This month has only recently begun and yet so much seems to have happened. I was in site a few days and then I traveled up to Rabat via Azrou and Khemisset for the GRE. I studied as much as I could these past 2 weeks and hoped for the best. I was supposed to room and meet up with a friend and then she decided to cancel taking the GRE. The travel up was good though and ended up rooming with another friend so it all worked out. I stopped in Azrou on Wednesday night after a crazy morning of getting everything ready. I was able to meet many of the new business and youth development volunteers that just came in about 6 months ago. It was a good time and great to meet new people and see ones I’ve already met. It was very rainy though so all my clothes got damp. Then I stayed in Khemisset with a friend of mine the next night, always good to see CBT mates. Ate yummy pasta for dinner and pancakes for breakfast. Then I came up to Rabat on Friday and hung out with fellow volunteers also taking the test. Went to bed around 11pm, had planned to go to sleep earlier but you all know me and my night owl ways. Then woke up very early at 6am, took a shower and made my way to the test center. We then had to change locations due to construction or something. The first 2 writing sections I thought went well but then the verbal and math were more difficult than I thought they would be after all the pretests. I really hope that I did ok. That night was crazy, we celebrated and went to the German Institute, really good pizza. Unfortunately I wasn't able to eat and enjoy myself.
Then Sunday I just relaxed. I went to Marjane to get some desired items and just hung out downtown. Ate at a cheap burger place for lunch and had soup for dinner. Just a relaxing destress day.
Yesterday I had my asthma testing appointment and learned that I really do have asthma. It was interesting to breathe into the machine and took about 2 hours. Was a bit crazed. Went to Peace Corps headquarters in the morning to get all the info and was late in leaving for my appointment, then I ate a quick lunch at McDonalds before rushing back to headquarters to use internet and get reimbursed for my last medical trip and this one. Was very low on cash. With our new monthly payment system it is very difficult for me to afford to come up to Rabat now. Later that night I met up with some volunteers and ate at the German Institute, it was so yummy. Overall a good night. After dinner we all walked down to the beach and on the pier and watched the waves crash against it. Was so beautiful and nice to be near the ocean for a bit of time.
Woke up early this morning to have my lung xrays deciphered. All good, just need to be put on an inhaler. Only minor asthma. At least it wasn't my imagination, haha. They also think it may help with decreasing the ear pain, inchallah. So I had lunch at McDonalds again because it was quick then made my way back to headquarters.
Currently there is a transportation strike going on, so was glad to be able to get a ride to Azrou from a staff member. Going to check the bus schedule in the morning but really hope I am able to get back to my site tomorrow. So tired and just want to spend a few days recouperating back at home.
This weekend I will be cooking many chinese dishes to celebrate Chinese New Year, very excited, :). Then there is my cheese making workshop later this month and inchallah the 300km bike trip the final weekend. Another busy month ahead of me, but good. Haven't given up on trying to get my women their own building yet, still looking for ways to get funding.
Otherwise life is good, :).
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
January Update
And January:
This month I began going on long bike rides with a few volunteers from around the area. Our first trek was 3 of us and we biked from Errachidia to Boudnib. 90km total. Was only 85km from my site. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed myself. There was a late start, but still made it before dark. The trek was mostly flat with some hills, then there was this great downhill. The last 15km were torture. This was the longest bike ride I have ever done and hadn’t biked very much beforehand. A great experience though. The ride got many of us motivated to do a long 3-4 day bike ride from Errachidia to Ouarzazate at the end of February.
Then the following week I went to Rabat with another volunteer for ear issues. They looked at my ear and even took cat scans but they can’t figure out what is wrong with it or what is causing the pain. So I’ll just have to deal with it for another 9 months and have it looked at again when I return back home to the states. Overall a really good trip. Was about 4 hours for me straight biking, about 6 hours with breaks. At least the pain isn't daily. I still think it is from elevation changes, who knows.
Then the Sunday after that 4 of us took a 60km bike ride to Erfoud. It was a beautiful day as well and the trek was beautiful. We passed the Ziz Gorge and stopped at the lookout there for a bit. Then we stopped in Aufouss and had an amazing lunch. One of the bikers had made yummy wheat bread that he then put turkey and cheese on with mayo and mustard. Seems normal, but abnormal here in Morocco. It took us about 3 hours straight biking, about 5 hours total with breaks. Overall lots of downhill and much easier than Boudnib.
Then the next weekend me and another volunteer rode to Tinjdad from Errachidia, me from my site. Errachidia to Tinjdad is about 80km. This trek was harder than Boudnib, lots of gradual hills. There was one that I thought would never end, haha. Took me and my friend about 4.5 hours straight biking, about 6 total with breaks. Was a bit chilly, but a nice and sunny day. Was wiped out after we arrived. So glad my Tinjdad friend had a shower, :).
And let me tell you, my butt was sore after each and every ride. Definitely need to create a seat cover for my bike, haha. Overall it's been really great exercise and loads of fun.
Otherwise my village was harvesting olives the majority of the month. I had a site visit at the beginning from my program assistant, was a good experience. Much of the month was spent reviewing for the GRE when I could which didn’t seem to be very much. We also had to have our H1N1 shot. Good to see volunteers but I really hate needles. I survived, :). Really crazy month overall with all of the traveling. I also gave my friend back her cat.
