Points for Morocco today

Somewhere between walking out of the Nedi Neswi this afternoon (women's center) and walking to go buy some lemons, I dropped my purse- which is just a small blue clutch. I didn't realize it until I was buying the lemons. Most of what was in there was not too important-- my carte se jour (residency card), which would be a pain to replace, but still possible. 100 Dirhams- which is a solid amount, but nothing worth losing my mind over. But I was very worried because my house keys were in there.


So I went frantically back to the Nedi Neswi, back to the lemon vendor, walked the streets... It turns out I'd dropped it on the sidewalk outside the Nedi Neswi. Some kids had picked it up and given it to some adults who were working construction by the Nedi Neswi.

When the construction workers saw me on the street, my eyes scanning the pavement, They approached me and pulled out my purse. They emptied all the contents and said "we found it- it's all still here, we didn't take anything!"

I was immediately so relieved. I showered them with a million "Thank You"s and "God Bless Your Parents" plus some other common phrases and I gave the kids a little reward.

As I was walking away, the main guy who'd been explaining that nothing had been taken just kept saying "You see, we didn't take anything- we are good people. We fear God. We are true Muslims- NOT terrorists. A true Muslim wouldn't take anything- we are not terrorists." And I acknowledged that I knew that, and I love Moroccans, etc. etc. he continued that if he hadn't seen me on the street, he would have taken it to the police and turned it in.


What is worthy of note is that everywhere I go in Morocco, people feel the need to explain/prove/swear by the fact that true Muslims are NOT terrorists. It's like they have collective guilt for the things that terrorists do. I hope that one day there will be no more violent Islamic extremism and Muslims will not feel they need constantly defend their religion- which, in my experience has been nothing but peaceful.

"guidance regarding recent events"

This is a piece of an email I received from a Peace Corps staff member:

In light of the bombing and the killing of Osama Bin Laden, here is some guidance for you:


· You may receive questions and/or pressure from members of your community to discuss the circumstances of Bin Laden’s death or your reaction to it. Please avoid engaging in discussing this issue. Appropriate responses include: “I don’t have enough information to discuss this issue.” and/or “I am never happy to hear of anyone’s death.” If you experience pressure from your community or are otherwise concerned please contact me immediately.


The bombing s/he's talking about are the bombs that were detonated by a tourist cafe in Marrakech last week.

Personally, in regards to this request by Peace Corps, it's a little unachievable since it's the only thing people want to talk about and they are genuinely curious as to what I think about it. I mean, if you think about it- I am the one and only foreigner in this small Moroccan town near the Algerian border, the only foreigners most of them interact with are Peace Corps volunteers (so that's one new one every two years). They see all this chaos on T.V. "caused" by this far away nation called America and here's their chance to know what a real live American thinks of it all.

Goal 2 of Peace Corps is: "Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people s served." Goal 3 is "helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans."

But at the same time, there exists a blanket rule that we are not to talk about religion and politics.

One of the most common questions I'm asked by people of all age groups is "What do Americans think of Muslims?" which is generally followed by the request that I tell Americans that Islam is a peaceful religion and to make sure I tell them that "we're not terrorists. Terrorism isn't Islam." Serving in a country that is a Islamic monarchy where the vast majority of Moroccans are Muslim presents a new dynamic to goals 2 and 3- that, unfortunately, Peace Corps wants us to ignore. (for your own security. which I can understand.) America may be able to ignore religion most of the time through political correctness but it's impossible here.

So.... I'd like to talk about the Marrakech bombings and Osama Bin Laden's death but....I don't have enough information to discuss this issue?

Water, Agua, al-ma....

After a cold snap this weekend we're back to being warm. It's 26 degrees c today (79F) and so I took a celebratory 20km bike ride. I am so thankful the weather is warm and will be excited when I turn on the (solar powered short-wave)radio (Thanks Dad!) and hear that we're up to 32C (90F!). I don't know how I'm going to feel when that radio tells me it's 45C (113F...). I really don't think I'll mind.

