Simply September (almost)

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE PEACE CORPS. Since this site is public, specific details are not given so email me personally if you’d like more information.

8/31/11 – okay so it’s not quite September, but since I am leaving my site for a couple of weeks this weekend, I thought it would be best if I posted this update now while I had time. I can’t believe it, but my time in Morocco will soon be drawing to a close. My staj (group of volunteers that arrived with me) in September of 2009 will gather for our close of service meetings and medicals soon and we’ll be making arrangements for our return to the states in November. Our numbers have dwindled since our arrival and I am curious to see how many of us actually remain. This has been an extraordinary experience for me and I will forever be grateful for this opportunity.

I thought you would enjoy seeing this pictures of henna hands. It was taken at the wedding I attended in July and the women are cleaning beef organs for later eating.

Y’all do recognize that when I refer to Morocco/Moroccans, I am referring for the most part to only the very small part of Morocco that I live in and that I am familiar with – my village/community, consisting of about 2,000 people (scattered in a 5 mile radius). There are parts of Morocco that are very developed and westernized and when visiting there you could be any place in the world.

As I stood on my rooftop one morning at 7a, drinking my coffee and being careful that others don’t see my cup since it would be very rude of me to eat or drink in front of them during Ramadan, I listen to my world. I hear a cow mooing, a donkey braying, sheep and goats bleating, dogs and puppies barking, a rooster crowing, birds chirping and the high pitch of women’s voices talking. I watch a woman who is tending her sheep and she seems to be pacing back and forth which is unusual. Suddenly I hear a baby crying. It is tied on her back while she is out in the fields watching her animals (she is multi-tasking). Step outside your door one morning at 7a and listen. What do you hear?

As I planned, August and this year the month of Ramadan, has been a quiet month for me. I’ve done lots of computer research on those many decisions I will be making soon, I’ve had a few visitors escaping Morocco’s heat, I’ve worked on some projects for my village that I think will be enjoyed for years to come and I’ve shared lf-tur (broke fast) with some of the special people here in my site. I’m sharing a picture of the table of my friend Samir, taken at his home when I attended for lf-tur with him and his family. Samir has twelve siblings and many of them are here in the village for this month, not only to share this special time, but to escape the heat that most of Morocco contends with at this time of the year. One of his sisters lives in M-hamid which is south of Ouarzazate and on the edge of the Sahara, and she tells me that the temperature there in August is 50-55 degrees C, translating to 122-135 degrees F. Now that’s hot!!!

For the faithful, Ramadan is a time of spiritual and physical cleansing - a month long detox that is welcomed each year. However daylight hours vary from country to country and this does cause some very real health problems and its timing may need some adjustment. The thirty day Ramadan fast between sunrise and sunset is not simply about refraining from food, drinking, sex and smoking. It is a time for prayer and reflection. However, not all Ramadans are equal.

The hours between sunrise and sunset may not vary much in places like Mecca in Saudi Arabia, but spare a thought for those living elsewhere. The problem is the difference between the Islamic and Gregorian calendars. As the Islamic calendar is eleven days shorter than the Gregorian, Ramadan moves back by that number of days each year.

Why is this a problem? Well, if you are a practicing Muslim living in Sweden, Norway or Finland, for example, where the sun may not set until around midnight and rise again only a few hours later, the length of the fast and the lack of real sleep becomes a major health issue. It has been suggested that those living in those areas observe and fast the hours that those living in Mecca, thus making the fasting period more reasonable and tolerable.

As I’ve mentioned before, you will constantly hear a child or children’s voices if you pause and listen. They scream, they giggle & laugh, they sing, they talk. They chase each other and play touch-tag. They play hide & seek. They are outside continuously, no sitting in front of the television or computer for them. They don’t have anything to play with really. They play jacks with small stones and they play in the dirt pile. If they have a ball, it doesn’t have any air in it so it doesn’t roll, but they still kick it around. We have so many thorny bushes around here I’m sure a hole was punctured in the ball long ago. Our school doesn’t have a playground and I have only once seen a swing made of rope hanging from a tree. Children entertain themselves….. they seem happy. It’s the only life they’ve ever known.

Speaking of the school – remember that building I talked about painting this month since it wasn’t painted last spring because it was old, yet used every day – well we did it. I could not have done this project without the help of Anna, my site mate that lives 12km from me. Anna did all the overhead and ladder painting, since my knee would not have tolerated the strain. The building is old and maintenance has not been done. It SUCKED up the paint. We ran out three times and had to travel to the next town to get more. Anna came over and we painted for five solid days and then I finished it up on another day. We tried to match the colors of the other buildings, but ummmm not quite right!!! So, since our building was different, we decided to make it DIFFERENT. The outside is sort of a pink/orange and the inside is white. Luckily I still had some leftover colors from my map project of last year. The windows and door trim are now painted in colors of yellow, green, purple, watermelon, red and bright blue. Bookcases and shelves were painted in like colors. It is bright, happy and child friendly. It is not perfect, but so much better. Many, many people stopped by to see what we were doing and to express their thanks and appreciation. You will note the before and after pictures – what do you think? As I was cleaning up, the pails, both plastic and metal were a hot commodity and in high demand. Not knowing what they would be used for I hesitated as to whether I should give them away, but decided that since they were so eager to have them that I would do so. Hope that was an okay decision…….

Today I see women walking with their totes and pails. Must be the day to visit the hammam . How do they do it in the summer? I have only been a couple of times, during the winter months, and it is sooooo hot in there that it does feel good, to a point to be warm, but…... Most women will stay a couple of hours, washing their hair, shaving body parts and scrubbing their bodies with these black, scrubby mitts that make the skin roll. They frequently take turns scrubbing each other. I swear when Hafida scrubbed me, my body formed scabs after. She went deep……. I must have been really dirty! Unfortunately, the hammam here in the village isn’t that nice. It’s old, rather dirty in fact and I just don’t like moldy water dripping on my head while in there. I don’t visit it often.

If you have a building project in mind, you’d best make yourself some blocks/bricks. Many times I have seen homeowners or someone they’ve hired, busy making blocks. Lately I’ve been watching some gentlemen busy at work. They, like me, are up early trying to get a few hours in before the sun gets too hot. It is Ramadan, so they can’t drink water and it’s important to do this sort of work early. Looks like they’ve made good progress wouldn’t you say? And once that building project is built and you need a door – how do you get it home. Well you carry it, of course!

I’ve spent a fair amount of time this month working on a picture/word book for the school. Last spring, a couple of the teachers commented when I showed them my pictures of South African animals how nice it would be if they had pictures to show the kids. At least one of the teachers has a laptop, as well as the school director has a laptop, and the school does have a projector, so I decided a good project for me would to make them just such a book. I have taken many pictures in the past and it gave me motivation to take more pictures and a worthwhile project to do. I have divided the pictures up into categories, i.e., colors, fruits & vegetables, clothing, animals, food items, etc. With each picture I have given them the English name for it. The teacher can then supply the French or Arabic word and take it from there. I will burn a CD for each teacher to keep and use in their classes.

I look at the skinny cows, skinny sheep & goats, skinny dogs and yes, skinny people. There is no comparison between the fat, healthy sheep I saw in Ireland and the sheep here in my village. Of course they had lush, green grass to eat. Here they have a few straggly bushes for the most part. This is a place of “barely enough” but it sustains you. More is not needed it seems and “must have” doesn’t seem to exist in their vocabulary.

Seems I am turning into the beautician of my village and who knew I could cut hair????? I don’t think I should give up my day job just yet -- oooops, guess I don’t have a day job  !!! Actually my patrons are all under the age of ten and most likely they won’t complain. Of course we shampoo first and I use my American shampoo. Maybe it’s the big draw for the haircut, who knows?

I usually wake up to a bright blue sky, but August has been screwy, at least weather wise and I don’t remember this from last year. Almost every day around 2p, the sky clouds up, thunder starts and we get spits and sputters of rain for a few hours. Usually by 6p, it is cleared away and the sky is once again blue. We’ve had heavy clouds, thunderstorms with lightning and torrential rain the past couple of days. Unfortunately, it comes down so fast and hard that much of it runs off without doing much for the soil. It’s also been chilly enough at night that I’ve pulled up an extra blanket. Oh I so hope cold weather doesn’t move in early. I am hoping for a long, warm fall – at least until mid-November or so!!

Well my friends, until my next writing please take care and remember -- inch by inch, life’s a cinch!! I continually remind myself of this -- imik-imik (little by little) but it’s not always easy!! . Hugs to you all, Linda

Awesome August

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE PEACE CORPS. Since this site is public, specific details are not given so email me personally if you’d like more information.

