FYI: a short life update.

Just to keep you posted...

Re: Housing
The contract is signed, the house stuff has been purchased, and I've made that great wipe-my-hands-clean motion that goes along with the word safi -- you guessed it, I've got a house!

(Actually, it's an apartment. But you catch my drift.)

It's the same apartment that the volunteer before me used during her stay, which means that I don't have to move anything. It'll still be six weeks before I will live there full-time, but having everything secured and already there is quite the load off of my shoulders. I'm trying not to over-celebrate, as I'm anticipating another headache to take the place of moving... but it really is great to know that after homestay, the focus will remain on my integration into the community, instead of making sure that I have a plate on which to eat, a ponj on which to sleep, and a means with which to get both of those things home from the store.

Re: Bugs
Since my last post, I have recovered from the horror that was My First Scorpion, though I will be keeping my shoes in freezer-sized Zip-Loc bags from now on. Also, to answer your questions, we do indeed have camel spiders, though I have yet to see one. I've Wikipedia-ed the creatures, but am too creeped out proceed farther with research. Apparently I have more of a bug 'thing' than I thought.

Re: Pictures
Finally, after hours at the cybercafé trying to do so... preliminary pictures of everything thus far are officially posted. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicoleinmorocco