All About October

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.

11/9/10 Well Elaine, my hitch-hiking friend from years long past, has come and gone. She arrived on October 15th and returned home on the 26th. We did a fast trek around Morocco (my village, Marrakech, Meknes, Volubillis, and Fes), and even fit in a camel ride and a camp-out in the Sahara in the MHamid area. I’ve asked Elaine to write a short note telling you of her impressions and about the trip since I thought you might enjoy this. Below is what she wrote:

“I still am on a high from the trip. Thank you very much for everything you did. Your knowledge of the country, customs, etc. was very helpful. And, your making all the hotel reservations and knowing how to get from city to city was stress free. I REALLY had a great time. Hope you did as well.

What can I say to summarize such a memorable experience - the Mococcan people are so warm and hospitable, the country and history interesting, the weather perfect, the food delicious, and the trip was priceless. Everyone we met and every place we visited has it's own story and rememberances. What a great vacation! What a memorable experience! What an unforgetable adventure!”


We had a good time together and it was sad to see her leave, but I was ready to head home and stay put for a while. Traveling in Morocco is exhausting. Nothing is particularly easy and you can never be sure of the transport, so it’s always a worry of sorts. Carrying the heavy backpack and an additional bag or two is a challenge at times too. But it was an enjoyable trip and we all lived through it. Now another trip is planned and it’s exciting news -- just last week the plans for my son, Chris’s visit were finalized. He will leave Chicago on February 25th and fly to Madrid. Spend a few days there and then come into Marrakech. He’ll then return to Madrid from Tangiers and then back to Chicago on March 13th. I have quite an itinerary planned and he’ll return tired, not rested, I’m afraid, but he’s young so he can do! I am so excited for his visit, I could jump up and down, but that hurts my knee, so I won’t. I can’t wait to show him off and there are so many people I want him to meet.

Speaking of my knee. The PC doctors seem to think it is tendonitis, not a torn meniscus, which is good news indeed. X-rays were done, and although I’m not entirely convinced this is the best diagnostic tool available, we will go with this diagnosis for now. I was instructed to rest the knee as much as possible. Well, since Elaine was soon to arrive, not possible to do so immediately, but once back to my site on the afternoon of the 26th, I have been doing so as much as possible. I am happy to report that my knee definitely feels better. Not 100% mind you, and I can make it hurt, but as long as I just walk and don’t twist and turn while doing so, it’s okay. I will continue to be kind to my knee whenever possible and hopefully it will be back to normal soon.

One of my greatest pleasures of late is having my morning coffee on my rooftop. I love crisp, cool mornings and they are definitely that, but oh so pleasant. I’m a natural early-riser, so I am usually up there before some of my community is out and about. It is great fun to watch my village wake-up. I have one neighbor lady that has obviously observed me up there. She almost always comes to her rooftop, just to say good morning to me I think since I never see her do anything while there, other than to greet me and then she returns downstairs to her home. I love it. School children walk to school past my home and now look up to wave and say good morning too. Cows have been milked and the couple of liters of milk that they got this morning are walked down to the street, to be picked up and processed. They are paid 5dirham for about a liter and a half of milk (8 dirham equals $1). I like it that most people look up to see if I’m there now and then they greet me.

This morning as I was looking up, about 25 sheep magically appeared at the tip-top of a hill near me looking for grass to eat. A woman was out with them. Pretty slim pickins in these hills, but most seem to survive. We are dry and rocky and overgrazed. Few trees since most have been cut and have not replanted. Lots of barren hills can be seen here. Speaking of the sheep and this woman. Can you imagine being a herder? A person (sometimes a man, but usually a woman) will take animals out each day looking for something for them to eat. They will sit all day and watch their animals. They don’t read, knit or do anything other than watch their animals. Sometimes they meet up with another person also herding and they’ll have a conversation, but generally they are alone. What are they thinking about? Do they want a different life or are they satisfied? A very different world from what we live in for sure. I always visualize Heidi running over the hill yelling “Grandfather, Grandfather” when I see this. Can’t you just see it in the movie now?

Most days are sunny with bright blue skies. A light jacket usually feels good. I don’t know what the temperature is? Elaine brought me a thermometer, but since it hasn’t moved off of 60 degrees, I am a bit suspicious of it. When the wind blows – it howls and makes me shiver to just hear it. My apartment is a bit drafty, the wind coming in under my door can raise the mat under my white plastic table eight inches or so. I’m thinking I need to stuff that crack with something, but what do I do about the edges and top? The leaves of the trees are changing colors, but nothing as vibrant and beautiful as Michigan’s colors can be. Lately, the sound of men yelling commands to their donkeys fill the air. One man has worked with his two donkeys all day today, tilling first this spot, then another, then another. The donkeys seem to understand Tashlheet – they are much smarter than I am!!  Soon they will be throwing seeds hither and yon so that they have a spring harvest – a bit of barley, some peas, perhaps some alfalfa?

I find that I love a goat’s face. They look so wise, don’t you think? Now, I know that I loved Dulcie from the minute I set eyes on him – remember my pet goat up at my host family’s house last year? Luckily he has remained a bit scrawny, so he’s not been eaten yet, and hopefully they won’t do so until after I’ve left next year. Lately, some goats have been tied out near my apartment to graze. When I go up to my rooftop to wash/hang clothes, do whatever, they all stop and look at me. I’m guessing they are wondering what is that thing with the light colored hair? They could win a stare-down, hands down. I’m as fascinated with them as they are with me. Have I been here too long – here I am thinking about a goat’s face?

Speaking of faces – would you check out this puppy. Angelica, a volunteer in a nearby village, decided that she would adopt a puppy. This little guy was one of six, and unfortunately the other five are now all dead. Originally the puppy was named Waldo, but we’ve since learned that a new name was in order – so Lily Luna it now is. I get the opportunity to babysit this week since Angelica needs to go to Rabat. I’m betting I’ll be ready for the puppy to head home, but I’m very excited now about the prospect of having this little gal visit for a few days.

Two National Geographic groups came to visit in October and this time they visited a home in Anna’s village. Unfortunately, one group came while Elaine was here, and even though we hitched a ride from Marrakech to my village with them, and we had the chance to visit while on the bus, the visit was short. Both groups again enjoyed the opportunity to experience a real Berber home. We only wish we had a bit more time to show them the communities we live in as well.