8/8/11 Now this is really weird, I looked at the calendar and couldn’t decide – are we into the second or third week of August? I had to click onto my computer’s calendar to find out. I’m not sure I’ve ever had to do this before. Is this what retirement will feel like?

I like this picture. It was taken at a pub in Dublin in June. I think it captures some of my personality and shows my wrinkles!!

August is the month of Ramadan this year (remember it is a lunar holiday that changes from year to year) and all is very quiet in Morocco and other Islamic countries. Lots of businesses shut down for this month and those that must remain open, work a shortened day typically 9a-3p. People are fasting from sun-up to sun-down. Children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with health issues do not usually fast. I’m thinking that food is not such a big issue, but going without water in August’s heat must be difficult at time, although people tell me it is not. I am frequently asked if I am fasting and when I reply “no, I am Christian”, they usually drop it. Sometimes they tell me I should give it a try and sometimes I think I should! The typical day here now begins around 4a when people get up to eat breakfast (bread and coffee – really just a small amount of coffee and a lot of milk) before the sun comes up. The women are seen out in the fields early in the morning tending their animals or gathering/chopping grass. I don’t see many men out and about. People are out early since it is cooler and they will retreat to their homes as the sun warms the day. We went off daylight savings time when Ramadan began so the clocks have been turned back. It is now very dark by 8p. The sun is down around 7-7:30p and they will break fast by eating dates, haira soup and shebekia (sp?) a very sweet, sticky cookie like thing that I personally like, but remember pecan pie is my favorite, so I like this sweet stuff! They will carefully drink a lot of water at this time. Too much, too fast, might make them nauseous. Breaking fast is a celebration and an affair they like to share and they frequently invite family and friends to join them. Families will be active during this time while they wait for their main meal of the day to be served around 11p or so. It will typically be whatever the family is used to eating for their mid-day meal during regular times – probably a tajine. After eating, they will then sleep until they wake for breakfast and their day goes on. Muslins view Ramadan as a time for simple sacrifice and to recognize that others are not as fortunate as they are and that others are often “hungry”. Ramadan is a time to be grateful for what they have. Obviously, this is my very simple interpretation of Ramadan. I’m sure there is far more to it.

Travel in Morocco is challenging in and of itself. During Ramadan, it is next to impossible. I intend to stay at my site for the entire month of August. I traveled into Ouarzazate at the end of July to visit the bank and to purchase those items I can’t find at my local hanut (small store) and getting home from there was already more difficult than usual. Buses won’t let me ride part-way since they can sell a full fare from Ouarzazate to Marrakech and why settle for a partial fare when they can collect a full one? Of course, if I’m willing to pay that full fare, I can ride with them. They also “up” their prices during this time since the demand is great for transport and they can get it. Taxi’s run, but they only get me part way and then I have to connect with another taxi service to get me to my village. Unfortunately it is the second leg of the journey that has become tricky. Fewer and fewer taxi’s seem to run to my village and I’ve had to wait hours to even see a taxi, let alone give it time to fill with people so that it make the run. Patience is a virtue – I keep telling myself this………

Not only am I staying in my village for the month, I am staying in my home a lot too. There are not many people out and about so why do the walk? I walk down to the village about every four days or so. Visit the post office, let the gendarmes (police) know that I am alive and well. Visit the association, although nothing is happening there. Babies are still be born though and the baby’s center always has some staff working so I chat with them, visit the hanut to pick up yogurt, maybe some veggies/fruit, and then walk back up the hill and home. I’ve decided August is my month of reflection, research and give the knee a break. Often times I am just too busy living life that I forget to think – I hope to do some thinking. And, I will need to buy a phone, a phone plan, a car and decide where I want to next live, etc. so I’m using “google” lots. Too many decisions will soon have to be made – yeow!!!

Unfortunately, not being out and about as much as usual, I’m not seeing folks and being invited to break fast with them as much as I was last year. Now in a way this isn’t a bad thing since if I were invited, it would mean that I would have to trek home in the dark and it is dark here at night, especially without a full moon. Most paths I would have to trek are hilly and rocky and I don’t want to slip and twist or stress my knee when it is making good progress. I am very careful with my knee during daylight hours, at night it would be even trickier. So I guess everything happens for a reason. My host mom did send my sister down to invite me to join them last night for lf-tur (break fast) and, of course, I went. I considered spending the night which they would have been thrilled with, but …… I really like my own space and bed. As it turned out, my host mom was also concerned about me walking home in the dark and she and my host sister walked me home to insure I safely made the trip. Not wanting to go to my host family’s empty handed I decided I should bake something. The kids are still eating during the day, but guessing my host mom is not too creative with the cooking since she is cooking in the night too. So I was thinking wouldn’t a nice, simple oatmeal bar cookie be good and semi nutritious too. I found a simple enough recipe online and I’ve made it to take. While working with baking ingredients I thought you might find this interesting. Baking soda is called bicarbonate de soude (French) and it is purchased at the pharmacy. Baking powder is called taxmirte n-lHlwa (Tashlheet) or translated it means yeast for cookies.

I’ve had a few volunteers visit me the past couple of weeks and I suspect a few more will come, since they are looking to escape summer’s heat and my village is quite comfortable. Anna, Angelica and Ali came to my house and we celebrated Anna’s birthday in late July. We made it a “girlie” day and did manicures/pedicures/mud scrubs, etc. Ended the evening with cake (of course) and laid on my rooftop for some time watching for shooting stars. It was a nice celebration. Anna is my site mate of sorts since she only lives 12km from me. I don’t think I’ve ever sent you a picture of her and this is a good one of us together.

My days usually start out sunny and bright and yes it gets hot in the direct sun later in the day. By mid-afternoon it is clouding up, the wind gusts and thunder might be heard in the distance with a few sprinkles now and then. By evening it has cleared and with any luck the wind has stopped. It’s cool enough at this time that a light blanket feels good to sleep with. It is actually quite perfect in the summer……. But then again, they will have winter to deal with in a few months  but I won’t – not this year. 

Even though I was late planting my seeds because I needed to be here to water consistently, my little garden of wash tubs is growing nicely. I planted more mint roots and the pot is filling in. My dill, basil, parsley and chives seem to be thriving. I had (note had) a great tub of flowers growing on my front porch, but the darn goats and sheep seem to like them too, and grab a mouthful as they run by. I doubt that I’ll ever see a bloom from them. And, you should see me water that front porch washtub. In my house, I dress in shorts and a tank top, but this attire is not meant for public eyes. But, am I going to cover myself to water that one tub of flowers on my front porch – of course not. Instead I try to pick a time that I don’t see anyone either coming or going and I stick my arm out with a 2-litre coke bottle filled with water and dump it in. I would love a picture of this actually, it must be quite funny to see.

Even though the temperature is warm, it is not unusual in my village to see women still wearing several layers of clothing. Sometimes the layers are woolen knits. Yeah, sweaters over their blouse or caftan and woolen leggings under the caftan and the skirt worn over the caftan. I would die, but they are used to it. Still, I can't help thinking they're soaked in sweat underneath all that. As a foreigner and non-Muslim, I can get away with short sleeves and I can wear cropped pants. Being older also helps since they seem to tolerate almost anything concerning me. Of course, I try to always be respectful and wouldn’t push the limit too much. Looking down from my roof yesterday I noticed a man dressed in two sweaters, and I’m sure he had a t-shirt under them. I was dressed in next to nothing and cookin. How hot must he have been?

As you know, I like to make this writing at least a little bit educational and I recently read this about henna. I’ve been hennaed myself on numerous occasions and I’ve showed you pictures of the exquisite hennaing on brides. Here is a bit more info for you on this subject. The earliest written evidence of the use of henna in bridal adornment goes back to 2100 BCE, when it was associated with an Ugaritic legend about Baal and the fierce goddess Anath. It was grown and used in Spain from the ninth century to 1567, when it was bannedby the Inquisition. But it is still widely used--by Jews, Christians, Muslims, Zoroastrians, Sikhs and Roma--across the region from India to Morocco, and in places where people from that region have migrated. Henna has been used for joyful occasions other than weddings, including battle victories, births, circumcision ceremonies and birthdays.

