Hello everyone it has been a long time again. I have decided that tonight is the night that I must update you all on my life here in Morocco. Since last time I have spent my first Christmas away from home and it was an interesting one. I was in Assilah a beach town North of Rabat. It is a great place but it rained the entire time I was there with my boyfriend Doug. I really missed home but we spent the week of rain inside watching movies and listening to all the new music Doug downloaded. From there we went to our friend Natalie’s village in the mountains near Azrou. The sun finally decided to shine and we looked at rugs and built a mini raft and watched it rush down the river. Life in Morocco is full of simple days and pretending you’re a child again. After leaving Ait Hamza we traveled to the Sahara Desert for New Year’s. It was an amazing time spent with lots of Peace Corps volunteers. One of my greatest New Year’s to date. I have decided that I must spend every New Year’s in “the nature!” After New Year’s Doug and I traveled back to Marrakesh and spent our last days together before we ventured back to our own villages. This journey let me see the diversity Morocco has to offer from beaches to mountains to gorges to desert. It is truly an amazing place and I am very lucky to be doing Peace Corps here.
Once I got back to my site anxiety came rushing in with questions of what should I do for work, have I accomplished anything here, what am I going to do after Peace Corps. I have been struggling with these questions since I arrived in Morocco and sometimes the waves of anxiety hit me harder than I can handle. Last Monday this all came to a head when I totally lost it and had a horrible day of crying and wishing I had my mom to talk to. I ended up talking to Sachel and he put it all in perspective for me and now I am back on track.
After talking to Sachel I decided that I am going on sabbatical from work for the moment and going to focus on integrating back into my community. When I left for two weeks everyone thought I went back to America for good and was very sad that I never said good-bye. I don’t really understand why they thought this because they all know I am leaving in May. Here in Imi n Tlit months don’t really matter and nobody really has a grasp on what day of the week it is, nonetheless what month it is. Now that I am back and they realize that it is only January they all are ready to have tea with me.
I have a hard time booking my time here because everyone wants to have tea with me all at once and then I don’t know how to even begin choosing where to start with my tea times. This usually results in me just going to my host families and nobody else’s houses for a couple of weeks. Now I have started getting a schedule and I have to go to Rabat for a dentist appointment in three days. It seems like every time I get back into the groove of things there is some holiday, or school break, or I have to go to Rabat. I am just coming to the point where I am going to do the best I can and I need to stop pressuring myself with work and live in the now the best I can. I also need to take mini steps toward my future instead of just letting it overwhelm me.
Today when I was at the internet I got the best email from my mom with lots of wisdom part of the email said “None of us know what we are doing with our lives and we all hang on to and let go of people, places, and things as we go along. Security is an illusion and life is a journey not destiny.” I thought that was the perfect thing to say for how I have been feeling lately.
After I got back from my Internet session in Smimou today I ran into one of my neddy girls and she told me about some town drama that was happening and I became apart of the investigation. The lady that runs the neddy supposedly came back from Essaouira today with 57,000 durhams, which is like 7,000 dollars, which could not have been right. Regardless of the amount she lost a lot of money and started accusing the other girls at the neddy of stealing it so they all were forced to be strip searched to prove it wasn’t them. Then when I got back we started looking for this boy that probably stole the money that all of a sudden is no longer in town, kind of suspicious? Since, I am allowed to go anywhere in town and the girls aren’t I was told to go to all the café’s and the middle school to see if he was seen today. No luck, my guess is that he fled to Casablanca and is getting on a plane to France right now.
This story has become the talk of the town and will be for years to come. It was kind of fun to listen to all the women speculate on who and how this happened. My real guess is that someone stole the money in a taxi or it was misplaced somewhere. Or since I don’t like the lady that runs the neddy I also speculated that she made all this up so she doesn’t have to pay the women at the neddy for their work. I was quite the investigator today and everyone thought all my ideas were the funniest because none of them dared say what I was saying. I will probably get in trouble for this tomorrow but I don’t care it reminded me of how fun it is to be from a small town sometimes and run around and talk about people. Yes I know gossip is a sin but we all like to relish in it from time to time.
Other stories that I need to tell you about that I don’t want to forget, the other day I was having trouble putting my propane tank on my oven so I asked the shop keeper next door to come help me. My propane tank was clearly leaking and he decided to test it with a lighter anyways, which started a huge fire. I started running because my basic instincts were that I am not going to get blown up because of this. He started laughing at me and put the fire out with his Jalaba, which is Moroccan clothing that is robe like. In the end he fixed the problem and nobody lost any skin to third degree burns.
Story three for you, every time I go to the post office to pick up a package I have to wait for a customs guy to come and make sure there aren’t any bombs in my packages. Every time he goes through my packages I have tons of food in them and he has started to notice. So mister package man looks at me seriously and tells me this isn’t Somalia we do have food in Morocco. Then I have to explain to him if he moved to America he would like it if his mom sent him Moroccan food. He did not buy this and still thinks I am crazy for getting Trader Joe’s sesame almonds sent to me, there are almonds here in Morocco but there so expensive and not sesame covered;)
Well that is all for now. Next week I am off to Rabat for a dentist appointment and a glasses appointment. I am looking forward to this because I will have time to do some applications for my future, do some paperwork that the beaucracy of Peace Corps is making me do, and to see Doug. I really don’t want to leave my site at this point because I am making progress on my reintegration. But, I will just have to work real hard when I get back. My plan for work in the future is to keep doing tooth-brushing lessons and paint some health murals on some schools but my main priority for the next four months is to be with my people of Imi n Tlit.
Can you believe that I only have four months left!!!!! This is bitter sweet and I am going to really enjoy my time I have left here and I will really miss the people and the simplicity of my life here.
Until next time love,
Emmy
Monday, January 25, 2010
Friday, December 4, 2009
Holidays
Dear All,
Thanksgiving and Laid Kabir have passed since the last time I talked to you. I will start with Thanksgiving, three of my friends came over to my house for the holiday, which was so nice. We made pies, mashed potatoes, my favorite Jell-O fruit salad, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and turkey. My friend Tim raised a turkey for this year’s holiday but it turned out to be a disappointment, there was barely any meat on the turkey. I know nothing about raising turkeys but this one was a disgrace. How long do you have to raise a turkey before it is ready to eat? We bought other turkey to make up for it and the meal turned out to be amazing. I even made meringue by hand, Grandma you taught me well. We were doubtful that the meringue would ever fluff up but with enough manpower it happened. I have decided that in America we have too many appliances, we can just do it by hand and then not have crowded kitchens with mixers and all kinds of gadgets. I have even discovered how to make toast without a toaster.
Once the meal was prepared we had a nice family style dinner and sat around discussing what we were thankful for. This year I am thankful for having such great new and old friends, my family, and for my growth in this past year. Last year I was surrounded by such negative volunteers who all wanted to go home, now they have gone home and I have been graced by the presence of three new volunteers that don’t take a single moment for granted.
Two days after Thanksgiving was the big holiday here in Morocco where they slaughter a sheep, Laid Kabir. I went to my host family’s house to celebrate and it was a great day. I have been dreading this day for months now because they like to eat the stomach and head and heart and lungs and all the icky parts we through out in the states. This year wasn’t as bad, I guess I am getting used to this place. I spent the day with my host family and then spent the evening resting and trying to get the taste of sheep out of my mouth, which never happened; I have been eating at peoples houses everyday since and continue to eat sheep. It has a real gamey taste that I hate. Last night I decided that I needed to take a break because it got to the point where everything tasted like sheep, even raspberry crystal light.
I am almost finished with a Christmas video that I am sending home because this is the first Christmas I will be away from home. I wanted to share my life here with you all so you could get a better idea of how and where I live. In the video I filmed the sheep slaughter but don’t give you any warning when it is coming, sorry, my host family didn’t give me much warning either. Last year they slaughtered the sheep themselves and they made quit a production of it, but this year someone came over and slaughtered the sheep. This is how they do it in cities, the town butcher goes around to all the houses and does the killing for them. I guess Imi n Tlit is transforming into a city, HaJ
Work wise my focus has completely changed. I have started working more with the middle school students and have stopped going to my neddy as much. The neddy has started making sandals and it has essentially becoming a sweatshop, but they are happy about it. The girls make 24 dirham’s a month, which is less than a penny a day. I just read a New York Times article about how sweat shops have helped women’s rights, because when they have some kind of income women have more of a say what happens in the household. Also, if women have an income they tend to spend it on the family, where as men tend to spend it on liquor and prostitutes.
Since the neddy is always transforming into something new I decided that I needed more stable work, so I have started teaching English in the Middle School. I am remembering why I wanted to be a teacher, when I am in front of a classroom I get an adrenaline rush, and I am so excited. I also figure if I can teach Middle School students in another language I can teach anyone. I am really gaining confidence in myself. Even if I don’t become a teacher it is helping me have the courage to get up in front of a crowd and speak. Yesterday, I had thirty students and it is hard to keep control of that many kids, small class sizes are important.
I have no idea what I am going to do when I get home, but I am really trying to focus on living one day at a time. I freak out when I think into the future, it is amazing to me how much weight is taken off your shoulders when you just take one day at a time.
After saying all this I will tell you my thoughts on my future, I have been thinking that for the summer I am going to move to Minneapolis and find some kinds of low-grade job and live with friends. This idea excites me because it has been so long since I have gotten to hang out with my childhood friends. But, then today I was reading Into the Wild and was thinking that I need to move to Alaska for the summer. This also excites me because it is somewhere I have seen and heard so much about. I would love to work at Denali National Park or do something in the wilderness because moving to a city seems really daunting at this point.
After the summer it is up in the air, I will apply all over and see what happens and who hires me. I am still focusing on D.C. and Afghanistan. It is crazy to me that I am more afraid of moving back to America than I am about moving to Afghanistan. I feel like I can relate better to Moroccan culture than my own at this point, and Afghanistan is just a way more intense kind of Morocco. We will see if Obama’s troop insurgence will permit me to find a job working for an NGO in Afghanistan. I can’t think about it all now, it is too much.
Last week I talked to my dad and for the first time he didn’t make me more stressed about my future. He had some great advice about just going with it and that the unknown is apart of living and not a bad thing. My dad is reading this new book and it is doing wonders for his advice giving skills. Usually, when I talk to Sachel or my dad I end the conversation being really stressed out, but this past week I really just felt like my life will be good if I keep living it and don’t get scared. The worst thing I could do is get scared and choose a life of comfort. For some people that is what they want and now is the time in their lives to settle down, not me! I need to keep drifting around this world and keep learning everything that I can. Someday's, I am really jealous of my friends that have everything figured out and their lives seem known and mine seems like such a mess, but this is how I want to live, and I am determined to make it work out for me. Well, I have been going on for a long time and now it is time for me to close.
I love you all and Happy Holidays,
Emmy
Give Santa a high-five for me this year, because Santa has forgets to come to Morocco.
Thanksgiving and Laid Kabir have passed since the last time I talked to you. I will start with Thanksgiving, three of my friends came over to my house for the holiday, which was so nice. We made pies, mashed potatoes, my favorite Jell-O fruit salad, green beans, stuffing, sweet potatoes, and turkey. My friend Tim raised a turkey for this year’s holiday but it turned out to be a disappointment, there was barely any meat on the turkey. I know nothing about raising turkeys but this one was a disgrace. How long do you have to raise a turkey before it is ready to eat? We bought other turkey to make up for it and the meal turned out to be amazing. I even made meringue by hand, Grandma you taught me well. We were doubtful that the meringue would ever fluff up but with enough manpower it happened. I have decided that in America we have too many appliances, we can just do it by hand and then not have crowded kitchens with mixers and all kinds of gadgets. I have even discovered how to make toast without a toaster.
Once the meal was prepared we had a nice family style dinner and sat around discussing what we were thankful for. This year I am thankful for having such great new and old friends, my family, and for my growth in this past year. Last year I was surrounded by such negative volunteers who all wanted to go home, now they have gone home and I have been graced by the presence of three new volunteers that don’t take a single moment for granted.
Two days after Thanksgiving was the big holiday here in Morocco where they slaughter a sheep, Laid Kabir. I went to my host family’s house to celebrate and it was a great day. I have been dreading this day for months now because they like to eat the stomach and head and heart and lungs and all the icky parts we through out in the states. This year wasn’t as bad, I guess I am getting used to this place. I spent the day with my host family and then spent the evening resting and trying to get the taste of sheep out of my mouth, which never happened; I have been eating at peoples houses everyday since and continue to eat sheep. It has a real gamey taste that I hate. Last night I decided that I needed to take a break because it got to the point where everything tasted like sheep, even raspberry crystal light.
I am almost finished with a Christmas video that I am sending home because this is the first Christmas I will be away from home. I wanted to share my life here with you all so you could get a better idea of how and where I live. In the video I filmed the sheep slaughter but don’t give you any warning when it is coming, sorry, my host family didn’t give me much warning either. Last year they slaughtered the sheep themselves and they made quit a production of it, but this year someone came over and slaughtered the sheep. This is how they do it in cities, the town butcher goes around to all the houses and does the killing for them. I guess Imi n Tlit is transforming into a city, HaJ
Work wise my focus has completely changed. I have started working more with the middle school students and have stopped going to my neddy as much. The neddy has started making sandals and it has essentially becoming a sweatshop, but they are happy about it. The girls make 24 dirham’s a month, which is less than a penny a day. I just read a New York Times article about how sweat shops have helped women’s rights, because when they have some kind of income women have more of a say what happens in the household. Also, if women have an income they tend to spend it on the family, where as men tend to spend it on liquor and prostitutes.
Since the neddy is always transforming into something new I decided that I needed more stable work, so I have started teaching English in the Middle School. I am remembering why I wanted to be a teacher, when I am in front of a classroom I get an adrenaline rush, and I am so excited. I also figure if I can teach Middle School students in another language I can teach anyone. I am really gaining confidence in myself. Even if I don’t become a teacher it is helping me have the courage to get up in front of a crowd and speak. Yesterday, I had thirty students and it is hard to keep control of that many kids, small class sizes are important.
