SO MUCH NEWS!!!

I've been wanting to update you all on what I've been doing with the association and the Holidays, and well, on everything, but because all of that has been going on, I have felt not only like I had no free time to do that, but no free time in general (this free time comes from being snowed in!! see later explanation). But, as I'm thinking about how to remedy that, great things have been happening...

A group of from an Agricultural Institute in Rabat came to visit one Saturday (sort of unexpectedly). We had lunch with them after suq, followed by a 4.5 hour meeting and dinner until almost midnight. Not understanding most of what was said was exhausting (to say the least). But I later found out, they work with an organization (and apparently represent Morocco for a worldwide development org called SIFA) and they've chosen the association to be one of the few groups they will be able to develop projects with! So, we are going to work together on some things - probably marketing and exhibitions within Morocco, which after the meeting, they felt would be the best way for them to assist us. They spent the 4.5 hours finding out about everything I'm supposed to be learning in my first 6 months here, of course, it was a lot easier for them - speaking Arabic... But the great thing for me is they also speak ok English and they are going to translate the key points of the meeting for me into English! Whoa! 6 months of work practically done for me... Humdullah! Praise God!

Of course, Moumi (counterpart), already knows what he needs and what he wants me to work on (the organization was also super impressed with his development ideas and understanding of what needs to be done!), so without understanding everything fully, I've already begun some pretty big projects. Here is a little announcement I developed to introduce the new teapot cozy set. They are made by girls out of high school that don't have the fortune of jobs, but are excited to work and make things. I will also be working with them on product development (and I've recently come across a few exporting opportunities that we might pursue). In the background is a beautiful carpet (actually hanging in my host family's salon) that one of the women in the association made... I think the French in this version is a little off and has since been updated...

In addition we had a meeting on that Sunday night (only 1.5 hours this time) to change the officers in the Association and declare new objectives, so that now all of the officers are actively participating in the work of the Association and the work of the association can be productive on many levels. This was really important because now the officers are the most active people there and will be able to take on some responsibilities that Moumi has been having to do himself. Awesome :) This finally became official after a few trips to Judicial Offices in slightly far away towns!

Prior to actually moving to town, I digitized and cleaned up logos for 4 nearby associations that had developed them as a result of a recent workshop for association building that my association put on last year.


I have begun meeting with all of the women weavers (members) in their homes and learning about their lives and their products, starting biographical and information sheets for each of them to assist in grant seeking. I have also had several conversations about development and various needs of the town and the people here. We have discussed environmental issues, exporting costs, pricing, marketing, sustainability, and reputability (to name a few). These conversations are usually hybrids of English, Drija, and French.

Inshallah, we will be having an exhibition in Rabat towards the end of January, so are now doing alot to prepare for that. We plan to take carpets, crocheted items (including hats, scarfs, tea cozy sets, handbags and more), and paintings by Mohamed (a painter at the Association). I will be assisting mostly with marketing materials, product development, and merchandising.

In addition to working with the association, I plan to work with my counterpart individually with his small business. We have began talking about his objectives and plans for the future. He currently makes and sells sandwiches out of a small metal shack on suq day. In the next year, he plans to open a hanut with proper equipment to make a small fast food restaurant, which he will operate on Fridays and Saturdays (He will be the only food vendor in town!). Currently, he hopes to open the hanut this summer.

Another side project (because I wasn't yet sure if I got a running start...) It seems one of the most visible needs in town is Environmental Education. There is a somewhat active Environment Association in town and my Association has recently adopted new objectives and has included environmental issues as part of it’s future work. I would like to work more extensively with an Environment volunteer nearby to develop a program for Environmental Education. I have spoken about the possibility with environment volunteers and by having trash pick up daily in town, the education factor seems like the next step towards solving the problem! Enough about work....

