CBT, LCF, and Perspective

The first two months of our service consists of what is called Community Based Training. During this 10-week preparatory period before our "swearing in", Peace Core Trainees are divided into groups of 5-6 trainees and placed in various communities to live, train, study the language, and practice integrating into Moroccan culture. During this period each group is assigned what is called a Language and Cultural Facilitator. These are host country nationals who have the responsibility to teach us the language and culture, in our case, 4-6 hours a day for 6 days a week.

Our LCF's name is Jawad, he's from Casablanca, and he is a hoot. I don't think we could have asked for a more hip guy to teach us Moroccan Arabic and culture. He has a big smile and an infectious laugh. He received his masters of Translation in Tangiers and must of had British English Professors, because when he speaks in English, he speaks with a British accent, which makes things even more interesting when he whips out classic idioms like:  "I am going to blow up your mind" (before he shares some bit of obscure Moroccan culture), or "I am going to squeeze your mind" (before he assigns us our Darija homework). His guidance and cultural wisdom has proved valuable many times over. For instance, one day in class using my Peace Corps issue Chapstick, he looks to me and with confusion asks, "Zach, what are you doing?" After hearing me talk about the dry climate and my poor lips he informed me that to see girls in public apply lipstick or lip balm is a sexual advance, and to see guys do it is even worse. ..Noted.

At times learning the language can be overwhelming when there is little to no personal time or space to decompress. This is the case especially after those long days of studying Arabic grammar that we come home only to have our excited host family ready to take their turn teaching us. At one point during the blur language training and the disjointed conversations with our host family, I was able to find some perspective. I was reading a travel book about Morocco and saw an add for language classes available for foreigners. I thought about the price per hour and was struck with the realization, "When and where else will we have the opportunity, time, and resources that we have now to devote ourselves to learning another language?" Im sure the language courses offered to tourists are not nearly as intensive or exhaustive, they most likely do not come with your very own a host family, and they are expensive. When  I take into consideration all of these facts and recognize that we not only do not have to pay for this, but are technically compensated for it, I am humbled by what an opportunity we have. It is truly a privilege to be a Peace Corps Trainee, with little to no personal time, little to no personal space, and a lot of guidance and patience.