I was a bad student today. Or - more appropriately - I wasn't a student today, as I skipped class in favor of nursing a slight hangover after watching last night's game at the Embassy's American Club in the over-sized Marine Corps villa. It was a late night spent drinking and mingling with some of the embassy staff, Peace Corps volunteers, visiting military members, and various ex-pats who included students studying abroad and English teachers in Rabat.
The atmosphere was light but engaging, as individuals and small groups of friends branched out to meet others while catching glimpses of the game on the large flat-screen between conversation, games of pool, burgers, cigarettes and other activities while the Embassy's Marines played host, bartender and staff.
Conversations typically started with the standard introduction and brief reasons for being abroad. Each shed a little light on our official and unofficial presence in this multi-cultural country. Aside from the close game, meeting some of my fellow ex-pats was the highlight of the evening. A few of my favorite personalities...
Doug, the flamboyant embassy staffer whose carefree demeanor shed a little light on his wealth of experience abroad and unflappable outlook of our host country and how we do business here. After a brief conversation with him, one might be less inclined to view living and working in a foreign country from the romantic perspective of a tourist. Though we didn't discuss much work, talking to him was a good reminder that foreign service never ends and visitors should be just as aware of a country's political climate as much as its historical landmarks and tourist sites.
Jason, the young Civil Service worker who just arrived to the embassy a few days ago from D.C. Optimism and a sense of duty were evident in him, and it was refreshing to see that type of outlook from a non-military type. Eager to learn and get involved, he made the rounds and finished the night as one of the more popular guests after not knowing anyone some five hours prior.
Libby, an embassy staffer who didn't wait ten minutes before she got a commitment out of me to be on her softball team in the spring. Hopefully, I fair better than my last stint in my old man's softball game (when I went 0 - 4 and tripped over my shoelaces in the outfield, letting in a couple undeserved runs!).
Mary and her friend, Rajaa; English teacher (and her friend) who's been in country for more than a couple years but doesn't speak either Arabic or the local dialect.
Cat, Mark, Gary and a couple other undergrad exchange students who paid out of pocket to study abroad here in Rabat. Each live with Moroccan families, and the similarities appeared to end there, as I got a different answer from each of them regarding their universities, goals and attitudes. Good kids in all, and I appreciated the conversation with one of them that described me as a typical product of "America's bastard military industrial complex." We did, however, eventually agree that despite our different backgrounds we both wanted the same thing out of our experiences here!
The Fellows, Brittney and Gina. Both having finished their graduate programs and conducting research in the area, these two were a couple of gems. From Brittney's apparent mastery of Darija to Gina's recent experience in Egypt during the beginning of the "revolution," I was all ears and came away from our talks with another reason to want to improve my language skills and understanding of political science.
Aaron and the Peace Corps (PC) crew. I didn't know that Morocco had so many PC volunteers, but according to them, it's one of the largest PC populations in the world. Given the country's rather modest size and population (~ California and 33 million), I didn't expect that. Hearing of their rugged lives in the Berber mountains and the Rif (North Morocco), I was reminded of Afghanistan and and how good I have it here.
The Marines. Though small in number, these guys are big in personality! Assigned to guard the embassy (as it's only a Marine job), these men threw a heck of a party. Further, before last night, I thought they were just randomly selected out of basic training to fill vacancies at the post. I was wrong; according to them, they needed to volunteer, pass tests, interviews and follow-on training prior to being selected. The attrition rate is high, and only the best are selected. Each of them fit the bill and reinforced my admiration for the Corps!
After all was said and done, the Pack rolled, Rodgers got his trophies and I returned to the apartment around 4:30 am, knowing that I wouldn't see Gaelle and Gwyneth in class today.
The atmosphere was light but engaging, as individuals and small groups of friends branched out to meet others while catching glimpses of the game on the large flat-screen between conversation, games of pool, burgers, cigarettes and other activities while the Embassy's Marines played host, bartender and staff.
Conversations typically started with the standard introduction and brief reasons for being abroad. Each shed a little light on our official and unofficial presence in this multi-cultural country. Aside from the close game, meeting some of my fellow ex-pats was the highlight of the evening. A few of my favorite personalities...
Doug, the flamboyant embassy staffer whose carefree demeanor shed a little light on his wealth of experience abroad and unflappable outlook of our host country and how we do business here. After a brief conversation with him, one might be less inclined to view living and working in a foreign country from the romantic perspective of a tourist. Though we didn't discuss much work, talking to him was a good reminder that foreign service never ends and visitors should be just as aware of a country's political climate as much as its historical landmarks and tourist sites.
Jason, the young Civil Service worker who just arrived to the embassy a few days ago from D.C. Optimism and a sense of duty were evident in him, and it was refreshing to see that type of outlook from a non-military type. Eager to learn and get involved, he made the rounds and finished the night as one of the more popular guests after not knowing anyone some five hours prior.
Libby, an embassy staffer who didn't wait ten minutes before she got a commitment out of me to be on her softball team in the spring. Hopefully, I fair better than my last stint in my old man's softball game (when I went 0 - 4 and tripped over my shoelaces in the outfield, letting in a couple undeserved runs!).
Mary and her friend, Rajaa; English teacher (and her friend) who's been in country for more than a couple years but doesn't speak either Arabic or the local dialect.
Cat, Mark, Gary and a couple other undergrad exchange students who paid out of pocket to study abroad here in Rabat. Each live with Moroccan families, and the similarities appeared to end there, as I got a different answer from each of them regarding their universities, goals and attitudes. Good kids in all, and I appreciated the conversation with one of them that described me as a typical product of "America's bastard military industrial complex." We did, however, eventually agree that despite our different backgrounds we both wanted the same thing out of our experiences here!
The Fellows, Brittney and Gina. Both having finished their graduate programs and conducting research in the area, these two were a couple of gems. From Brittney's apparent mastery of Darija to Gina's recent experience in Egypt during the beginning of the "revolution," I was all ears and came away from our talks with another reason to want to improve my language skills and understanding of political science.
Aaron and the Peace Corps (PC) crew. I didn't know that Morocco had so many PC volunteers, but according to them, it's one of the largest PC populations in the world. Given the country's rather modest size and population (~ California and 33 million), I didn't expect that. Hearing of their rugged lives in the Berber mountains and the Rif (North Morocco), I was reminded of Afghanistan and and how good I have it here.
The Marines. Though small in number, these guys are big in personality! Assigned to guard the embassy (as it's only a Marine job), these men threw a heck of a party. Further, before last night, I thought they were just randomly selected out of basic training to fill vacancies at the post. I was wrong; according to them, they needed to volunteer, pass tests, interviews and follow-on training prior to being selected. The attrition rate is high, and only the best are selected. Each of them fit the bill and reinforced my admiration for the Corps!
After all was said and done, the Pack rolled, Rodgers got his trophies and I returned to the apartment around 4:30 am, knowing that I wouldn't see Gaelle and Gwyneth in class today.
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