N.B. My computer has lapsed into a deep, deep sleep (probably due to two years of heavy use in a dusty village), so blog entries will present a challenge from here on out. My official close of service date is a week from tomorrow; my last day in my village is Monday. The volunteer who's coming to take my place arrives Sunday. The past week has been a whirlwind of packing, shipping, cleaning, crying, tea, couscous, biking, talking, and planning. Leaving a place is never fun, but here, the idea of leaving a place "for good" just isn't something people are used to. "When will you return?" and "But how long will you BE in America?" are the most frequently asked questions of me these days, and it's hard to respond because I don't have the answers yet.
I feel like I'm moving too fast right now to really ponder and reflect on what these two years have meant, and it might be a while before I really realize their full impact. At this point the most I can do is try to get as much done and see as many people as possible before leaving...and then deal with next steps, with reflections, with processing it all later.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Nearing the end
Three weeks to COS!
I'm in the process of uploading a last album of photos - highlights from the past 10 months or so - if anyone wants to browse (my picasa albums are on the right hand side of the blog). It should cover all kinds of exciting stuff, from trainings and exchanges between my association and at least three others, my parents' visit last spring, camps (though be warned, there are just a few...for lots of camp photos check out the YouTube videos I linked to here), hiking Lake Ifni, several photos of my house, photos from the ceremony in which the weavers were presented their very first profits, a business training I helped out with in a friend's site, our epic bike trip over the Tiz n Test pass, a trip to the magical Portuguese cistern at Al Jadida, a moussem in Taroudant at which hundreds of camels were slaughtered (yeah I know), Easter eggs decorated with henna, my ladies' first trips out of their region, to Fes and the Taznakht area, and a bunch of random photos of my site on those days that made everything look particularly gorgeous. I'll do my best to caption them...enjoy!
I'm in the process of uploading a last album of photos - highlights from the past 10 months or so - if anyone wants to browse (my picasa albums are on the right hand side of the blog). It should cover all kinds of exciting stuff, from trainings and exchanges between my association and at least three others, my parents' visit last spring, camps (though be warned, there are just a few...for lots of camp photos check out the YouTube videos I linked to here), hiking Lake Ifni, several photos of my house, photos from the ceremony in which the weavers were presented their very first profits, a business training I helped out with in a friend's site, our epic bike trip over the Tiz n Test pass, a trip to the magical Portuguese cistern at Al Jadida, a moussem in Taroudant at which hundreds of camels were slaughtered (yeah I know), Easter eggs decorated with henna, my ladies' first trips out of their region, to Fes and the Taznakht area, and a bunch of random photos of my site on those days that made everything look particularly gorgeous. I'll do my best to caption them...enjoy!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
into the great laugh of mankind
...title from the title of a Sufjan Stevens song that sort of captures my mood at the moment. My life looks like the routine of the past two years, if you can call it a routine, but recently the patterns have been subtly shifting and everything is louder and more complicated and better in a lot of ways. Time is just flying! But a few thoughts:
For some time I've been toying with the idea of starting some kind of blog or website that highlights interesting, clearly written articles, podcasts or essays about the Islamic world for the average American nonspecialist reader. So much of the information out there about Islam and the Middle East is biased or full of jargon or overly complicated, and while I am definitely not an authority capable of explaining it all or understanding the subtleties of every bias, I think an online community might be a place to start. I think a huge huge HUGE problem our country faces is simply a lack of information about the populations and countries of our world that doesn't typically get a whole lot of coverage in high school history classes, particularly the Islamic world (which is as diverse and varied, by the way, as the "Christian world," if you want to think of it that way).
Anyhow. I don't know if I will ever get around to creating such a website, or how it would look if I do, but in the spirit of the idea, I just wanted to share with the brave souls who are still following this rambling epistle two years later a few interesting pieces that have caught my eye/ear lately:
1. The Pew Forum: Mapping the Muslim Population
Did you know there are more Muslims in China than in Syria? Or that one in five Muslims lives in a country where Islam is not the majority religion? Or that not only are not all Muslims Arabs, but that not all Arabs are Muslims?
