October - Ouch!

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.

10/2/11 -- okay stay with me here, my time in Morocco is coming to a close and the blog updates will end. I hope you have enjoyed my blog. I was rereading a bit of it recently and noticed typo's that tend to upset me. Why didn't I proof this better? Oh well..... I have enjoyed writing it and it has been a great way for me to not only record my experience but to share it with you. I've tried to make it informative, educational and yet humorous on occasion. Only a few more writings to go - yeow!

Leaving is obviously bittersweet. It's been an incredible experience and one that I will always cherish. There have been hard, difficult moments too, but luckily we naturally push them to the back of our memory and they will soon fade - kind of like giving birth to a child!! I will leave Morocco on November 15th and fly into Detroit where a friend will meet me. She'll hand me off to my sister after a day or two and I'll then stay in Michigan’s thumb area until after the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll likely travel to Kalamazoo after Thanksgiving for a week or so since I have been negotiating to buy a car from a dealer there. But first, I have to get my driver's license renewed. Darn thing expired while I was here. Since I knew that it would expire I tried to renew it before I came, but the DMV wouldn't let me. Sure hope they don't make me take a written test and/or driving test. I haven't been behind the wheel in over two years now -- what have I forgotten? It’s like riding a bike – right? I'll likely spend the remainder of December between the thumb and Traverse City where one of my brother’s lives and my mom is in a facility up there. From January on, my home base will probably be Kalamazoo, at least for a while.

Many of you have asked me this, so let me write it here. Yes, I still have my home in Portage (Kalamazoo), but I don’t intend to ever live in it again. I will get it listed and on the real estate market as soon as I can upon my return. I know that this is a terrible time to be selling a house, but hopefully someone will see it and fall in love with it as I did – inshallah. Great memories are connected to this home, but the yard and house itself is just more than I want to tackle at this point in my life. Remember, I have been living a very simple life for the past couple of years. I will most likely stay in SW Michigan. South Haven has always been a favorite place of mine, but can I find anything there that I can afford? Time will tell this tale……. I can always be reached at my gmail address while I am in this limbo stage, so I hope you’ll stay in touch.

The group of individuals (staj) that arrived in Morocco together recently met in Rabat for our close of service meetings and medicals. Much of our time was spend discussing the process of transitioning home. We’ve changed, our families have changed, the world has changed. How do we fit in again? It was great fun to see everyone (both small business development and youth development) and to catch up on everyone’s happenings over the past two years. Sadly, I now think I know everyone’s name! Why did it take me this long to do this? In my defense, the total group rarely got together so I didn’t have a lot of opportunities to match names and faces together. I’m sorry to say that we have lost about a third of the group over the past two years for various reasons. I’m attaching a picture of the small business development group – my how we have shrunk (group size, maybe not body size). Although to be fair, two or three individuals that are still with us are missing from this picture. Many younger PCVs will go to graduate school upon our return. Others are hoping to find jobs. We mature PCVs – well most of us don’t know what we are doing!!!! Guess we’ll have to “grow up” and figure this out soon. We have lots of paperwork and reports to do before we leave to sum up our experiences for Peace Corps. The group will leave Morocco on staggered dates, so this was the last time we would gather as a total group. Lots of promises to keep in touch and plans made to see each other again were exchanged.

I now better understand why we stay in-country for the term of two years. Granted, a few volunteers, five to be exact, from my staj have decided to extend their service and stay on for an additional year. I unconsciously, but maybe purposely, did not allow myself to get attached since I knew my time was limited and I would return home eventually. Having the puppies nearby has put me over the top. I’ve now named them for goodness sake (Mutt, Jeff, Shadow, Dipshit, Christopher Columbus and No Name). It comes so natural to stand on my rooftop and yell, “Christopher, don’t do that”. I do give the puppies treats from time to time, but I don’t want them to become dependent on me since I will, in fact, leave soon. I find now after this period of time that I could attach myself to not only the puppies, but people, my village, Morocco in general. It’s time for me to go home!!!

