Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas from afar

Merry Christmas to all.  I am spending the day in my souk town at the cyber cafe waiting for my family to get up and on skype.  Hopefully I will get to see my grandma today!!  It is a beautiful sunny day a little chilly but no snow!  This past week has been great! Got to see some work by the women of my association.  I watched the process of setting up a loom from beginning to end.  Asked a few questions and enjoyed my time with the ladies.  I spend alot of time with my counterpart, the president of the association, and this week she showed me how she brushes out the wool and then spins it.  I attempted each and they look so easy, but they just make it look easy...boy I was entertainment for the crowd.  I set up my house check for next week so if all is clear I move in to my own place next weekend...yippee!!  I must say I enjoy living with a host family but I need to regain control of my hygiene and food!  The women have been doing the final touches in the fields for winter like collecting the last of the almonds, olives and walnuts from the trees.  I took a hike with my little sidekick, Miriam.  We hiked up the mountain behind the house.  Let me tell you she was moving up that mountain but coming down wasn't easy because it is steep and filled with rocks.  Yes, you all know I am a clutz and fell about 3 times! She made sure to tell everyone when we got back how I kept falling, but she fell too, lol!  I took some pictures from atop to show you all a birds-eye view of my village.  I went to souk this week and got 2 big blankets and a real western pillow to sleep on! My host dad took me to souk to get the best deal, which wow he really did help me with the price.  They would have ate me up had I gone by myself and they still probably will when I return for more, unless I go to the same guy.  However, it was fun going with my hostdad to souk.  I attended the stand he must usually go to for all the veggies and he just kept telling my to zayd (continue) and tsh (eat) the oranges.  I took him up on that because the local oranges are so good!  All I ever hear is zayd, tsh!  At each my meal in homestay I am told to zayd, tsh...I alwas have to remind them that I am full, they still insist.  My mom usually is the one to say it, but she has been gone this week so my sister took over. Sometimes I tell them to zayd or tsh back and they get a kick out of it.  The hospitality of Moroccans is beyond belief!  Everytime I go into the living room (shanbray), which is usually at night before dinner, my host brothers are instructed to get me a pillow to put between me and the wall and a blanket because it is asslmid (cold). As far as the rest of my household items...week by week I plan to get the big stuff from souk.  It is a pain getting it up to site but mashi muskil (no worries!) Well here are the pictures...Happy Holidays to all!

 Hello!

So that is my homestay house/compound second from the left.  I wanted to show you all what I meant by compounds. Also this is the beginning/bottom of my village.

This is the center of my village.  I will hopefully soon be living in the area towards the right edge of pic. 

This pic overlaps but that is the end/top of my village.

And these are the fields that are the livelihood of my village.  It is how the families make a living along with there livestock.  The trees are just branches now but come spring the roses, fruit and nut trees will be in full bloom and I can not wait to see it!

Here is Miriam...I let the cat out of the sack...she knows I have a camera and she always ask about it. She is the grandaughter of my counterpart.

Yes I look crazy but it is the third week without my hair being washed and probably five days without a bucket bath...again I am excited to live on my own for that main reason! Plus there is no Hammam in my village I have to go to Kelaa which is not easy carrying my bucket and stool on an always filled transit van.  However, the woman of my village make a homemade hammam out of a peice of tarp outside in the sun, I may try that out next week.  A hammam is the public bath houses found in Morocco.  They are nice and relaxing, well depending if they are crowded.  They consist of three rooms, hot/steamy, hot, warm. You start in the steam one until you can't stand it anymore and then work your way back to the beginning when your done.  Each visit consist of about 2 hours...it is a social gathering, literally!

So that is my counterpart, Moohou.  She didn't want a picture but wanted me to take one of her prized new calf.  She is so awesome.  I'll get you all a pic when she is "dressed and prepared." Pics are big events for these women because they are a very rare ocassion as to no one has a camera in the village, and many rarely ever leave the village.

This is out front of my house....wow what a view!  That is my hostdad's sister Zara and their other sister's son Rachid.

