Natural Dye Workshop

Last week, I set up a Natural Dye Workshop for the members of my cooperative here in the village. It was a huge success. We were expecting 35 participants from the village but had 50 show up. The women and girls were very engaged in the lessons and rushed to help stir pots, add materials, or rinse the dyed wool when asked. The only thing they were nervous about was coming up in front of the group to reiterate the lesson in Tashelhit (our local dialect.) Luckily, a few were brave enough each time and all the participants really seemed to grasp the concepts of how to use local materials to dye wool.

In order to pay for the workshop materials and presenter, I applied for a grant from Peace Corps. Thank goodness Peace Corps has a partnership with USAID to fund projects like this. Although I only needed a small amount of money by American standards, the amount needed was out of reach for the local cooperative. One of the business program staff at Peace Corps helped me get in touch with a teacher who is an expert in natural dyes and a wonderful teacher. (She traveled over 20 hours to reach our village for the workshop!) Despite the fact that the teacher, Amina, spoke only Arabic, she was able to use many visuals and the women understood each step very well.

Amina showing one of the colors - I think this one is madder root.

The workshop lasted two days.  On the first day, Amina showed the women how to treat the wool with aluminum powder, which helps the color set in the wool. She explained the correct proportions of water, aluminum and wool and had volunteers repeat the instructions several times in Tashelhit to make sure everyone understood how to prep the wool. She showed the women how to use some easily accessible materials, such as chamomile, onion skins, pomegranate skins, and madder root, to create colors in the wool. The participants were very enthusiastic when they realized they could dye wool with materials they can pick for free in the fields and create colors identical to store-bought wool.

This table, which held the materials from around the community, wasn't big enough to hold all the things the women brought in to Day 2 of the workshop.

By using local materials, the women were able to create all the colors below. Some colors were a big surprise - a branch from a fir-like tree created a beautiful beige while the leaves from an almond tree created a vibrant yellow. Some colors were created by boiling the wool first with one plant and then with another. Dipping the finished wool in a baking soda solution brightened some of the colors even more. The participants had a lot of fun comparing the colors they created "naturally" with those they had previously purchased from a store.

All of these colors were created using materials available locally. Most can be picked for free in our village fields.

At the end of the first day, Amina asked the women and girls to bring in materials from around the village to use as dyes the next day. They really took up the challenge. I arrived with Amina very early in the morning to help set up for the day. As each participant came in, they brought some leaves, or flowers, or some plant they had found around the village. I was astounded by their enthusiasm and so glad I had organized this opportunity for them to learn a new skill and experiment with materials from around our village.

 Thank goodness Linda, another PCV who lives in a neighboring village, was able to come and help out at the workshop on the first day. She helped take pictures, organize the materials and keep me company (since neither of us understood arabic, we spent most of the lesson lost.) The picture below is of Linda holding up one of the colors.

Linda, a PCV from the neighboring village, came to help out on Day 1 of the workshop

 I was so happy the workshop was such a success. The teacher, Amina, did a tremendous job, in spite of the language barrier. The participants were enthusiastic and really eager to learn. Thank you to Peace Corps and USAID for funding this project and to my wonderful counterparts for helping acquire the materials we needed. If they hadn't spent hours bargaining with shopkeepers for the pots, stoves, and buckets we needed, with the hotel for Amina's room, and with village shopkeepers for the gas cans, snack food, and other supplies, I would not have to been able to have this workshop.

This is my favorite color from the workshop. It was created from a bush that grows along the roadside in this area. The bush is the color of a redbud tree, but creates this amazing violet on the wool.

Thanks to everyone who helped me make this workshop a reality. I hope the women use these new skills to create new carpet designs with a natural dye color palette. Keep your fingers crossed their enthusiasm continues and they really take advantage of their new skills.

Sarah's Wedding

Sarah (in purple), her mom Wendy, and other PCVs on the afternoon of the henna ceremony.

This weekend was my friend Sarah's wedding. Sarah is a Peace Corps Volunteer in a tiny village about 3.5 hours southeast of mine. She married a local man, the brother of one of the weavers she worked with. It was a 100% traditional Amazigh wedding, which was lots of fun, even if I didn't understand the reason behind the traditions. Her family and a few friends came in from the U.S. to help her celebrate. While they got a bit overwhelmed by the many strange sights, sounds, and smells, they did a great job participating in the festivities. With Sarah's family and friends in attendence, along with the 12 Peace Corps Volunteers that came, there was a lot more English spoken at this wedding than at most weddings I attended.