Onto the Holidays!!! Eid K'Bir was an amazing cultural experience! but, it's been exhausting... On the day of Eid, my host father slaughtered 3 sheep! One for our family, one for his brother (who had broken his arm), and one for a woman neighbor (whose husband isn't around - I believe that is her situation?) Anyway, having never seen anything die before, I was a little overwhelmed by the time I realized there was a third. You can get a little bit of the feelings from the video, but it's pretty hard to describe... I felt like I was in the midst of an entirely unreal experience. There was a sheep dying in front of me, raising it's head after it was almost not connected, making noises as it struggled for air, writhing on the ground in agony... The family was used to this, having done it each year, they didn't take notice of much (you can also observe this in the video). I think this is probably similar to how most of us feel during the holidays... we forget how special what is going on really is (I realized that this Christmas... I didn't miss the crowded malls and the obsession with buying lots of things, but I missed the feeling of Christmas. I missed the excitement of being together with nothing in particular to do, the sounds, and the love -- fortunately for me, I was blessed to find those things here too!) Back to the sheep... I told you my host dad is a butcher... so this whole process was surprisingly fast. I was surprised that there wasn't something more ritualistic when the sheep was first brought out (since this is a remembrance of the sacrifice that Abraham was asked to make)... Then he cut off the head and cut a hole in the skin, then proceeded to blow it up like a balloon! This aided in skinning the sheep. It was then hung and the skin removed, then the insides removed (all of them). I was amazed when he blew out the things that the sheep had not yet digested in order to have clean intestines for later eating (and check out how long they were!) The whole process was startling, but in fact, I think it actually brings one closer to understanding the idea of eating another living thing. I think if we are eating meat, we should be more in touch with all of this. Speaking of eating, that's what we did for the rest of the week (and then some). Some people eat all parts of the sheep, but I'm pretty sure my family removed some things from their menu. I didn't come across any eyeballs or testicles that I know of. Sheep is served twice a day for as long as it lasts, it seems. Dinner is usually sheep and prunes (surprisingly tasty here because there is lots of sugar cooked in). Sheep is a really fatty meat, I've found (but I wonder if they fatten it up on purpose, like people do to make meat more tender)... They BBQ liver wrapped in stomach lining (you'll see the skewers in the video). Today, we had cous cous with stomach and on the side a special delicacy (lungs wrapped in stomach and tied with intestines - they looked like meat sushi!) I wasn't around for the eating of the head, but I hear it is often served straight out and when you are done, there is a skull left. Oh yeah, I should mention, I don't eat any of this. My family is awesome. I told them in the beginning I'm not used to eating much other than meat, so they don't even ask anymore! They don't even mind that I remove the fat, but there are other volunteers that have eaten it all. *Note, it's 2 weeks after Eid now and we are still eating Eid sheep, but not every meal.*

In events of Eid besides sheep, on the morning of Eid (before the sheep), we had a sugary breakfast with lots of cookies and then everyone gets dressed up and goes around town visiting each other. They all offer you to come in and have tea and cookies, but we only did this in a couple of our closest relatives houses. I think that dressing up for Eid used to be wearing traditional dresses and jellabas, but with western wear becoming prevalent, that has changed. I was surprised to see that the new clothes that people got for Eid were sometimes sweat suits or jeans or sweaters or even bath robes... and that is what they wore out. I wore the dress I made and felt rather overdressed. They later gave me a traditional dress to wear and I felt out of place again because I was the only one wearing anything nearly so fancy! But, it was nice to see everyone out in the street, wishing each other a Good Eid (they actually say Congratulations! which seems odd - don't yet know why that is) and they give lots of kisses (this is everyday, but since we visited so many people, there was an exceptionally large amount of cheek kissing!)


