Saying Goodbye

Today was our last day in CBT and it was tough to say goodbye to my host family. In the 4 short weeks I've spent with my family, I've developed a great relationship with them. I feel as if I truly have a new family in Morocco. They welcomed me with open hearts and arms and made me feel at home. I will miss hanging out in the kitchen with my host sisters and pointing to all the different pots and pans, teapots and coffee pots and the fridge and asking "matta wa?" (What is this?) They let me ask the same questions over and over and never lost patience. I will miss the silly games they play – mainly sneaking up behind each other and tickling the person. Their laughter is contagious and watching them reminds me of my sister.
My host mom and I haven't talked much, mainly because she doesn't slow down her speech so I can understand. But she always welcomes me with a big smile, a warm welcome and her standard question of," how was school?" My reply was always along the lines of, "good." Sometimes she asked about the other PC people in my training group and I tell her they are good. I will miss these exchanges and the excitement and tinge of surprise in her voice when she met me at the door. It was almost as if she was pleasantly surprised to find me at the door every evening after school.
My host sister, Mina, is the dominant force among the women in the house. She is always telling my other host sisters what to do and how to do it. I am mostly inferring this from the tone of her voice, her body language and the limited words I pick up from their conversations. She isn't mean or rude, just takes charge of the situations. She reminds me a lot of my sister. Mina is a natural teacher – she intuitively knows when I don't understand and usually comes up with a way to explain things so I understand what's happening. She takes the time help me with homework and talk with me. Keep in mind that I have the vocabulary of a 5 year old, so it can't be easy. I think I will miss her the most.
Fatima is quiet and a little shy, but she is quick to smile and make sure I have everything I need. One evening while we were doing the dishes, she reheated some leftover coffee as a little treat. I'd been wondering how they made it and asked her. She thought I wanted more and started getting things out to make it! It took us a couple minutes, but we figured it out and made a date for the next morning. She carefully walked me through everything, from how much coffee, to warning me not to put the milk in until the very end.
My sister-in-law, Zin, is mom to baby Ouassim. She is tender with him and is a natural parent. She is soft-spoken and I think she would like to help with my homework, but stands back to let Mina shine. She has a beautiful smile, but flashes it only rarely.
I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to my host father. He had already left for work by the time I got up. Mohamed was always a bit intimidating, but I think it was his physical presence and the lack of communication between us. I always got the impression that he was proud of me, though.
After lots of hugs and a few last-minute gifts exchanges, Mina walked me to school. I think if we let her, she would have climbed in the taxi with us.