The first day of the wedding was the henna ceremony. Sarah was dressed in a sparkly white dress, then veiled with a dark blue cloth to cover her hair with a brightly woven mesh cloth to cover her face. Henna was mixed in a large plastic bowl, then slowly applied to her hands and feet with plastic syringes. Once the designs were drawn on, black tea was applied with a wet cotton ball to help darken the henna. Her hands and feet were then covered with strips of cotton and wrapped in plastic bags to make it dry more slowly so that it will stain the skin a darker color. The whole process took a long time, as even after the henna was applied Sarah had to sit quietly as to not smear it while it dried. 

The henna from the bright orange bowl was applied to Sarah's hands and feet. As you can imagine from the intricate designs, the process of applying the henna took several hours. 

We left at about 1:00 AM Friday night, with Sarah still sitting with her hands and feet wet with henna and wrapped in plastic. When we came the next day, Sarah was getting dressed in her full bridal finery. She had a fancy white dress with gold stamps on it, a bright gold belt, and fancy gold shoes. We all went into the salon once she was dressed, where the women sang and danced. Her hair was covered with many brightly colored silk scarves, then her face was veiled with the same mesh fabric. Finally, the women gave her a headdress of bright red. Sarah said the whole headdress was very heavy and very hot to wear. After she was veiled, her hands were wrapped with yellow wool yarn. From what I understand, the wool is symbolic of her being "bound" to her husband and is good luck for a long and happy life together. 

Sarah and Brahim (her new husband)

Sarah's hands were wrapped in yellow wool to symbolize her being "bound" with her husband.

The women veiled Sarah's hair with many colorful scarves, then made a headdress of bright red wrapped around with green wool. Sarah said it was very hot and pretty heavy.

After a dinner of tajine and couscous, we all went outside for the entertainment. All of the weddings I'd attended previously had had music, but none had hired a band like Sarah and Brahim. With so many people in attendance (probably about 200), the band set up outside so that everyone could see and hear the music. The family had spread read carpets around on the road and grass and people were sitting on most every available surface. The band played traditional Amazigh and Arabic music. Unfortunately, there wasn't much dancing, as it was considered "shameful" (perhaps since we were outside.) 

Overall, it was a lot of fun at Sarah's wedding. It was great to hang out with other PCVs and to meet Sarah's friends and family from back home. Sarah and Brahim will leave for America in November, when Sarah finishes her service in the Peace Corps. I hope everything works out for them and that they have a wonderful time making their new life in America.

Babyhood Blues...

Today my 3 year old neighbor, Ilias, was circumcised. The whole extended family gathered in the house for the ceremony (while I wasn't there for the actual circumcision, I saw a video later.) He was dressed in a fancy jellaba and a ceremonial hat. The doctor, I was happy to see, wore gloves for the procedure. He was laid down on a cloth while his father and uncles helped hold him down. After the circumcision, he was bandaged and put on a blanket on his mother's lap in the bedroom.

Poor Ilias was pretty unhappy with the world when I got to see him a few minutes later. His aunt, who speaks English very well and has gone out of her way to befriend me during her stay in the village for Ramadan, came to get me and invited me in to see Ilias. He sat crying on his mom's lap, although I think some of his tears were from anger (that they did this to him) rather than from the pain of the procedure. While normally he is a very happy kid, today he was definitely not. He didn't want anything to eat, didn't want to see anyone but his mom, and was very unhappy that the rest of the family was celebrating. He threw a fit every time his picture was taken, tried to hit his uncles when they came in to kiss him, and called everything and everyone "UriHli" (which translates roughly as bad, ugly, horrible, etc.)

Other than poor Ilias being unhappy, it was a fun day. Every once in awhile, I look around and really feel like I'm in Morocco and integrated into the community. Today was one of those days. Since Ilias didn't want company, I sat out in the courtyard with his many aunts, uncles, and cousins and clapped along as they sang traditional songs and celebrated the circumcision. They had drums, some clappers similar to castanets, and even brought out a piano.  Everyone was very happy, as a boy's circumcision is a fairly big deal with many traditions involved. According to my neighbor (who is wonderful about answering my many questions about life here), a boys circumcision is one of the tenets of Islam and is set out in the Koran.

Although I'm sure the family would have welcomed me staying all afternoon, I left after lunch. (We ate couscous crouched around a table they brought out to the courtyard.) While I enjoy hanging out with my neighbors, I sometimes still feel overwhelmed by the loud and boisterous music, the many people milling around (there were probably 30 in the tiny house) and the mixture of Tashelhit and Arabic being spoken. Still, it was a fun day. Tomorrow, I plan on taking Ilias some M&Ms, since he asks me for some almost every day. Hopefully, he's feeling a bit more like himself.