With warm weather comes good moods and me feeling very productive. It also helps me feel very "Peace Corps"-y because my hours-per-day of running water is dwindling. In the last 48 hours, I've probably had about 2 hours of running water. It's not that there isn't any water, it's that there isn't enough to go 'round. I live "foq" which means "high" like, on an incline, and other households who are more "tHt" (low) use the water and there isn't enough pressure to get the water up to me-- it just can't quite make it to my tap.

On days where I decide to take 20km bike rides, it would be really nice to have some running water for a shower. But, this is not all negative. I have learned to be resourceful in a way that would make my mother proud-- when I have water, I make sure I get all the household-water oriented tasks down, like dishes and vegetable washing. I had a trickle of water last night and got all the dishes done. I have a number of buckets and a 20-liter barrel that I keep full for toilet flushing and, if necessary, cooking. I have 11 liters worth of water bottles full under the sink for drinking. I was warned that once summer hits, my running water becomes very unreliable, though I don't know what the seasons have to do with it. I may invest in another 20liter barrel.

I could go to the Hammam (public baths) to bathe but it's a very social event and well, being social is probably the last thing I want to do while bathing.

This past weekend was Earth Day and Erika (the volunteer 70km north of me) and I held a two day conference with about 30 kids from all over the country. They slept at the auberge, or dormitory, that's next to the Dar Chebab. We went hiking and we talked about the flora and fauna and all kinds of environmental problems in the region. The main "youth development" aspect of it was that on the second day they learned "project design and management" and planned environmental projects that they will then implement in their home cities. And these projects will be led by the youth (youth empowerment!) and involve other youth (volunteerism!). Despite how easy this project might sound it's actually very complicated and time consuming to get something like this going. Moroccan counterparts must be found, and Erika wrote a grant for $500 to pay for food and transportation. Grant writing in itself is time consuming. Plus, government approval is needed for everything, which takes time. (I think the level of importance of people is judged by how many rubber stamps they have on their desk- literally. And they will by stingy with their stamps just because they can!) Also, as much time as these things take, people don't tend to commit to things too far in advance because they have no idea what life will throw at them before that. So it's a big juggling act and this act was a success, lHamdullah.

Sunday I'm going to travel an hour and a half for an environmental-themed theater competition- just to watch and act as a supporter. This competition was started last year by the PCV I replaced. So this year the kids organized it by themselves with the help of a French teacher. That's sustainability!

Homesickness

I have been here for about seven months and have about 19 more months to go and have officially felt my first pangs of homesickness. The fact that it took seven months is probably pretty good.

Officially, my record of being away from home is 8 months, from December to August, two years in a row. By "home" I mean Miami.

According to the Peace Corps emotional chart they give us, there is a "sixth month crisis." 1) I've been here longer than six months and 2) this is FAR from crisis! (The next major dip on the chart is at the one year mark.)

What sparked this? Last week I went and visited another volunteer, Xavier, at his site. Whenever I spend significant time around other Americans I sort of get this way because we speak in comfortable English, using terms like "chill" and "brosky" and reminisce about things from back home. I've also been listening to country music which could make someone in America homesick for America. Being around a male volunteer is even more homesickness-inducing than a female volunteer because it causes me to remember how in Dallas/Miami I had lots of guy friends and that was normal. I also thoroughly enjoy hanging out with guy volunteers in public because the number of youth or men who yell at me drops to almost nothing. Only the most bold will say something when I'm walking with Xavier or any other American guy.

What exactly do I miss?
It wouldn't be what you would think, necessarily.
People? Not really. I could count the number of people I truly miss on one hand...maybe half a hand.
"Basic" amenities? Not much. I don't miss having a refrigerator.
Unpredictable running water can be annoying but not something to write home about.
A/C? I missed heat during winter but it's hot now and I have no problem with no A/C.
Washer/Dryer? whatever.

