The Green Green Grass of Home

11MAR2006 We're here!!! We had about a 6 hour bus ride through the countryside and up into the mountains a ways to get here. Apparently there was a really heavy winter and so everything is GREEEEEN. It is amazing. The terrain is a lot like California to me, but greener, and then it reminds me of Utah in the mountains. I guess those are my main reference points in my life, but still, I feel so at home here. It was great to get out of Rabat. The big city combined with an ENTIRELY new world was a bit overwhelming. I feel so much more comfortable out here. It makes me wonder what the immigrants thought about Ellis Island and New York when they got off their boats. I bet they crapped their pants. We are also getting more into the specifics of our training and that is great because its all about healthcare, and I LOVE HEALTHCARE! There were originally two focuses in PC Morocco Health, Hygiene/Sanitation, and Maternal/Child. Next group they will combine them because anywhere there is a need for one, there is a need for the other, so it is making more sense to combine the training I guess. We're the last group with the old focus, but they said that our training will involve a lot of both. That makes sense to me. Part of telling someone to wash their hands and have sterilized birthing kits available for childbirth is having a potable water source to do that cleaning with, and proper latrines so as not to perpetuate the problem. I'm really loving this, and now that we get to talk about healthcare, I'm loving it even more. The people here are so great. Our main guy in charge of training is HILARIOUS. He reminds me a lot of Josh, in sense of humor, physically, and just little habits of speech. The food is made by local women for us. The PC has us in one main group until we go to our host families. I can't get specific for security reasons, but it is really nice. When we got in we had this lunch of lentils, peas, fresh bread, fresh veggies, beets (Mom, you'd love it.), and then a tangine (I think that's what it was) of couscous, veggies, and lamb. IT WAS THE BEST MEAL SINCE WE'VE GOTTEN HERE. The hotel food was good. I didn't eat any street food in Rabat. I was so tired today when I woke up, but the thought of having another meal was what got me out of bed. That reminds me, it's lunchtime. I think there will be more couscous. I'd better go. Life is good, and it keeps getting better.