Happy Ramadan

Happy Ramadan!

This month is Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. It was the month in which Muslims believe the Koran was revealed to the prophet Muhammed. During Ramadan, which is the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, all Muslims over the age of puberty must abstain from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset. When its over 100 degrees outside, and you still have to harvest in the fields, work at your store, and take care of children, this can be quite a challenge. Similar to Lent for Christians, Ramadan is a time of reflection and prayer for Muslims. I've been told fasting allows them to understand the suffering of those less fortunate and be thankful for the things they have.

Luckily, in my village in the mountains it was rarely above 100 degrees (In Marrakech it was in the 130s). Still, fasting makes most everyone tired and the village has slowed down quite a bit. The elementary and middle schools were closed, as were the weaving and carpentry schools and the cooperative I work with. Most stores are open shorter hours, if at all. With everything being closed, Ramadan gave me lots of extra free time which was very nice at the beginning of the month. I got to watch all the movies I wanted and read as many books as I could. While this was great the first few weeks, now that we've reached the end of Ramadan, I am VERY ready for things to open up again.

One of the best parts of Ramadan is families spending time with one another. Husbands that work away from the village take time off work to spend the month with their wives and children. Many relatives from big cities and abroad come back to the village to celebrate Ramadan with their relatives. (My neighbors have about 10 extra relatives from Ouarzazate and other cities that are living with them for Ramadan.) This means there are plenty of extra hands to help with chores when you are feeling tired from fasting and many more people around to break the fast with at sunset.

Breaking the fast during Ramadan is a very ritualized and family oriented affair. The fast is broken when the evening call to prayer is heard throughout the village. Families gather around the table in their salons to break the fast. Food is set out a few minutes before the expected call to prayer so eating can commence as soon as the call is heard over the loudspeakers. Once the call to prayer is heard, each family member is given a date. (During the first Ramadan, Muhammad broke his fast with a date.) Next, a delicious cookie called shebekia is served (fried dough soaked in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds.) Families then drink fresh juice and eat a soup called harira made with chickpeas, vegetables and meat (usually mutton.)

Families may also serve cake, more cookies, and sandwiches made with tomato and meat. (Some of these may be traditions of my village alone and not Morocco as a whole.) Dinner is served a few hours later and is more standard fair (tajine or pasta.) After sleeping for a few hours, the family wakes up at around 4:00AM to have breakfast before sleeping late. If someone is sick, elderly, traveling, pregnant, or menstruating, they are not required to fast, although anyone capable must make up the fast at a later date. (Young children are exempt from fasting as well).

Ramadan ends when the head imams sight the new moon. Families in Morocco celebrate with a holiday called l3id Imzin (or the small holiday in Tashelhit (the Berber dialect spoken in my village.)) I have been told by my neighbors that tomorrow is l3id, so everyone is spending the day preparing cookies to serve to visitors tomorrow. Villagers will spend the day visiting each other, wishing each other 'Happy Holiday' and eating lots of cookies. It should be a fun day.

Vacation!!!

The last few weeks have been full of traveling for me. My family flew into Morocco on July 16th (It was supposed to be the 15th, but their flight got canceled.) I met them at the Casablanca airport and we took the train to Marrakech. It was a nice change to ride first class and have a compartment full of my family. While everyone else fell asleep, my mom and I got to chat the whole way to Marrakech.

In Marrakech, we stayed at a very cute riad called Riad Nejma Lounge. It only had about 6 rooms, but was decorated in a very fun way and had a beautiful roof we had breakfast on each morning. I think the riad was a nice introduction to Morocco for my family, as it had a Moroccan "flavor" but still had air conditioning, clean towels and hot water.

Because of the travel problems, we had to make our visit to my site a daytrip instead of spending the night as we originally planned. While our time in my village was rushed, we did have time to see the weekly souk, visit the cooperative and meet a few of the women, and have a spaghetti lunch at my house. My family also got their first introduction to "real" Moroccan travel - hours smashed together in a grand taxi. For those of you that haven't experience the joy of a grand taxi ride, imagine riding with four people smashed together in the back seat of a normal sized sedan with another two sitting together in the front passenger seat.

The next day, we set out for the waterfalls at Ozoud. On the way we stopped by my host family from training. We had tea and I think both my family and my host family enjoyed the visit. Plus, my family got a real glimpse of how I lived for my first few months in Morocco. I was really lucky that I got placed with such a great host family and am really glad my real family got to meet them.

