Morocco! March 2006
December 1st, 2005 by jana&mike.My husband and I received our invitation for Morocco leaving early March. We’d love to hear from you if you are going too — or if you’ve served there and have thoughts to share or advice to give! Jana (and Michael)
December 2nd, 2005 at 4:29 pm
Hi there!
I am to go to either Morocco or Jordan in July of 2006. What have you heard of the living situations where you will be going? And do you know what city you are going to be living in, or if you will have communication with family? I am 21 and very interested in going, but they haven’t told me anything about where I will go going, or doing and I am looking forward to hearing more!
December 2nd, 2005 at 11:07 pm
hey kim, about our living situation, we only know we will be in a rural setting. it sounds like we could be in anything from an adobe house to a traditional apartment! we do not know what city we’ll be in , but we were given a list of potential provinces. as for family communication, our assignment booklet notes that internet is available in most large towns and cities in morocco…but that’s about all we know! many questions were answered by our invite, and lots were raised as well. part of the fun i think. :) i definately understand your curiousity/anticipation. it’s so much fun and drives you crazy all at the same time! good luck with all your preparation and decisions!
December 9th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Hey all, Salaam Whelekum!
I am going to Morocco as well in March. While I have some reservations about the whole thing I am very excited to begin training and to see what the next two and half years of my life will bring.
Also, I studied in Morocco for a semester two years ago (Janurary - May 2003) so I may be able to answer some questions you have. Internet is definitely avaible in the bigger cities though it is almost always painfully slow. Most people I know who either were or are in the Peacecorps in Morocco live in apartments which of course vary greatly in style and ammenities.
All in all Morocco is a fabulous country… I look forward to meeting eveyone in Philadelphia in a few months as well.
Feel free to ask me questions about Morocco. Also, it might be nice to try and get a group email thing going with those who are going in March.
Eli
December 12th, 2005 at 10:56 pm
hey eli! great to hear from you! it is good to have a resource for questions, so thanks for offering your advice. it sounds like there are community development and environmental people going in march — which are you with (or something else?) i’m curious to hear what your reservations are as well. there are a couple of us going in march that have joined the pcvmorocco yahoo group, if you are interested. i’m totally hopping around subject-wise here, but if you have an idea on how to set up a group e-mail thing, let’s do it! talk to you soon! jana
December 26th, 2005 at 4:31 pm
I served in Morocco from 75 to 77. Absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me. I was lying on a banquet in a Moroccan home after a sumptious dinner, thinking to myself, “Where have these wonderful people been all my life”. Never have I met such wonderful people. From what I read of my friends of Morocco newsletter, it is still the same. e-mail me if you have any questions. talbotts@psci.net
nancy talbott
Please put Morocco PCV in the subject line
January 15th, 2006 at 1:33 am
Hey guys I just found this website. I am also serving in the PC in March 2006 in Morocco. Get in touch with me please LaurenMB1383@hotmail.com.
January 15th, 2006 at 11:25 pm
Well to add some information to my prior extremely short post, I am serving in the Morocco Health extention program in March 2006. I graduated from Appalachian State in May of 2005 and the only other person I have contacted serving with us is another girl who also attended App. If you all hear of any other blogs or useful information let me know and also at some point I do have some questions for Eli. Kim I have a friend who is in Jordan doing community dev. with the PC and has been serving since July ‘05. He has a cell phone and has access to internet so all in all I would say expect to be able to stay in touch with family, as Morocco and Jordan are both fairly modernized in comparision to some Peace Corps host countries.
January 19th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
helllo! i just wanted to ask you a question. You said you were going with your husband. My husband and I are in the application process (that is, we are filling out the long application) and will have the app. submitted by the end of January. How long did it take them to place you both, and what are your areas of expertise? (or what will you be doing when you get there, if they are different) everyone keeps telling me it will take over a year for them to place us, but i am trying to be optimistic and hope it doesn’t take that long. how long does it take to be placed, and what is the quickest placement time people have heard of?
thanks,
jsm.linguist@gmail.com
Jessica
January 19th, 2006 at 4:25 pm
Hey all,
I hope those that are going in March are having fun preparing… If you haven’t found it, a good web site is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pcvmorocco/ which has tons of people on it who can answer all sorts of questions.