Fresh henna leaves are smashed with a mildly acidic liquid. The mash may be powdered and then mixed with lemon juice or strong tea six to twelve hours before use. Without this resting period, the coloring might not successful. The stain may be improved by adding essential oils (e.g. tea tree, eucalyptus or lavendar) with high levels of monoterpene alcohols. The paste must be made from fresh leaves and left on the skin for at least a few hours and preferably longer; to keep the paste from falling off during this time, a sugar-lemon mixture (or just sugar) may be used. Sometimes the designs are also loosely wrapped during this period. Improperly stored henna may be contaminated by Salmonella or other microbes. Premixed henna powders may contain adulterants, including silver nitrate, chromium, pyrogallol, carmine and/or orange dye, that are hazardous to your health; certain henna products for use in body art are thus banned by the US Food and Drug Administration(though it is approved for use in hair products). So-called "black henna" is not really henna at all, and caution is advised: It often causes an extreme allergic reaction, with blistering and permanent scarring. The blistering might not appear until three to twelve days after application. Sometimes "black henna" is mixed with gasoline, kerosene, benzene or other chemicals associated with risk of adult leukemia. But properly grown and mixed henna seldom causes an allergic reaction or other health problems. Morocco is among the major growers and exporters in the world, along with India, Pakistan, Yemen, Egypt, Iran and the Sudan. During years with the requisite timing and amount of rainfall, plants may yield two or even three crops a year. Fine henna artists in Morocco, almost exclusively women, can earn good money with their skilled work. Henna is also used to dye wool and leather, for its color and also for its antifungal properties. In ancient times the henna plant was also used to make perfume, and there is a new commercial demand for this product.

There!!! Aren’t you glad to know this? Okay, now on to other things……. In late July we circumcised at the medical clinic that has been built since I’ve been here, 275 little boys aged primarily from newborns to two years old. People came from four villages surrounding my village for this procedure. Three doctors came, all from Marrakech, and from what I gather, this is their specialty and they travel from area to area doing just this. Now why would one choose this specialty? The thought of listening to screaming little boys all day long – not what I would choose. I decided that the older they are – the louder they scream, obviously!! I was asked to help and to be there at 8a. I was given the task of cutting tape – I managed to do this quite well!! Doing this task allowed me to stay in the room where the circumcisions were taking place, at least for a while. I think it was finally noticed that I was the only female in the room and assigned tasks elsewhere, basically taking pictures. No numbing was used and although it was a relatively simple procedure – spread the legs, stretch, clamp, snip, roll and a stitch or two - it must have hurt!!! On average, each circumcision took 7 minutes. Upon being banned from the room I was amazed at the gathering of people. What a joyful, party atmosphere. People were dressed in their finest and some had flags or flowers on poles they carried above their heads. If you could beat on it, they did so, and “drums” were beating and voices singing. I asked how often this procedure was done and I was told yearly. But, I commented that I know it wasn’t done last year – I was here. Oh no, they skipped last year because they didn’t have money and this year they were catching up. From what I could ascertain, the Moroccan government gave money for the procedures and for this day. A cow was purchased and butchered. Beef, couscous and fruit were purchased and the entire crowd was fed. The association that I am associated with did the cooking and people were served in the association, baby’s center, and restaurant. The day lasted well over twelve hours.

Fruit that is available, especially in my village, depends on the season obviously. We have just finished watermelon season and I am so sad. The watermelons are wonderful and it’s amazing how much I can eat. Granted lugging those babies up the hill is a bit challenging, but I’m a big, strong girl – I can do it!! At the moment, I am out of fruit in my home. I hope the hanut has something when I next visit. The fruits of the prickly pear, a cactus native to North America which reportedly made its way to Morocco during the sixteenth century are now ripe and sold from food carts in the medina and buckets beside rural roadways. I don’t know if you’ve ever tasted this fruit, which is quite good, but there are lots of seeds to sift through.

Remember my adopted dog, “Gus”. I haven’t seen him in a very long time, and recently I ran into him again. He is still alive, he is very skinny and he appears to have lost his zest for life. He is not an old dog and this makes me sad. In fact, there are a bunch of really cute puppies running around now and unfortunately their future is not very bright. Often times you will hear dogs barking and crying, especially when you are trying to go to sleep at night. When the numbers/ noise gets to be too much, glass will be crushed or poison will be put in bread or the gendarmes will do target practice. Personally I prefer the gendarme method – a quick, clean kill and it is over with quickly. I can’t think about this too much.

I’ll end this now, since there is little else to write. I must admit that I am looking forward to November and returning to the states. I can’t wait to see family and friends and “catch up”. I will end this writing with this thought - perhaps discovering our rich experiences will add something new to our life. The saying goes “Know One Another and You will Understand One Another”. Til my next update - I wish you well….. Hugs, Linda

Jolly July

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE PEACE CORPS. Since this site is public, specific details are not given so email me personally if you’d like more information.

7/18/2011 Ahhhh, it’s wonderful summer time in my mountain village. It is my favorite time of the year here. The days are generally sunny and warm, yet the nights cool down and a light blanket feels good. Many afternoons it will cloud up and we may get a sprinkle or two, but not much rain here to speak of. We frequently have gusty winds late in the afternoon that last into the evening, then everything quiets down. Why do we have to have winter????? Much of the harvest is done for the time being. Grains are stacked and drying. The long grass is bundled (kind of like our baling) and stored for later feedings. We are now waiting to do second cuttings. Not a lot of corn is grown here (why not?) and most people do not have gardens. I would think that you’d see tomato, peppers, etc. being grown at individual homes, but I haven’t yet. Of course, our souq market has a large supply on Saturdays and people stock up then I guess.

I am now home and hope to basically be here through August. Of course, things change quickly and I could be out and about with someone before I even know it. That happens frequently and I just can’t seem to say “no” so off I go. I’ve planted my herbs and flowers in my washtubs and even though it’s late to start them, I hope they’ll grow and give me a small harvest and some enjoyment. The flowers on my front porch have a hard time of it. The sheep and goats as they run by frequently jump up onto my porch and grab a mouthful or two as they pass by. Oh well, guess I grow them for everyone to enjoy, including the animals. Speaking of my front porch – when in my house, during the summer I am often dressed in shorts and a tank top. I cannot go out on my porch to water my plants dressed as such. Shuma (shameful) if I should do so. Now my body isn’t great, but it’s not that bad!! I have to put on long pants and a t-shirt if I want to step out my door. I try to early in the morning stick my arm out with a bottle of water to water the plants, before others are up. My Kzoo neighbors were witness to my scant clothing while working in my yard and probably get a big chuckle out of this.

Since my last writing and before school let out for the summer I had many visits with the school. I showed individual classes on individual days my pictures from South Africa. Note the freshly painted classroom. Doesn’t it look nice? After these pictures, I had the movie “Toy Story” that we showed the class. Arabic was one of the languages it was offered in since it was an illegal copy purchased by someone probably in Rabat and modified with this feature. Please don’t contact the copyright police – I didn’t do it. The kids enjoyed the afternoon very much. And, how can you watch a movie without popcorn? So, of course, I made lots of popcorn during these days so that everyone could munch and enjoy. It was great fun for me to be in the individual classes with the different teachers. Honestly, I was more impressed with their teaching abilities than I expected to be. As an example, students in one class each had animal names and when their animal came on the screen they had to tell what they knew about that animal. (I remember when my son, Chris, was a weasel in 6th grade – much the same) Another teacher made it a language lesson. I told the name and story in English, he told the same in French and a student would do the same in the language of Dareja (Moroccan Arabic). I have the feeling now that my teachers here really care about their students and teaching. Unfortunately their resources are limited and they do the best they can with what they have. One of the teachers grows beautiful roses in his front yard. He brought me a beautiful bouquet of roses on my last day at the school. I can only think as a “thank you”. They were absolutely lovely.

One day I received a phone call from my teacher friend Abdajalil asking if I was free to come to his home later in the afternoon. I was and I went. Little did I know that we were welcoming his new son, Yesir, into the community. There were many women gathered when I got there. They fed us a beef and prune dish (note picture) that is one of my favoritist things here. Guess I was eating too slow for the lady next to me, since she sort of yanked my mouth open to see if I had all my teeth – yes by golly I do. Okay, I’ll speed up my chewing….. Our next dish was sffa (picture attached) – also one of my favorites. This is a really fine, short noodle that is steamed. They then pile it on a platter and put cinnamon and powdered sugar in stripes over it. It may sound weird, but it is oh sooo good. Finished off the meal with some fruit. I felt bad that I didn’t have a gift to bring for the baby, but I didn’t see that anyone else brought a gift either. I did leave a gift for the baby before I left for South Africa, so guess I’m good.

When I visit with my family and friends, I am never sent home empty handed. I frequently receive mint or other herbs for tea, fresh bread, a couple of eggs and now that peas and fava beans are being harvested, I get bags of them. Many of the families have so little, yet they are so quick to share what they have. A lesson to be learned…….