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just published the findings of a comprehensive study on the world's Muslim population, and it's as good a place as any to start forming an accurate picture of the Muslim world.
2. Afghanistan is confusing and sometimes I wonder how on earth one should even approach its myriad problems. Obviously nobody has all the answers, but lately I've seen and heard many coherently articulated descriptions of the challenges there and how they might be addressed in the New York Times Magazine and on the websites of the inspiring Shuhada Organization and Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme.
Today I finalized the host family for the volunteer who will replace me - a really lovely, welcoming family with a beautiful home! I'm so excited for my replacement. I should find out who she is on Monday - when, coincidentally, I'll be in Rabat for the last time for a GAD (gender and development) meeting. By the time I get back from the meeting I will have TWO WEEKS left in this place where I have been living now for nearly two years. Sometimes I feel like I know it so well - and sometimes I feel like I've just begun to learn my way around.
The weather is finally turning, and it instantly brings me back to last fall - a time when I felt I was FINALLY finding my footing here and understanding how on earth I could find a way to fit in to the development efforts already happening in this wonderful community I now call home. I recently picked the last fruits off of my pomegranate tree, and already its leaves are turning golden and falling to the floor of my peaceful little courtyard.
On a less sober note, on the list of Things to Do Before I Finish Service is "make pomegranate chutney" - which I finally did!!!! And it is delish. Especially good with chicken salad on a sandwich, or to spice up an otherwise ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. So here are the recipes for THOSE, if you can get your hands on some pomegranates, which you should if you are at all able...
Chicken salad, adapted from my Great Aunt Marguerite's recipe
Combine
2-3 cups of cooked chicken pieces (I usually use 1/2 to 1 kilo of chicken, and my preferred method is to cook in oil, broth, and some herbs and spices and maybe some plain yogurt in a tagine for about an hour)
Pomegranate seeds (1-2 pomegranates)
Grapes, seeded and halved
Walnuts or nuts of your choice
Cilantro and parsely, chopped
Mix with about a cup of plain yogurt, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper, and spices of your choice (I usually use turmeric, curry, and ras al hanout). Chill till ready to serve, and if you wish, serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.
Pomegranate chutney (ever so slightly adapted from my godmother Tona's amazing incredible Peach Chutney recipe)
Remove seeds of two medium to large pomegranates
Place in large saucepan
Add: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/8 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/6 cup chopped onion, about an inch of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, and dried/ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon to taste (I usually do half to a whole small spoonful of each), and a spoonful of salt.
Measure about 2 cups of sugar (or about 2 cups worth of honey and sugar if you want to use less sugar) and set aside.
Mix about an ounce of powdered fruit pectin (half a standard size packet) into the saucepan (which now has everything but the sugars), stir well, and place over high heat.
When a boil is reached, immediately add all the sugar and stir. Keep at a rolling boil and stir constantly for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and skim off any foam that may have formed on top.
Continue stirring for 5-10 more minutes.
Let cool and store.
For some time I've been toying with the idea of starting some kind of blog or website that highlights interesting, clearly written articles, podcasts or essays about the Islamic world for the average American nonspecialist reader. So much of the information out there about Islam and the Middle East is biased or full of jargon or overly complicated, and while I am definitely not an authority capable of explaining it all or understanding the subtleties of every bias, I think an online community might be a place to start. I think a huge huge HUGE problem our country faces is simply a lack of information about the populations and countries of our world that doesn't typically get a whole lot of coverage in high school history classes, particularly the Islamic world (which is as diverse and varied, by the way, as the "Christian world," if you want to think of it that way).
Anyhow. I don't know if I will ever get around to creating such a website, or how it would look if I do, but in the spirit of the idea, I just wanted to share with the brave souls who are still following this rambling epistle two years later a few interesting pieces that have caught my eye/ear lately:
1. The Pew Forum: Mapping the Muslim Population
Did you know there are more Muslims in China than in Syria? Or that one in five Muslims lives in a country where Islam is not the majority religion? Or that not only are not all Muslims Arabs, but that not all Arabs are Muslims?