I have no idea what I am going to do when I get home, but I am really trying to focus on living one day at a time. I freak out when I think into the future, it is amazing to me how much weight is taken off your shoulders when you just take one day at a time.
After saying all this I will tell you my thoughts on my future, I have been thinking that for the summer I am going to move to Minneapolis and find some kinds of low-grade job and live with friends. This idea excites me because it has been so long since I have gotten to hang out with my childhood friends. But, then today I was reading Into the Wild and was thinking that I need to move to Alaska for the summer. This also excites me because it is somewhere I have seen and heard so much about. I would love to work at Denali National Park or do something in the wilderness because moving to a city seems really daunting at this point.
After the summer it is up in the air, I will apply all over and see what happens and who hires me. I am still focusing on D.C. and Afghanistan. It is crazy to me that I am more afraid of moving back to America than I am about moving to Afghanistan. I feel like I can relate better to Moroccan culture than my own at this point, and Afghanistan is just a way more intense kind of Morocco. We will see if Obama’s troop insurgence will permit me to find a job working for an NGO in Afghanistan. I can’t think about it all now, it is too much.
Last week I talked to my dad and for the first time he didn’t make me more stressed about my future. He had some great advice about just going with it and that the unknown is apart of living and not a bad thing. My dad is reading this new book and it is doing wonders for his advice giving skills. Usually, when I talk to Sachel or my dad I end the conversation being really stressed out, but this past week I really just felt like my life will be good if I keep living it and don’t get scared. The worst thing I could do is get scared and choose a life of comfort. For some people that is what they want and now is the time in their lives to settle down, not me! I need to keep drifting around this world and keep learning everything that I can. Someday's, I am really jealous of my friends that have everything figured out and their lives seem known and mine seems like such a mess, but this is how I want to live, and I am determined to make it work out for me. Well, I have been going on for a long time and now it is time for me to close.
I love you all and Happy Holidays,
Emmy
Give Santa a high-five for me this year, because Santa has forgets to come to Morocco.
Monday, November 23, 2009
I am 26!
Hello Everyone,
I just got done celebrating my 26th Birthday and I am feeling good about this new age. The only thing that makes me feel wierd about getting older is I have no idea where I will be when I have my next birthday. For all I know I could be in Afghanistan or Azerbijan? This makes me nervous that I am about to embark on a new adventure in the next year, right when I am beginning to feel comfortable. All I can do is live one day at a time and see where that takes me. I am really understanding what it means to live one day at a time and it is relieving if you can allow yourself to truly just go with it.
I had a really great birthday in Essaouira with some of my Peace Corps friends. We had a nice lunch and had a rockin dance party at the end of the night, with my amazing Bose speakers. I wish you could have all been there and I really miss you. I have been feeling home sick the last couple of days, which tends to happen on birthdays and holidays. But, I am going to push through and keep you all in my thoughts.
For Thanksgiving my friend Tim is raising a Turkey and we are going to slaughter it on Wednesday and eat her on Thursday. When in my life will I be able to do this again? I hope you all eat lots of ham for me because that is something you can't find here. Happy Thanksgiving!
Love
Emmy
I just got done celebrating my 26th Birthday and I am feeling good about this new age. The only thing that makes me feel wierd about getting older is I have no idea where I will be when I have my next birthday. For all I know I could be in Afghanistan or Azerbijan? This makes me nervous that I am about to embark on a new adventure in the next year, right when I am beginning to feel comfortable. All I can do is live one day at a time and see where that takes me. I am really understanding what it means to live one day at a time and it is relieving if you can allow yourself to truly just go with it.
I had a really great birthday in Essaouira with some of my Peace Corps friends. We had a nice lunch and had a rockin dance party at the end of the night, with my amazing Bose speakers. I wish you could have all been there and I really miss you. I have been feeling home sick the last couple of days, which tends to happen on birthdays and holidays. But, I am going to push through and keep you all in my thoughts.
For Thanksgiving my friend Tim is raising a Turkey and we are going to slaughter it on Wednesday and eat her on Thursday. When in my life will I be able to do this again? I hope you all eat lots of ham for me because that is something you can't find here. Happy Thanksgiving!
Love
Emmy
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
November Update
I haven't written in a long time because I haven't been home. I spent last week in Ait Bouli with Doug. It was a great and relaxing time, his site is so beautiful and in the mountains. I am writing this blog from the internet cafe, which I usually write at home and edit before you all get to see this but it has been too long so here we go. Anyways, I am now back at home and have been adjusting to being alone again. Everytime I leave I have to do this readjustment back into my site and it sucks. It takes a couple of days for me to feel motivated to get out there and see people. I finally got back on the horse yesterday and took charge.
