the interim / peace corps global evacuation + a reflection on my service

I had the thought a week before my in-service training that I should post some photos on my website. “Eh, whatever, how much can change in a week?” I thought. Well, I’ve found the answer to that question.

Last Friday, after a wonderful few days in Marrakech reuniting with friends and treating ourselves to the international food scene, our training was cut short and we were sent to our sites to “stand fast” (remain at home) until further notice. From there, things escalated quickly. By Sunday night we were given the official evacuation notice for Peace Corps Morocco, followed by a global evacuation announcement. On Monday morning I left my site with most of my belongings (to be honest I was in denial, but I brought everything I need). Monday night I arrived in Rabat to be group quarantined with all other PCVs at a hotel. By Thursday morning I was home in Massachusetts. Friday was my 25th birthday, spent in self-quarantine with my parents. It was also the day we were told all volunteers would be COSing (closing out service), instead of remaining on administrative hold like originally planned. We have the possibility of reinstatement in the future, but it is much less certain and as we’ve seen, nothing is guaranteed.

Hank Green made a video recently on the sudden obliteration of expectation, and ventured to find an exact word for the feeling: wuthering, atmospheric tumult, lost possible selves, unfathoming, and future shock were a few mentioned in the video and its comments. Whatever it is, it’s the feeling that I am grappling with, along with my fellow volunteers and the rest of the world.

I hope to give more details and tell more stories from my service in the future. In all honesty, I’m still holding out hope that my service is not over, though I know that regardless of the future of the Peace Corps, these past seven months have been something unique and special that will not be replicated in future service.

For the time being, I’d like to borrow the words of other volunteers, as I’ve leaned on them so many times in this past half-year:

Until March 20, 2020, I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Afla N’Draa, Morocco. I came to Morocco with many hopes. I came with a desire to serve and to learn. Some of these hopes and desires leave with me unfulfilled. Today, unplanned and unrequested, I close my service. I grieve the loss of time with my community. I grieve the plans not completed. I grieve the sudden goodbye. I celebrate the work I have done and tried to do. I celebrate lessons learned. I am grateful for the help given to me. I am grateful for friendship. I celebrate challenges overcome, today not the least of them. I have honored my commitment to serve. Today, I grieve deeply and celebrate gratefully. I open myself to sharing the beauty and the pain of this experience. I thank my fellow PCVs and Staff. Today, I close my service.

Thank you for reading. Stay safe and healthy.

my roommates for our initial 10 day training in Bouznika, Julia and Amal

the first of many street cats

view from my host family’s roof during training

kaskrut

always fresh khubz (bread)

Couscous is served every Friday across Morocco.

Moroccan pizza (minimal on the cheese)

Moroccan sunset

Moroccan sunset 2

CLIMB hike with a club of Moroccans and volunteers

Playing games at the Dar Chebab (youth center)

Interview Skills class at the Dar Chebab (practicing confidence poses)

Selfies with my youngest host sister

Volubilis Roman ruins, near Moulay Idriss

Moulay Idriss street mural

Moroccan sunset 3

Moroccan sunset 4

Djaj mhamr (chicken with olives, lemons, and sauce – served at weddings and important gatherings like this host family-hosted training group lunch)

Training group lunch with a fellow trainee’s host family!

My host sister and my friend’s host sister becoming friends :’)

Arts and crafts at the Halloween party

Certificate group photo at our splash activity (a massive game of Clue)

My training group with our community map

Playing Go Fish as an English activity

Host family photo, 3pm

Host family photo (with dad), midnight

chicken and fries – a lunch favorite

Henna by my host mother

another favorite lunch – l7am u some fruit I can’t remember??

Amazigh dancers at my first Moroccan wedding – this was around 1am and about 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Djaj Mhamr at the wedding

My host sister with the stuffed animal she gifted me when I went to final site

Our multiage English life skills class during training

Our Dar Chebab crew

My training group and our host families at our thank-you kaskrut

same photo plus our teacher Youssef 🙂

My training group – personality pic

My training group

Staj 101 group photo at our Swearing In Ceremony, November 2019

Swearing-in

Swearing-in training group photo

I was not expecting Colin to jump up like this

finding our sites on the regional map

Beautiful map of southern Morocco

My host mom and some friends carrying back food for their animals

My host mom and some friends carrying back food for their animals

My host mom in the jnan/igran (garden)

My host mom and I accidentally scaling the waterway when we tried to go a different way on our walk

Random loose donkey on the way home from Dar Chebab

Dar Talib boys playing UNO

Jnan after we planted beans

Playing paper football at a nearby volunteer’s site

Some plans for our Dar Chebab – the game room and garden already happened!

Learning numbers with the Dar Talib (student boarding house) boys

The watermelon field behind my Dar Chebab

My village from across the river

My village

My favorite mountain range from my host family’s roof

Singing Christmas carols with fellow volunteers

Unexpected visit to Rabat. My Darija teacher Youssef showed me around before he moved to Boston.

Youssef on the pier

Mausoleum of Mohammed V

Hassan Tower

Kasbah of the Udayas

Kasbah of the Udayas

The new mosque in my village

Low rising moon over my village

Hike with my neighbors

Hike with my neighbors

Moroccan sunset 5 (?)

Moroccan sunset 6

The one paved road in my village

My mudir (supervisor) and I learned how to play pool before putting the table in our new game room.

Making tagine for a 120 person event

Soccer tournament during vacation

Tizgui waterfalls

Tizgui waterfalls

Tizgui waterfalls

Tizgui waterfalls

Tizgui waterfalls

Kasbah in Beni Zouli

Moon over Jbel Kissane in Agdz, my banking town

Boys installing a satellite on the Dar Chebab roof

A Moroccan “taco”

A student’s work for our colors lesson. They liked to give themselves fake grades (my classes were always optional and extracurricular)

My naql (van) transport to site

My naql (van) transport to site, with a few of a kasbah

The dunes near Tagounite with fellow PCVs

The dunes near Tagounite with fellow PCVs

The dunes near Tagounite with fellow PCVs

My room after I finally decorated

My room after I finally decorated

My makeshift kitchen

My kitchen/living room

Marrakech

Marrakech

Marrakech – Jamaa L Fnaa

Marrakech – park on the walk to Gueliz

Cafe Kessabine Medina, Marrakech

Souk in Marrakech

Dried fruit stand at the souk in Marrakech

Koutoubia, Marrakech

Roof dance party at the quarantine hotel, Rabat

Drew and I on the quarantine roof, Rabat

Olivia, Olivia, and Claudia

In our masks at the airport, Rabat

My 25th birthday cake 🙂

and the baker