The rest of our Morocco vacation flew by, with just a few more hours spent in Marrakech and a night spent in Casablanca (where we went to Rick's Cafe.) After Casablanca, we took a plane to Rome, where we spent the night. Since only Emily and I had visited Rome before, we had to make the most of our time there. In just a few hours, we saw the Trevi fountain, the colosseum, and the Pantheon.

Our time in Egypt was great but went by too fast! Katie had found some amazing hotels for us to stay at in every city we visited. In Giza we got to see the pyramids and the sphinx. In Luxor, we got to see some amazing temples and visited the valley of the Queens and the valley of the king's (where King Tut's tomb is.) It was really cool to see all the hieroglyphics and go inside the pyramids. Plus, we had a few hours each day to relax by the pool (where I got horribly sunburned) and just hang out in the shade.

In addition to all the cool ancient relics, we took time to ride camels and take a felluca ride on the Nile. Although neither turned out to be exactly what I imagined, they were still fun. (The camel ride was through the ghettos on Luxor and the felluca had to be towed by a motor boat because there wasn't any wind.) Our last night in Egypt we stayed at the Grand Hyatt, which is on an island in the Nile in Cairo. It was AMAZING! We had great hotel rooms, a beautiful pool to swim in, and had a wonderful meal on the terrace overlooking the Nile.

It was a perfect vacation. Although it was really hard to say goodbye to my family, I'm so glad they got to come visit me. It was wonderful to share a bit of my daily life in Morocco and really cool to see all the ancient tombs and temples in Egypt. Take a look at my facebook to see more pictures of my trips.

Weddings

This week is a week of weddings in my village. While I attended a few weddings right after I arrived in the village, I haven't been to any since. I'm excited to be invited to these weddings, as I know the families of the girls getting married very well. Weddings in Morocco are very different than weddings in the US. They normally last several days and have parties that go on until the early morning. Yesterday was the beginning of the wedding for Malika, one of my host cousins. She is about 20 years old and lives next door to my host family. I was invited to the very beginning of the festivities, including where the bride gets henna done on her hands and feet. It was a lot of fun to see the wedding of a girl I know pretty well.

When I arrived at Malika's family's house, I was shown into the main salon, where I sat with about ten other women. We were served tea and cookies, then a meal of chicken (which I obviously didn't eat) and couscous. (I'm getting better at eating couscous with my hands, but am still not very tidy when I do it.) While we were eating, the bride came into the house in a large group of women who were singing and dancing. She was led to the back salon, where there was a throne for her to sit on, surrounded by beautiful embroidered tablecloths and pillow covers. (She'll take these with her to her new home.) She was wearing a white kaftan with silver designs on it. Her hair, for the first time since I met her, was not veiled, but instead was in a fancy bun and sprayed with glitter. She wore a gold crown and had a long veil attached to the bun. She wore kohl on her eyes and had lipstick and blush on (again, not anything I'd ever seen her wear before.)

After she sat down on the thrown, people took turns taking pictures with her. It was warm in the room, so her sister got a fan to put in the window and one of her friends stood next to her waving a paper fan for her. After a few minutes, a table was brought in with a bowl of milk, dates, a sugar cone and incense. Several girls walked over to the bride and helped her get situated so that the henna could start being applied. They had brought in a girl from outside the village to do the henna. She started applying a thick layer of henna to the bottom of Malika's feet. She then did intricate patterns about 8 inches up each ankle. Because of the intricacy of the designs, this took several hours. Malika had to sit quietly on her throne throughout the process. Henna was then applied to her hands and arms. I can tell you from experience, its difficult to sit still while the henna is drying on your hands and feet. It can take an hour or so dry and then has to be scraped off with a knife. Sometimes, paint thinner is added to the henna mixture so that the henna patterns last longer. Unfortunately, this really makes the henna burn when its applied. (I don't know if Malika's henna had paint thinner in it or not.)

After watching Malika get hennaed for awhile, one of my host sisters came to get me to take me to the "party." In my host families house, all of the women of the village had gathered to sing songs and dance to celebrate Malika's marriage. Most marriage celebrations in rural villages are gender segregated, with the women divided into two groups (married and un-married.) Luckily, I'm able to attend whatever parties I want, as I'm kind of in a special group of my own. Its fun to see all of the women and girls dressed up in their most fancy jellabas or dresses, talking and singing. Around 9 pm, tables were brought in and we were directed to sit in groups of ten or so around the table. (I always kind of dread this part of a party, as being a vegetarian can lead to lots of questions and strange looks.) We were served chicken, then couscous, then fruit again. After that, a prayer was said and everyone went home. Tonight is the party for the unmarried girls. I'll probably attend again, but I'll see how I feel. Tonight's party will probably end much later, as the younger girls have more energy.

