The post that almost didn’t happen

FRIDAY

Before the beginning of one of our info sessions the country director came over to me and asked me with a smile if I wanted to be an ambassador. Of course I do–and after some hesitation on a form asking us what our future plans were after this, that’s just what I wrote, to join the Foreign Service and work my way up. Well. The message was received. He proceeded to ask me if I would like to have lunch with the ambassador. Answer? Emphatic Yes.

Lunch came, and I was nervous and didn’t know where to go so I just went to the dining room as usual and figured I would be pulled away or wouldn’t. There was hella security all around the place that day so I knew he was near but wans’t sure what to do. Then, the country director came to my full table and asked anyone if they would change seats so the ambassador could sit there. He wound up sitting next to me. Incredible.

It was so flattering and humbling to even be so well known to be so well known from my application, not mention being given this opportunity.

Oh, and, yes… I do still want to be an ambassador.

SATURDAY

Was chill. Nothing too dramatic.

SUNDAY

Was spectacular. So, I have been experiencing terrible jaw, tmj-like, pain since the Sunday/Monday before I came (which has subsided a lot but is still slightly present) so on Sunday when most people were going to the biggest city that was close by to shop for things I decided to stay here. Yea being “anti-social.” I wound up doing some reading in the lounge and two Moroccan staff members were playing cards and I sat myself down with them and learned how to play Moroccan rummy and taught them how to play American style rummy. They also taught me how to count and other random words. We played for a very long time. In all there were four Moroccans who rotated in and out of play but the main one was Salah. This whole process was facilitated by using French as the lingua franca. Yes, I am supposed to be learning/practicing Arabic, but I am also supposed to be doing a cultural exchange and at this point, French was the most practical language for that to occur in. I’m sure, or at least I hope, I will be playing Moroccan cards again… but maybe whoever I wind up playing with later won’t speak French. Now I’m already prepared.

Cards wound up being playing until about an hour before dinner, and then when the others came back from shopping I started playing Phase 10 with a bunch of volunteers and Salah joined us after he broke the fast. In all, I spent about 12 hours Sunday playing some kind of card game [minus about an hour for dinner]. Would I have changed anything? Not at all! I guess one of the most valuable things I did this summer was spend hours at my dad’s parents house playing Phase 10 [for the first time], re-learning Rummy, and playing Rummikub! Yea!! Hahahah

MONDAY

Yesterday we found out the composition of our first host family which was really exciting. I also went into the ocean. I almost forgot I hadn’t. The most beautiful sunset I have ever seen. The water felt nice. Cold on the feet, perfect on the body. Body/surfing waves. Low tide. Hella riptide. Beautiful sunset. Unfortunately I have no pictures of it. I didn’t want to damage/lose my camera.

I washed my hair and blew it dry and at dinner everyone got to see a Courtney style faux-hawk for the first time. It was quite well received.

After dinner I ran into another trainee (who is Jewish) and he was going to play his ukelele while I did this, but we got caught up. He was trying to learn a Darija [Moroccan Arabic] song sung my the Idan Raichel Project [Ashkenazi Israeli who formed a group with other Jews including Ethiopians and all kinds of fun people to make wonderful fusion music and push people’s limits and be culturally aware blah blah blah] and I had the song on my computer. So… I wound up playing the recording in the hallway and some of our teachers came by and they liked it a lot [which got unnecessarily awkward when they asked who it was by (to clarify, it was my friend who was awak not me ] but it was still well received. Then I played Tinariwen, which is a Berber group, ad though they hadn’t heard of them they really liked it and started to dance a little. Apparently the group’s style is southern and that is the region where both of them happened to be from. Then I played some Amr Diab and other random music. They jokingly called me Arabic with a smile admiring my music taste and the other trainee and I shared a smile of ‘secret’ knowledge.

I do love music.