Also, Jessica, like just about everyone else I have talked to, it has taken over a year from my interview to where I am actually going. Be prepared for many many many frusterating moments. If I can give you any advice, it would be to follow up on everything - call if you don’t hear from them. I almost didn’t get to go because they confused my application with another person named Eli who was thinking of not going. If I haden’t called I would have missed the cutoff for my current program (and I already missed another one in sub-Saharan Africa due to miscommunication). However, don’t let this discourage you!
Eli
January 21st, 2006 at 10:51 am
hi jessica! good luck with your application process. our long wait for placement was quite a bit our own doing. we were offered a potential nomination not long after our interviews, but we requested to wait until the next round of nominations to see if anything in our desired location opened up. after that initial nomination, it was quite a while before there was anything available (matching our skills, etc.). we were starting to regret turning down that initial offer and wondered if we would ever be nominated again (yes, we’re quite dramatic) :) luckily we are heading to where we want now, doing something we are excited about, so it was worth it.
everyone’s experience of the process varies dramatically though. there is a yahoo group for couples at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pc_couples/ if you are not already aware of it. that would be a great place to survey placement time.
our degrees have little to do with what we’ll be doing in morocco (health and sanitation), although we have some professional/volunteer experience with potential aspects of our jobs.
i hope i answered your questions! good luck!
February 16th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Hey to all the incoming people for PC Morocco. Just wanted to welcome you all and say you are in for one heck of an experience.
I was in the last group of environmental volunteers that came in March 2005.
Some advice for packing that i would have for any of you is to forget about the dress clothes suggested by the people in Washington. You will need pants or long skirts, as this is primarily a conservative muslim country. But for those in the environment sector, just pack like your going camping for two years. bring a sleeping bag, warm clothes (jacket, gloves, long underwear, beenie). you will be in rural areas, and trust me, you WILL wear the same pair of underwear for a week. so dont overpack. TRUST ME. i overpacked and plan on sending a full suitcase home with my parents when they visit. also, try to bring a good sized hiking back pack.
February 23rd, 2006 at 5:59 pm
Hello.
I am going to Morocco, in Sept 2006 to serve with the PC. Super excited. A little scared. But mostly ready to begin life after graduation and see the world. Would love to keep in touch, and learn from anyone and everyone what it is like there. What to expect…
Keep in touch please.
Always,
Dominique Ellis
February 24th, 2006 at 10:39 pm
Dominique, what program are you going for in Sept.? And were you nominated for Francophone Africa or North Africa?? I ask because I’m nominated for health for French speaking Africa for Sept. 06 and would love to go to Morocco….
February 26th, 2006 at 3:13 am
Kate. I won’t know until June or so what part I will be going to in Morocoo..mostly likely the northern part, as I will be working with ceramic professionals. I believe that I will be speaking BerBer mainly, so the French part most likely not…still am waiting for my medical clearance. :) so excited to go.
April 17th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
Hi there,
I am currently in the process of applying to the Peace Corps. I am very excited about the possibility of serving, however, have some safety concerns. If you have the time, I would greatly appreciate any insights you provide into the issue. Do you feel safe where you serve? Do you have a support network from the program, local community members and/or other volunteers in the area? Again, any advice or concerns shared would be greatly appreciated. Please take care and I hope to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Robyn
rtakamin@willamette.edu
May 3rd, 2006 at 8:27 am
Hi all-
Just wanted to throw myself into the mix -I’m supposed to be leaving for Morocco in September 2006 for Youth & Community Development. I have a 10 page “Your Assignment” packet but no other info as of now. Look forward to talking to and meeting some of you soon!