Later in the day, it rained (it was my first rain in town!) and then a little later, the blessing of a gorgeous rainbow from the roof! - I could see the entire thing! I really did feel as if it was a blessing over the town, over me, and my start of so much here... The night before Eid, my host sister did henna on our hands. She was the only one in our family doing it, so she got pretty tired. Then, to make it last a long time, they told me to wear it over night before washing off the plant based dye that was still on the surface. That wasn't much fun, since it flakes off sort of like if you had lines of cake icing on your hands. A few nights prior, I helped my host sister make cookies (she made 4 kinds). This was important because cookies are served with tea throughout the day during this time of year. And after that day, practically every dinner is eaten in a different house with tea and cookies first, then dinner later. Each family hosts a dinner (and we have a big family), so this has been going on for two weeks as well... So, yeah, it's all been pretty exhausting... but interesting.

Christmas was fantastic! I climbed a mountain on Christmas day! (felt awesome to get some exercise and to be looking out from the top of the mountain is no small reward!) There was a small Christmas tree, presents, American food, Christmas cookies, real eggnog (without the rum), singing, and presents from home. I felt so blessed! For everything...

Santa Claus even showed up, but not for Christmas... For some reason, Moroccans tend to associate Santa Claus with New Years. I have heard this from every Moroccan that I talked to about it, then it was confirmed when there was a Happy New Year's sign in Marjan (large American-like Walmart-type store) with Santa and his reindeer. Here they call him Papa Noel and he came on New Year's Eve to the Association and gave all of the kids a gift. I was also designated photographer for this event and took a picture of each kid on Santa's lap. I have to admit, this is not something I would ever like to do again! I got kicked in the head at one point. Small children were crying. Some were pushing and many were yelling. But, Santa handled it all very well. I had dinner with another uncle's family and then the adults of the association went to Moumi's house for cookies (that I made! Chocolate Chip - not like home, but not bad either... they loved them) and a dance party! We danced until 1:30 a.m. and this included a countdown and speeches in 4 languages! Dancing was terrific (and Moumi is crazy!). We had so much fun and I was even declared Moroccan when trying to shake my hips like they do... Then, on New Year's day, my family had a small party for me (surprise!) and the people from the association came. We had special tasty "fat bread" (it really is made with fat) and the association gave me a scarf as a gift! It was really sweet and of course, we drank tea... For New Year's, I also sent out this great picture via email to some of the friends of the association :) These are the children that are taught at the association and my host sister (teacher) saying "Happy New Year to Friends, AFC" in French.


Answering a question about my adjustment (socially and culturally): I’ve been really fortunate. My host sister works daily at the association teaching the children and my counterpart is also related to my host family. Between my host family, my counterpart and celebrating Eid, I feel like I’ve met half of the town. I’m able to do most things on my own at this point, but if I want help, there is always someone willing to come or help me. When I walk from town to my home, I always encounter at least one person who knows my name. As far as cultural adaptation goes, I feel like I am very adaptable and haven’t had any struggles that weren’t easily overcome by perspective. The hardest thing has been not being able to spend time by myself and be warm at the same time. There is always someone who wants to come and talk to me and watch what I’m doing. Hopefully, this will change as I'm able to have my own house.

Yes, my own house: I'm pretty sure about the house I will rent, but I have two more left to see... This house is pretty incredible, but it's certainly more than I need. On one side of the house (the side that I'm excited about), there is a bedroom, a sitting room (where the forno will go) another sitting area that is more of an open area in the middle and the kitchen. It's great that the most used rooms are separated because it will be easier to keep this side of the house warm(ish). The kitchen has a skylight and glass tiles on the floor that allow light to come in from above and below. And it also has the few things that I had hoped most for: running water (from time to time, about once a day), a private rooftop terrace (this is SO important for warmth. The sun is strong and during the day, it is often warm outside, but cold in the house), it's clean! (big bonus!), and I would have reasonable privacy (it's on the end corner two residential streets). There is also a separate water room from the bathroom (great for doing laundry and bathing without standing over the toilet). On the way to the roof, there is a place to store fire wood and there are also two other empty rooms on the other side of the house. I would have preferred something smaller, but, this is the only one that really met the requirements... I suppose I'll have plenty of space for company and to store my bike... (oh yeah, and it's under budget!)