Here is a picture of Nadia taken at the baby’s center. Moroccan women seldom use hot pads or spatulas for that matter. I cringe every time I see them pick up something hot with their fingers. Can you do this? We’ve had over a hundred babies stay in our baby’s center since it opened in March. Not bad I’d say for a small community. Water continues to be a problem though. Sometimes we have it and sometimes we don’t. Unfortunately, the western toilets and shower that we have, have never been used since the water supply is so sporadic. I went with my counterpart this summer into Ouarzazate to talk with some officials about this, but so far nothing has been done to fix the problem. We are still waiting for our first customer at the restaurant – remember we opened in late March. But in a way, that’s not all bad. Water is also an issue here too and the western toilet has never worked. Think it needs a new bottom seal and perhaps a tank too, but first we need water on a dependable basis. Of course, the parking lot needs to be finished so that a car can drive in too. We have work to do for sure.

I think I mentioned that the teachers we had last year at the association decided to not return this year. So unfortunately, the non-formal education classes and the embroidery/sewing classes are not being offered. We have a very usable association building, but it is seldom open since there are no teachers. Sad to see because there are young women who used to use this facility. I have sent the word out this past week though that the young women should meet me this coming week there and we’ll do pilates together. They’ll be able to follow along with me and we’ll have some laughs. Should be fun.

I’ve spent some time at the primary school this past month. I delivered a new trash can with cover to each of the classrooms and talked with the students about how bad littering was for the community and environment. I always get a little theatrical in my presentation and they all laugh and think I’m a bit nuts. Hopefully they get my point though. I try to spend an hour each day picking up trash in my town. Unfortunately, I have to then burn it since I don’t have any other way to dispose of it, and I know that this is not the best thing possible for the environment either, but it’s the best choice I have at the moment. Anna (sort of my site mate) and I take our bottles and cans into Ouarzazate with us when we go since they have a garbage pickup and landfill there. Again I know its not the best solution, but we have to start somewhere.

I also took a basket of cleaning supplies to the school. The kids were most fascinated by the things I had in it. I then explained that I was going to clean their bathrooms for them since they were filthy. I did have teachers and some students offer to help, but I said “no, this time I will do it and show you just how clean they can be”. I then suggested to the teachers that they set up a schedule for the older students to take turns and be responsible for keeping them clean in the future. I must stop by this week and see how they look. In their basket there were soap dishes with soap. I need to return and give them a hand-washing demonstration soon. I’m told that using glitter is the most effective way to show the importance of washing hands. You pour glitter all over your hands and then touch and shake hands with others. Obviously, the glitter spreads from one person to another, just like germs do. Usually if the children can see this, it makes a bigger impression on how easily germs are spread and the importance of washing one’s hands with soap. First, I need to find some glitter though. There must be some in Morocco somewhere?????

The front door to my apartment building was rather scratched and boring so I asked the landlord if he would mind if I painted it. Since I had a bit of paint left over from the world map project and it is enamel paint, I painted my door with it. What do you think? Isn’t it fun? Looks very Moroccan to me and I love it.

One of my favorite times of the year is coming up - Thanksgiving. You’ll all soon be gathering with family/friends and eating turkey with all the trimmings. We all have so much to be grateful for. Take a few minutes and reflect on the many blessings you have. I’ve invited four volunteers that live relatively near me to come share Thanksgiving with me. Uncertain if they will all be able to come and I haven’t promised them a meal like gma/mom would prepare at home, but I hope I can give them some of their familiar things. My oven is too small to roast a turkey, but since I’m not aware of where I could buy turkey anyways, I’ll just bake some chicken pieces. I’ve never seen a pumpkin here, but thinking a squash pie could be close???? Regardless of what I serve, it will be fun to share the day with friends and I am looking forward to it.

Remember last year when I wrote about the killing of the sheep? Eid El Kebir will soon be here again this year and family and friends will be gathering and celebrating together. Hopefully I will join my host family for a meal or two during this time, but must admit that I won’t miss eating sheep for breakfast, lunch and dinner for days or until the sheep is gone.

Towards the end of the month, I will be heading into Marrakech to help out at a craft fair there that PC helps organize. The artisans that we work with are invited to bring their wares to sell them. Unfortunately, the cheese from my association is not conducive to this selling practice (transport, refrigeration, etc.), but we have forty artisana’s participating. It is a wonderful way to see what others are doing and for them to make some money too. I will then head directly from there into Rabat where those of us that arrived in Morocco a year ago will have mid-service medicals. I was sworn in almost a year ago – unbelievable.

I hope you continue to enjoy reading these blog updates. I like writing them and it does seem a good way to share my experiences with you. Sometimes I go on and on though so I’m trying to be conscious of that and make this a bit more concise. It is kind of like when you get me talking. You know how difficult it can be to shut me up. I wish you all a nice Thanksgiving holiday. Many of you will be traveling and I also wish you Trek Salam (safe travels). Until I write again – stay healthy and take care of yourselves. Hugs to you all, Linda

All About September

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.

10/3/10 The weather is changing and fall is here, I’m afraid. Days are probably in the 70’s, but nights are now cool. I have permanently added that second blanket to my bed. Although, if I would close some windows at night it might not be necessary. Anyone knowing me well knows how much I love my windows open so they will get a chuckle out of this comment!! I can’t say that I am looking forward to winter’s cold and snow, and I’m hoping it stays away for a few more months. If I remember right, it didn’t get downright cold here until January. Please let this year be the same since I remember it to be quite miserable. I actually like the snow, but then again, I have a nice, warm house to live in when I am in the states and that makes all the difference in the world!

While working on the world map I woke up one morning to right knee pain. I thought I wrenched it, but didn't remember a specific incident. I did all the right things for it i.e., iced it, wrapped it, elevated it and took ibuprofen whenever possible. Obviously, I had the map to finish and I had the trip to Zimbabwe planned - both of which were probably hard on the knee. Well the knee still isn't better, although no worse I think. I am fearful that I might have a torn meniscus. I’ve read that it can sometimes heal itself and I’m hoping for that if, in fact, this is my problem (self-diagnosing can be dangerous  ). I know that the surgery itself is easy, but the recup/recovery time is what worries me. I don't live in a place where the walking is easy or conducive to good healing. PC will give me 45 days to fully recover, otherwise, they will medically separate me and I will be done with PC. Unfortunately, I know of a young(er) woman who went through this and was discharged. I debated whether I should just try to live with it as it is, but I hate to cause more or permanent damage to the knee, so I do have an appointment to see the doctors this week while I am in Rabat for a committee meeting. Let's hope the knee recovers in the meantime and the appointment is not necessary. Otherwise, I’m feeling great and doing well.