We had a regional meeting in mid-June telling us that Peace Corps is changing it’s focus in Morocco at the Ministry’s request and suggestion. PC volunteers will no longer be working with small business development, environment or health. Since it is well recognized that all change depends on the country’s youth and progressive thinking, all future PCVs coming into Morocco will focus on youth development. PCVs will learn Dareja (Moroccan Arabic) rather than the Berber languages like Tashlheet which is what I’ve attempted to learn, or others. PCVs will be placed in communities where there are established youth centers. Although I recognize and appreciate where PC is coming from, I am saddened that small villages like my own, will no longer have PCVs placed in them. Sometimes, people like me are the only contact some of these villagers will ever have with the outside world. I am hopeful that PC knows what it is doing and that everything works out the way it hopes it will.

I met up with my friend Tom in Ireland to celebrate my 62nd birthday. Despite the weather being typically Irish with spits and sputters of rain all but one day, it didn’t keep us from having a great time! Tom rented a car and we stayed in bed and breakfasts along the way. We had some lovely dinners and enjoyed Irish music in a few pubs as we moved through. We headed north out of Dublin to Northern Ireland. We traveled the Causeway Coastal Route along the rugged and very beautiful coastline out of Belfast. We walked across the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge, spanning a 24-meter chasm. We each picked one “must see” thing and my “pick” was the Giant’s Causeway, consisting of strangely regular basalt columns dominating the landscape that seem to lead across to Scotland. Rarely does nature produce such regular shapes. Unfortunately, this was the only day we encountered down pouring rain. We were soaked to the bone and downright chilly. We spent a day on Rathlin Island, visiting the bird sanctuary that is there and spent the rest of the day walking this small island consisting of 100 residents and many seals. It’s a special place in my opinion. Tom’s “pick” was the Cliffs of Slieve League on the southwest coast of Donegal. These 700 miter cliffs are said to be the highest cliffs in Europe. We luckily had a sunny day for our visit to the cliffs. We then traveled down through Galway on our way back into Dublin. The countryside of Galway was breath taking with azaleas blooming along the rivers and roadways. As we traveled and talked with shop keepers and others, we learned a few new phrases. One of my favorites is “gud craak to nigh” meaning, good conversation tonight, and “no bother” rather than you are welcome and “traffic calming” meaning slow down. A nicer birthday could not have been had.

I returned to site for two days after Ireland and then I was off again to a meeting in Rabat. While in Rabat I have always stayed at one particular hotel. Unfortunately one morning this time I woke up one morning with bug bites, as well as one of my roommates did too. I don’t think they were bed bug bites. They looked more like flea bites to me. I had well over a hundred bites by the time I got home. The really sad part of this is that I think I brought some of the bugs home with me since I continued to get more bites once home and I wasn’t bothered with bites before I left. They itched like crazy and what a mess of welts and scabs I was/am still. Last week I sprayed my mattress and fumigated my apartment. I washed everything including the rugs. A friend was visiting and she helped me haul the mattress to my rooftop for a bit of sunshine and airing. Maybe, just maybe, I have gotten rid of them. No new bug bites for the past couple of nights. I am so relieved – this was awful.

I totally planned to stay put and in my village for most of July and August, but that was not to be. I was only home from Rabat a couple of days when my host brother and sister, Zakia and Zakaria came to visit. My mom, Atika, wanted to see me. She told me that her brother Nordin was getting married the following week. Yes, this is really how much planning goes into a marriage in Morocco. Atika, his sister, just learned of it the day before. Nordin and most of Atika’s family lives near Ouarzazate, so south of me and nearer the Sahara – it will be HOT. I was specifically invited to attend and enjoy the week’s festivities. And, yes a week’s festivities. We were to leave the next day. Once again I would beoff not knowing exactly what to expect, who would be there, what we would do and when would we come home – so many questions????? All I know for certain is that we will kill the cow on Tuesday and the “wedding” will take place on Saturday. In Morocco, at least in small towns, the bride and groom celebrate separately. They will not “merge” the parties until the “wedding” on Saturday. But, I will pack the best I can and be ready in the morning – okay then.

Before I tell you about this wedding, perhaps I need to preface this with this comment. I was raised in a Catholic, Polish family where big wedding celebrations were the norm. For whatever reason I was never a fan of these weddings and vowed I would never have a wedding like this and I didn’t. I feel privileged that I have been invited by this family to share in this big day and event. Without this special connection, I could never have this first-hand experience and view. I was the only foreign, white person in attendance. It was a very special time.

Let me briefly tell you about the wedding week. I can't imagine staying one more day - everyone was exhausted, tempers were growing short and I keep asking myself - why do they do this????? At times it was hard to keep my mouth shut and not make this comment. Even if I had, the reply would have been "it's tradition" and who would go against tradition? Probably a good thing I don't permanently live here - I'd likely get myself in trouble "doing it my way".

Atika told me that we would leave between 7-7:30a on Monday, July 4th. Zacharia was here at 6:30a. Never are they early -- we are excited I guess. He has to wait since I am planning to be ready at 7a - oh well. Houssaine has arranged for a taxi he knows to take us directly to the groom's house. I really Nordin the groom. I have met him on several occasions, as well as Abdulah, one of the other brothers, and they have been particularly nice to me. We are going to Nordin’s house and he has built a huge house. It is beautifully tiled and painted throughout. I have included a picture and although it is a bit blurry, you can see the beautiful ceiling in this room. Most of Atika's seven siblings and their families, and her parents, have gathered and spend the week together. Several of them do live near so they go home at night, but all the rest of us crash on the floor somewhere. I must say, her family is great and I love them. Can't think of one of them that I don't really like. They make me feel most welcome and you can tell they are happy that I am there. They don't want me to help though and I insist from time to time. Feels very weird watching them work and me sitting - not what I'm used to at all. I learned the real reason for going on Monday - it was so the women could be hennaed. Okay, didn't do my feet this time, but I did have my hands done. All the women had it done and it took a full day to do all of us. We eat late and go to bed at 2a. I was told that Tuesday was the day we killed the cow. Well this didn't happen, but Tuesday was spent cleaning the silver and scrubbing/polishing all the pots, pans, platters, etc. to be used for the wedding. We wipe and polish the zillion tea glasses they have. Again we eat late and off to bed at 2a. Wednesday they slit the cow's neck around 5:30a I think, and I missed it. The entire day was spent processing the meat. Nothing is wasted. I couldn't wait to eat some of those organs! Women came that night carrying sacks or baskets of grain. They sat around piles of grain and sorted out the weeds, rocks, etc and sang songs. We finally eat couscous at 12:30a and we’re off to bed shortly after 2a. Thursday we eat meat in earnest. Skewers of liver, stomach, etc. are the main courses. The men came in the morning and prayed from the Koran. They returned for lunch. I was told to basically stay out of sight. Hmmm, not that I intended to crash their party, but guess they didn't want to see the blonde lady. I’m told that this is the men’s party. That evening the ladies come and this is the women’s party. Another 2a bedtime. Friday night is the big night for the neighbors and local family. The family is pretty quiet today and every time I sit down I fall asleep, as do the others. Drums have been delivered and men and women will dance traditional dances (picture attached). Since I didn't know we were coming to this wedding until Sunday, I need to buy a gift. I was told early on that we would go shopping sometime this week. Not sure why Friday is picked as shopping day since it's a big night, but I head out with the six teen-age kids for Oz around 5p and I'm told we would only be gone a short time. I find a gift early on and learn that shopping has just begun. We return home at 10p - eeee gads I don't even like shopping!!! People are JUST arriving for Friday night's affair when we get home - who knew it would start so late? Everyone looks lovely and it is really quite an affair. We eat many courses – starting with tea and cookies (yes dessert first then the rest) (picture attached), then fresh honey combs w/bread, beef with prunes, chicken with olives (picture attached), and finish the meal off with watermelon. We don't go to bed until 4a - ugh. Bia, my counterpart, arrived on this day while I was gone and she is my roomie :-) I've been asked to go with a group to my village on Saturday since this is where the bride is from. The bride has not been with us, she has been with her family and friends in my village, celebrating too. Seems that Atika (my host mom) did the matchmaking for this couple. About twelve of us drive to my village. Makes no rhyme or reason why this particular group is picked. We leave around Oz around 11a and don't get back to Oz until 7:30p. We go to the bride's home, which is very near my house and I kind of know the family. We have lunch with her and some of her relatives. Tonight is for the bride's guests and the groom's family, but the bride's mother and father do not come. It is tradition that they not attend. (Now as a mom, if I had a daughter I’m not sure I’d like this) Saturday night is a grand affair with live music and a Moroccan male singer and nothing has been left out. The bride and groom do not make their appearance until 1:30a. The bride changes her dress five times and their entire time with their guests is spent having pictures taken in these many dresses. One of my favorite dresses is the Berber dress. I’ll be certain to attach a picture of it so you can see it too. Finally the party breaks up and my watch says it’s 5:45a when I put in my ear plugs and go to bed. A large group of us women are sleeping together tonight. I learn that the wedding will continue through Sunday and Atika and family will stay one more day (ummm, thought we would go home on this day?). Nordin, the groom, has driven to my village and brings the bride's mother and father back with him. OMG, I'm not sure I can be pleasant for another day and the groom seems genuinely sad about my leaving. Unfortunately, I cannot stay since my friend Kathy is expected to come :-( and Bia and I come back to our village, I thought together, but since I didn't want to go shopping with her, I came back alone. There is obviously so much more detail to be told, but in a nutshell, this was my six days of wedding festivities. Again, I am delighted that I could be a part of this, but I returned home exhausted to say the least. I took 802 pictures and promised to make every family member a disc. My knee is tired, as well as the rest of me.......... whew.