I miss:
The Bar Scene: The freedom to go to a bar and play some pool and hang with friends and not be judged for it. This includes dancing to bad pop music on a crowded dance floor.
Mixed gender company
Being able to wear tank tops and shorts.
Being able to go running in the middle of the day (or whenever I want)
Being able to go to a cafe without being self conscience (not the woman's realm here.)
I admit that I do miss cereal and skim milk. If I get a fridge I can make this happen.

Snap out of it
When I get a little down on my "situation." I just try to remind myself of the reasons that I was attracted to Peace Corps and why I'm here: I knew there would be "sacrifices." I don't actually WANT my normal life back-- I'm on an adventure! InchAllah, I will have about 75 more years to dance to bad pop music in bars beginning around Christmas season 2012. I'm reminded of how especially lucky I am to be here every time I'm on the trek from Errachidia to my town in the desert and I pass nomads herding hundreds of camels and sand blowing around from every direction. And to be honest, I would probably feel the same way in small-town America since the big city brings more of the freedoms that I miss.

Remedies:
- Keeping my socializing with other volunteers to a minimum
- Remind myself that I'm not a wimp. period.

Lunch!

I have officially been in Morocco a little over six months now and about three months of them living on my own.

So after three months I have finally gotten the right seasoning/ingredients and proportions to make a good tajine!

First of all, you're probably wondering what a tajeen is. Notice I have spelled it a few different ways. That's because it doesn't really matter how it's spelled. Moheem- (the point:) A tajine is a traditional Moroccan dish, but not traditional in that it's only for tourists and people don't really eat it, but it is a very common lunch here.

It is made in a round dish, usually clay, but my tajeen, for example, is metal. And the lid is conical. It's a bunch of vegetables, oil, water, and spices. There are different kinds of tajeens here depending on personal preference. The most common one has a potato base. Now, most people put meat in the tajeen, commonly chicken but any meat or fish will work. Since I rarely buy meat because I don't have a refrigerator, all my tagines thus far have been all vegetables.

How I made my tagine: first I put a few dollops of vegetable oil in the dish and then some water. Then I added a good seasoning I call "yellow stuff" and then a seasoning called "knorr" but pronounced KAH-nor. It's kind of like a bouillon cube...

[An aside about spices: Now, when I first started experimenting with tajeen making, I just added this-and-that spices that Melanie, the previous volunteer, had left in the kitchen- anything that looked right. One thing I thought was really making the flavor of the tajines was this brownish/whitish "spice." I added it every time. One day Erika, the closest (by far!) volunteer to me and a cooking expert, visited me. I showed her my tajine method including that special seasoning and she looked at me and said,
"Abby, are you being serious?"
"yeah....why?"
"because that's bread yeast."]

Soon after adding the spices, oil, and water. I add a sliced onion and some garlic. I covered it and let it stay there boiling over the flame while I chopped up the other vegetables. The great thing about the tajine is you really can add whatever you want. I added carrots and potatoes first (since they take longer to cook) then I added zucchini and tomatoes. You can also add in whatever portions you want. I prefer to make enough that it will be dinner as well as lunch. I really like adding bell peppers too if I have any in the kitchen. It's kind of an-everything-except-the-kitchen-sink dish.

Then you leave it burning over a low flame for as long as it takes until the vegetables are soft. Covered the whole time, preferably. How long? Who knows. I am not a slave to the clock as I was in the states. All I know is I have at least a two hour lunch break and that is enough time.

Then you take the tajeen to the table, tear your bread (khobs), and dig in. We do not eat with forks and knives here. Just with bread. While I'm American and own forks and knives, the tajine tastes much better eaten with bread and my own two hands. Generally then I'll sit in the living room and watch the previous night's Daily Show, one of the few networks that will permit someone outside the U.S. to watch their show.

