of help. What we've been seeing in Morocco has been the tourist image of the country. It doesn't accurately represent the people or their culture. Once I started watching Moroccans interact with each other, rather than waiting to be accepted in order to gain insight, I found a much broader and beautiful perspective of Morocco. Now, instead of scam, cheat, and discrimination, I see friendship, loyalty, passion, beauty, tradition, faith, love, and ambition! It's beautiful! And, oh how nice it would be to integrate... just a little!


After our project partner, CADIX, left us high and dry, we thought we'd not get the chance for any bit of integration. However, with our new Peace Corps contact it's looking like we may get an opportunity! We can't wait to get to his village and get an insiders perspective on Morocco!

T Minus - Ready, Set - Hey, We Already Started!

Tim and I met up in Lisbon and immediately began our cultural exploration agenda!
To attain the most cultural insight possible, we're trying as much as possible to stay with local people instead of staying in hostels. Our first hosts were a gay couple in Lisbon - Marco and Sergio - a couple of rockin good guys! They accepted our request to stay with them over the New Years holiday and invited us to partake in their party with their friends! Sergio cooked up a feast and we all debated different perspectives on politics, religion, global climate change, and lifestyle - the works! We heard more of the stereotypical European viewpoint that the stereotypical American is ignorant to most international affairs.
With our new found friendship, we made a lot of jokes about stereotypes about gay and straight communities. As the night went on, the music played and the wine flowed. We started dancing and singing to a bunch of stereotypical "gay" music: Madonna, Prince, The Village People and the like. Marco and Sergio did an amazing dance routine to "It´s Raining Men" for Tim that had everyone busting up! When a less "gay" song came on, Tim and I started singing along. Sergio turned it off and said, "Oh my god, that is so straight!" We about died laughing!

I learned something very significant from Sergio. I had previously embraced "tolerance" as an argument settler. For example, I would state that a person doesn't have to necessarily accept a religion, but should have tolerance for it, in order to maintain peace. But respecting a person for who they are and what they believe, instead of simply tolerating them, is a much more sustainable foundation for peace. I don't have to accept what a person believes as a part of my own personal values, but respecting their decisions and choices for their own life presents a much more powerful platform for mutual understanding and integrated peace.
It was also nice to have such open acceptance into a gay community. In my previous experience with gay friends, I've found myself discriminated against for being straight - like they're elitists, looking down on me from a pedestal. However, Marco and Sergio (and their friends) accepted us, a couple of straight guys, to share the best holiday of the year! Smashing my previously formed stereotype felt good - as it normally does to realize something new about the world that can bring a smile to your face. We danced and sang and laughed together! I can't think of more fun people with whom to spend my favorite holiday! Our extreme high at having had this experience came crashing down during the first night of our project.

We said goodbye to Marco and Sergio and then Marco took us to the train station to get our train. Unfortunately, he took us to the wrong station, so we missed our train. This would prove to be an indicator of how the rest of our first day would go...

We jumped on a bus south, to Albufeira with only one other passenger. 3.5 hours later, we arrived. It was dark by the time we left the bus station. We headed toward the beach for some beach camping. Tim said he expected to hike about an hour, and I was more hoping for 15 minutes after not having slept much the previous night. We hiked and hiked and hiked and never found a beach, but headed in a direction we thought would lead us out of town. Looking for somewhere to set up camp! We hiked down the highway for 2 hours before we decided we needed some food and found ourselves a supermarket. Made cheese sandwiches, drank cheap wine, and had ourselves a very nice conversation!

Tired and ready for bed, we found a covered patch of bushes off the main road that concealed us if we laid down. So we busted our out sleeping bags and went to sleep. And we slept great, for 2.5 hours... then the rain started... Packed up our stuff and headed for cover. After about another hour of hiking, we ended up huddled in a bus stop trying, with some degree of success, to escape the rain and wind. Slept for about an hour until the rain stopped and we decided to find better shelter. Hiked again, for an hour or two - completely worn out and sore - until we started running out of homes and businesses around us. All of a sudden it started raining again - hard! We took the first thing we could find - the patio of an unsold house. It was cold, windy, wet and down right miserable! At 4.30am some guy yelled at us to figure out what we were doing. When he saw we were just avoiding the torrential rainfall, he motioned for us that it was ok to stay. This was the hardest part of the night. I was sick, hungry, cold, and my head started hurting badly just as I ran out of food and water! 6.30 rolled around and the rain had stopped so Tim and I decided to keep on traveling. We hiked another hour to some tiny village and suddenly saw a sign that said "bus stop" in plain English! Hot damn! Waited an hour for the bus and found our way to Faro.

We were both ready to crash, but had to wait for the tourist office to open so that we could find a hostel. Around 10am we were there... but learned that the check in time wasn´t until 5pm!!! So we sluggishly killed 7 hours before we were finally able to rest!

This is how you start an adventure!