Kathy did come and we had a nice visit. While Kathy is here we walk up to my host family house and learn that there will be another wedding in September and that I am invited. Not sure my body can do it!! I have a couple of meetings already planned for September and the dates may not work out for me to attend. Of course, at this time, no definite date has been set. Kathy left and I went with Bia into Ouarzazate last week to meet with the governor regarding our need for water at the baby’s center. I have gone with Bia on several occasions and met with the governor before. I’m not certain why she wants me there and what influence I might have? Guess just having her American at her side helps. Once again we were told that in 1-3 months they would look at our project. Last Monday we had four babies and their mothers in the baby’s center and no water coming out of the faucet. It’s very hard to properly take care of the babies and keep the place clean without water. I hope this situation is remedied soon.

I do my exercises religiously and my knee continues to mend and although it is not 100%, it is much better. Since I was told that it could take six months to fully recover, I think I’m on schedule and progressing nicely. I’m sure all this travel is not what the doctor ordered, but I don’t seem to be slipping backwards and that was what I was worried about. By the time I return to the states in November I should be back as good as new hopefully. I now plan to be in site until September with the exception of the occasional day trip into Ouarzazate for banking and food shopping needs. When in site, I’ve been able to rest the knee and will continue to do so. My lineless suntan is coming along nicely.  I will have occasional visitors seeking “cool” spots in the coming weeks since my site is so much nicer than lots of Morocco during this time of the year.

I have a bunch of pictures I am going to try and include. We’ll see how this goes? Well my friends, this is about it for this writing. I hope you are enjoying sunny summer days and that you’re taking the time to enjoy them. Remember – tomorrow isn’t promised!! Sending hugs to you all, Linda

June is Busting Out All Over

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE PEACE CORPS. Since this site is public, specific details are not given so email me personally if you’d like more information.

6/5/11 If you read to the last paragraph of my last blog update  , you know that I am back in Morocco and writing this June posting from my site in the Mid-Atlas mountains once again. Spring is here and everything is green and lush. We’ve had wonderful spring rains, almost every day in May since my return and they are helping the crops immensely. I don’t remember such nice rains last year. What I remember are the downpours that did little good since it just came down in a whoosh, washed everything away and did little to actually replenish the moisture in the soil.

I think I needed to be away, to once again appreciate the beauty of Morocco. It looks very different from South Africa. There is so much more Arab influence and architecture than I noticed before. I know that South Africa has some very rural, undeveloped parts of the country, but most of the areas I visited could have been anywhere in the States. Since my return, I look at the mud houses differently and now better appreciate the beauty of them. I particularly like the fact that when their usefulness is no longer needed they return to the earth, collapsing and leaving little trace behind that it was ever there. I’m told that no one can build on the same spot until the existing house shows no remains of ever being. And, I look at these gentle people and feel safe. I see idle chit-chat, and hand holding, probably more amongst the men than the women, and it could arguably be said that is why Morocco is a developing country. Perhaps less chit-chat and more labor! My host mom often says that she works, works, works and that my host dad, even though he is a plumber, there isn’t much call here for his skills on a regular basis, so he drinks coffee and smokes cigarettes with the men at the roadside cafes . I can’t argue with this since it often seems the case, and can’t tell if she is teasing or serious? I go along with her and say “yes that darn Houssaine”, but hope they can see the sparkle in my eye as I say this, since my host dad is one of the good guys really. He will cook a meal if she is sick, bathe the children if she is busy and do homework with the children. Many Moroccan men would not do so.

Most mornings when I look down from my rooftop with my coffee cup in my hand, I see women working in the fields. They come out early since it is cooler and work until basically lunchtime which is around 2p. Since most homes have several families living in them, one or two women seem to be delegated to the field work. These women are currently cutting grass for their animals to eat later in the year. They squat down and lean as far as they can reach, cutting the grass with a scythe. They then bundle it into small piles and let it dry. They later gather all these bundles into baskets that they carry on home on their backs to their homes. Backbreaking work and they must be exhausted by the end of the day. I don’t recall ever seeing a man doing this type of work – hmmm.

My community has warmly greeted me and welcomed me back – it feels good!! Even my counterpart seemed to have a genuine smile on her face when she saw me and she kissed the top of my head! I haven’t made the rounds to see everyone yet, since I am trying to be good and not walk the hills too much at least for a while. I’m not sure they understand what was done or why I went to South Africa or that I went to South Africa for that matter, but they do know that it involved my right knee and that I am back until November and they seem glad about that. Since the school is close to my home, it was the first place I visited and I was swarmed with wonderful, smiling little people. I greet them with hugs and very noisy kisses and they seem to get a real kick out of it. They wanted me to sing them a song – oh goodness. Since the word tafukt means sun and I could kind of explain this, I sang them “You Are My Sunshine” – they were delighted despite my voice…… I then, of course, asked them to sing me a song, which they happily did. As you saw in my last blog entry, I have some great pictures of some of the wild life in South Africa. The teachers and students would like to see my pictures, so I will most certainly make a visit to the classes and do that. I took students over to the world map that I painted on the school wall last August and showed them where I went and how I flew there (via Cairo) and back (via Dubai). As with most children, the distance meant very little. All they know is that it was really, really far away and that I went in a tiara (airplane). I struggled with Tashlheet before I left and I was very concerned that I would have forgotten what little I knew in the almost two months I was away. Surprisingly, maybe those words have moved from my “short term memory” to “long term memory” and I actually recall far more than I thought I would. Granted, I still stink, but at least I remember something!!

In my last blog update I mentioned that we visited the Pilanesberg game reserve and talked about “Steroid” the BIG elephant that KG our driver was so scared of. Shortly after I returned to Morocco, I received pictures of an elephant raising havoc in South Africa – it is Steroid. See how big he is compared to this car? He eventually picks the car up with his tusks and flips the car over onto its top. I sent the pictures on to KG via email and he responded, “I was there and saw it happen”. No wonder he is scared of Steroid!!

I may have mentioned this last spring, but since I find it so funny, I will again mention it again this year. Morocco, like many states in America, switches to daylight savings time for the summer months. We, in fact, switched here the weekend I flew to South Africa. Morocco will switch back before Ramadan begins in August this year (remember it’s a lunar holiday and the date changes from year to year). So for a few short months the common question here is -- new time or old time? Most people, especially in the villages, do not observe daylight savings time, so there is great confusion as to what time something will happen and if you are trying to plan something -- it is very important to ask “new time or old time”? Personally I think – why bother switching at all?

A quick update on my knee ….. We were down to the wire of 45 days and a decision had to be made and it was decided that I would return to Morocco. The meniscus repair went well, but still other issues to deal with. I’ve been told that it can take up to six months for soft tissue to mend fully. Although I don’t need a crutch inside, I’ve been asked to use a crutch when I walk outside, at least for a while. Walking uphill is therapeutic, walking downhill is hard on the knees. Squatting is impossible and PC in South Africa bought me this wonderful collapsible camping toilet stand to bring back with me. Must tell you that it works wonderfully well   Note picture!! I have been told to keep a low profile for a while and to give this knee more time. I have done that since my return. I have been out and about to let people know that I am back, but for the most part I've stayed in my apartment and will continue to do so for a while. I may not be the best PCV in Morocco in the coming months, but I certainly won't be the worst!! I’ve started to bake again since friends stop by to see me and to see for themselves that I'm really doing okay. The knee actually feels a bit stronger every day. I can almost do the stairs, leading with either leg now, without discomfort. This is progress!