I started by going to the middle school and seeing the principle, who I kind of really don't like because he is really hard on me. Also, last summer I started having him teach me arabic and he asked me to spend the night, which is totally uncalled for in this culture, I think it is in American culture too. I would never spend the night at my bosses house in the states. Yesterday, was the first day that I have been to the middle school all year because I have been avoiding it like the swine flu. Once I got there and Said gave me a hard time about not seeing me all year we got down to business, I am going to start teaching a health/English class on Tuesday and Wednesdays. I also went to the women's association, where there is a preschool, to set up toothbrushing lessons with the little ones. I am so excited because I love little kids!
I also set up an appointment to discuss a water project, the biggest problem in my village is the lack of water. The water is shut off everyday at 6 and the kids that spend the night at the middle school are going to the bathroom outside because there is no water to flush the toilets. There is also not enough water to make dinner. It is a big problem and nobody is doing anything about it. I tried last year to get a project going and they told me that the people in Essaouira said they were going to take care of it. I think they are now realizing that I can do it much faster than the province can.
Tomorrow I have seven Peace Corps volunteers to be trained on HIV/Aids in Morocco. December 1st is international Aids day so all volunteers are asked to do something for this. I am going to travel around all the schools in my region with my fellow province mates and we are going to do Aids education in the schools.
Other than that I don't have much going on in my life. I am so excited for Sachel and Kari to come and see my life in March! It is so long away but I still dream about it like it were tomorrow. I also have been bumming that I am going to miss my first Christmas ever, huh. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I am turning 26 on November 21st, which is crazy, can you believe that I am going to 26! Another side note I am reading the book Drifters and it is soooooo good. Dad I feel like this a book you have read before?
Love
Emmy
I started by going to the middle school and seeing the principle, who I kind of really don't like because he is really hard on me. Also, last summer I started having him teach me arabic and he asked me to spend the night, which is totally uncalled for in this culture, I think it is in American culture too. I would never spend the night at my bosses house in the states. Yesterday, was the first day that I have been to the middle school all year because I have been avoiding it like the swine flu. Once I got there and Said gave me a hard time about not seeing me all year we got down to business, I am going to start teaching a health/English class on Tuesday and Wednesdays. I also went to the women's association, where there is a preschool, to set up toothbrushing lessons with the little ones. I am so excited because I love little kids!
I also set up an appointment to discuss a water project, the biggest problem in my village is the lack of water. The water is shut off everyday at 6 and the kids that spend the night at the middle school are going to the bathroom outside because there is no water to flush the toilets. There is also not enough water to make dinner. It is a big problem and nobody is doing anything about it. I tried last year to get a project going and they told me that the people in Essaouira said they were going to take care of it. I think they are now realizing that I can do it much faster than the province can.
Tomorrow I have seven Peace Corps volunteers to be trained on HIV/Aids in Morocco. December 1st is international Aids day so all volunteers are asked to do something for this. I am going to travel around all the schools in my region with my fellow province mates and we are going to do Aids education in the schools.
Other than that I don't have much going on in my life. I am so excited for Sachel and Kari to come and see my life in March! It is so long away but I still dream about it like it were tomorrow. I also have been bumming that I am going to miss my first Christmas ever, huh. I guess it was bound to happen at some point. I am turning 26 on November 21st, which is crazy, can you believe that I am going to 26! Another side note I am reading the book Drifters and it is soooooo good. Dad I feel like this a book you have read before?
Love
Emmy
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Wedding!
Hello everyone, I hope you haven’t given up on me, I am still here in Morocco, living the dream. I have been up to a lot since the last time I talked to you. This past weekend I went to Rabat for my boss’s daughters wedding. It was one of my most memorable experiences in country, thus far. It all started last Friday when I went to Marrakesh to meet my friend Erin and Michelle, who were also going to the wedding. On Saturday morning we woke up early to make the journey to Rabat. To get to Rabat I took a train, the trains are a lot like the trains in Darjling Express, but this time we were granted the gift of A/C, which is normally not working. Once we got to Rabat the time bomb started ticking until we had to be at the wedding, which started at 10 pm, yes started at 10 pm.
We all got ready at the Peace Corps office, since the train ride was a sweaty experience even with A/C, we all took European showers, meaning we just put on a bunch of perfume to cover up our sink because there is no shower at the Peace Corps office. I barrowed a traditional Kaftan from one of the girls in my village so I wouldn’t stand out at the wedding. I even got to wear make up and do my hair, which is a rarity in my life these days.