Tomorrow, the sister of one of my English students is getting married. The parties will start all over again!

Traveling....

I have finally made it back to site after traveling what felt like non-stop the last two months. I helped organize two craft fairs, one in Rabat and one in Marrakech. While my artisans participated in the Marrakech craft fair, they decided that the Rabat craft fair was too far to attend. I was disappointed in their decision to not attend the fair, but hope they will be open to going to the next one. The picture above is me with two other PCVs, Joy and Adriana, modeling the new shirts that Joy's association is making. They were a big hit at the fair.

After the craft fairs, I was only back in my village for a few weeks before I had to travel back to Rabat. This time, it was for a week of training with Peace Corps. My counterpart attended the training as well and I think learned a lot about Peace Corps and what volunteers are supposed to do/ can do for their villages. It was fun to be in Rabat for a week and see all of the other PCVs, many of whom I had not seen since our last training in February. Peace Corps put us up in a nice hotel, with hot showers in the rooms, clean beds and towels provided! I really enjoyed being in a big city again, where I could get all sorts of food (my village doesn't have any restaurants) and hang out with other Americans for a few days.

After training, I went back to my village for a week or two, then started traveling again to help plan the next Marrakech craft fair, tentatively scheduled for early December. My friend Ali, a PCV in taroudant province, is the main planner for the fair and has asked for as much help as we can give her. We talked to the director of the previous fair and got a lot of great advice on what to improve, what to keep the same, and how to write the grant proposal. It will be a lot of work, but hopefully worth it in the end. Our biggest challenge is going to be language. Ali and I both speak a Berber dialect called tashelhit. All of the government officials we will be speaking with speak Moroccan Arabic or French. Ali speaks some French, which will be very helpful but we will have to recruit additional volunteers that speak Arabic to help with some of the more technical language.

Right now, I'm sitting in my salon, preparing information on another craft fair for my cooperative. I will not be able to attend with them, as I'll be traveling with my family in Egypt, but I really hope they go without me. Craft fairs are great for the women to see what other cooperatives are doing and get new ideas for products. The fairs also give them a chance to build their customer service skills and become more comfortable with traveling outside the village. Keep your fingers crossed they decide to attend!

Gestures

Since my Tashelhit (Berber) isn't perfect, I talk a lot with my hands. When I don't know how to say something, I try to express the idea with my hands. Its no surprise, then, that I've picked up some of the Moroccan/Berber gestures used in my community. They are now such an ingrained part of my way of speaking that I use them while speaking Tashelhit or English. Here are just a few of them....

1) To express something or someone is nice/beautiful/handsome/good, flick your fingers. If you are saying someone or their clothing is nice, you flick your fingers in their face. Think of how flick your pointer finger with your thumb...now do this with all your fingers. Its a little frightening the first time it is done in your face. I don't even notice it anymore and do it unconsciously anytime I am talking about something I like (like someone's dress) or someone who is good (like my student who is always on time for class.)

2) To express something is the same as something else, rub your two pointer fingers together with your hands horizontal to the floor. This can also mean someone is close to someone else (either by blood or by friendship.) This gesture is used A LOT in my village. Its very helpful, as I can use it to describe most anything - my sister is the same age as my cousin - rub my fingers together. Start using it! I want to see it catch on in the U.S.

3) To say you are going to get someone, flick your ear. This is mainly used in jest, but its pretty funny to see. We don't have a great gesture like this in the U.S....ours are much more extreme. You can express the same intent, although at a slightly more serious level, by hitting your closed fist with your hand (this one is a little more extreme.)

4) To express shame on you, pull down your lower eyelid with one finger. This one is pretty funny to use, especially with your friends. Moroccans use this one when we Americans use rubbing one pointer finger down the other. I don't use this one very often....its more used by mother's when telling a child to stop doing something bad (like picking on a sibling.)

5) To tell someone to come to you, put your hand facing down and pull your fingers towards you. This one took me awhile to get used to, since we sometimes use this gesture (or a version of it) in the U.S. to tell someone to go away. I have a hard time remembering to use this one instead of the American version (pulling your pointer finger towards you.)