That is my hostdad's other sister, Fatima, I don't think she ever had any children...she didn't want the picture but Miriam was picture happy so I thought I would show you all.  These sisters in the pictures still live in the home of the brother. In Morocco, this is usually because they have never been married or they lost their husbands.

That is Khadija, the mother of Miriam, and we are at the place of my counterpart. Again, you can see we are outside and Miriam is taking the picture from the entrance of the izgri (traditional kitchen).

This is the traditional kitchen.  That is couscous (sksu) being prepared for dinner and the other oven (affran) is where they make fresh bread every morning, which is dangerously good with zit or fresh made butter!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

So it has been 3 months…time is flying

Each day sure brings something new and unexpected.  I have been enjoying life day in and day out.  I possibly found my new home and it is perfect!! There is plenty of room for visitors so if anyone feels adventurous come on over.  My days are not very productive workwise, however they are rather eventful.   I took a walk up the road to see what is up the mountains and I got invited in for tea by a sweet young girl.  At first I told her when I return but of course she insisted, the moroccan way,  they do not know what no is.  Anyways I don’t know what I was thinking I need to take advantage of such oppurtinities, so I did.  I met a nice family and they were very proud to show me around their “compound.”  It is much different here then the village where I trained.  Here they live in what I would call compounds.  There are several rooms and “salons/shambrays”, which would be like our living rooms, but to get to each you may walk outside.  I have pictures to give you an idea.  They also showed me there livestock which they are very proud of, this being a sign of wealth.  But anyways, they knew I was exploring and wanted to go up the road further so they sent the little girl to accompany me.  Here name is Hessna and she is9.  Unbeknownst to me, I am sure she told me but I still don’t always understand, we were going to see the family that lives in the caves.  As we are walking off the main road she tells me to pick up rocks, the dogs are shqan(difficult).  At that point I had an idea we were heading to the caves. I had heard before about their dogs and to not go close without a family member.  Sure enough we got to the top of a ridge and she started yelling for the mother and she came to us.  Actually first the grandmother came and she did not take me very well. She then went to get the mother and she came to bring us up to the caves.  The previous volunteer from my site had worked with her so I was not the first foreigner they had seen.  She kept telling me I knew the language but as soon as I didn’t understand what she was saying she reminded me that I did not know the language. Mind you she talked a little different than the people of my village.  But no worries, I keep getting told I don’t know the language, it can be frustrating but at the same time it is motivation!  It is usually simple differences I don’t understand just as foreigners learning english wouldn’t understand.  For example, I am going to school, we might say I’m gonna go to school and someone learning the language may be confused.  I just have to understand their abbreviations/slang  which is coming day by day!  Anyways, back to the caves.  They were actually rather nice, not living much different than the people of my village, I even saw a light bulb hanging from an electric cord, I am curious to know how that works.  We only spent enough time there to have tea, again, so I didn’t get to talk to her about her weaving but I hear she is a good weaver.  Yesterday, the family of my host sister’s soon to be husband came by for lunch and the afternoon so that was quite an event.  I guess they won’t get married until the summer.  Also, my host dad’s parents are in France so they would need to arrange to get here.  So that is something to look forward to, meeting them and being close to the person getting married.  I have attended plenty of weddings and many more to come but I have never been close to either the bride or groom.  I will really get an “inside look” on how they prepare for such events.  Weddings and births are looked upon higher than work in this culture.  I have met more women of the association.  I have not been as productive as I would like with that yet, but it is expected.  Integration is very important  along with building relationships and trust.  However, I already asked my counterpart, the president of the association, to attend a workshop on product quality and she wants to go so I am looking forward to that next month.  Also, the women don’t work in the association no,  they say it is cold because the building is made of cement, not mud!  The little things.  My main concern is motivating these wome,  figuring out what they expect of me and what they want to improve on for themselves.  Day by day, little by little (imik s imik). All is well here…I have met with my tutor again today!  Hope all is well there,  have a Merry Christmas!  I may be back Christmas day for a post because I have a skype date with the fam!  I want to end with a nice quote out of this book my sister, Mollie, sent me over here with.  I suggest this book to many, it is full of simple pleasures and insights. It is called Life’s Little Instruction Book.  “Never give up on what you really want to do. The person with big dreams is more powerful than one with all the facts.” –H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The girl on the left is Hessna, who invited me in for tea...I forget the other girls name. And that is there prized new calf.