With my hair all done up, heels, and my Peace Corps friends in tow we arrived at the wedding and were surprised from the beginning when we entered we walked down a red carpet. The wedding hall had a huge live band and city Moroccans galore. When we entered the room everyone turned and stared at us because we were such a spectacle, but staring is something we are all used to. In our villages we are like superstars and the fascination of our towns. I guess we did look silly because all the us girls were in traditional garb and we all spoke their language. The bride married a Frenchmen so there was a lot of Frenchies there too but we had more in common with the Moroccans than with them. After living here for so long I am finding myself more accustomed to Moroccan simplicity than the Western world.
The wedding started with cookies, dancing and fresh squeezed juices. Since it was a Muslim wedding no alcohol was there, which is unheard of in my world. I didn’t know you could even have a wedding without drinks, but it was surprisingly so much fun without it. We got crazy on the dance floor with Peace Corps staff and we were the buffers for young Moroccan girls that wanted to dance with boys, which is only appropriate to do if there are other girls dancing with them, we were chaperones.
At Moroccan weddings the bride changes five or more times into different Kaftans. Layla, the bride, started in white, then wore blue and purple and ended the night in a western wedding dress. Layla even threw a bouquet at the end of the night, which is a very westernized thing to do, but she lives in France with her husband, at this point Layla is more westernized than I am.
Dinner came out at two in the morning and it was insane how much food we got. All of us Peace Corps Volunteers were like scavengers, like we had never seen food before. We were all just so surprised at how much food there was that we felt like we had to eat everything. When I go to weddings in my village each table of about ten people gets one chicken, at this wedding we had six chickens! The Volunteers there were the most uncivilized people there because we were just so surprised and the food was so good.
Even when I am in my house I don’t have enough money to make the food that we were being served. There was this fried cheese appetizers at the wedding that I can’t get out of my head because they were so amazing. I never allow myself to even buy cheese or anything that I can’t get in my market because I can’t afford it. Most of my friends allow themselves the luxury of cheese from time to time but I don’t even go down that road because once I start buying it I won’t be able to restrain myself. It is weird to me to think about how I have to restrain myself from buying food because when I was in America I ate cheese and ham with every meal, now in Morocco there is no ham to be eaten and cheese is too expensive. Even people on welfare in America get cheese. I am not feeling sorry for myself part of the reason I joined Peace Corps is to learn discipline and I am doing that one slice of cheese at a time.
Enough about the food, the wedding was so beautiful and the music was actually enjoyable. Most of the volunteers in Morocco don’t like going to weddings in our villages because it is such an enduring process. We have to sit in rooms for hours listening to horrible music and the rooms are so crowded we are sitting on our own feet and people are breathing all over us because they are so close. But this wedding was so amazing we got to sit in chairs, eat as much as we wanted to and men and women got to dance together. In our villages men and women are separated for the entire evening. It was also a great time to bond with my bosses. The father of the bride was so grateful that we came he gave us hugs when we finally left at five in the morning. I am so honored to be given, the opportunity to have had this experience and thank that Lamqaddam family for inviting us to the wedding.
After the wedding I got on a train the next morning and headed into the Middle Atlas Mountains, for my friend Natalie and Brianna’s houses. Months ago I decided to plan a craft weekend because as you all know I love crafts. Bri was a textile major in college and she knows everything about crafts. I didn’t even know that was a major and think I missed my calling. I learned how to felt and knit. Bri has a swing in her house so I also learned how to tie kite knots and I am going to hang a swing in my house. I am so excited for this!
After a couple of days up North I made the journey back to my house and this is where I have been ever since and I never want to get in a taxi, bus, or train again. It took me fifteen hours to get home from Azrou. In America we would never travel that far for a weekend, but in Morocco it is an entirely different story, we do it all the time. Friends that live six or seven hours from me are thought to be close and I would travel that far for a night, and these journey’s are not comfortable and rarely come equipped with A/C. During these journey’s I rarely listen to music or read my book, I usually get totally wrapped up in my own thoughts that the time passes without me even realizing that four hours have gone by and I am still staring out the window. I am getting to know who Emmy is and it is great!
Tomorrow I have to go get the stupid flu shot in Agadir, which is a six-hour journey there and back just for a flu shot. But, if I refuse the shot, which I was tempted to do, I will get kicked out of Peace Corps. I will suck it up and get in a crammed taxi, with four people in the back seat and two in the passenger seat, and get my damn flu shot. Just another opportunity to enter my brain and figure out what is going on in there. Sometimes I get bored of my own thoughts but then I realize that I have no choice I am stuck with this person for the rest of my life so I better get comfortable with this person. “Where ever you go, there you are.”
Love Emmy
We all got ready at the Peace Corps office, since the train ride was a sweaty experience even with A/C, we all took European showers, meaning we just put on a bunch of perfume to cover up our sink because there is no shower at the Peace Corps office. I barrowed a traditional Kaftan from one of the girls in my village so I wouldn’t stand out at the wedding. I even got to wear make up and do my hair, which is a rarity in my life these days.