6) After shaking hands, kiss your fingers or put your hand over your heart. I picked up this gesture the first week I was here. Now I do it unconsciously, whether meeting Americans or Moroccans. This will be a hard habit to break when I come back to the U.S. I do it probably 30 times a day....

7) To express something is full (like the market) or someone is wealthy, take your thumb and rub it upwards under your chin. This one still confuses me sometimes, as I am not totally sure of when to use it myself.

8) To express someone is worthless, make the A-OK sign and hold it downwards (with your fingers pointing towards the floor.) This one is slightly profane, but the previous volunteer said her host sister did it when boys were cat-calling towards her in our village.

Of course, I still use some American gestures that aren't understood here in Morocco. The most prevalent one is crossing my fingers. I didn't even realize I was doing it until one of my students asked me why I cross my fingers when I say "Inshallah." (Inshallah means "God willing" and is often used like we use "I hope" in English.) I'm trying to break myself of the habit now, but am not sure if I'll be successful. I've been crossing my fingers for too many years.

Pretty interesting, huh? I'm planning a lesson soon for my English class on American gestures and what they mean. Send me any ideas you have....

Spring Camp

The first week of April was Spring Camp. Youth Development Volunteers work with Moroccan government staff to coordinate week long English Immersion camps. I helped out at one in Khemisset, which is about an hour from Rabat. It was a lot of fun. The kids were great, although very different than the kids I work with in my village. Many of them came from affluent families. Most were very familiar with American pop culture and wore western style clothes. Most were very excited to study English and really enjoyed learning American songs, rhyming games, and anything else I could come up with.

Every morning, I taught an intermediate English class. I had about 14 students from the ages of 12 to 17. While they would sometimes get pretty rambunctious, they would quiet down when I told them to. They loved all the camp songs I taught them, including "Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie jar" and "I'm Being Swallowed by a Boa Constrictor." They also really enjoyed the games I came up with to reinforce my lessons. After they learned fruit, vegetables, and animals (including what they say in English), we played Pictionary. They REALLY got into it. Some even cheated so that they could win! Luckily, I had a very honest boy, Souleyman, in my class who would tell me if his team or the other team cheated. They were pretty funny kids and I'm glad I got to spend a week with them.

In the afternoon, I taught "Art Club." It was a pretty funny title, since we all know I'm not an artist. Luckily, my art club involved making friendship bracelets. All those years of making bracelets and anklets during Swim Meets really helped me out. I was able to teach all the kids how to make them and my club was very popular! Some of the girls even came up to me at 2:00 a.m. the last night to get extra string so they could make more at home!

After art club, the kids played sports and then had some sort of activity run by the Moroccan staff. We were very lucky - the staff from the Dar Chebab (youth center) was AMAZING! They took care of everything and were quick to solve any problems that came up. They were great at keeping the kids entertained and had some excellent activities planned for them each night. In addition to a talent show, they had a game night where the kids had fun games to play. I think the funniest was a game where a group of five boys pretended they were driving a bus. They had to stand up when they went up a hill, lean when going around a corner, etc. One by one, the staff put a wet rag on their chair while they were standing. Luckily, the boys all took it in good fun and the kids loved it. It was pretty funny, seeing their expressions as they sat down on the rag!

Here are some more pictures from camp.

Halloween night! Sarah really got into her costume. (Its a ninja, if you can't tell.) She was hoarse the next day from all her "battle" yells. The teenage boys didn't know how to react. I have to say, I laughed a lot.

Some of the kids waiting for their afternoon snack.

Me teaching the art club how to make friendship bracelets.

Me with Rachel and John, drawing out the schedule for the week. Luckily, one of the staff was able to add the arabic translation for us!

Todra Gorges

Morocco is a land of contrasting landscapes. It has the Sahara, a mediterranean climate up north, and several sets of mountain chains (one of which I live in.) It also has a beautiful gorge a few hours from Ouarzazate, called the Todra Gorges. It reminded me of a mini grand canyon and was very pretty. Here are a few pictures from our day trip there.

Annie, Linda, Donna, Peggy and me with our new masks that we bought in the gorges. They are from Mali and pretty cool looking.
Me in the gorge.
Me, Linda, Donna and Annie in the gorges.

Desert Oasis and Camel Trek

This weekend, I got to go on a camel trek into the Sahara and visit friends in their desert oasis home. Here are some of the pictures from my adventure.

These are our guides getting the camels ready to go on the hour and a half ride to the desert camp. It was my first time riding a camel, so I was a little nervous. Luckily, although my camel complained loudly when she was given a command to sit or stand, she didn't bite or spit. We nicknamed her "Princess Sara" because she seemed pretty high maintenance.