Upon arrival back at my site I asked myself – what do you cook/eat here in Morocco? Yes, I have a few Moroccan dishes I make from time to time, but for the most part, I probably make something I am accustomed to. I can almost always buy the basic veggies (onions, green pepper, tomatoes, potatoes) and fruit (whatever is in season, currently, melons are available and oranges) here in my village and if I want a better selection I can travel over to my souq (market) town on Saturday morning and I have a bit more to choose from. I rarely buy the meat. This is my own problem to deal with since the locals buy it, when they can afford to, and they seem to be doing okay. But, I just can’t get past seeing it hanging outside the shop unrefrigerated, sometimes covered with flies, and who knows when the counter and knife were last washed. I’ve gotten quite good at making bagels, scones and tortilla’s. I frequently sauté up some fresh veggies, add a bit of garlic and olive oil and serve it over pasta. I make kind of a refried rice dish with lots of veggies. I eat beans and lentils on a regular basis. I find I make a lot of soups, all kinds…. I make a great granola (oat flakes, walnuts, almonds, raisins, figs, dried apricots, and dates, all sweetened with a bit of coconut and sweetened condensed milk Yes, I can get Nestle sweetened condensed milk even here in my village - go figure!! Combine a couple handfuls of granola with some fruit and a yogurt and what a wonderful breakfast I have. While in Rabat on my way home to my village, I bought a melon since I’d been spoiled with a wonderful fruit selection when in South Africa. Looks like a cantaloupe, smells like a cantaloupe, even tastes like a cantaloupe, but note the color – green, not orange???

Unfortunately while in South Africa the mint I had growing in a wash tub on my rooftop bit the dust. I thought a local friend was going to water it for me, but I think she gave up on my return. I will have to find some new roots from someone here and get some growing again. I have come to like mint tea very much and I need it to flavor cheese also – it is a “must have”. Once the weather warms I’ll get my annual herbs and flowers once again growing up-top too.

Things are the same all over it seems, just minor differences -- Why do kids scream as they chase each other like wild animals, as they run? Why do boys throw rocks at birds in trees? Why do baby animals (and some children for that matter) have to grow up? They were once so cute!!

It’s springtime and the season for babies it seems. My host family has a new calf, three wonderful kittens, and baby chicks. A wild dog got the rabbits unfortunately  . Baby sheep and goats are plentiful. Hmm, haven’t seen a baby donkey yet this year? Now they are really, really cute!! Even a couple of my teacher friends had new babies born while I was away. Both moms are still out of town, staying with their moms for a while, so I haven’t had the chance to see those babies yet, but they will soon return to the village and I will.

My village is in the process of building a new school which will house not only a primary school, but middle school, as well. Currently if the children are allowed to go to middle school, they must travel 12k to get to it. Yes there are boarding facilities there, but these are kids!! Who would want to live away from family at the age of 12 and the cost of daily travel is prohibitive. When the new school is finished, and they keep telling me by fall (seeing is believing!!) the children here can hopefully go to school through 9th grade. Most children here in my village now only get a 6th grade education. A few boys will go to middle school, but very few girls are allowed to do so. Now the girls can have more schooling available to them too (if their families don’t need them for household chores and tasks that is, since they are now big enough to be most helpful at home). I was told that the old school would still be used for pre-school and grades 1 and maybe 2. Now, I’ve been told that they miscalculated the number of students , and only grades 5 and 6 will move over to the new school. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what actually happens when the new school opens, huh? Recently, workers came to paint the existing school buildings which were badly in need of it, both inside and out. Everything looks so much better and I noted that when the project was complete, the bathrooms were once again shining!!  Unfortunately, they left one building “ugly”. When asked why I was told it was old. Yes, but you still use it every day and from the sounds of it, you will use it again this fall. Makes no sense to me??? I’m thinking I might just have to paint this building myself this summer (providing the knee is okay to do this). Perhaps I can round up a friend or two to help me?

Since the school is close to my house and relatively easy to walk to, I’ve spent time down there in the 1st grade classroom. Most of these kids I knew last year when they attended the preschool, so I know them well. We’ve been working on some basic English. Common greetings, numbers, body parts, right, left, etc. We’ve danced the Hokey Pokey since it is a great one to reinforce some of the words I’ve taught them, i.e., put your right hand in, put your right hand out, etc. They think it is most funny when I dance the hokey pokey for them. Some of you might remember the kids’ song Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes – this is also a fun way to learn some words. The end of the school year is near and the kids are getting antsy. So to break things up I did some basic stretching - you know reach for those stars….. twist and touch the wall, etc. Lots of giggles when we do this one. We ended that class with popcorn for everyone. Popcorn is one of their favorite treats, as well as mine. The older kids learned what was going on though, and I mustn’t play favorites so I suspect I will need to take popcorn to the other classes too.

So my days are a bit different, but I feel okay about them. I’m still teaching Moroccans about Americans and I hope that by writing this blog, you are learning a bit about Moroccans too. We’re all the same….. different customs, different religions, different cultures, different food, different skin tones, but still people who love and care about their families and friends and living the best life they can under the circumstances. Until I write again – take care and make today one of your best ever. Hugs, Linda

May Musings

THE CONTENTS OF THIS WEB SITE ARE MINE PERSONALLY AND DO NOT REFLECT ANY POSITION OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT OR THE PEACE CORPS. Since this site is public, specific details are not given so email me personally if you’d like more information.

5/12/11 It’s fall in South Africa, but the days have been beautiful with sunny, blue skies and pleasant temperatures. Most days a t-shirt is enough, but a light jacket feels good in the morning and at night. Weird to have leaves falling, when in my mind it’s spring and the trees should be budding and spring flowers should be plentiful.

As you know I had knee surgery on that torn meniscus on April 8th. While in there he also shaved off arthritic spurs from the inside of the knee cap. I’ve been seeing an physiotherapist named Adrien, several times a week. The actual meniscus repair has gone well. Biggest issues we are dealing with now is the damage to the ligaments and tendons and the bursitis and osteoarthritis that the knee also suffers from. Adrien has been using electrode and ultrasound therapy and dry needles (kind of like acupuncture). Obviously I’ve been given a bunch of exercises to do several times a day too. I’ve made great progress we think, but as she says the knee is being very stubborn and it is not pain-free at this time. I’ve expressed to her that I am concerned most about the long-term health of my knee, since I have so many places yet to go….. If returning to my site in Morocco stops or slows down the progress I’ve made so far, then maybe this is not where I should go. I am relying heavily on her opinion as to what I should do since I feel she knows my knee better than anyone else at this time. If I were returning to a desk job or a terrain that was not hilly with gravel/rocky roads to traverse, there wouldn’t be a problem. On Friday, May 13th, she will give me her recommendation as to where I should next go and I’ve decided I will abide by that. I will update this blog after I know what is happening and add a paragraph at the end letting you know what I’m doing. You will also note that I am adding a lot of pictures to this blog basically because it is easier to do so while here. When I am at my site, it can take me 3 hours+ to upload ten pictures and I can grow quite frustrated.

I have been more than pleased with the care I have received in South Africa. The doctors and staffs I have been dealing with have been extraordinary I feel. I have also been staying at a lovely guest house that has provided me with comfortable accommodations and a lovely atmosphere to rehabilitate and rejuvenate. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and make new PCV friends from all over the African continent too. I can feel guilty at times that my days here have been so pleasant – almost like being on holiday! Obviously, I’ve had a lot of down-time since physical therapy has been basically every-other day and felt it would be a shame if I didn’t see some of South Africa while I had this opportunity, so I have done just that. I couldn’t travel far, but I have visited a few attractions that are within an easy drive from Pretoria. There are driving services you can hire by the hour/mile and we have utilized them. We couldn’t rent a car since PCVs are not allowed to drive a motorized vehicle while in service. Let me tell you about some of my adventures.