This is part of the compound that they keep the livestock.

A view of my village.

If you look closely that is one compound on the edge of that ridge there.

More of my village.

And there is my girl Hessna!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Home at last...

So life has been rather busy lately...I have made it to site, been to Marrakesh and back.  I have attempted to update my blog but my internet time always seems to run short.  I arrived in sight safe and sound and I am so happy to be here.  I left within the first week to travel to Marrakesh for a craft fair being held by the Small Business Development volunteers and their artisans.  Unfortunately my association was not there but that is part of my project...educating them on how to sell products and training them to be able to attend craft fairs and other such events on their own.  That is just a jist of it but to give you an idea of what I am working with.  My association is a group of approximately 30 women who weave as well as make rose water.  As I think I have stated before...I live in what is known as the "Rose Valley" and we will be very busy come spring when they valley begins to bloom! In May there is a Rose Festival every year and we are one of the main suppliers.  I hear it is basically a huge souk with a lot of rose products.  Life is great!  Now that I am back in site each day consist of pure integration.  Meeting people within my community, becoming known in my community, and working on my language.  I am in town today, (out of site, where there is internet), because I met with my tutor.  Thank goodness.  My language is being understood, however I do not understand them because their dialect is way different than what I learned. Mashi Mushkil (no worries). Suprisingly, I am very shy because I am afraid to look silly if I respond incorrectly.  Plus as I tell them I know Tashleheit they excited and start talking, very quickly, then I prove that I don't know it because I can not understand them.  But meeting with my tutor cleared up a lot of confusions already so it should only get better from here.  Just to give you an idea of how I am living I will give a few small experiences that remind me of how different my life is here.  At the craft fair I had a sweet lady tell me to mix lemon, tomato and milk and wash my face with it to get rid of my freckles. It was great because she thought she was helping me.  I told her they were angel kisses and she loved it. But her stance is only knowing that skin should not have any "imperfections" and be clear. People do have freckles here but they are undesired. Another was the night before I was going to Marrakesh I said to my neighbor I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow for my trip, because it had rained all day, and she pointed to the sky and said "it won't, there are stars in the sky", yes she was right.  Or the morning I woke up to go to Kesh it was very early (but it didn't matter because I found out I could not get a taxi out of the mountain until the sun came up anyways) and my mom told me she made me tea instead of coffee because the cow had not been milked yet.  Have I mentioned how much I love it here!  These are just a few stories of a world that is so different than we are used to, but I am really enjoying it, sometimes even more than the world I am accustomed to.  I also experienced men coming to the house to marry my host sister.  She is 19 so it is about that time for her.  It is so different even among villages...alot of times the girls meet the man and are married within a week.  Yes, I even got offered but I told them one day, there is still time, that is the most polite way to say no!! In these small villages there is no such thing as dating!  Again, time is running short and I have to get to the taxi stand before dark to get up into my site about 20K into the mountains!! Here are some pics of my trip to Marrakesh...
In the bus on the way to Marrakesh...those are the High Atlas mountains that I live in...I am in the southern part of them...my mountains are still a strong red clay color the higher you go the lighter they seem to be, in terms of color.

So the ride through the "Tshka" (The High Atlas Mountains) from Ouarzazate to Marrakesh is amazing.  In this pic you can see we are driving through clouds, literally.

Just another view...there are alot of small Berber villages tucked into these mountains but alot of times you cant see them because their homes are made of mud which is the same color as the mountain.  Note...mud homes are much better for temperature control in the bitter cold and blistering heat that Morocco provides.

Another view coming out of the mountains on the north almost to Marrakesh...If you look closely you may see some villages...remember these pics are through a bus window.