This is our caravan heading into the desert. I'm in the very back of the line.
This is us posing on top of our SUV. We stopped to get our first good look at the Sahara. You can see the dunes in the background.
This is our group taking a walk at Emily and Sean's site. They live in a beautiful town in the Errachidia province. Their town is an oasis in the middle of the desert. It has palm trees and amazingly clear streams and rivers running through it. It was truly a beautiful area.

Emily and Sean made their giant bed by lining up six foam ponjs. Its huge and comfortably fit five of us to sleep. They were wonderful hosts and I'm so glad I got to visit with them and see their site.

Fes

On the way to PPST, I stopped in Fes with a couple of my fellow PCVs. What a cool city! The architecture is amazing. I even enjoyed seeing the tannery, although it smelled horrendous. Thank goodness they gave us sprigs of mint to smell while we were looking...

This is me with Adriana and Peggy in front of the tannery. The vats below are filled with pigeon poop (because its high in ammonia) and lime to help treat the skins. The tannery treats cow, sheep, goat and camel skins. The building we climbed to get this view is filled to the rafters with all the products they make from the leather.

PPST

As most of you know, Peace Corps loves acronyms. These last two weeks I've been at PPST or Post-Pre-Service Training. Although I was worried about being away from my site for so long, I'm so glad I got to go. It was great! We got to spend two weeks in a very nice hotel. We had heat in our rooms and hot water (almost) every morning. The food was amazing and best of all, I didn't have to cook it. There was even a sandwich shop down the street that sold amazing chocolate, pistachio, and vanilla caramel mouse for about a dollar. Oh, and of course I learned a lot about working with a co-op and will hopefully be able to implement some of the ideas here at my site and with my weaving cooperative.

Training is a little different in every Peace Corps country. In Morocco, each stage, or training group, is brought together a few months after swearing-in so that we can discuss how things have gone our first few months at site. As I'm sure you can imagine, no two Peace Corps experiences are alike. In our group, we have some people in large cities (250K) and others in very tiny villages (250 people). Some people have a plethora of associations to choose from when deciding who to work with. Others have to work to find even one. I'm lucky in that my site is kind of in the middle of these extremes. While I don't have as many options as my big city PCV friends, I do have an association I can work with that makes some beautiful, high quality products. And, while I can't get some of the food products I want in my village, I can get them by traveling the hour to Ouarzazate.

It was great hearing about everyone's sites, their trials and their triumphs. Hearing how others have struggled adapting to the language, culture, etc. really helped me keep my worries in perspective. It made me proud that I've been able to accomplish some things and pushed me to try to accomplish even more. In one of our training sessions we got to hear from a woman who's co-op started working with a Peace Corps Volunteer in 2000. That PCV helped them establish officially establish the co-op. Today, that co-op is very successful and selling their products internationally. Although I know that may not be possible with my co-op, I'm hopeful I'll be able to at least help them get started on that path. At the end of the session, all of the PCVs were pumped about getting back to site and implementing some of the suggestions from the speaker.

Training also included tips for website development, photographing artisan's products, product quality control, and training artisans in business skills. I can't wait to meet with my co-op again to get their perspective on what's important and get their input on what they'd like help improving. I am going to start building a website for them and hopefully start training on how to develop more marketable products. While my co-op makes beautiful carpets and their embroidery is top-shelf, they don't have a wide product line. Some of my fellow PCVs gave me ideas on how we can adapt the products so that they are more marketable in the international and tourist markets. I'm so glad there are people with artistic talent in my stage! Business skills I've got but I can't draw at all!

It was wonderful spending time with my fellow PCVs. I forget sometimes that I'm not alone in what I'm going through. There are other people who are struggling with the language, and making cultural mistakes and struggling to force down that new drink they've never had before and hope to never have again (I hear the sour milk grows on you, but I'm not there yet.) It was good to hear other people's stories and how they coped with some of the more difficult parts of living in a new culture. All of us had difference coping mechanisms. Some of us had a lot more difficulty with the language, while others had more trouble with the culture.

Overall, PPST was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the sessions and the hot shower every day and heated room every night were a wonderful treat. Plus, I got to see a lot more of Morocco. Azrou is a beautiful city, Ifrane really is like a piece of Switzerland in the middle of Morocco, and Fes is too amazing for words to describe. I can't wait to travel more and see more of this amazing country.