After leaving Rabat, a friend and I traveled north to the Mediterrean coast and to the Spanish (yes I said Spanish) town of Melilla. Melilla is the smaller of the two enclaves that mark the last vestiges of Spain’s African empire. A third of its inhabitants are of Rif Berber origin, as well as significant Jewish and even Hindu minorities. It has an atmosphere all its own, neither European nor African. Very strange indeed to walk through the border patrol and to hear Spanish spoken and euro’s, rather than dirham, as the money tendered. The city’s medieval fortress was built by the Portuguese and later Spaniards during the 16th and 17th century. Right up until the end of the 19th century virtually all of Melilla was contained within these massive defensive walls. Much of it has been restored in recent years. There are caves and tunnels that lead to the cliff face. The Phoenicians first excavated the tunnels; later occupiers took turns enlarging them and they now extend over three levels. Construction of the new part of town began at the end of the 19th century. It is considered by some to be Spain’s second modernist city, after Barcelona.

We traveled east from there to the beach town of Saidia, which marks the limits of the Moroccan coast, as Algeria is it’s bordering neighbor. We enjoyed a few hours of sitting on the beach in the warm sun before moving on to Oujda. Oujda is the largest city in eastern Morocco, although there are few genuine attractions for the traveler. It is the main axis connecting Morocco with the rest of North Africa (the Romans built a road through here). Oujda grew, and then suffered, due to its proximity to the Algerian border. Brisk cross-border trade swelled the local economy, which then crashed on the closure of the Algerian border in 1995. It’s a place to catch your breath before boarding a bus for the long trek south/east to the town of Figuig to visit PCVs’ Jack & Ina.

There’s no mistaking that Figuig is at the end of the road. Note the terrain - we had hours and hours of this scenery to watch before reaching Figuig. Its 200,000 date palms, fed by artesian wells, almost spread into Algeria, just 2km away. Figuig used to be a busy border post between the two countries, as well as a historic way station for pilgrims traveling to Mecca, but now it’s a sleepy town, only laboring into action for the autumn date harvest. Figuig is made up of seven communities, whose main activity in the past was fighting over water resources and grazing rights. Each settlement controls an area of palmeraie (grove of palm trees) and its all-important supply of water. In the past, feuding families would divert the water channels to wash around the foundations of the enemy’s Kasbah, hoping the walls would eventually collapse. Nowadays the blood feuds have ended and Figuig looks fairly modern. There is no passing traffic and you have to make a real effort to get here and life more or less matches the pace of the donkey cart and bicycle. There are numerous paths following the irrigation channels through the palm trees and then suddenly you’re in among a warren of covered passages. As you tunnel between the houses, wonderful, ancient wooden doors are to be found. Figuig is interesting and beautiful. I’m so glad they put a married couple there, since it would be a very lonely site if you were alone. We then proceeded to head home - 20 hours later we were there!!! Exhausted to say the least. Total time for this trip was six days and we saw a lot.. I can now say that I feel I have seen Morocco. Granted there is much middle ground that I have not covered, but when I show you my map of Morocco and the roads I’ve traveled I think you’ll agree.

While I was away my landlord’s daughter tended my wash tubs of flowers and herbs. She too grew tired of having the goats and sheep enjoy the fresh greens. Looks how she remedied the problem. Quite creative I’d say and it works!! I now have blossoms blooming.

I knew that my month of September would involve a lot of travel with little time being spent at my site and I was right. I attended regional meetings after being home only a few days in nearby Ouarzazate. Since Peace Corps is restructuring its volunteer service in Morocco, there is much planning and discussion about the logistics and new procedures. Some of us will leave soon and new volunteers have arrived. It was a getting acquainted and sharing of stories time for all. Building a team takes time and effort. How can we help each other? Since the focus will now be on youth development – there is a transition time to be considered and implemented. Most volunteers serve because they think they have knowledge to share and they want to help developing countries grow into being all that they can be.

