Morocco Peace Corps Volunteer Jenny writes: Ramadan Spectacular



"The day before the Spectacular I had told Mama that I would be dressing up Moroccan and what I thought she had said was that she would give me a head scarf to wear. I guess I totally misunderstood her because that night as I was getting ready to leave, she pulled out this bag filled with beautiful clothes. My family is Amazig (the politically correct term for Berber) and she had the most amazing tkshita (two-piece dress) that she dressed me in. I also wore this really fancy gold belt and another black sparkly belt that they tied around my arms. Chase, another volunteer, came over to my house and did my make-up to look like the kohl that the Moroccan women put around their eyes. When I finally looked in the mirror, I did not recognize myself!"

Morocco Peace Corps Volunteer Jenny writes: Ramadan Spectacular

Ramadan Spectacular

21 October 2006

Caption: A Moroccan kaftan or tkshita. Photo: Morocco Handicrafts

Last night was the best time I’ve had in Morocco yet! I went to the Ramadan Spectacular at the Dar Chebab which was a celebration of the month of Ramadan. As you can see from my pictures, I got the opportunity to dress up in traditional Moroccan clothes. The Friendship Club we started at the Dar Chebab organized a fashion show for the Spectacular and so the Americans got to dress in Moroccan clothes and the Moroccans got to dress in American clothes. I felt bad because the only clothes I had to offer the Moroccans weren’t very “cool” because all the clothes I brought to Morocco are pretty conservative. But, the kids were really creative and wore hooded sweatshirts, backward baseball caps and baggy jeans. They wanted to look “hip hop.”

The day before the Spectacular I had told Mama that I would be dressing up Moroccan and what I thought she had said was that she would give me a head scarf to wear. I guess I totally misunderstood her because that night as I was getting ready to leave, she pulled out this bag filled with beautiful clothes. My family is Amazig (the politically correct term for Berber) and she had the most amazing tkshita (two-piece dress) that she dressed me in. I also wore this really fancy gold belt and another black sparkly belt that they tied around my arms. Chase, another volunteer, came over to my house and did my make-up to look like the kohl that the Moroccan women put around their eyes. When I finally looked in the mirror, I did not recognize myself!

When Chase and I arrived at the Dar Chebab there were already so many people there! We changed back into our plain clothes so it would be more of a surprise for the fashion show. Then, we sat down in the makeshift theater and waited for the show to begin. And we waited. The thing about Moroccan is, that time doesn’t really matter here. So, we waited a long time and then maybe an hour later the show began. There were a lot of singing performances by young children dressed traditionally. There was one group of young kids that marched around while pretending to shoot guns and I’m not sure what that was about, but whatever. Chase and I sat next to the door, which turned out to be a huge mistake. For some reason, there was this wall of fifty kids pushing against the door trying to get in while two or three people held the door closed. The kids were banging on the door, throwing rocks, and yelling really loudly. At one point the doormen let a rush of kids in and it got really crowded, like fire-hazard crowded.

The fashion show went really well and afterward everyone treated us Americans like celebrities! I had a lot of young girls take my picture and made a few new friends. My new friends were two sisters who both sat on my lap for like an hour during the show. Personal space is pretty much nonexistent here in Morocco, so I was sharing half a plastic chair with this older woman and on my lap was an 18 year old girl and her 10 year old sister both on a knee! The younger one was really cute, but she she kind of went a little overboard with petting my face and hair and giving me a lot of neck hugs. Oh, well...

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: October, 2006; COS - Morocco; Blogs - Morocco; Clothes and Fashion

When this story was posted in November 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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Ron Tschetter in Morocco and Jordan On his first official trip since being confirmed as Peace Corps Director, Ron Tschetter (shown at left with PCV Tia Tucker) is on a ten day trip to Morocco and Jordan. Traveling with his wife (Both are RPCVs.), Tschetter met with volunteers in Morocco working in environment, youth development, health, and small business development. He began his trip to Jordan by meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah and discussed expanding the program there in the near future.

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October 22, 2006: This Month's Top Stories The crisis over North Korea's nuclear bomb test 14 Oct Hill faced strong opposition for denuclearization agreement 8 Oct John Coyne writes: The first Peace Corps book 20 Oct Thomas Tighe moderates discussion with President Clinton 17 Oct PC announces Community College degree program 18 Oct Donna Shalala expresses dismay over football brawl 16 Oct Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley defends Lebanon policy 16 Oct Jan Guifarro elected Chair of NPCA Board 15 Oct Carl Pope writes: From the pump to the polls 13 Oct Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez Says Africa a Priority 12 Oct Chris Dodd opposes Bush terrorism bill 10 Oct Isaac Edvalson is founder of Africa's Tomorrow 9 Oct The Man who turned down Shriver 8 Oct Mae Jemison tells girls to reach for the stars 6 Oct Loren Finnell receives Shriver Award 4 Oct Matt Sesow paints onstage during opera 2 Oct Film examines anti-malaria drug lariam 29 Sep Blackwill dismisses Musharraf's claims 27 Sep Ron Tschetter sworn in as 17th Peace Corps Director 26 Sep Rape Victim Student Gets $1 Million From City College 26 Sep Ricardo Chavira narrates Public Service Announcements 25 Sep

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace Corps Senator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

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Peace Corps' Screening and Medical Clearance The purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

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The Peace Corps is "fashionable" again The LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

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PCOL readership increases 100% Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

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History of the Peace Corps PCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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