Despite long delays, missed flights and rescheduled itineraries, I am safely home in Morocco. I traveled to Zimbabwe from Casablanca via Frankfort, Germany; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then into Harare, Zimbabwe. The trip home was a bit different since I left Harare, Zimbabwe about six hours later than planned. This return trip took me to Lusaka, Zambia; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Cairo, Egypt and then into Casablanca. I arrived home around noon on Friday, September 24th after traveling since Wednesday. Of course, not actually having rested in a bed for two nights, my legs/ankles looked like they belonged to an elephant and I was ever so thankful to be home again. I had a great time visiting Kudzie (the last student I hosted while still at K) and her family. They were kind, gracious hosts to me and I had the opportunity to view Zimbabwe through the eyes of black people who live there. I was the first white person to stay in their homes. My thanks to Kudzie, Patience, Anne, Sipho, Jean, Francis, Keanne, Chamichael, Steve, Millicent, Mpo, Thembi, Tinashe, Kudzai and Dominic for being the wonderful people they are. As is the Zimbabwean way, families take an active role in the lives of their family members. It was often said that Kudzie has four moms (real mom, two aunts and me), note the picture of us. I also had the opportunity to see Sydney, who studied at K in 2006-2007. I feel like I know Sydney fairly well too since he and Ayane & Naomi (two Japanese girls) spent the Christmas holiday with me and my family that year. Sydney is doing well and about to graduate from grad school. I think I represented the USA in a positive manner and hopefully changed some of their neighbors and friends' perception of us in some small way. I was continually impressed with the importance they place on literacy, and education, for that matter. And, I can say that most people in Zimbabwe have beautiful white teeth. I am told that Colgate did a big campaign there some years ago where they stressed the importance of good oral hygiene. It seems to have made a big impression on them and most brush faithfully.

I want to go back to the topic of education at this point. Ironic timing, but I was just forwarded an article from a friend referring to continuing adult education while I was in Zimbabwe. In part it reads:

“It may surprise people why the literacy rate in Zimbabwe is so high (to date the highest in Africa,
according to UNDP reckoning) despite the economic challenges the country is facing. The secret
lies exactly in the underlying message of the article under discussion. Women have dominated
literacy classes over the years following the launch of the literacy campaign in the early 1980s.
There has been a multiplier effect in the sense that women, being closer to the children, have
assisted children with their home work and this has led to better performance by the children in
schools. With better performance in formal education, literacy rates remain high as less people
relapse into illiteracy. Literate mothers pass on literate tendencies to their children and neighbours,
consciously or unconsciously.

The challenge with achieving high literacy rate is that the citizens continue to demand more and
Zimbabwe is now grappling with providing continuing education for adults who have acquired
literacy skills. Open and Distance Learning (ODL) remains the best option for accommodating
women in developing countries where a lot of delivery in the provision of continuing education
is needed. Of course in developing countries choices are limited because of resource constraint
as priority tends to be given to formal education for the school-age children.”

I guess I didn’t imagine it – it’s real!!! Obviously, I can only really compare Morocco’s education as it is my rural village. Unfortunately I have found that most women my age are illiterate. Many 20-30 years younger than me are illiterate. Those younger than that typically have a 6th grade education since we have a primary school here that allows them to attend until then. I’m told that 50% of the boys and maybe 10% of the girls will go on after 6th grade but they have to travel to the next village which is twelve kilometers away and a taxi ride of 5 dirham each way. Just too much money for most of these folks to bear. Students going on can attend three more grades here and then they will have to go away to a boarding school, at least 1.5 hours away for high school. Few will do this. But there is hope. I also just read an article re Morocco. As reported in the “Global Arab Network”, “Education – Key Development Issue for Morocco. Getting — and keeping — boys and girls in school, particularly in underprivileged areas, is a key development priority for the Government of Morocco. The World Bank is assisting in this effort advising on the design and implementation of targeted cash transfer programs, as well as by evaluating results to facilitate optimal scale-up in the future

However, in rural areas only 40 to 50 percent of first graders actually complete the six years of primary school, with significantly smaller rates for girls. The baseline value of school drop-out was 23 percent per school sector on average in school years 1-5. The government’s CCT pilot program target value is 16 percent or lower in beneficiary school sectors. 73% of the sampled household heads cannot read or write, as well as 95% of their spouses.”

I truly hope that Morocco is serious about this and that improvements are made to educating our youth. They are obviously the key to Morocco’s growth and future.

Back to Zimbabwe -- being one of the few whites in the group I was with, we found that we received some preferential treatment and we had great fun and many laughs because of it. They began calling me the “diplomat”. A few of the things that happened – we were in a shopping center and wanted to use the restroom. The door itself was locked but we were let in. When someone else wanted to use the restroom, they were told that it was only for staff use. When asked why we were there they were told that it was because of the white person. We were also charged less for taxi rides than usual. I would have thought they would have gouged us since a white person was along, but no they charged less – go figure? Also while in a taxi we were stopped by the police for a routine check. The taxi driver told the police that I had an important meeting to attend – they waved us through and let us be on our way. Too funny!!

Kudzie graduated with an agriculture degree, with emphasis on animals from Africa University in Mutare and we had the opportunity to visit. It is a college for all of Africa and luckily it was put in Zimbabwe. It was developed on an American model and I felt like I was walking on any campus back in the states. It is a beautiful campus and note the picture taken in the library. As Kudzie and I were about to travel there one day, she told me we were going to hi-jack a ride. I’m thinking – this is a criminal action, I think I could go to jail for this…. Not so sure it is a good idea. Well, she really meant hitch-hike. Just a little bit different and heck, I was once good at this! Not sure if being white helped or not, but we usually got a ride without any problem. I found that many people hitch-hike, including Kudzie’s mom, named Patience, a 45 year old woman. The only big difference is that people pay for their ride. Granted they probably pay a bit less than they would pay for the bus, but they pay nevertheless. We ended up doing a lot of hi-jacking during my stay.