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just published the findings of a comprehensive study on the world's Muslim population, and it's as good a place as any to start forming an accurate picture of the Muslim world.
2. Afghanistan is confusing and sometimes I wonder how on earth one should even approach its myriad problems. Obviously nobody has all the answers, but lately I've seen and heard many coherently articulated descriptions of the challenges there and how they might be addressed in the New York Times Magazine and on the websites of the inspiring Shuhada Organization and Afghanistan's National Solidarity Programme.
Today I finalized the host family for the volunteer who will replace me - a really lovely, welcoming family with a beautiful home! I'm so excited for my replacement. I should find out who she is on Monday - when, coincidentally, I'll be in Rabat for the last time for a GAD (gender and development) meeting. By the time I get back from the meeting I will have TWO WEEKS left in this place where I have been living now for nearly two years. Sometimes I feel like I know it so well - and sometimes I feel like I've just begun to learn my way around.
The weather is finally turning, and it instantly brings me back to last fall - a time when I felt I was FINALLY finding my footing here and understanding how on earth I could find a way to fit in to the development efforts already happening in this wonderful community I now call home. I recently picked the last fruits off of my pomegranate tree, and already its leaves are turning golden and falling to the floor of my peaceful little courtyard.
On a less sober note, on the list of Things to Do Before I Finish Service is "make pomegranate chutney" - which I finally did!!!! And it is delish. Especially good with chicken salad on a sandwich, or to spice up an otherwise ordinary grilled cheese sandwich. So here are the recipes for THOSE, if you can get your hands on some pomegranates, which you should if you are at all able...
Chicken salad, adapted from my Great Aunt Marguerite's recipe
Combine
2-3 cups of cooked chicken pieces (I usually use 1/2 to 1 kilo of chicken, and my preferred method is to cook in oil, broth, and some herbs and spices and maybe some plain yogurt in a tagine for about an hour)
Pomegranate seeds (1-2 pomegranates)
Grapes, seeded and halved
Walnuts or nuts of your choice
Cilantro and parsely, chopped
Mix with about a cup of plain yogurt, juice of one lemon, salt and pepper, and spices of your choice (I usually use turmeric, curry, and ras al hanout). Chill till ready to serve, and if you wish, serve on a bed of fresh lettuce.
Pomegranate chutney (ever so slightly adapted from my godmother Tona's amazing incredible Peach Chutney recipe)
Remove seeds of two medium to large pomegranates
Place in large saucepan
Add: 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/8 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/6 cup chopped onion, about an inch of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped, and dried/ground ginger, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon to taste (I usually do half to a whole small spoonful of each), and a spoonful of salt.
Measure about 2 cups of sugar (or about 2 cups worth of honey and sugar if you want to use less sugar) and set aside.
Mix about an ounce of powdered fruit pectin (half a standard size packet) into the saucepan (which now has everything but the sugars), stir well, and place over high heat.
When a boil is reached, immediately add all the sugar and stir. Keep at a rolling boil and stir constantly for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and skim off any foam that may have formed on top.
Continue stirring for 5-10 more minutes.
Let cool and store.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
for breakfast lunch and dessert
...lately I have been eating pomegranate seeds and plain yogurt and just a drizzle of honey all mixed up together, and I can't believe I ever ate anything else for breakfast, lunch, or dessert.
That's all.
That's all.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
odds and ends
I am moving out of my village in 36 days.
New word: Moroccracy (Morocco + bureaucracy)
The weather is still way too warm for mid-October, but I think I can finally safely say that an entire summer has passed with NO SCORPIONS in my house. This has certainly made my life easier, but I'm afraid it's made the blog a little boring with no updates to the scorpion death match column...sorry about that.