Ok ya this is for you mom! I was really excited when I saw Elvis on the wall at an Irish restaraunt in Marrakesh...we were looking deep into eachothers eyes!  For those who don't know, Elvis was my mother's long lost love!

So these are the women of Ait Hamza, the village that I lived in for training.  They were at the craft fair and they have high quality rugs and can basically weave any design from a picture...they are topnotch!

Just some more rugs...to give you an idea of who we are working with as Small Business volunteers.  We also work with metal/woodworkers, date harvesters, cheese producers, cous cous producers, etc.

This is the sweet lady that told me how to get rid of my freckles.  That is my dear friend Anne Marie and her counterpart Rabha.  They are up in the COLD middle atlas mountains...boy they have snow now and it is cold. They produce rugs from all natural wool and dyes.

So this is the square of Marrakesh...boy it is entertaining.  One of my favorites are the snake charmers!

That is the large mosque in Marrakesh.  No other building in Marrakesh is allowed to be higher.

Another shot...these are at sunset.

Oh yea and I saw Keanu Reeves live because we were in Marrakesh during the film festival.  Pretty cool!  My pics with him in it didn't turn out good...blurry...sorry ladies!

One of the vendors in the square for dinner. I told him I was American and he called Barack Obama using a pepper.  Boy, he did a good skit off the top of his head it was funny!  In Marrakesh it is mainly tourist so all of the locals speak many languages and are pure entertainers!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Almost home...

I finally got to see Marrakesh. I got here just after sundown so I did not get the full affect of Marrakesh but it is quite a busy city and full of tourist.  I would say 50/50.  English may even be considered its first language.  But boy I got to wow them which my Tamazight language and the vendors loved me.  It is one thing to know the local Moroccan Arabic but to know the Berber language puts you on another level! You get quite a reaction from the locals and it makes me feel good.  But anyways I will finally be in my site tomorrow, Saturday, and I am ready to get there.  No more showers for a while but that is the least of my worries. In fact my body was used to the once a week bucket bath and having four showers this past week has been quite a shock to my skin, it is so dry!  My experience down here from Rabat was quite a challenge, but it could have been worse and what would Peace Corps be without challenges.  Basically I have 2 large, heavy suitcases, a backpack and an armbag and the train from Rabat was the older model without much if any luggage accomodation so I was stuck standing in the aisle for the first hour with people pissed at me because I was in there way but I had no choice.  However, it could have been worse...and I am only half way...it is a 2 day trip usually from my site to the north, unless I travel after dark, which is not allowed by Peace Corps. I was in Rabat for an extra day after swearing in so I got invited to an American's house for Thanksgiving dinner and I even took pictures.  It was definitely reverse culture shock going in to her house...I didn't even feel like I was in Morocco...I was in suburbia southern Cal.  She was in the Peace Corps in Togo and she now works for the Embassy so she was more than honored to have me over and made me feel welcome as well as completely understood how awkward I felt at first.  I honestly felt so out of place, wearing flipflops, underdressed, just a typical volunteer.  I met some students that are studying Arabic here in Rabat for a year right out of highschool.  It is through the state department...anyone reading and interested let me know.  The oppurtunity is awesome, it is definitely something I wish I had known of leaving hichschool.  But anyway I just wanted to say hi and post some pics of my Thanksgiving dinner that I did not expect to have.  I even had the "Brown n' Serve" rolls and the cranberry sauce from the can with the ridges in it.  Ya the little things...and Stovetop stuffing with a Butterball turkey.  Yes, these came from the commissary which came from America.
Wow am I in Morocco? Multiple plates and glasses, silverware, long table with chairs. 

Wow...melted cheddar cheese!

Oh my my...do you see it all? The cranberry sauce off in the background, pineapple topped with chopped pecans baked over ham, which is extremely rare to come accross in a Muslim country, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes...and the list goes on!

Ok ya I had pumpkin pie...yes you heard me, Pumpkin Pie...she even brought out Breyer's ice cream and Cool Whip...I didn't know how to act, you would have thought I had never seen food before.  Also, a note on those other pies in the back...homemade pear, cherry, strawberry and rasperry all in one and the one was covered in crushed pecans!