Zimbabwe began using the American dollar as its currency in 2008, I think. Got to tell you though – the money is filthy. Do we send them the stuff that is almost beyond recognition? Luckily, the country has stabilized a great deal in the last few years, thank goodness. Most stores now have items on their shelves and those stores that don’t are in the process of stocking them. Since I’ve been away a year already, my memory of US cost for goods might not be correct, but first impression was that many items were selling for about the same as we would pay for them in the States, yet they earn much less. I brought home a few billion, trillion dollars from the old Zimbabwe days with me to share with my family and friends. You too can be a millionaire!!

Raising chickens seems to be a good thing to do. You don’t need to live in the country to do this since today’s chickens are kept in rather confined quarters. For the investment of $1 a peep, you can feed 100 of them for around $105 for six weeks. Granted the first two weeks require rather intensive care, but in six weeks you can turn around and sell them for around $6 a chicken and then you can begin again with the next batch. Hmmmm Speaking of chickens – Kudzie just began a job with one of the chicken producers in the country. She is in a one-year management training program. In fact, her boyfriend, Dominic, just began the same job with the same company. How convenient is that? They will earn $350 per month, be provided one chicken and 2.5 dozen of eggs per week and a place to live for free (not together, mind you). They began their jobs just before I left and their first impression is good. They both still hope to go to grad school in a year though and thought the job experience would ultimately help them do that.

While visiting Kudzie I had the opportunity to meet and stay with her two aunts and their families. Because of UK’s rule for so many years, Zimbabwe is very modern and westernized be it their furniture & homes, western toilets, and eating habits in general. I will post a picture or two of their homes so that you can see what I am talking about. I felt completely at home with my newfound family. The comment was frequently made that Kudzie has four moms (note picture). What a lucky girl she is! Funny though, as developed as they are they lose electricity and water several times a day, even in the capital city of Harare. It would frustrate the heck out of me, but they are accustomed to it and roll with it well. It is usually cut around 6a and comes back on around 10a and then again they lose it around 5:30p and it comes back on around 9p or so. Could they pick more inconvenient times? Most homes have a generator and their own water storing system. Patience generally cooks dinner around 5p and then keeps it warm in a thermal container until it’s time to eat. Otherwise, they build a fire to cook – everyone has a place to do this in their yard. Makes having a refrigerator a bit challenging too and Patience elects to have a freezer instead, since it holds the cold longer. Patience does have a generator, but hates using it because of the noise, so frequently just makes do. The country really must do something about their utility problems if they want industry and businesses to grow.

In this regard – Morocco is thinking ahead. Note: USA (Washington) - Morocco is well positioned to become North Africa's leading provider of renewable energy, especially solar-thermal power, the US magazine Newsweek wrote.

"A year and a half ago, the country shifted gears and turned to a resource that exists in abundance across the region: the sun," underlined the Newsweek, which is one of the largest weekly magazine in the U.S.

The magazine recalled HM King Mohammed VI's decision to make the development of alternative energy one of Morocco's "top priorities", putting a legal framework in place to encourage European investment.

In this regard, the magazine said that Morocco is privileged by its Sahara and geography, noting that "what distinguishes the country from its desert-dwelling neighbors is its close proximity to Spain."

Ooops, sorry I digress. Okay, now back to Zimbabwe again. I’ve made lots of silly one line notes to myself and think I’ll just give them to you with a bit of an explanation where possible. They will not be in any particular order or even grouped together. Hope you can make some sort of sense of them.

• Shona is the traditional language spoken where I visited. Ndebele is the other prominent one in the country. All children in school learn English.
• Most homes have high fenced yards. Most homes also have a dog or two or three. They are not necessarily treated as pets, but they appear to be well taken care of and are there for security purposes.
• Zimbabwe does not have a national television network. Most of their news is from South Africa.
• Patience frequently referred to “Fong Kong” and “Jing Jong” as the cheap junk imported from China. She said that they might make some good quality products, but unfortunately, most of what is imported to Zimbabwe was not worth bringing home since it wouldn’t last.
• A maid makes about $4 a day and most homes have one, plus a garden guy (I don’t know what he makes).
• Sadza is probably their national dish. Kenya has ugali which is similar. Kind of reminded me of cream of wheat, although it is cooked a bit more solid and then it is balled up and used as a scoop for the other food items being served. Silverware is not usually used when eating this dish.
• Covo is a green vegetable, kind of like spinach, but a bit more tough. Every garden grows it.
• Zimbabwe’s Big Five -- the lion, the elephant, the cape buffalo, the rhino and the leopard.
• A ngorzi is a revenging spirit (now why did I write this down?)
• White sliced bread in plastic wrap (Wonder Bread equivalent). I didn’t see anyone make homemade bread like they do here in Morocco. Everyone eats generally 5-6 slices per meal.
• 2008 – climax of country’s crisis.
• Food take away --- take out food
• A red rose near the gate (or the place where you enter a yard) is a sign of welcome.
• Most everyone starts off the morning with a bowl of corn flakes.
• When setting up a community, it should have a butcher, a grocer, a grinder and a bottle shop (well duh!)
• Mazvita means Thank You
• Clapping cupped hands means many good things – like welcome, it’s great, I’m happy, etc.
• Families have a clan name in addition to their given family name. While in the market, one vendor gave me a hippo as a present. It was decided that Schubel’s clan name is “hippo”. This means we have a connection to water and basically that I shouldn’t eat things from the water. Sorry, but I can’t abide by that one.
• Zimbabwe has a public primary school every 10 kilometers and a health clinic every 12 kilometers. I had the good fortune of visiting many schools since Patience was once a teacher herself and Kudzie has brothers, nieces and nephews in schools and we visited many of them.
• One of Kudzie’s aunts is a head mistress at a public school for girls aged 12-18. She earns $200/month. She has advanced degrees from universities.
• Zimbabwe has the saying – Why worry or hurry. Africa is ahead of London (or Greenwich).
• Avocados were plentiful and I made Chris’s recipe for guacamole for each household I stayed in. They loved tasting a Mexican dish.
• While waiting for transport on Sunday afternoon, I observed many young men imbibing on beer and ??? Drinking in public seems to be accepted. Unfortunately, most had had too much and they were hanging in our vehicle’s window wanting to chat with the white. Had I been alone or traveling at a different hour, I would not have been comfortable. Made me appreciate Morocco’s view on drinking in general (not to say that it’s not being done), but I have never really been in this situation and felt unsafe in Morocco.
• Olives and almonds were a new taste for them. I shared some of Morocco’s fares with them.
• I made Berber eggs for Patience and Kudzie. Ymmm, maybe I’ll make some for you?
• OMG – they have “Curves” in Zimbabwe. Harare is the first city to have one in their country.
• They are building HUGE houses in Zimbabwe. Interesting thing is that mortgages are not available. They must have cash for everything they do, so it is a slow process – little by little and eventually it is complete.
• And finally -- a sundowner is a cocktail that you enjoy as the sun is going down. A lady I met at the airport shared this one with me. I like it ….. “sundowner”. Think I’ll adopt this saying!