Mari is a PCV from Uganda that was also in Pretoria for medical reasons. We both had mobility issues, but decided we could manage a “ride & see” one-day safari quite well. With the help of KG, our driver and tour guide, we enjoyed a wonderful day riding through the Pilanesburg National Park. This park located about two hours of Pretoria and it is huge (550,000 hectares or 1.35 million acres). Obviously, we didn’t see the whole park in one day!! And, unfortunately, rainy weather preceded us, thus washing out many roads, so some were closed. We were not allowed to get out of our vehicle for any reason, other than when we stopped for lunch at the lodge. Truly, some animals came very close to our vehicle. The park ranger told us that many animals have retreated to higher elevations and are up in the trees to get out of the rainy weather . He also reminded us that we are going into winter here and many animals are in search of warmer areas to spend the winter. But, nevertheless, we saw lots of animals in their natural habitats. Some of the animals we saw were: herds of wildebeests, a/k/a gnu’s. Many different kinds of antelopes including the tssessesebe (fastest antelope in SA), the hartabeast, impalas (nicknamed McDonalds since they are seen everywhere and have a big M on their butts); spring bok (distinctive white face & belly), eland (largest antelope in SA) and the water bok (which has a big circle on the butt). Elephants, giraffes, zebras, wart hogs, ostriches, New Guinea fowls, and baboons are just some of the other animals we saw. Supposedly, we just missed seeing a leopard. An interesting tidbit re the elephants - there is a particularly large one in the park that KG has nicknamed “Steroid”. KG saw this elephant put his tusks under a car one day and flip it over. Needless to say, KG is scared of “Steroid” and I think elephants in general. We did see “Steroid”, but we kept our distance from him. If you remember from my trip to Zimbabwe last September, I mentioned the Big Five of South Africa consisting of the lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard and named as such as they are said to be the most dangerous of all animals when they are hunted. Of them, the buffalo is said to be the most dangerous since he can slow his heart rate and you think he is dying, but in the meantime, he is circling around to get you. Supposedly all of these animals are in this park, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any of them except for the elephant. We had a wonderful day nevertheless and we were both so glad that we had a chance to do this.

KG was also an interesting young man. We had great discussions during our day with him re life and attitudes in South Africa. He says the best part of his job is meeting people who accept without prejudging based on stereotypes and prejudices. I’ve made the broad generalization that South Africa can be compared to the 60’s in the states.

Mari and I also took the opportunity to visit an elephant sanctuary that is located about an hour north of Pretoria. We hired KG again as our driver and tour guide through the Backpacker organization. The Elephant Sanctuary provides a “halfway house” for young African elephants in need of a temporary home. It is the only operation in South Africa that provides for elephants in this way. It is their vision to release all the elephants into an environment where they can be more independent once they are older.

The Elephant Sanctuary hosts a unique and fully guided educational program that sets itself apart from anything else that South Africa has to offer in terms of elephant interaction and touching elephants. Visitors can learn more about elephant habits, behavior, different personalities and anatomy through up-close and personal interaction. We had the opportunity to touch, feed and even walk trunk-in-hand with these magnificent animals. The main focus of The Elephant Sanctuary is to educate people about all aspects of elephants and elephant husbandry. If the elephant’s ear was discussed, for example, we had the opportunity to actually touch one and to get a closer look at the smoothness of the skin on the back of the ear compared to the rough skin on the outside.

We were each allowed to have one-on-one time with an elephant. Obviously the elephant’s trainer stayed near in case of problems. My elephant was named Mvusu and he was a twelve year old male. Mvusu was referred to as a typical male teen-ager and he is known to be mischievous. One of his trainers stayed on his back at all times – just in case he should decide to show off. Mvusu is trained to give a kiss on command. Wow, kind of like holding the vacuum hose on your cheek – he has a powerful suck!!! Not very romantic, but oh so fun…… I really wanted to ride Myusu, but because of my lame knee, they wouldn’t let me – darn!

Here are a few fun facts re elephants that you might not know: The elephant’s foot is constructed in such a way that the animal is virtually walking on tip toe, with a tough, fatty pad of connective tissue forming the sole. Elephants tusks are overgrown incisors protruding from the upper jaw. They grow at a rate of 15–18cm a year, depending on their diet. The skeletal frame of an elephant allows the animal to stand upright on its hind legs. Elephants wear down 6 sets of molars in a lifetime. Elephant herds consist of females, who are usually related, calves and young bull calves. The eldest female, called the Matriarch, most often leads the herd. Bull calves get kicked out of the herd when they reach about 12 years of age to join the bull “bachelor” herds or to become a solitary bull. Bull herds will only join a female herd when it is mating season, or at a waterhole. Elephants are known to display a deep sensitivity and awareness of death and will return repeatedly to carcasses and skeletons of deceased herd members, running their trunks gently over their remains as though paying their respects. Elephants spend as many as 18–20 hours a day feeding and drinking. Like man, elephants are usually left or right “handed” and will use one tusk almost exclusively. Elephants have a highly developed social structure, with family bonds, love, loyalty and intelligence. Elephants use a wide range of sounds to express their moods and feelings. The gestation period in female elephants is 22 months. The bone structure of an elephant is similar to that of human beings, for example they too have a wrist joint in the front legs as well as knee caps and ankles in the back legs. Even the shoulder blades are positioned in the same place as in humans. The elephant’s memory surpasses that of humans.

Mari and I also had the opportunity to visit The Freedom Park in Pretoria with Rob, another PCV, and his South African friend, Arthur. The Park is situated in the capital’s city centre, The Freedom Park stands as a memorial to what South Africa has ach ieved as a nation. The Freedom Park tells the nation’s stories. It honors the efforts of heroes and heroines, that died in the struggles for humanity and freedom. The park is divided into different areas: (1) Isivivane is a spiritual place – a resting place for those who died fighting for freedom and liberation in South Africa. (2) Sikhumbuto is the memorial telling of the most important conflicts in South Africa’s history and honors those who died fighting for humanity and freedom during these conflicts. This memorial consists of several elements consisting of the Wall of Names where names are inscribed who have died fighting for humanity and freedom. The Sanctuary is a quiet place where you can go to think or to pay respect to a loved one that passed on. And, the Eternal Flame is for the heroes and heroines that died without their names being recorded. The flame always burns to remind us that there are names that will never be known.

South Africa really celebrates the Easter holiday. Most businesses were closed from Friday thru Monday for the Easter holiday. And, even though I rarely attend church, it just felt like the thing to do so Gail (another PCV from South Africa) and I went with Mari to St. Wilfrid’s Anglican Church for the Easter service. It was a lovely service actually and the music was most enjoyable. They had a person playing the drums, someone on an electric keyboard, two guitars and two singers leading us in song. The music was very happy and upbeat and you should have seen the priest/minister(?) rockin-on. Walking out of the church into a warm, pleasant morning just felt right! To celebrate the day further, Mari, Gail and Rob and I grilled steaks and enjoyed a nice Easter dinner together. Yes, some of my customary traditions weren’t part of the day, but a good day was had nevertheless.

On Easter Monday, since it was still a holiday, one of the doctors from PC, called us and asked if the four of us would like to go with him to Groenloaf Nature Park. It is on the outskirts of Pretoria and what a beautiful park it is. Lots and lots of bicyclists and people walking the trails. Unfortunately, because of the terrain, I was not able to join the group on the three hour hike, but I walked some of the flat surfaces and saw some beautiful wild flowers. In the meantime, the group saw a herd of zebras that was very close to them, and giraffes, impalas, wildebeest and ??? Oh well, my nap in the sunshine was nice too!!!

Mari and I visited The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg one afternoon. It was really quite spectacular. It is huge, and most of the displays require lots of reading. You really could spend about two days there to fully get through it and appreciate it. After several hours, you are simply exhausted because you feel like you can't read and absorb any more. We stayed about four hours and even though we didn't get through the entire museum in depth, we skimmed everything towards the end. Just a little bit about it. From a brochure it says, "The basic principle behind apartheid was simple - segregate everything. Cut a clean line through a nation to divide black from white and keep them divided. You will come to understand that any form of racial inequality leads to destruction. The award winning and internationally acclaimed museum communicates this by using dark images, sounds and atmosphere prevalent in that troubled era. It attempts to present a balanced account of 20th century South Africa" The museum itself is stark and is supposed to bring to mind images of detention, oppression and division. It begins with segregation, the cornerstone of apartheid and goes through race classification, 150 acts of apartheid, detentions and the oppression of the nationalist regime. There is a small rectangular room which has a ceiling filled with hanging rope nooses depicting political executions and detention without trial in rooms where prisoners were held in solitary confinement. There was a very large Mandela Exhibit where they tell of his life and how he came to follow the path he chose. Although I did not see any signs prohibiting the taking of pictures, and I did take a few pictures, I was told that taking pictures was prohibited, so I had to stop :-( I think you really have to visit it to appreciate it . I am attaching a few pictures since I think you'll like seeing them.