The wolf and the hen

As most of you know, Tashelhit (Berber) is not a written language. For someone like me, who has only studied written languages like German and French, this makes learning the language much more difficult. I had no idea how much I relied on dictionaries and stories to learn a new language. Lucky for me, my tutor found a few websites with stories written in tashelhit. I’ve been working on translating them with my tutor. Its really helping my vocabulary and I enjoy learning the Berber folktales. One of my favorites is called “The Wolf and the Hen”

It goes as follows:

A hungry wolf went walking in the forest until he came up next to a small tree, in which a hen was sunning herself. He said to her, “ Peace to you” to which she replied “And peace to you.”

The wolf said, “Did you hear what the town crier announced? Its no longer allowed for the lion to eat the gazelle or the tiger to eat the mountain goat. Also, the eagle can no longer hunt the hare. To top it all off, democracy will spread in the forest! So come down from the tree!” The hen wanted to come down out of the tree but she was afraid. The wolf said, “ Come down! The era of dictatorship is over! Come down!”

Meanwhile, the hen saw two hungry hunting dogs coming towards where she and the wolf were standing. When the wolf saw the hunting dogs, he wanted to run away. The hen said, “Hey Wolf! You just said all that about what the town crier announced!”

He replied, “It seems these jokers didn’t hear the announcement!”

Pretty funny, huh? I love folktales. And translating this one meant I got to learn how to say “to top it all off” in tashelhit (Its “awal n ufella” for those of you who wanted to know.)

My language is progressing slowly but surely, but I wish it were faster. I’m very lucky in that I get tashelhit “lessons” when I tutor some local women in English. We speak in a mixture of Tashelhit and English, so its improving all of our language skills in both languages.

Home Sweet Home

I'm writing from the couch in my very own living room here in rural Morocco. I moved in seven days ago today and have slowly been changing the place around to make it mine. I live in a traditional adobe house, with neighbors on both sides. My neighbors have been very welcoming since I moved in, bringing me cake and always stopping by the say hello. They are all very nice people and I'm lucky to have moved into such a great complex. There is even a toddler next door who is cute as a button and loves to say hello... maybe I'll practice my Tashelhit with him. We're probably on the same level!

Its been a challenge to get the things I need to my place, but I'm persevering. My house is on top of the hill in our village, about a 20 minute walk from the center of town. I'm lucky in that my town has fairly plentiful commerce, so I'm able to find almost everything I need without going into Ouarzazate. Of course, I've still got to cart it up the hill. I had no idea how heavy a plastic dresser could be after carrying it for 20 minutes. Whew! I'm lucky the wind wasn't too strong that day!

I'm almost set with everything I need. I have a dresser in my bedroom, a foam pad for my bed, plenty of blankets, a beautiful wooden table with plastic chairs (they were lighter to carry up the hill), and a refrigerator, stove, and oven in my kitchen. My place is 5 times as large as the apartment I had studying abroad in Germany, which is great. I've even been able to cover the open window above the dining room, so not as much dust is blowing in off the mud roof when its windy. If only it were a bit warmer, it would be perfect! (Its freezing cold today, with snow for the first time. I can't wait for spring. As those of you who know me know, I handle being hot a lot better than being cold!)

Everyone in the village has been so welcoming. I'm lucky that I'm not the first volunteer in the village, so villagers are somewhat used to seeing a strange face around. I'm even called by the previous volunteer's name sometimes. I just answer... I think its nice they are greeting me, even if they are calling me Mia. Today, when I went to the post office, a nice woman in the taxi went out of her way to make sure I got there okay then had the taxi wait until I got finished. I am always so thankful when people go out of there way to help me out. Its a wonderful part of Moroccan culture.

My tutor, the local English teacher, has been meeting with me a few times a week to help me with my Tashelhit (berber). Its going fairly well, but the Berber language is unlike any other language I've studied. Its helping that I'm teaching English several times a week. I use a mixture of Tashelhit and English to teach, and the girls I teach speak to me in the same sort of mixture. I think its helping my language skills a lot and I think their English is improving as well. (At least I hope so.)

My tutor also helped me with come up with questions for the local co-op, then helped me interview the president. Part of Peace Corps goals is to create sustainable development, so volunteers are supposed to concentrate of those improvements the co-op wants. These may not line up with what the volunteer thinks is most important. Luckily, the questions we came up with exactly mirrored what the president is hoping to accomplish with the co-op! I was very impressed with all he wants to accomplish and said I'd help in any way possible. He has specific goals in mind to make the co-op more profitable, train more people, and even get the younger generation involved. I'm so lucky to have been matched with such a motivated counterpart! I hope my language improves quickly enough that I'm able to be of help to them.