One day while staying near Rusape with Patience, I had the good fortune of meeting David. He drove us around in his pick-up for a good portion of the morning. David is a retired school head master. David is an environmentalist/naturalist/everything good you can think of. He has developed a conference center where he has hosted groups from Europe, UK and other parts of Africa. I can’t remember if any American groups were part of this? The topic discussed is the environment and how to preserve it. His center is built around natural rocks and uses natural building products. Each individual sleeping quarters building is a bit different in its construction. I can’t begin to express how impressed I was with this man and what he has accomplished. He has greenhouses and Patience herself is becoming quite a gardener and environmentalist because of his influence. She has worked with him at the center in the past. David has given each school and health clinic a few fruit/shade trees. His feeling is that if there is someone that is hungry or hot while there, they can always remedy it. Unfortunately, because of the economy being what it is, nothing is happening at this location now. I can only hope that things improve and it can again be utilized since it is a wonderful place. David also stopped at a homestead so that I could see it while we were driving about. There was this old woman there sitting in the kitchen hut. The smoke was pretty thick and David, Patience and I had a hard time breathing. She didn’t seem to notice. I’ve posted a picture of her for you to see.

Well, I doubt that I’ve told you everything, but you are likely getting tired of reading. It was a wonderful trip and experience. Again, I am grateful for this opportunity to visit Zimbabwe.

I am back at my site, school is in session and I’ve been there a few times already. We have a new school director and he’d like me to be more involved so I will try to be. I have cleaning supplies for the school bathrooms and I want to go give them a thorough cleaning and then have a talk with the children about the importance of microbes, hygiene, soap, etc. I have toothbrushes and need to do that instruction. As I said earlier, I am off to Rabat early October for a committee meeting but it will take a day of travel to get there and back. National Geographic is coming for two visits in October. Since I had three visits here in my village last spring, it is only fair that we give Anna’s town the same opportunity, so the visits will be there this time. Our association is once again open, but unfortunately we don’t have a teacher for our non-formal education classes or our pre-school. Not sure what the plan is, but it is so unfortunate since there are a number of girls that used this service. I will likely teach some English there soon. Elaine, my hitchhiking buddy from years ago is coming for a visit in mid-October. No we won’t be hitchhiking, but I will be showing her a bit of Morocco via the buses and trains. I can’t wait for her to meet my Moroccan family. They are already planning on us for lunch one day. So in summary – that’s about it.

I remember telling Kudzie when she came to Michigan that each season had it’s own unique smell and that I hoped she would take note of them. She eventually did comment that she did notice the distinction. Gosh, how I love the smell of fall. I hope you’ll enjoy fall’s weather and the last of the warmth for this year. Until I write again – take care. Hugs, Linda

All About 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.

9/5/10 I’ve been home for much of the month since my last writing and it has been wonderful. I’ve had lots of visitors during this time, so no time to get lonely or lazy. And, I’ve had a lot of practice cooking!! Many of my guests came to visit me in the mountains as a means to escape the intense heat where they live, but I’d like to believe they would have come to see me regardless of where I lived . The temperatures here remain pleasant, although there is a change in the air. We almost always get a short thunderstorm in the afternoon now. The rain really doesn’t amount to much and the locals wish for more. For a week or so, I had to add another light blanket to my bed, since the nights really cooled down. Since then, nights remain cool, but one light blanket is perfect and feels good. Can I keep this weather for the entire year - please?

Morocco is now celebrating Ramadan. It has little effect on me, because I’m not observing it, but I am often asked whether I am fasting or not. I would probably score some points if I did, but I can’t imagine going without water for the duration of the day. I am respectful of Moroccans though and I don’t eat or drink in front of them during daylight hours. I have been invited by many people to come join them at 7p to break fast with them and their family. Some of these people, I don’t even have a clue as to where they might live. Just another example of how generous and welcoming they are. I did have the funny experience of learning that I had invited someone to my home to break fast. When I later saw this woman and told her that it would not work on the night we had talked about she was rather miffed at me. Why would I invite her and then renig on my invitation? I thought she had invited me!! Luckily a friend of mine who speaks English/Tashlheet was able to get this straightened out for me and hopefully without any hard feelings. Just another example of how my inability to speak the language well gets me into trouble sometimes! Many businesses and restaurants are closed for the month of Ramadan Below is an excerpt from an article I read and it nicely explains Ramadan – I thought you might enjoy it too.

“The holy month of Ramadan, one of the five pillars of Islam, began on August 11 in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar all across the Muslim world. During this holy month, Muslims past the age of puberty must abstain from eating, drinking, smoking or engaging in sexual relations from sunrise to dusk. Elderly people and sick people are exempt from fasting. It celebrates when Muhammad went to the desert, encountered Allah in the form of the archangel Gabriel, and received the scriptures that form the Qur'an. There are about 1 billion Muslims around the world observing Ramadan.

The point of the sacrifice is to become closer to God, to practice self-discipline, and to aid in self-purification. Each evening of Ramadan, the fast is broken after the sunset call to prayer with a meal called the iftar. Harira, a well known soup in Northern African countries, is served as Iftar meal to break the fast after which Lahm Lehlou or “sweet meal” is served as a main meal. Lahm Lehlou is an energy-boosting meal. In some parts of Morocco, usually in the South, the daylong fast is broken with dates and milk. North Africans, along with most people from the Muslim world, change their habits during the Ramadan. Traditionally, men attend Tarawih Salat special Ramadan prayer sessions at mosques, after which they head home to share tea and Kalb Elouz (sweet cakes) with their family members. Fasters get up before dawn to eat Sahur, a meal that consists of couscous and milk. This traditional Moroccan meal is above all meant to satisfy the energy needs of the Muslim faster before dusk.

