So, I’m now an official Peace Corps Volunteer and am officially living in Beni Mellal, Ramadan has come to an end, and it’s cold in Morocco. Yesterday was the swearing-in ceremony in a really nice hotel in Fez. I took the oath of office and now I realize it’s too late to turn back. The day before Thanksgiving was L’AAid, the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. I spent the entire day going around to families and eating cookies. In an ideal world, this isn’t a bad day, especially since the entire country has been fasting for 30 days; however, once you’ve eaten about 302,4872,54.83 coconut almond cookies…..And it’s cold. Everything’s made out …

In about a week, we’ll be completing our 10-week training and will all be travelling to our sites to begin our two-year peace proliferation. I’m excited about beginning all over, and the first few months will be indicative of what I can get done. I’ve already been able to ascertain from having worked on a smaller scale with the artisans, that things are going to be very very very slow. And if I’m going to be able to work efficiently in this culture, I’m going to have to learn how to handle and mature my frustrations quite quickly. In no way do I intend to suggest that the Moroccan culture is better or worse than any …

In the last week, I’ve been in been in Beni Mellal, Rabat, Fez and now Meknes; travelling is great fun. So, back to Beni Mellal. It is the regional center of the area, including two universities. Don’t worry, I’ll have both electricity and running water. I’ll be moving there at the end of November and will spend the month of December looking for my own place. I’ve met my big boss and he seems excited to work with me. This reminds me of something: there are so many ideas, cocepts and traditions that are pivotal to the Moroccan culture and I would like to impart you with them all. This is why eventually …

Beni Mellal is the greenest city I’ve seen so far. I must say that I am both happy and excited to have been placed here. I have 6 host siblings, with four of them still living at the house. My time is about to run out here, but I will write more soon.