With my hair all done up, heels, and my Peace Corps friends in tow we arrived at the wedding and were surprised from the beginning when we entered we walked down a red carpet. The wedding hall had a huge live band and city Moroccans galore. When we entered the room everyone turned and stared at us because we were such a spectacle, but staring is something we are all used to. In our villages we are like superstars and the fascination of our towns. I guess we did look silly because all the us girls were in traditional garb and we all spoke their language. The bride married a Frenchmen so there was a lot of Frenchies there too but we had more in common with the Moroccans than with them. After living here for so long I am finding myself more accustomed to Moroccan simplicity than the Western world.
The wedding started with cookies, dancing and fresh squeezed juices. Since it was a Muslim wedding no alcohol was there, which is unheard of in my world. I didn’t know you could even have a wedding without drinks, but it was surprisingly so much fun without it. We got crazy on the dance floor with Peace Corps staff and we were the buffers for young Moroccan girls that wanted to dance with boys, which is only appropriate to do if there are other girls dancing with them, we were chaperones.
At Moroccan weddings the bride changes five or more times into different Kaftans. Layla, the bride, started in white, then wore blue and purple and ended the night in a western wedding dress. Layla even threw a bouquet at the end of the night, which is a very westernized thing to do, but she lives in France with her husband, at this point Layla is more westernized than I am.
Dinner came out at two in the morning and it was insane how much food we got. All of us Peace Corps Volunteers were like scavengers, like we had never seen food before. We were all just so surprised at how much food there was that we felt like we had to eat everything. When I go to weddings in my village each table of about ten people gets one chicken, at this wedding we had six chickens! The Volunteers there were the most uncivilized people there because we were just so surprised and the food was so good.
Even when I am in my house I don’t have enough money to make the food that we were being served. There was this fried cheese appetizers at the wedding that I can’t get out of my head because they were so amazing. I never allow myself to even buy cheese or anything that I can’t get in my market because I can’t afford it. Most of my friends allow themselves the luxury of cheese from time to time but I don’t even go down that road because once I start buying it I won’t be able to restrain myself. It is weird to me to think about how I have to restrain myself from buying food because when I was in America I ate cheese and ham with every meal, now in Morocco there is no ham to be eaten and cheese is too expensive. Even people on welfare in America get cheese. I am not feeling sorry for myself part of the reason I joined Peace Corps is to learn discipline and I am doing that one slice of cheese at a time.
Enough about the food, the wedding was so beautiful and the music was actually enjoyable. Most of the volunteers in Morocco don’t like going to weddings in our villages because it is such an enduring process. We have to sit in rooms for hours listening to horrible music and the rooms are so crowded we are sitting on our own feet and people are breathing all over us because they are so close. But this wedding was so amazing we got to sit in chairs, eat as much as we wanted to and men and women got to dance together. In our villages men and women are separated for the entire evening. It was also a great time to bond with my bosses. The father of the bride was so grateful that we came he gave us hugs when we finally left at five in the morning. I am so honored to be given, the opportunity to have had this experience and thank that Lamqaddam family for inviting us to the wedding.
After the wedding I got on a train the next morning and headed into the Middle Atlas Mountains, for my friend Natalie and Brianna’s houses. Months ago I decided to plan a craft weekend because as you all know I love crafts. Bri was a textile major in college and she knows everything about crafts. I didn’t even know that was a major and think I missed my calling. I learned how to felt and knit. Bri has a swing in her house so I also learned how to tie kite knots and I am going to hang a swing in my house. I am so excited for this!
After a couple of days up North I made the journey back to my house and this is where I have been ever since and I never want to get in a taxi, bus, or train again. It took me fifteen hours to get home from Azrou. In America we would never travel that far for a weekend, but in Morocco it is an entirely different story, we do it all the time. Friends that live six or seven hours from me are thought to be close and I would travel that far for a night, and these journey’s are not comfortable and rarely come equipped with A/C. During these journey’s I rarely listen to music or read my book, I usually get totally wrapped up in my own thoughts that the time passes without me even realizing that four hours have gone by and I am still staring out the window. I am getting to know who Emmy is and it is great!
Tomorrow I have to go get the stupid flu shot in Agadir, which is a six-hour journey there and back just for a flu shot. But, if I refuse the shot, which I was tempted to do, I will get kicked out of Peace Corps. I will suck it up and get in a crammed taxi, with four people in the back seat and two in the passenger seat, and get my damn flu shot. Just another opportunity to enter my brain and figure out what is going on in there. Sometimes I get bored of my own thoughts but then I realize that I have no choice I am stuck with this person for the rest of my life so I better get comfortable with this person. “Where ever you go, there you are.”