In many parts of the world, Ramadan is the most festive time of the year as well as the most solemn time. In places like Cairo, fancy restaurants serve all-you-can eat gourmet iftar buffets, and the city packs a month full of Ramadan nightlife into the calendar — concerts and theater and open-air dancehalls. All of this happens without alcohol, of course.

Ramadan ends exactly one lunar month after it begins, with the sighting of the new moon. It's followed by a three-day feast called Eid al-Fitr, the Celebration of the Breaking of the Fast. People travel to be with their families or take a vacation from work. And everyone eats plenty.”

I hope you learned a bit more about Ramadan by this article. I know I found it informative. I sent a text message to Nadia (she used to live below me and is now living near Errachidia) and asked her how Ramadan was going. She replied: “It’s very hot and we are thirsty every day. At night we keep drinking water and juice, but it’s very good we feel thirsty and hungry so we feel what poor people feel.” Perhaps we should walk in someone else’s shoes for a day or two ourselves?

I played with cheese flavorings again in my kitchen. Since we are in Ramadan and dates are plentiful, I tried adding dates and honey to our cheese, as well as just plain honey. Both were amazingly good. Wish I could remember what one friend named the date and honey -- she thought it was quite heavenly. I made some of this cheese for the association and also made an almond and honey cheese. Yummy also. My counterpart is again seemingly excited about this, and has taken some of each of this cheese to Ouarzazate. Maybe it will go somewhere after all? I also now know of a new cheese store in Ouarzazate. Unfortunately, it has never been open while I was there, but I will not give up!! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they would like to carry our flavored cheese ? Hopefully after Ramadan, businesses will be back to normal and I can actually chat with them.

I’ve been working with young people in my apartment this summer. Sometimes we study English, sometimes we do pilates (thank you Carrie & Rachel for those cassette tapes) and sometimes we work on cleaning our teeth. In the souq (market) they sell these rough textured cleaning mitts to scrub your body with. They are generally used to help slough off those dead skin cells. Some of the teeth I’ve seen are past the point of getting them clean with simple brushing. So I have taken new mitts that I’ve bought and cut them into strips to wrap around your finger. I then give each child some toothpaste and we work tooth by tooth, with this bit of mitt being careful to not hurt the gums. One little girl had deep grooves in her front teeth where stain had collected. No amount of scrubbing would clean those grooves. The only tool I had was from my manicure case so I carefully used this plastic instrument to clean the grooves. What a difference it made (note picture of smiling white teeth). Each child leaves me with a new toothbrush in hand and a small tube of toothpaste, both being donated to me for this purpose. I can only hope they continue to brush the way I’ve demonstrated. Years ago I worked for a dentist. Little did I know that I would be putting this experience to good use at a later date. Generally speaking, brushing is not a priority here and when a tooth problem arises, the solution is to just pull it out. I recently met a fully veiled (not even her eyes were showing) young woman who was visiting family for the summer holiday. Somehow the conversation came around to me and how old I was. “What - 61, we thought you were 39” (now that was nice!!). Then “you’re 61 and you have all your teeth” Obviously I laughed at this comment. Later, when I visited her in her parent’s home and she was unveiled, I saw that she was a 30+ year old woman and she had only a few teeth remaining in her mouth. No wonder she was surprised by this big toothy grin of mine.

Other than several day trips into Ouarzazate, the only trip for any length of time was to town near Anzal (southwest of Ouarzazate) for a regional meeting of the volunteers that are near. I volunteered to plan and buy the food for the meals since, quite honestly, I’ve had far more experience doing this than any of the other volunteers at this meeting. Thirteen of us gathered at a volunteer’s home from Friday to Sunday. The best thing for me personally to come of this meeting was the information re teaching English as a second (or third, or fourth) language. Since I’ve never taught before, they were able to give me some lesson plans, games, etc. to use and the promise to send more via email at a later date. I look forward to implementing some of what I learned. It was also a good opportunity to become better acquainted with those volunteers that live relatively near.

Three volunteers returned home with me to help me paint a world map on one of the walls of our primary school. What a tedious, detail oriented task this was. Luckily all of them had some experience with this task before. Thank goodness!! We have an instructional handbook to work from and PC has maps on walls in all seven continents. Before we could begin we had to determine what size our map would be, of course it depends on the wall size itself. A grid is then drawn on the wall depending on the space available. Each grid is then hand drawn expanding it to the appropriate size. It took us two days to draw the map itself. On the third day we began to paint. They stayed with me for five days and without their help, I would still be working on this. It was not complete when they left, but close. I have since had two other volunteers that live nearby give me hand for a day each and I’ve put time in alone. My part is now complete and the only thing remaining is for the country names to be written in Arabic. One of the local teachers has offered to do this task for me and he is almost finished. I’ve attached pictures of the map throughout the stages. Anyone that has ever painted with me will not be surprised by one of the pictures. Luckily we had mixed plenty of pink paint so we did not run out. I am delighted with the end product and glad that I was able to do this for my community. Many adults and children stopped by while we/I were working. Many wanted to help and I tried to give them a job so that their name could be added to the list of people that helped. This project really cemented me into the community. They saw me throughout the day working in the hot sun and I think they appreciate all my effort and hard work. I used an oil based paint and with any luck this map will remain on the wall 8-10 years. The director of the school and the teachers plan to utilize the map to teach geography to their students, so it will be put to good use too.

Recently I received a text message from Nadia (she lived downstairs last year). Her message said: “I find a man. We will celebrate our engagement in Eid Ilkiber [after Ramadan]. Our wedding in summer inchallah. I’m very happy. He is a good man working in a private school as a teacher & nurseman, in sala eljadida, near Rabat. Thanks God.” I then congratulated her and asked her how they met. She replied: “I meet him by chance. We know his parents. This man came this summer. He said to his parents, I want to get married. They said to him, meet Nadia, she is a good girl. We meet each other, we discuss many things. We realize that we share many points of view. That’s why we decided to get married.” Sounds so simple this way doesn’t it?

This means to marriage is still pretty traditional, but the classic Moroccan ideal of marriage is giving way to modern necessities. Men's pursuit of a soul mate is changing, as are the days of parents choosing the right bride for their sons. A recent article said, "Since feelings are not a major criterion for marriage, I have the right to marry a husband who already has a flat and a nice car, …. Love is essential, but it is built following marriage on the basis of mutual respect, he said. …. If a couple's financial situation is stable, they will have fewer problems. My monthly wage is just 5,000 dirhams. A second income will be necessary to run the household and pay for the children to go to school." Obviously, people here in my village do not earn 5,000 dirhams a month (for a point of reference for you, I earn 2,000 dirhams a month or about $250) and that is about par for what someone with my level of education/experience would earn here.