According to a handout Peace Corps gave us, I am supposed to be feeling:
"Fright, Confusion, Alienation, Anxiety, Panic, Giddiness, Impatience, Obsession with planning and scheduling"
I can't say honestly I'm feeling much of any of that. I'm sure as departure draws nearer I'll get anxious about how on earth to pack all my stuff into the one suitcase I've promised myself will be my limit. I'm happy and trying to savor my last days in this place, but I'm not sure it borders on giddiness. There's a lot to squeeze in but honestly I have faith that somehow it'll all get done.
I have probably jinxed myself. I'm sure now I'll wake up tomorrow morning fraught with confusion, panic and giddiness...
Happily, I can add one more "indicator" to my list of Visible Changes since I arrived: a large group of weavers is planning to TRAVEL to visit another group of weavers in an adjacent region! (They're going to see the group that generously came to us to conduct a two day training in new techniques and quality control last June.) This is a major change: not only is it unusual for more than two or three weavers to travel somewhere, but the entire idea of the trip came from the women themselves - not from men and not from me! I guess a year ago this would seem like such a small step, but living here for two years has changed my perspective so much: in visual terms (because I'm a visual learner), it's not that my perspective has shifted laterally so much as it's way zoomed in, so that the things I notice and appreciate are very different. The difference between a small step and a big one is really in the eye of the beholder, I think.
So, on the cards for the next few weeks: visiting aforementioned weavers with the ladies, a final jaunt to Rabat for a Gender & Development meeting, and then my FINAL TWO WEEKS in Morocco. It's so weird to be counting the time not in months but in weeks now.
I'm keeping a running list of the things I'll miss. At the top: the kids in my host family, the bread my host mom bakes on an open flame in the traditional clay oven, the city walls of Taroudant, the High Atlas mountains in the afternoon light, the Anti Atlas mountains in the morning light, whitewashed courtyards in the evening light, the sound of old men talking to donkeys, the sounds of women weaving, and the sight of rosy pomegranates outside my window.
New word: Moroccracy (Morocco + bureaucracy)
The weather is still way too warm for mid-October, but I think I can finally safely say that an entire summer has passed with NO SCORPIONS in my house. This has certainly made my life easier, but I'm afraid it's made the blog a little boring with no updates to the scorpion death match column...sorry about that.
According to a handout Peace Corps gave us, I am supposed to be feeling:
"Fright, Confusion, Alienation, Anxiety, Panic, Giddiness, Impatience, Obsession with planning and scheduling"
I can't say honestly I'm feeling much of any of that. I'm sure as departure draws nearer I'll get anxious about how on earth to pack all my stuff into the one suitcase I've promised myself will be my limit. I'm happy and trying to savor my last days in this place, but I'm not sure it borders on giddiness. There's a lot to squeeze in but honestly I have faith that somehow it'll all get done.
I have probably jinxed myself. I'm sure now I'll wake up tomorrow morning fraught with confusion, panic and giddiness...
Happily, I can add one more "indicator" to my list of Visible Changes since I arrived: a large group of weavers is planning to TRAVEL to visit another group of weavers in an adjacent region! (They're going to see the group that generously came to us to conduct a two day training in new techniques and quality control last June.) This is a major change: not only is it unusual for more than two or three weavers to travel somewhere, but the entire idea of the trip came from the women themselves - not from men and not from me! I guess a year ago this would seem like such a small step, but living here for two years has changed my perspective so much: in visual terms (because I'm a visual learner), it's not that my perspective has shifted laterally so much as it's way zoomed in, so that the things I notice and appreciate are very different. The difference between a small step and a big one is really in the eye of the beholder, I think.
So, on the cards for the next few weeks: visiting aforementioned weavers with the ladies, a final jaunt to Rabat for a Gender & Development meeting, and then my FINAL TWO WEEKS in Morocco. It's so weird to be counting the time not in months but in weeks now.
I'm keeping a running list of the things I'll miss. At the top: the kids in my host family, the bread my host mom bakes on an open flame in the traditional clay oven, the city walls of Taroudant, the High Atlas mountains in the afternoon light, the Anti Atlas mountains in the morning light, whitewashed courtyards in the evening light, the sound of old men talking to donkeys, the sounds of women weaving, and the sight of rosy pomegranates outside my window.
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