2008.07.04: July 4, 2008: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Toledo Blade: Last year on the Fourth of July, Rebecca Gehring was halfway through her two-year visit to a mountain village in Morocco
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2008.07.04: July 4, 2008: Headlines: COS - Morocco: Toledo Blade: Last year on the Fourth of July, Rebecca Gehring was halfway through her two-year visit to a mountain village in Morocco
Last year on the Fourth of July, Rebecca Gehring was halfway through her two-year visit to a mountain village in Morocco
"I may have had some rough days, but I always knew I would be able to come back to America, so I made the best out of the situations that were thrown at me," said Miss Gehring, who returned home last month and is now celebrating Independence Day with her family.
Last year on the Fourth of July, Rebecca Gehring was halfway through her two-year visit to a mountain village in Morocco
Peace Corps workers 'lucky' U.S. is home
Time away gives new appreciation for democracy
By JC REINDL
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Caption: Rebecca Gehring of Toledo, poses with her little 'siblings' from her Moroccan host family, Mohammed, left, and Eham, right, in a village where she served as part of the Peace Corps.
[Excerpt]
Last year on the Fourth of July, Rebecca Gehring was halfway through her two-year visit to a mountain village in Morocco, and living like the locals.
Her apartment was without air conditioning, had running water only in the mornings, and its bathroom was unlike anything she had seen in her native Toledo. The "Turkish toilet" was little more than a hole in the floor to squat over.
"That was the hardest thing," recalled the 25-year-old Peace Corps volunteer. "But you get used to it."
Yet it was just such extreme difference between the typical lifestyle in Imilchil, Morocco, and that of her hometown that helped to make her trip so memorable.
"I may have had some rough days, but I always knew I would be able to come back to America, so I made the best out of the situations that were thrown at me," said Miss Gehring, who returned home last month and is now celebrating Independence Day with her family.
"By living in a developing nation, I have learned to be proud and lucky I was born in America."
Her experience is not uncommon among Peace Corps volunteers and others who have spent time overseas working for nongovernmental organizations with charitable missions. For them, the Fourth of July can be a time for reflection on what it means to be both a U.S. citizen and a citizen of the world.
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Headlines: July, 2008; Peace Corps Morocco; Directory of Morocco RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Morocco RPCVs
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Story Source: Toledo Blade
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Morocco
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