While working at Kalamazoo College I had a lot of interaction with our international students. Kudzie was the last student I hosted in 2009 while still at K. Kudzie lives in Zimbabwe. She graduated from college this past June. She hopes to go to grad school in the states in January. She and her family really want me to come for a visit while she is still in the country and September is the best time for the visit. I debated long and hard about this and must admit that my travel bug that is usually jumping enthusiastically about going anywhere new, is a bit sluggish and perhaps not as enthused as he should be. But with my son, Chris's encouragement, I've decided to go. As Chris says, when will I ever be on this continent again? I will leave my site on September 10th and head towards Casablanca. I will fly out of there on the 11th and return on the 23rd, late. I hope to be back to my site on the 24th. So, I will be traveling soon and can't even begin to imagine what an adventure it will be. I'm sure I will have tales to tell. Be sure to read my September blog update for details.

As of September 10th, I will have been in Morocco one year. Thinking back to everything I’ve encountered this past year it’s hard to imagine not being here. "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions." Oliver Wendell Holmes. What’s next??? Who know??? Be healthy and happy. Hugs to you all, Linda

August #2

If these pictures load easily, I am attaching three more pictures. Who knows what order they will appear? One is of me and some wedding guests. One is celebrating Hannah's birthday and the other is taken in Essaouria -- Jimi Hendrix's (sp?)song "Castle in the Sand" was inspired by this castle. Enjoy.... Linda

About 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.

8/9/10 How is summer going for you? Hopefully you’re kicking back a bit and enjoying summer’s weather. Most of Morocco is cookin with temperatures 110+. Lucky for me (I can say this now since it’s not winter), I live in the mountains and the temperature has been pleasant and we usually have a breeze blowing. But, I bet you are remembering my whining from the winter months  -- I don’t even want to think about January and February now!! Let’s enjoy the moment.

I thought I might stay put for a while, but once again I boarded the bus  in July - twice. It was for good reason though – a wedding to attend and to celebrate a friend’s birthday. First the wedding – I traveled to Goulmima for the wedding (near Errachidia). I visited there last May with one of the girls (Hafida) that lived below me and it was her sister’s wedding. Getting there was a challenge – I had great plans to just catch the 1:30p local bus (le-kar) since it was direct to Errachidia and I could just get off a stop or two earlier. Well so much for that idea – it was full and didn’t stop. Okay then, plan two. I caught a taxi to Ouarzazate (1.5 hrs). Then a local bus to Tinghir (3 hrs), taxi to Tingdad (1 hr) and then another taxi to Guilmima (.5 hrs). Of course there was a bit of waiting between each and I arrived a bit later than planned, but I made it. I didn’t stay at the house where the wedding celebration was taking place, but instead stayed at Nadia’s house (the other girl that lived downstairs). Goulmima was hot and we slept on the veranda, which was quite nice actually. We had the sound of frogs and ??? to lull us to sleep. Although I learned on the day I left for home that Nadia’s sister had been stung by a scorpion the day before and had had to go to the hospital for treatment. Hmmm, maybe the veranda isn’t that nice? Nadia’s family was welcoming and the wedding celebration was good too. I am personally not a fan of big weddings (yes certainly I have enjoyed some), so personal taste plays into this. Weddings consist of loud music, singing and dancing (mostly this shoulder dance, but they can move their hips too). Tea, cookies and nuts are served around 10p and then around 11:30p-12a they brought out the couscous, chick peas and beef. Followed by the second course of chicken, olives and bread, then followed by the third course of watermelon and cantaloupe (only it is green in color). It all concludes around 2a. The wedding takes place over a three day span, with much of this same menu being served each day. Let me back up a bit -- on the first day of the wedding celebration the bride isn’t seen. She is put in a room, alone, to rest. People visit her in this room from time to time. If she comes out, her face is covered so she cannot be seen. On the second day (which is the day I primarily attended) , she does come out to join the festivities. Family and friends are staying at the wedding house, so the wedding is always happening, but more people come to join the party around 8-9p. Latifa (the tizlit, bride) changed her dress four times (pictures attached) during the evening’s festivities. During the last dress, she had henna applied to her hands and feet. Anwar (the isli, groom) also attended part of the evening, but left before the henna was applied. I am told that the groom and his family were having their own party at their house. I was there for part of day one and two, but I did not attend day three, much to the family’s dismay. It is the day the bride is delivered to the groom around 5p and they are “married”. There is not an actual ceremony, but money has been given to the bride and paperwork has been filed with the local government official. The bride will now live with the groom and his family. In some cases, they might move and live on their own, but that would happen primarily in the cities, not in the villages. Luckily, when I board the bus for home, it is direct to my town (actually heading to Marrakech), so I didn’t have the hassle of changing transports so many times.

We headed to Essaouria (on the Atlantic coast, north of Agadir) to celebrate my friend’s birthday. All travel is on the CTM and it is relatively easy. Buses are close to being on time, tickets are sold for seats (so no standing) and they are usually air conditioned and comfortable. Essaouria is a nice beach town (picture attached), with a great medina area, and a wonderful beach, but it was soooo windy! You really couldn’t enjoy the beach, because you would be sandblasted if you did so. We were told that the wind was exceptionally bad, and not the norm, but the kite boarders and wind surfers were certainly enjoying it, so maybe we were just in the wrong place at this time! Since it was a town for tourists, there were beach bars to enjoy and we found one that offered great lettuce salads for lunch (first lettuce (don’t even think spinach) salad I’ve had since leaving the states), great music was playing and the beer was cold. We took advantage of these amenities and spent some time in this establishment. Camel & horse rides and quad rentals (picture attached) were offered next door to the restaurant (just like home) had we wanted to do this. We elected to be lazy!

