Other side of the world

Listening to: Joy Division (certainly a top 10 band for me.)

As I have told you, my precious readers (broken record style,) winter can be a real pain for me. Lately though, we have had a much welcomed respite from the cold, and temperatures are up, and precipitation is low. This equation, as you might guess, leaves the spirits high. While I think this will change in the next few days, I don’t really care, because the light is very near at the end of the proverbial winter tunnel. I will explain…

Recently, I’ve been in kind of this la-la land of sorts. This is not much different that usual though (especially in winter), but the “la-la land” feeling has become a much larger feeling. I have been staying pretty warm so far this winter, and I think know that having gone through a winter already, dealt with the cold, and arrived back perfectly safe is comforting, and I pretty much know what to expect.

This “la-la land” feeling stems from a number of things. As you my friends and family know (or don’t know, or forgot etc) I have 4.5 months left in this place I hang my heart (called Morocco. It looks kind of like the upside down state of California, and it is peg-board like, which allows me to hang my heart.) I am a flutter of mixed emotion about it, but I am doing my best to keep myself rooted in this place. However, certain things make that difficult.

For example, I have been applying to jobs and grad schools. This takes a lot of prep-work and getting all my paperwork lined up. Essentially, 4 out of the 5 applications are completed and ready for review. This makes me feel good. Trying to co-ordinate and make sure all the necessary paperwork is there (transcripts, GREs, letters of rec) can be annoying, and can lead to multiple skype calls in a day. But the lovely thing is, when I call these places, I get to talk English to nice people who want to help me out, and something actually gets accomplished. On the job front, I haven’t delved into or sent in too much yet… but I have an interview this coming Tuesday for a gig. I am crossing fingers, and if I get the gig, I will most certainly take it. It would be very nice with so much time left in country to know exactly what I am doing post Peace Corps. If eventually I get into school I can defer, or something. That would be luxurious, to have such choices. Therein would lie the flexibility I thrive upon.

As well, there have been some family issues back home, which have part of my heart wanting to be there. Sadly, I know that there isn’t a whole lot I can do (except be there in person), and I just try to offer support from afar, and I have those around here to comfort me. It is one of the downfalls of expat/abroad living lifestyle, and also on of the biggest fears. (I don’t like to be somber, it is a part of life though.) I know in the end, it is a matter of wanting to have some control over the situation, hoping that I can improve something, or comfort a loved one. I do however know that my thoughts are there with my fam fam, and I feel lucky to live in an age where globalization allows me to keep up to date with such information, and not be out of the loop.

While I have been out of it, I have been doing things here. Talking to people, working on my own projects a little, and working with a new site-mate. She is a fantastic individual, and I have been helping her adjustment, language, and transition so she can begin to work with the co-op my previous site-mate worked so hard to get established (with the help of awesome women in the community!!!) I am looking forward to having her here, and we get along very well. She can deal with my humor and sarcasm, and even spits it back at me. Inchallah (if God willing) we will be working on a few projects together, such as a Womens’ day in March.

Finally, I am leaving for a well deserved (HA! in my eyes) vacation in a week and a half. A couple of Peace Corps friends and I are traveling to the subcontinent of India (I will put a notch in my travel stick for Asia.) In this place, warmth abounds, and I will celebrate both Christmas and New Years here. In total, the trip will be 25ish days, and will give me to chance to see and experience another part of the world.

I am excited for this trip, and I think a great deal of my “la-la land” feeling stems from this trip, and my trying to prepare mentally and a little bit figuring out things to do. I will be seeing another developing country, and I can compare it to my experiences in Morocco. I hope to take a truck-full of photos (big camera being taken), and to do a few crazy things as well (lovely readers, you should come to expect such things from me.) I might be loopy the entire time, as apparently the Anti-Malaria medicine is quite strong… most notably the ability to create insomnia and extremely lucid dreams. Hopefully no nausea or other harmful problems, and the loopy is a “good” loopy.

The sheer size and amount of people in such places just befuddles me. I will be in some of the largest cities in the world, and the hustle and bustle will just be awesome to be a part of it. I also am glad that one of the friends I am going with is of Indian descent, so he has family still in various parts of the country, and we will see a mix of craziness, but some “off the beaten path” stuff as well. I think that is the best way to see a place. Also, no Taj Mahal planned. Just too touristy for my friends and I.

I will be on the other side of the world, celebrating the holidays. I certainly miss the times I spend holidays with family, but being able to be on the opposite end of things is quite fantastic. Between the company, the food, the people, the drinks… I can suffice to say that my vaguely planned out trip will be stellar. I will be sure to fill you all in on the wonders of such a place, as seen through my two blue eyes.

I hope to take pictures, and journal (not diary…ugh) my experiences, just as I did on my last trip to Nice and the Cote d’Azur. In that case. I just bullet-pointed things, but the whole story came out later. I hope to write a bit more in length about emotions and thoughts, and maybe scribble a few poems out here and there.

I also hope to cash in all of my “Karma Points” for a large prize (Chuckie Cheese?!?!) Hopefully the prizes are significantly better. Though maybe just being in good health and spirits (along w/ friends and family) and having good people around me is as much as I really care to want from Karma. But going to “Karma Land” should surely be fantastic… probably better than Disney World (sorry parents.)

Finally, my little cat got spayed the other day. She is now transgendered, and if cats could legally marry, she would not be allowed thanks to congress, and would be considered to not have the basic equal rights that every cat should have… (oh no… I went there a little.) It was much more taxing on me than I imagined, and I was stressed the entire travel time. But she is recovering so well, getting back to normalcy. This is good, because in just two days time, a lovely friend and fellow PCV will be taking her off my hands for good. The day she was gone overnight to get spayed was a lonely one. Certainly my companion will have a good home, and this allays my concerns.

I will try to write again a few times before I leave for the subcontinent. If I don’t however, I want to say thank you all to those who read this, those who email me, and those I am lucky to keep in contact with back home, and elsewhere. Your support, and just thoughts probably do a lot towards keeping me healthy and safe. You mean a lot to me, and I hope that your holiday seasons are filled with fantastic cheer, and that you ring in the New Year in blaze of glory. I do hope to see many of you when I return back stateside come Mid-June.

Much Love, and Word to your Holidayz.
-E