A Typical Day at My Community Based Training Site

I’m awakened at 4 AM by the Call to Prayer coming from the Minaret of my town Mosque. I drift in and out of sleep until 7. When I emerge from my room into the open air courtyard in the middle of the home, I am greeted with “spaxir,” good morning. I use the latrine, a small shed with a hole in the ground, attached to my house and wash my face using a bucket of water that has been warmed in a kettle over the fire.

I sit on a make-shift chair, a turned over bucket, next to my younger sister and brother in the kitchen. We eat askif, a porridge made with rice, parsley and tomatoes; and drink a sugary mint tea that my sister has made. After breakfast, I walk down the steep rocky paths to my school, exchanging elaborate greetings along the way.

I arrive at school by 8 and have language class with Taoufiq, our language and culture instructor, and the four other Peace Corps volunteers at my site. At 10:30 we stop for a sweet tea break, followed by more Tamazight practice. At 12:30 we have lunch, which is eaten communally. The main dish, usually tajine, vegetables or lentils cooked with spices, is scooped up with small pieces of agrum (bread).

In the afternoon we walk around the community, practice our language skills and work on our community analysis project. This is practice for what we will be doing at our real site placement. Our first job was to look at the community as a whole, identify assets and opportunities for change and determine what health issues are relevant within the community. We went on visits to the local schools, the health clinic and the local dagger cooperative and talked to people within the community.
After school I often go for a run on the rocky road around my town. I greet many people as I run and sometimes get surprise running partners. Afterwards, I walk back up the jagged paths to my house. Along the way, I often see congregations of children and stop to play with them. We play tag and I teach them songs like the Hokie Pokie. They help me practice my Tamazight and I give them mini English lessons. The people in the community laugh to see me chasing the kids around.

When I get home I greet my family and I sit in the common room to do my language homework. I also spend a lot of time with my mother and sisters in the weaving room, where brightly colored rugs are made on a giant loom. The women gossip and joke as they weave and occasionally some of the women will start dancing to the lively Moroccan music playing on the radio, and invite me to join them. Other than weddings, women only dance in the company of other women. The first time I saw the dancing, I was surprised by the ability of the women to move in such an energetic and spirited way, given their reserved demeanor in the presence of men. Dancing has quickly become one of my favorite activities here.

Dinner is cooked over a fire pit and generally consists of couscous and vegetables at my house. My host family has been very understanding when it comes to me being a vegetarian. We usually don’t eat dinner until 10:30 PM, and dinner, like lunch, is shared communally. We sit on the floor of the common area and eat from a large platter. My family often makes couscous into small balls which they pop into their mouths. Couscous can be made into balls by bouncing it in the palm of the hand. My family is generally amused by the mess that is made due to my novice ball making skills. After dinner I go to my room and sleep on the floor with a large assortment of homemade blankets. I sleep very well until the next Call to Prayer.

Sundays are the exception to this schedule, as I don’t have school. My sisters use the opportunity to teach me all of the things I’ll need to know. I get up early and help make the askif. I help collect fire wood and make fresh bread. I really enjoy making the bread. I punch and knead the dough and mold it with my hands before placing it on the tray over the fire pit. My sisters always enjoy watching me because of my enthusiasm for punching the dough. Later in the day, clothes are washed in buckets and hung on trees to dry. I always enjoy the extra time I get to spend with my family on Sundays.