Well now that you all think I am absolutely crazy...I am not...just a dose of the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer and I love it!  I am going to bed now because I am getting up early to finish my travels and I hear this ride from Marrakesh to Ouarzazate is intense winding through the High-Atlas mountains so I need to be well rested!  Bslama!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

 So hello all...I am back and the pics are here.  I am still in Rabat because of a dental appointment so I still have internet.  I am now an official volunteer and I feel great!  The ceremony was awesome there were many important, "official" people there. Also, yesterday we had a nice catered lunch that did involve turkey and it was soooo good, they even had ranch dressing! So reality has struck and I am ready to get to site and begin my service.  Next week I am already going to a craft fair to see what the markets are like here in Morocco and the different qualities and designs of products.  My artisans weave and they produce rose water but they are not going to this craft fair. But I still need to go to have a better understanding of the market I will be working in. I am going to run now but I hope to be back soon, hope you enjoy the pics! Also, to my family enjoy some turkey and pumpkin pie for me! Wish I was there with you...Love you all! Also, Congratulations to Maddox on earning his yellow belt and to Leila for moving up a level in gymnastics!


Ok, so this is the morning of Leid Amqran, Kbir, Axtar...it can be called many different things depending on the dialect...but I say Amqran first because that is the dialect they use in my training site.  So that is my dad walking the sheep from the neighbors to our house to prepare for the slaughtering.  In the morning everyone walks around to eachothers houses to wish them happy, "mbruck," Leid. So all morning people were walking around in their new outfits or jellabas, in there best dressed.  Jellabes are the long gown things that men and women wear here. They are expensive and the good ones are "tailor" made. I chose to sit outside and watch all the people passing.  Some other volunteers stayed in their homes and saw how the people literally stop by for a glass of tea and cookie and go on to the next one.  By 10:30am everyone is back to their homes to do the slaughtering.  They all wait for the king to do his slaughter, which is broadcasted on TV, and that is the cue for everyone to do theirs, then the feast is on...
That is my dad on the left holding down the sheep while a "certified" person cutting the throat.  I have heard different takes on this, but only certain people are able to do the actual slitting of the throat and I think it has to do with the religion and if the man is "holy." Also, they can only take 1 slit, 2 if necessary, because the sheep is not to feel any pain. The man next to my father is wearing a jellaba as I mentioned in the previous caption.
As I said, once the King does his slit...it is a cue for the rest and every direction I turned there were sheep and blood.  Yes the village was a river of blood.  Even days later you had to watch where you stepped because many did not clean up their messes.
One of the first steps is skinning them and the tradition is to slit a hole and blow into the sheep to make it easier to skin.  Really sanitary huh? My sanitation basically has no existence at this point...it started to vanish when I arrived in Morocco but I think it is gone now. 
There is my dad's mom helping him with the skinning.  Ya that is the bucket I wash my clothes in! There were times they could have used my help holding a leg but I just couldn't touch raw meat knowing I would only be able to rinse my hands after!
Ok so after the skinning the first thing they do is cut it open and take out the insides and they eat everything!! That is my grandma cleaning out the intestines...yes pushing the poop through.  Not to mention she is using the skewers to do so that you will see in the next pics.
So those are piles of fat you see there preparing to be wrapped around liver.  The liver has just got done being boiled so the house smells pleasant at this point.  They were eating the liver as they wrapped it in the fat on the skewers I pointed out in the past pic. So of course I was offered a piece of the liver, only boiled, and as I started to chew it was so bad I couldn't get it to go down, couldn't chew...needless to say it was stuck in my mouth until I could take a breathe, without puking, and swallow.
That is my sister with the finished product, liver wrapped in fat, ready to be put in the inferno over the fire. The inferno is what is used to heat the room. Also, this was lunch so I tried the liver again thinking the fat would give it a different flavor...no!  So we realized at this point I would only eat meat.  Mind you I was open to try this stuff but I just don't like it.  So they made 3 skewers of "meat" for me...which was really good but I knew it tasted a little off but they promised me it was meat, as my sister sat and chuckled quietly.  Sure enough later I found out it was heart! But it was good and they weren't lying saying it was meat because they consider it as that.
This is the salon room which has not been used since I lived there, besides when my married sister was in town with her mother-in-law and they slept there.  But now it is where the sheep is being stored until it is devoured. Again that is the bucket I do my laundry in!
So they can't always eat all the meat quick enough so they wrap in in fat, soak it in salt and sun-dry it....yummy! This preserves it for the future.  Also, that is not all meat, I think some insides are included!

