It's real now!

"It's real now!" -Rachid, my APM.

Rachid's right, folks. I've taken the oath and am now an official Peace Corps Volunteer -- or PCV, for those who love acronyms. I can't say that I feel like a brand new person, or that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship... but I'm

Also, before I forget, my address is changing now that I'm moving to my final site, down (or is it up?) in the Anti-Atlas Mountains. Please don't send any mail to my PC address, as they'll get upset. If you want to send me anything, please let me know so I can give you the new addy! This will ruin the "surprise box of goodies" idea, but I can't tell the whole world where I'm living and which post office I use, now can I?

Speaking of moving, tomorrow morning I'm up and out the door of our fancy-schmancy hotel and on my way to our final site. The trip is going to take two days, three taxis and a bus... at least*. But the trip will prove to be educational (and fun!), and I'll have a place to call home soon. :)

Finally, I've chosen to learn French in addition to my home-language of Tashlheet. If anyone has any good resources to help me with this, please speak up!

*A transportation strike is rumored to be looming (stemming from issues that started about a month ago), and could have us stuck in a big city before we can get down to the Tiz. This could take days... keep your fingers crossed for a resolution!)