The reason I'm being so wishy-washy about the measurements is because it is really up to personal taste. Most people would probably add some salt but I'm a purist and like my vegetables to taste like vegetables. Plus, here you don't really measure exactly; it's all about eye-balling it. Besides, it'd be metric anyway.

Is this post going to allow you to make your own tajine/tajeen/tagine? No, but at least you'll understand the process more or less.

Here are some visual aids!! Good Photos with captions: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2232930&id=18806879&l=6c9081c7da

little Arabic, ya'll!

One thing I'm really loving about Arabic is that they have a you-plural tense. Like vosotros in Spanish or vous in French. In Moroccan Arabic the subject pronoun is Ntuma and the Object pronoun ending is 'kum.

The reason I love it is because my general use of ya'll (or y'all, depending on personal preference) which I picked up in Texas, is generally rejected by my non-ya'll using friends. Most preference just "you" or "you guys." But here I can use this pronoun freely and receive no criticism.

For example, when I greet a group of people I may say "Labas 3likum?" or "Ki rakum?" (how are you?) which sounds perfectly normal and not something to be criticized, but what I'm thinking in my head is "How ya'll doin'?!" and I'm thinking it with a big hillbilly accent. I even think this in the greeting when I say "Salam 3leikum" I'm thinking "Peace be upon ya'll!"

I suppose when you spend days and days alone with no one to joke with in English, one has to start humoring herself some how.

Why I joined Peace Corps

My mornings generally work like this:

I wake up about 7:30 or so, make coffee/breakfast, and then get back in bed where the sun is pouring in from the window and I sit and eat breakfast and drink my coffee while reading until about 10. (don't think me lazy! Things start later around here, and work lasts until later in the evening)

So currently I'm reading a book called "The Assassins Gate" loaned and recommended to me by my good friend and fellow Moroccan PCV, Xavier. It's written by a journalist named George Packer. It's about the lead up to the war in Iraq. I'm probably about 90% finished with it and from what I gather it is this reporter basically trying to dissect the war and make sense of the whole thing because all the details he has gathered make the entire war seem illogical. In the beginning he states that after extensive research and coverage he will still go to his grave not really understanding it. (There's a point I'm getting to, I swear.)

[He is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) who served in Togo]

HERE IS MY POINT: Originally when Xavier loaned me the book, he had mentioned that a particular passage captured well why he joined the Peace Corps. While reading some of it this morning during my coffee/breakfast/book/bed/sunshine ritual I, by coincidence, picked out the same passage that had a resounding truth as to why I joined Peace Corps as well, though for different reasons.

Here's the particular passage from the chapter titled "Memorial Day":

"After years of sustained assault on the idea of collective action, there was no ideological foundation left on which Bush could have stood up and asked what Americans could do for their country. We weren't urged to study Arabic, to join the foreign service or international aid groups, to develop alternative sources of energy, to form a national civil reserve for emergencies.... Perhaps it was a shrewd political read on Bush's part-- a recognition that Americans, for all their passion after September 11, would inevitably slouch back on their sofas. It seemed fair to ask, though, how a body politic as out of shape as ours was likely to make it over the long, hard slog of wartime... So the months after September 11 were a lost opportunity- to harness the surge of civic energy."


So this says that post 9/11 Americans weren't urged to do all these collective pursuits for their country, but what I see in this is that, although it's not the norm, we (me and other like minded PCVolunteers)are doing these things. why? To take some kind of action-- to do something that may actually mean something. Although our generation seems to manifest senses of self-entitlement and egotism, these give us the confidence to actually enter the world and try to do something meaningful because we believe we are actually capable of having an effect on it all.

So, we will continue to try and call it Thriving (not just surviving*) because we hope that's what it is. And we will reflect when we're ancient (our 40s...just kidding!) and a little jaded-- and hope that we were right.



*Thrive-- do more more than just survive was the tagline Xavier assigned to his Peace Corps Service and I have absolutely stolen it to use as my own because I like it so much.