They also preserve fat...it is yellow from the seasoning, the same seasoning that colors my meals every night and doesn't provide much flavor.  Also that is the clothesline my clothes hung dry on...as you see some in the background.
Anyone hungry for dinner?  That was my dinner the night of leid.  They have to eat the insides first because they don't last long.  Doesn't this look like an illustration out of "Goosebumps", the scary storybooks we read as a kid? So I dipped my bread into the sauce to give it a try but that was the end of that.  But also, pay attention to the illustration, that is the bowl I eat dinner out of every nite and that is how I grab my food, with bread!! (That is not my hand, it is my sisters) They tease me because I would always use small pieces of bread each time a go for food.  But if I didn't I would eat half a circle of bread at each meal, which is a custom here in Morocco.
Ok so this is called Bujlud...it is where the boys and men of the village dress up in freshly slaughtered sheep skin, as is. They go around scaring/entertaining the children.  Not all parts of Morocco are familar with this so we're lucky to see it. As you see, the kids all run when the bujlud comes.  But there actually is a pupose.  They go around asking for meat, sugar, money,etc...and with what they earn they have a feast for the village they are representing and any left over money goes to the mosque. 
So here is the bujlud up close...more come out at night but one guy decided to start early.  As I said the skin is put on as it was taken off the sheep.  Also, he walked up and shook my hand with a hello and many "how are you's" which is common, side note...greetings in Morocco last for a minute, it is not just a simple hello, how are you.  But the reason I commented that he shook my hand was because he definitely had blood all over his hands from putting on the sheep skin...as I said before my level of cleaniness and disinfectation has basically vanished.
Look closely at his his hands...

So this is over in a village where my moms brother lives and after our time with the family there we walked to see their bujlud.  Well they were a little "aggressive" with me becuase they didn't know me and they say money written all over me. In fact he is telling me not to take the picture in this pic unless I give him money.  They made my mom mad...you can see her watching...that is her in the black and white.

This is all the children taunting the bujlud.  The girls stay back but the boys are up there taunting until the bujlud comes out and they run...then they bujlud hides and the boys taunt some more.

This is at night back in my village and you can see the boy running from the bujlud.

So there is the train of Bujlud at night walking around the village performing in there drum line, dancing, dressed up, in front of houses hoping to get some donations.  That is a camel you see on the right where they used the blue tarp.

Just pictures to see the different costumes...and that is the camel again...

...more

Ya they let me get a pic with them...they all hide their faces and change their voices so no one knows who they are.


This is my sis on the way out to my grandmas house on one of our last afternoons together.  I love this picture...but check out the background...this is a land of few people and it is surreal.  My dad's mom lives out in the middle of nowhere!!

That is my grandma and my dad's brother's children and Sabah.

So this was at a gathering of all of our host families...that is my fam!! Mom, Rabha, dad, MoHa, sister, Sabah, brother, Adam.

There is my sister dancing along with my LCF...you can see my mom in the background and my bro looking around her to see what is going on.

That is my home that I lived in until now! Ya that is Sabah...she was always on my hip...I was so lucky to have her!

And here is my LCF, basically my crutch since I have been in Morocco...I said goodbye to her yesterday! Her name is Malika...her hometown is only 4 hours from me so I will hopefully see her often!

Just wanted to add this in...these were found at Souk on the second hand tables by my LCF and I swear they came from my hometown...lol.  But honestly it is a small world...those where my school colors and the leopard paw we used!