Hannah
May 31st, 2006 at 3:41 pm
here is my email if you would love to know some information about morocco and its cities , if you have any questions don’t hesitate to ask me
iceberg181@hotmail.com
June 1st, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Salaam All,
It’s been great hearing about everybody’s experiences with the Peace Corps and Morocco. I’m currently in the application process, I actually JUST sent off my medical and dental forms yesterday, so I can’t wait to hear back about my assignment. I was wondering if any of you could offer some information. I really want to go to Morocco or Jordan (preferably Morocco) because I speak arabic and because I’m Muslim, but the interviewer nominated me to go to SubSaharan Africa instead, which I was pretty bummed out about. Were any of you nominated to a certain area, and after clearance recieved an assignment in a different area? Can you turn down an offer to wait for something in your area of interest to come up?
Thanks!
July 8th, 2006 at 5:48 pm
Hey Hannah!
I’m also leaving for Morocco in Sept. as a Youth and Community Development volunteer, so I’m sure I’ll meet you in a couple of months. Good luck with all the preparations until then!
Shanna
July 19th, 2006 at 10:12 am
Hello,
I’ve been nominated to go to Morrocco in March. I’m still going through the screening process. Just a note…I wanted to go to SubSaharan Africa…but I’m not bummed out. I see it as this, you’ll go where you need to go. There is something greater than us leading anyway right? Any Info about Morrocco and other people leaving March would be great.
August 2nd, 2006 at 5:12 pm
Ta’Mar,
I just found out today that I will be leaving for Morocco in March 2007 as well. I wouldn’t be too bumed out about not getting to go where you were hoping because there is still a good chance all of that could change. I was not medically cleared in time to go to my first nomination in sub-saharan africa. Since then, they tried to put me in a program leaving in June 2006 but could not due to a medical restriction. I just found out today that there is an environmental education program in morocco that will take me with mild asthma. I won’t have the official papers for another few weeks (they said they were still preparing them) but I’ll let you know more as I find out. For anyone else out there, any information about environmental ed. in morocco would be great. If you’ve been there, please email me alf0412@gmail.com and tell me everything I should know.
October 15th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
hello fellow march people. i was nominated for a position in morocco. im not sure about you all but the position description for my job was vague. but it said ill be in a bioreserve doing “natural resource” inventories with lots of walking. how about everyone else. where are you folks from, im from nc maybe we could meet up before we are deployed.
November 16th, 2006 at 11:17 am
Hey all - especially those accepted for March 2007 Health/enviro stage, Marhaba!
I think I pointed it out earlier on this thread somewhere, but a great place to get more information is a Yahoo Morocco Peace Corps group. I suggest signing up there, as you can usually get replies pretty quickly.
A few things- I was originally supposed to go the sub-saharan AFrica as well, but do to Peace Corps SNAFUS and some of my own medical stuff, ended up leaving for Morocco march 2006. I was initially disapointed but am happy where I am now. While just about all of us here have major issues with certain aspects of the program , I think most of us would rate our overall expereince in Peace Corps Morocco as good, and in my case great.
As for safety, this country is extremely safe- far safer then most AMerican cities will ever be.
As for pre-departure Peace Corps vagueness over actuall jobs, well expect that to continue. When you actually arrive in site, a lot of what you do is defined by yourself. Get used to lack of strict job guidelines, because for most of you you will never get them. In some ways this has to be so because each site and each volunteer has such a different site and work environment.
Good luck with the application process and I look forward to seeing anyone from the 2007 stage in a few months.
Eli
January 16th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
Hi All,
I just found this website. I am due to leave for Morocco March 2, 2006. I will be working in the environmental sector and would love to have any information you can provide that might help with my preperations. Is anyone else at a loss as to what to bring for two years!
January 16th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
That is March 2007 not 2006!
January 16th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Eli,
I have read in a lot of PC literature that Environmental Volunteers serve in groups…is this true?
January 20th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Hello– I’m scheduled to leave for Morocco in March of 2007 as well (Health program). If you have any suggestions on what to bring, what not to bring, what to expect, or if you’re going in the same group and just want to chat, please feel free to e-mail me at rmneeb@yahoo.com. Thanks!
December 11th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
hey
December 11th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
hey iam going to morrocco in 23-2-2008
January 28th, 2008 at 11:59 pm
I’m going to Morocco in March for the health extension.. very exciting… you too Valin?