swunfugh g ourzazate bzzaf, d yadnin adgar

BLOG ENTRY 2
I just got back from another week in Azrou, my community-based training location. This past week was especially stressful because of the different competencies, tests and interviews that will be conducted during the week of the 13th. The first of these is the Language Proficiency Interview (LPI). I will be sat in a room with a native speaker who is the tester, and he will ask me questions. I will be expected to answer accurately, and then elaborate on these subjects:
Myself, my education, work history, family, age, marital status (why I’m not married yet), purpose for being in Morocco, what I’ve done since I have been here (day by day), what my plans and hopes for the future are, and generally everything about Morocco.
I love the language. It is absolute insanity. The most amazing thing about it for me is the complete lack of vowels. Vowel-less words dominate sentences and many things sound the same. It is incredibly difficult and a lot is expected of me as far as competencies go, but all of that is overshadowed when I see the look on people’s faces when they hear me speaking their native language. People are amazed and ecstatic that an American is trying so hard to speak to them. Recently I was speaking to a group of men sitting at a bar near the Compound and one of them who overheard the conversation pulled me aside, embraced me, and then took my hand and looked right into my eyes and said in perfect English; “I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to hear you speaking my language, thank you.” It was a really special moment for me because I had thought those men didn’t trust me and were suspicious of my presence there. One of my biggest sources of motivation to speak the language is to find out more about these incredibly proud, happy, and friendly people.
Though I have only been here for 6 or 7 weeks, I have been out of the States now for the better part of 4 months. I’m finally starting to gain some perspective on what I left. Its not that I’m homesick, but leaving my life back home happened without me thinking about it. I find myself thinking about all kinds of fun things I did in my last year and all the people I did them with. Now I have a life full of brand new stuff; friends, work, country, schedule, etc. I guess I am just realizing how many big changes happened so quickly. None of it is bad, but I kind of wish I had spent more of the last months in the States taking my leaving more seriously. Eh.
Note* I scored Intermdiate-Low on my Language Proficiency interview, which is great because it is above the level I am expected to be at by May, dadg igi adsawlg Tamazight am Imazhgen! (Now I speak like a Berber!)