Oh My God It's October Already?

I have now been in country for seven months and am shocked to realize it. The newest wave of trainees arrived in Morocco a few weeks ago, it seems like just yesterday I was doing what they are now: using my first squatty potty, realizing the only dish washers here are at the distal end of each arm- good word to know, look it up, and hot running water is a gift from God. Ah, I laugh to think of these new, unbroken trainees... Actually I don't b/c these are all business and school volunteers so they'll all live in cities and never really see the rustic life. I feel sorry for them, PC will probablybe harder for them b/c they will continue to live the way they did in the States but w/ less advanced technology so they will be reminded every day of what they are doing w/o. I have simply upended my life all together and have mostly forgotten the technologies I once had. I actually didn't realize I didn't have a dish washer until a few weeks ago, it was weirder realizing I hadn't noticed than it was realizing I didn't have one. I was talking to a business PCV last week who still uses a hair dryer. I'm proud of myself if I was my hair more than once a week so the thought of a hair dryer left me speachless.
Yes,friends, I only wash my hair once or twice a week, and bathing happens even less often... I was able to avoid becoming a dirty hippy all through college yet 7 months in Morocco and I'm debating if dreds aren't an acceptable look after all. HA! gotcha, I'm not to dredlocks yet, I just wanted to scare you.
As for the blistering heat, yes it has finally broken. It dropped thirty degrees in about two weeks. This made me laugh because I was glorying in the cool weather when I saw the bank thermometer in town and realized if was a "cool" 90 degrees. I quess I'm aclimated. BTW, weather here isn'tlike weather back home. In CO it gets hot then cold and back to hot, etc. Here it's a constant wave, the temp gets war,er spring through fall then gets colder fall through spring. I kind of miss COs pschyzo weather, this is boring. I probably won't be saying boring in Jan after three months of 30 degrees.
Actually Oct is my favorite month so far. The weather is perfect it's just a little warmer than crisp but everything feels fresh... Like the weather back home around mid sept.
The older PCVs say it gets cold around Nov and snows Jan- Feb. This doesn't sound too bad... Ionly dread it because there are no heaters in this countery. Did I already tell you guys about this? If so please forgive me. There is only one kind of heater, its a small ceramic coil you twist into the top of a propane tank and light. Yes, a heater here is an open fire at the top of a propane tank. The PCV I replaced gave me hers but I'm definatly intimidated by it. I'll probably only use it when I have to bathe- that probably won't be very often- lol. Otherwise I'll be wrapped up in blankets drinking Hot cocoa. Yes, I have that here, I have to make the recipe myself b/c they sell unsweetened cacao powder here. Not comlaining, it's pretty good stuff and cheap too.
OK, so brief update since last blog.
I went to a city called Meknes a couple of weekends ago just for a break and I visited the ancient ruins outside the city. It was a Roman city called Volubilis and the ruins were amazing! The fact that they could do these amazing works of art and architecture two thousand years ago boggles the mind. The Romans might have had their flaws but you have to hand it to them for their engineering too.
The week after that we had a festival called the Wedding Festival just outside of a mountain town called Imilchil. A group of PCVs worked a health booth educating ppl about blood pressure and why high blood pressure is a problem. There were 5 ppl in the booth trained to take blood pressures and we were able to take well over 500 bps in 2 days.Yes I feel like strutting around going, "Look at me and my bad self." It's not surprising that we had so many ppl at the booth. Remember when you were a little kid- unless you're like me in which case, remember last week?- and you would go to the bp machine in the King Soopers Pharmacie just to have the machine test you heart rate and bp even though you had no idea what it meant. That's how Moroccans are with regular bp cuffs. They don't know what it means they just like to sit there. At the booth we would explain why they should care about their bps- it helped that they were attached to the cuff when we started talking so they couldn't escape. HAhahaha, I forced knowledge on them, I am so crafty.
HA just noticed I spelled Pharmecy w/ an ie and I'm leaving it b/c that's the French and it makes me laugh that I had to read the word three times before I figures out why I thought it looked funny.
Alright friends, I must dash, I am headed to a city called Azilal -check ur maps to find me- to help an American NGO called Operation Smile. For thos ethat don't know they're a group that preforms free surgeries on bebies born with cleft pallets. Since I have medical training- not much but it's enough I guess- they need me- and the other EMS PCVs- to help with pre and post op patients. In other words, I'm off to go help babies have a brand new start at life! Be jealous bwahahahaha! I'm totally being a jerk on perpose, Operation Smile has offices State side too so instead of being jealous you should contact them and help out.Heeheehee, was that manipulative?
OK must dash, wish me luck!