So, this weekend, I had a trip planned to go to Rabat for a friend's birthday, but the day I was going to leave, a blizzard hit! It snowed and snowed! I didn't realize the extent of this storm and I was trying desperately to leave. The taxis were telling me it wasn't possible, but then someone else would tell me it was, that buses were going north, if I go to the next town. It was hailing at this point and I was soaked. Moumi showed up and told me it wasn't possible. The road was blocked with snow. I finally resigned my attempt and began home (it was so windy, I literally would have fallen over, if Moumi hadn't caught me). But, then the Jendarmes (local officials) felt it was possible, so they tried calling the road authorities, but their cell service was out, so then they tried to find me a different ride (of someone going in that direction) - This man told me it was too dangerous for automobiles to drive and that made it final. I went home, removed my wet clothes and sat by the fire. Electricity went out and the rest of the night was spent quietly by candlelight (not bad, all things considered!) The next morning, I got word, the buses weren't going... Ok, I get it... it's snowing and I can't go. Maybe I'll make cookies again and write my blog! Well, at noon, I get word that the bus is going and my friend south of me is now on the bus to Rabat... Oh! Ok, should I get ready? How are the roads? I just heard less than a half hour north of me there is a foot of snow and it's still going strong (like it is here!)... What to do? An hour later, I get word again - the bus didn't go anywhere. It's not going to. It's over... finally. We aren't going. All the ups and downs nearly killed me AND to top it off, the whole time, my host family thinks I'm crazy. They knew from the beginning no one was going anywhere, but they get a big kick out of telling the story!



Some info that I'm not sure I've told you about the town I live in (for a little perspective and background): The population is about 5,000; running water is available only once a day (for the most part), but is sometimes not everyday and is sometimes twice a day. There are definite sanitation issues; garbage is picked up daily, but it is still discarded on the side of the road and in the fields, etc. There is one hospital in town, with one doctor, and there is one dentist in town, but the doctor has very limited facilities and both practices are reported to not be able to do much. I was told not to use the dentist. Other services include cybers (places to use the internet), teleboutiques (to make phone calls from landlines), post office, photocoping, fax machines, hanuts (little shops where you can buy basic supplies), an electronics/appliances store, and two pharmacies. There are 4 hammams (bath houses) and many cafes (that serve coffee and the like, but no food). There are no restaurants or hotels. There is a large suq (outdoor market) every Saturday, where you can find most things needed for daily life. The school system includes 3 levels, but the middle level and the high school share the same building. Transportation is possible before 5, via taxi, to most places, although, sometimes a 'layover' is necessary. There is more transportation available on suq day and a bus picks up going north early every morning. My town seems to be very safe. My host family has asked me to not be out after dark because there are ‘bad people’ and dogs, but on the few occasions I have been out, I have observed no problems and the only dogs are the ones that are used to people. Still, when I will be arriving home after dark, I try to walk with someone else or someone from my host family will meet me. There doesn't seem to be any harassment problems either. The most serious danger is theft at suq, so I always make sure to be very aware of my cell phone and wallet, but still it's not like in larger cities.

AND To relieve a little anxiety that I've been hearing in emails: the forno at my host family's house has been wonderful. Between it's warmth and the abundance of blankets on my bed - I stay warm. I have also been able to go pretty regularly to the hammam (meaning about every 3 days), so I'm also feeling fine about getting clean :) I love hearing from you all in your comments and emails and real mail! Thanks for the Christmas cards!!! And I'm so happy that you are enjoying my sharing!! If you have any questions, please ask, it's often insightful for me to hear what I'm leaving out and perhaps not thinking about!

I think this is my favorite photo since I arrived in Morocco! I can't take credit for it though... Thanks bzzzzaafff (alot, but the amount changes with how long you hold those middle letters!) to Barry of the Environment Crowd!

Added additional photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/12973534@N04/