I’ve had visits from volunteers passing through in the few days I’ve been at my site this month. Now that my time to leave is near, many think they’d best come now or I will be gone. We always do a walk-about with lots of introductions and hugs/kisses being exchanged. It feels like I know everyone and my name is called out often. The comment is frequently made by those that visit that I will be missed or at least my hugs and kisses will be missed. We visit the school classrooms and students. We visit my favorite people and of course the association and baby’s center. We almost always walk up to my host family’s home and have tea with them. We talk into the wee hours of the night…….

I also did a fast trip to/fro Rabat this month for a Harassment Working Group meeting. This group was formed to better define and distinguish the kinds of harassment volunteers will receive, be it political, religious, ethnic, sexual or otherwise. Coping strategies are discussed to be later used in the trainings given to volunteers when they arrive in country. Being the oldest member of the group I offer a very different perspective. Granted, I truthfully receive very little harassment, if any, primarily because of my age. Damn, does that mean I don’t have it anymore??? Many times though it’s not so different than walking by a construction site in the States and the wolf whistles that ensue or me standing at the door, with a grin from ear to ear enthusiastically inviting people in to see the handicraft we have on display. Granted no one has the right to touch me – that is wrong!! But I still believe the best strategy is to master the art of ignoring them. I do recognize that because we often don’t fully understand the language being spoken, it becomes scary and their body language can be bold/strong. And to receive it day after day…… it often becomes more than one can tolerate. This is when we need to take a “time out” and rejuvenate ourselves. It’s a great working group, with lots of good discussion and even better, some of our suggestions are being implemented.

School is now back in session. The Moroccan government provides books, small chalk boards, pencils, and tablets to each child. A backpack was also given to each 1st grader with the intent that it last them through primary school. This is the 1st grade teacher , Abdellatf, playing the guitar. He takes his job very seriously, but also wants to make it fun. I spent a lot of time with him in his classroom last spring. Don’t these kids look just like any other kid – all excited for that first day of school. I prepared a picture/word CD for each teacher in August, and gave it to them to be used in their classroom. The CD consists of a picture and the English word for it. I have divided it up into categories i.e., fruits/vegetables, colors, clothing, animals, etc. Each teacher can then use this CD to help teach English, French, Arabic or Tashlheet, plus a multitude of other facts and lessons. Luckily, at least one of the teachers has a computer, as well as the school director has one, and the school has a projector. Hopefully the CD will be a useful tool. Unfortunately the new middle school that is being built here in my village is not complete and ready for students this year. Maybe next year?

But, the good news is that my host brother, who graduated from 6th grade last year and was to go to this new school is going to school in the nearby town this year, thanks to his extended family member’s financial help. He boards over in the nearby town from Monday noon through Saturday noon. He is home for the entire day on Sunday. I know my host mom and how hard this must be for her to have him leave his home at only age 12 (although nearing 13 I was told today). But, what they told me is that they hope he will go through middle school, get his Bac degree (high school equivalent) from a school in Ouarzazate and then I keep saying university, university and maybe even in America. Inshallah (God willing) is the response often received. I am soooo pleased since I have been worrying about him just wasting away if further schooling was not available to him. I’m glad his Ouarzazate family came through for him. Hopefully they will do the same for my host sister when the time comes.

I have school projects I want to do before I leave Morocco and much of my remaining time will be spent with the students and teachers. I feel I’ve done and offered about as much assistance to my association as I can, but I will continue to visit with them and if nothing else, we work on the English/Tashlheet language. I have a house of furnishings to dispose of (much of it will be given to folks in my village) and PC paperwork to do. The time will fly by…..

I'm getting really excited about traveling home to the States in the very near future. I can't wait to have a nice chat over a cup of tea or a glass of wine and catch-up on what's new in your lives. Until my next update -- stay healthy and take care. See you soon. Hugs, Linda

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

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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