I did one last adventure with Nicki (Madagascar) just this past week. We visited Ukutula, a privately owned lion reserve about an hour’s ride away from Pretoria. We were lucky, and KG was again our driver. They have about 100 lions on this reserve and the object is to one day turn them out into a wild game reserve. They are currently working with the University of Pretoria and a veterinary university (sorry can’t remember the name) on a research project involving the white lion. We had a young woman as our guide while there who was very informative and helpful. She definitely loves her job and is working on her qualification as a certified field guide. Ultimately, she hopes to teach animal husbandry for wild animals at the university level. While there we got to play with the three month old lion cubs, who were every bit as playful and mischievous as playing with a kitten in your home, albeit they were just a tad bigger!! We then got to bottle feed the seven week old cubs. OMG – what fun!!! We had personal contact with a one year old cheetah, who purred unbelievably loud. We then observed many other lions, both brown and white ranging in age up to ten years, plus a couple of tigers. All were absolutely beautiful animals – definitely a highlight of my stay here. Here are a few lion facts you may not know. A few months ago, 80% of the lions in Kruger National Park and Kenya were infected with tuberculosis. Today 90% are infected. At this rate, they will be extinct in these areas in ten years. Research is being conducted as to why TB is so growing so fast and how to save the lion. All lions in Ukutula are TB free. In the wild, a male lion lives to about the age of 9-10 years since it is then when a younger male forces him out of the pride. In the reserve, the male will live until 15 or so. Lions sleep approximately 20 hours per day. In the reserve, the adult lions are fed red meat once a week or if they are fed chickens, four chickens per lion are fed , twice a week. A male lion devotes himself to one female when she is ripe for breeding for 2-5 days. They will mate every 20 minutes during this 5 day period with the hopes of impregnating the female. The gestation period for a lion is 3-1/2 months. Typically 4-6 cats are born in a litter. The cub is blind for the first four weeks after birth. Females are the primary hunters, although the male gets to eat first. Lions stealth and ambush. Their preferred method of killing their prey is with a powerful bite delivered to the base of the skull, which breaks the neck of the prey. Tigers are solitary hunters between sunset and dawn and they bring down their prey by going for the throat and/or windpipe. The cheetah hunts in the early morning or at dusk. The cheetah is the fastest cat and can run at the speed of 60-70 miles per hour, but for only a sprint. He uses the momentum of his speed to knock down his prey and then usually tries to suffocate his prey by going for the windpipe. The visit to Ukutula was even better than expected.

As I said, I left spring in Morocco and I’m now back to fall since I am south of the equator and in a different hemisphere. I ate my dinner on the back patio last night and it was strange indeed to see leaves falling. Even smells like fall and the air is crisp and cool too. The area I’m staying in is beautifully landscaped and some of the high walls surrounding homes are impressive (see attached picture). Perhaps this is an “old” neighborhood, but I have yet to hear a child playing or in fact, even adult voices on my walk abouts. Everyone seems to stay within the confines of their homes. The locked, remote controlled gate is opened, the car parks in the garage, doors are closed and no one is seen again until they once again leave. Twenty percent of the South African population controls the economics of the country. There is a very large gap between the “haves” and the “have nots” it seems.

Some words/expressions/observations I’ve heard/seen here that I have found interesting:
It’s my pleasure -- rather than saying “you’re welcome”
Come back -- “repeat please” or “excuse me”
Calming area -- a street sign meaning “slow down”
Eish - describes disgust, surprise, or frustration.
Braai – barbeque
No complaints – response to the question of “how are you”, rather than our typical “fine”
Geyser (pronounced geezer) – electric hot water heater, up on the roof
Kombi – a van – frequently used as a taxi service
GoGo -- what they call the grandmothers (I love it, don’t you - I think I want to be called this one day)
I saw this sign -- breasts, hips & bum enlargement – not often do we see this wish do we?
Most homes in the rural areas have the main house, a small building in the yard and an outhouse. When asked why,
I was told that the small building is usually rented out to either supplement the income or is sometimes the main
source of income for the family

Along with Easter, we’ve had several holidays while I’ve been here in South Africa. April 27th was Freedom Day and May 1st was Worker’s Day. Most businesses and the schools were closed on these holidays. The guest house has also been quiet and I found myself alone for one weekend, since all other volunteers returned home too. Angie (a staff person) and I were the only ones here. I made guacamole one day and Angie and I enjoyed eating it one afternoon and she talked about her life. She was a nanny for a South African family in the late 90’s. One time she traveled with them to Scotland and commented on how different everything tasted, but how exciting it was for her. Unfortunately they decided to move to England and even though they invited her to move with them, she decided she couldn’t leave her husband and daughter in South Africa. Had she not had these responsibilities, I’m sure she would have gone with them. Another morning Angie talked with me while I drank coffee. I wanted her to join me and have a cup of coffee too, but she declined. Hopefully she truly doesn’t like coffee and didn’t decline the offer because I am a “guest”. This particular morning she talked about her daughter, Mavis, and her granddaughters Kholofelo (meaning “hope”) and Mpho (meaning “small gift”). Mavis did not want English names for her children and instead she chose traditional South African names. Mavis went to the university and is a chemical engineer, although she is a stay-at-home mom now. Mavis’s husband is a manager at the Checker grocery store. One night when it was just the two of us at the House, I had a small knock on my door and in Angie walked with a typical rural South African dinner on a tray for me. It consisted of boerewors (kind of like bratwurst), smothered in a tomato & onion gravy and maze meal (kind of like cream of wheat, cooked dry and solid enough to cut with a knife). How very sweet of her!! Wanting to reciprocate, I cooked dinner for Angie and Martha too. I shared my tales of growing up on a farm in Michigan and told them that the meal I would serve would be like a meal I grew up eating. I made scalloped potatoes, baked beans, meatloaf and fresh homemade applesauce. I made triple chocolate cookies for dessert. I insisted that this meal was my event and that they were not allowed to help cook or clean up and being as bossy as I am, they eventually listened to me. Even though they have cooked similar dishes, my version was different than they were used to. They commented that they always ate the same meal every night and having a change was very nice. I think the biggest surprise for them was that a white woman could cook. The white women they’ve had contact with can barely boil water. They were impressed!!! And, it was great fun for me to share this experience with them. Angie would like to take me home with her to her village in rural South Africa. Unfortunately, I doubt that her days off and the days I have free from physical therapy will coincide and make that possible. I have been helping Maria, another staff person, learn how to maneuver the internet. She sends me many “test” messages to test her skills.

My physiotherapist also had several food suggestions that I really must taste to say that I’ve been in South Africa. She herself baked me rusk (kind of a biscotti sort of thing), that should be dipped in coffee or tea. She also said I must taste koeksusters (really, really sweet pastry, coated in a sticky sweet syrup), melktert (custard like pie), biltong and droe wors (both similar to our jerky). I bought enough to bring back to the guest house to share with the other PCVs that are here, so that they didn’t miss out on the experience either. It was a fun taste testing.

I took walks while in Pretoria and frequently ended up at a shopping center. Now granted I love food and I like to cook, so this isn’t really as weird as you may think, but I frequently wander into a grocery store. In South Africa, the big supermarkets chains are, “Checkers”, “Pick & Pay” and “Spar”. Once there I can walk the aisles, pushing a trolley (shopping cart), puzzle over unfamiliar junk food and focus on the creative labels of items I found. So how does the South African deal with household pests? What flavors of ice cream do they have? And, since all supermarkets are fairly predictable, having aisles, trolleys and checkouts, it is a pretty stress-free walk-about and people just leave you alone to wander and shop. It gives you wonderful insight into the lives and homes of the locals you are visiting. If you’ve never done this before, give it a try….. it’s fun!! Here is a little test for you – can you guess at what food this is -- assorted luncheon loaves, soft citrus, polony, mince, biscuits, orange squash, loaf cake, chocolate slabs.

I visited one morning with another guest here at the House and he told me about the ostrich ranches near his home. You know how you’ve seen herds of cattle grazing in the fields, well he says here in South Africa they have herds of ostriches. He says the ostrich is one of the few birds that almost every part of the bird is used. The meat is eaten, feathers are used for decorations, the hide makes beautiful leather goods and even the toes are used for key chains and gadgets of other sorts.

D (decision) day is here and it has been decided that I will return to Morocco probably on Tuesday of next week (May 16th). No, the knee is not pain free, but soft tissue is so slow to heal, it may be months before it actually feels almost normal. With osteoarthritis, it may never be totally pain free and a knee replacement is probably in the cards down the line. Yes, this may accelerate the need for a replacement some, but we'll never know how much and does it really matter? The PC doctors really seem to want me to return to Morocco and advised me to continue to take it easy for a while. If the knee begins to hurt more, then I will just have them medically separate me from PC at a later time. So, I will return to Morocco, lay low in my apartment for a while and continue to rest the knee and before I know it, it will be November and officially time for me to return to the states. I think I really thought I would return to the States and can't decide if I'm disappointed or excited about this decision, but guess I'm okay with this and just hope the knee continues to improve. I don't think I'll unpack. I'll just sort of live out the remaining time in Morocco in a half-packed mode.

Whew….. this ended up being a really long update. My next note to be written in mid-June will be from Morocco once again. Stay healthy, be happy and take care of yourself and those you love. Hugs, Linda