After A Couple Of Weeks

So I've been in Morocco for a couple of weeks now. The first week, it was hitting me pretty hard being here in light of having left everyone I knew before entering the Peace Corps. By the end of the second week here, I was less in withdrawal. The whole time I've been here, though, I've been glad to be here, to be doing what I've wanted to do for so long, being in the Peace Corps.

It feels right. So much so that I somehow don't feel all that much like I'm in a foreign country. Sure, I notice what's different from the US. I've been following cultural norms, like eating with the right hand, wearing long pants in public, even when it's humid, and speaking Darija, or Moroccan Arabic, even if just a little at this early stage.

I think that I feel as comfortable as I do here because I'm doing what I've wanted to do for so long. But I also think that a big part of it is that people are very welcoming here. I feel like I am developing a friendship with my host brother who is hosting me in his house. A worker at the cafe very near home is very welcoming. I thanked him in French for being so welcoming. He responded, "J'aime que tu soies ici," or "I like that you are here." He then taught me a somewhat complicated handshake, which I appreciated.

I came here hoping to form these kinds of connections, and I'm glad to be developing relationships like these. I feel strengthened by them. And in becoming closer to Moroccans, I feel validated in my decision to enter the Peace Corps, as beginning confirmation of part of why I chose to go into the Peace Corps. I'm looking forward to what else can develop over the next two years.