I attempted to attend one more wedding. It was in Ouarzazate (so only 1.5 hours away) and I said I would come and spend just one day/night. The bride is the sister of one of the women that works at the baby’s center here in town. I know the bride because we have met on several occasions. I had my landlord’s daughter call (since she speaks English and Tashlheet) the bride’s sister to confirm that they would meet me at the taxi stand (taxiyat). I have no idea where their house is located in Ouarzazate ? It was agreed that someone would meet me between 4-5p. I was there, they were not. I texted and called, but our communication was challenging since Layla (sister of the bride) does not speak English and my Tashlheet truthfully stinks. I waited until 6p and still no one so I boarded the bus for home. Layla did call me while I was on the bus and asked if I could come back the next day. “No, sorry”. I tried this once, not in the mood for a second try. Gotta give me credit for the attempt!

Most Moroccans have a very different concept of time. It is likely someone showed up at the taxiyat at 7p and thought nothing of it. When a time is set to do something, I continually ask “American time” or “Moroccan time”. They laugh, but I’m quite serious. We also have this timing thing now with daylight savings time. Morocco also does it, started in May, but not all people do it, so we have “old time” and “new time” to consider also. It’s crazy!!!

It’s lonely sometimes and I’ve considered a pet, but I’m gone so much and I will leave in 1.5 years – what happens then? Well think that’s been taken care of for me. I would have picked something a big more cuddly, but I have a salamander /gecko living in my house. He moves fast and I only catch glimpses of him, but he seems to like my kitchen (l’kuzina). Not sure how he got in and up here since I live on the second floor, but looks like he’s found a home. I don’t know much about salamanders/gecko’s, but I’ve named him Geek – hope it’s okay he’s living here?

Speaking of living on the second floor -- I now have new neighbors living below me since Hafida and Nadia have moved home to Goulmina. Ummmm, at least eight people, maybe more, living there now – ugh!. It’s not a large apartment – consists of a turn-around bathroom (bit-l’ma), small kitchen and a decent-sized room where they eat, sleep and sit. They are probably not that noisy, but just eight people in and of itself make noise. A couple of the young people speak a little English and on the whole they seem nice enough. One aunt is quite bold though. She came upstairs, knocked on the door and made herself at home, after looking around my sween (nice) apartment. The next day she appears at my door with two pails in her hands and wants hot water to take a bath with. She has seen my hot water heater – so why not? I tell her no, that I have to buy the gas to heat the water, etc. My thinking is that if I do this for one, the next seven will be knocking at my door when they want to bathe. She is not particularly happy with me, but she does go away eventually – without hot water. They also use “my” roof. Yes, I say “my” roof. Nadia and Hafida didn’t use it except for drying laundry and I’ve gotten spoiled. They are making it a bit hard to sun bathe now, although I usually do it when they take their afternoon naps, so it sometimes works out. I’m told that they are only here until after Ramadan ends (mid-September) and that they came from Zagora to escape the heat. I’m looking forward to mid-September and hope the next tenants are less in number.

I’m told that we have one poisonous snake in the area, but I haven’t seen any snakes, so no freaking me out there. We supposedly have a few scorpions, so I should be on the lookout, but this mountainous area is not one they particularly like, so not a big worry. My friends Donna and Hannah have both found scorpions in their apartments, but they live in different areas that I do. As a pre-caution, I now have my shoes standing on-end against the wall, since scorpions like to hide in the dark/seclusion and like the toes of shoes, I also check between the sheets before I crawl into bed at night. Better to be safe than sorry. Since I have screens on my windows now, I am not bothered by flying pests – thank goodness.

I think because of the heat, lots of people are on holiday in the summer months. We have far more people living here in my village (because I am in the mountains and cooler) now than at other times of the year. Transportation is crowded and lots of businesses are closed. Somehow this doesn’t make sense – more people, more business – but what do I know? The association I work with is closed. The baby’s center is open since babies are still being born, the restaurant is open and still waiting for a customer and obviously cheese is still being made, but not much happening. Kids stop by my house and we play dominoes, Uno and Blink. They usually ask for popcorn when they are here. I bake and take plates of goodies to houses and usually I am invited for tea. I visit my host family. Somehow the days are filled? I recently had my host family here for an American summer lunch. I fixed hamburgers (kefta) and bread (no buns available), potato salad and baked beans (well as best as I could replicate them) with fruit salad for dessert. They liked the hamburgs and fruit. The potato salad and beans challenged their taste buds, although they were gracious and kind and tried to eat some. Wonder if they realize that many of their flavors challenge my taste buds too? Doubt it……

Remember I had a group of volunteers doing their training in a nearby town in the spring. Well they have since been sworn in and sent to their own sites. But, they are back in the area and they came for a weekend visit a week ago. Only four remain, one elected to terminate early and has returned home. It was great fun to hear about their sites and their homes. They said that it felt like they were “coming home” when they came to my apartment since I met them early on, they visited me several times when they were near and I probably “spoil” them a bit. It was great fun catching up.

I’ve been asked a number of times – what work do you do? Seems like you are always traveling? I hope you all understand that a lot of this travel is work – cultural exchanges/community relations are also PC goals, as well as the meetings and trainings we have. Yes, my primary assignment is to work with the cheese and saffron association. I have attempted to show them how to make their cheese unique and different by the addition of herbs and spices, and there was some initial excitement about this, but nothing is happening now. Perhaps in the fall, when people can again think about working, we can address this again? But, this association has been up and running for twelve years already. Not sure what I am really supposed to do with them? The person I work with is difficult to say the least and quite honestly, I am uncertain if I will make the recommendation that PC replace me. The PCV before me was young, just out of college and my counterpart ran her in circles and ruled. She made the recommendation that an "older" volunteer be sent to the site -- they sent me. I've had to stand firm and hold my ground. Best thing I have going for me is that I'm 61 (OMG, how did that happen?) and older than she is.

This is and has been quite an adventure and I am so grateful to have this opportunity. Will I make a difference that really lives on after I leave? That remains to be seen. I am curious to see if I will have much of an affect (effect, I can never seem to remember which?) on the business part of this assignment. Can I have an impact on some of the children I cross paths with -- I hope so. If nothing else, perhaps a child or two will wash their hands with soap, cough into their sleeve or will brush their teeth as a result of me being a clown and instructing them how to do it. Regardless, I think I am giving them a good impression of the "American" and hopefully they will think a bit more favorably of us.

Enough already – wake up – it’s over. Til next time – live well, love much and laugh often – Be Happy!!! Hugs to you all, Linda

July #6 (because I missed #5 and have two #4's)

The last one was too easy, can't give up :-)

July #4

If I can get this one to upload, we are calling it good for this month. I have some great pictures I would like to share, but guess we'll have to get together stateside to see them.