Love Emmy
Friday, September 25, 2009
Afghanistan
If anybody out there reading this blog knows how to get a job in Afghanistan please contact me at emmy.josefson@gmail.com
It is worth a shot giving a shout out to the cyber world.
It is worth a shot giving a shout out to the cyber world.
Little Holiday
Ramadan has come to an end since the last time we spoke. Last Monday was Laid Imzay, which means small holiday, and in two months we will celebrate Laid Imkorn, Big Holiday! For Laid Imzay I baked four cakes and about a hundred cookies to give to my host family and my neddy girl’s families. I started the morning not being too excited because I was being a party pooper. Once I got the energy to go and visit my host family I was excited. First, I went to my host family’s house and got a lecture because I didn’t come for breakfast, which is the big meal of the day. But, I had forgotten and my host dad neglected to tell me that the day before when I saw him in town. It is always so weird to see my host dad in town because it is shameful for him to talk to women in town, so he barely will acknowledge me but if we go up the hill five yards we are friends again. I had lunch with my host family instead.
After lunch I proceeded to have tea at five other houses. I was dressed up in my traditional Moroccan holiday gear and gave every family their cookies. They were all real excited about the cookies but only one family actually served them when I went to their house. Moroccan cookies are prettier than ours but they taste awful and they all taste the same, but American cookies are ugly and taste wonderful. I discussed this with my neddy girls they told me they were scared of my cookies but once they got enough guts to eat them they were pleasantly surprised.
The day after Laid I went to my neddy and for some reason I was feeling off. The girls were driving me nuts and I was so tired but had no reason to be. Then I felt a rumble in my tummy before I left the neddy and knew that was a warning for what was to come, I just didn’t anticipate how bad it would be. I have been sick in this country a couple of times and this was one of those times where I am incapacitated for days. I was up all night puking and having crazy bowl movements at the same time. At one point I was l lying on my tile floor wondering if I was going to live or maybe I was just wishing I would die, I had forgotten how bad it could feel to be alive sometimes. Yesterday, I was in bed all day recovering and watching movies. Today, I can eat again and I am feeling a little better. I went to one of my Neddy girl’s houses because I couldn’t stay inside alone for another day. At Latifa’s house I crocheted and when I got tired and slept for hours. Then Latifa made me tea because I told her I hadn’t eaten for two days that was just too much for her to handle so she got right in the kitchen and started making me eggs and bread. Of course, I ate too much for my first meal and it was filled with grease and sugar but I am still alive right now. It just felt so good to want to eat again.
I am really feeling great here and comfortable. Everyday I am realizing what a gift it is to be given this experience. If it weren’t for my parents and my Grandma Thora I wouldn’t be here, Thank YOU! I can feel myself changing for the better everyday, most of the time.
I love you all
Emmy
PS Mom I really missed you when I was sick, you’re the greatest.
After lunch I proceeded to have tea at five other houses. I was dressed up in my traditional Moroccan holiday gear and gave every family their cookies. They were all real excited about the cookies but only one family actually served them when I went to their house. Moroccan cookies are prettier than ours but they taste awful and they all taste the same, but American cookies are ugly and taste wonderful. I discussed this with my neddy girls they told me they were scared of my cookies but once they got enough guts to eat them they were pleasantly surprised.
The day after Laid I went to my neddy and for some reason I was feeling off. The girls were driving me nuts and I was so tired but had no reason to be. Then I felt a rumble in my tummy before I left the neddy and knew that was a warning for what was to come, I just didn’t anticipate how bad it would be. I have been sick in this country a couple of times and this was one of those times where I am incapacitated for days. I was up all night puking and having crazy bowl movements at the same time. At one point I was l lying on my tile floor wondering if I was going to live or maybe I was just wishing I would die, I had forgotten how bad it could feel to be alive sometimes. Yesterday, I was in bed all day recovering and watching movies. Today, I can eat again and I am feeling a little better. I went to one of my Neddy girl’s houses because I couldn’t stay inside alone for another day. At Latifa’s house I crocheted and when I got tired and slept for hours. Then Latifa made me tea because I told her I hadn’t eaten for two days that was just too much for her to handle so she got right in the kitchen and started making me eggs and bread. Of course, I ate too much for my first meal and it was filled with grease and sugar but I am still alive right now. It just felt so good to want to eat again.
I am really feeling great here and comfortable. Everyday I am realizing what a gift it is to be given this experience. If it weren’t for my parents and my Grandma Thora I wouldn’t be here, Thank YOU! I can feel myself changing for the better everyday, most of the time.
I love you all
Emmy
PS Mom I really missed you when I was sick, you’re the greatest.
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