Then at the end of the month I got a new haircut. My split ends were getting pretty bad. The original plan was to just get a trip as my hair was finally just getting long enough again, but of course I decided to do something a bit new...much shorter han planned but I like it, very cute.
This month I began going on long bike rides with a few volunteers from around the area. Our first trek was 3 of us and we biked from Errachidia to Boudnib. 90km total. Was only 85km from my site. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed myself. There was a late start, but still made it before dark. The trek was mostly flat with some hills, then there was this great downhill. The last 15km were torture. This was the longest bike ride I have ever done and hadn’t biked very much beforehand. A great experience though. The ride got many of us motivated to do a long 3-4 day bike ride from Errachidia to Ouarzazate at the end of February.
Then the following week I went to Rabat with another volunteer for ear issues. They looked at my ear and even took cat scans but they can’t figure out what is wrong with it or what is causing the pain. So I’ll just have to deal with it for another 9 months and have it looked at again when I return back home to the states. Overall a really good trip. Was about 4 hours for me straight biking, about 6 hours with breaks. At least the pain isn't daily. I still think it is from elevation changes, who knows.
Then the Sunday after that 4 of us took a 60km bike ride to Erfoud. It was a beautiful day as well and the trek was beautiful. We passed the Ziz Gorge and stopped at the lookout there for a bit. Then we stopped in Aufouss and had an amazing lunch. One of the bikers had made yummy wheat bread that he then put turkey and cheese on with mayo and mustard. Seems normal, but abnormal here in Morocco. It took us about 3 hours straight biking, about 5 hours total with breaks. Overall lots of downhill and much easier than Boudnib.
Then the next weekend me and another volunteer rode to Tinjdad from Errachidia, me from my site. Errachidia to Tinjdad is about 80km. This trek was harder than Boudnib, lots of gradual hills. There was one that I thought would never end, haha. Took me and my friend about 4.5 hours straight biking, about 6 total with breaks. Was a bit chilly, but a nice and sunny day. Was wiped out after we arrived. So glad my Tinjdad friend had a shower, :).
And let me tell you, my butt was sore after each and every ride. Definitely need to create a seat cover for my bike, haha. Overall it's been really great exercise and loads of fun.
Otherwise my village was harvesting olives the majority of the month. I had a site visit at the beginning from my program assistant, was a good experience. Much of the month was spent reviewing for the GRE when I could which didn’t seem to be very much. We also had to have our H1N1 shot. Good to see volunteers but I really hate needles. I survived, :). Really crazy month overall with all of the traveling. I also gave my friend back her cat.
Then at the end of the month I got a new haircut. My split ends were getting pretty bad. The original plan was to just get a trip as my hair was finally just getting long enough again, but of course I decided to do something a bit new...much shorter han planned but I like it, very cute.
L'3id Kbir
I celebrated l'3id kbir with the host family again this year. Was a good time and lots of good food. Felt a bit different from last year, a bit less festive, but my host sister has also moved away and I have been very busy the last couple of months. Below are a few photos:
December Update
Here is December:
December was also a very busy month. I started the month off by going to Rabat again, only this time for an entire week. My stage had our mid-service medicals. Was a crazy week but also really good. Was so great to see everyone. The medical stuff wasn’t so fun, but I’m all healthy. Ate very well as always. Went to a great pizza place and discovered a really great place to have juice, kind of like shakes here. There is a banana chocolate coffee mixture that I get.
December was also a very busy month. I started the month off by going to Rabat again, only this time for an entire week. My stage had our mid-service medicals. Was a crazy week but also really good. Was so great to see everyone. The medical stuff wasn’t so fun, but I’m all healthy. Ate very well as always. Went to a great pizza place and discovered a really great place to have juice, kind of like shakes here. There is a banana chocolate coffee mixture that I get.
I also finally spliced my buta hose myself, :). Was very proud of this feat. Now I can use my stove and oven at the same time!
After meds I went home. Spent much of the month staying in site and hanging out. My host sister that got married in June came back for about 5 days and I got to see her which was really nice.
I hosted Christmas in my site. Was so much fun. Made a yummy lasagna, dinner rolls, salad and pumpkin pie for dinner. We had Cajun tuna spread and crackers, popcorn, eggnog, hershey’s kisses and sugar cookies for snacks. Stayed up chatting and then after muffins in the morning everyone went home. Me and one of the girls took a walk to Meski, the nearby village to me, after everyone left. Was really nice, a beautiful day.
The highlight of the month I would have to say was New Year’s Eve in Merzouga. It was so crazy! Went down to Erfoud where everyone going met up and then we piled into a bunch of off-roading jeeps that we then took the “scenic route” to Merzouga. Basically we were racing each other off the main road in the more desertic area. Was so much fun. We then arrived in Merzouga and hung out until dinner. Several of us walked out into the sand dunes to watch the sunset. Was very sad I didn’t have my camera. Still being fixed. We had an awesome dinner and then hung out and partied until midnight and then some more until 3am. We then had to wake up at 6:45am to get on the camels for our morning excursion into the sand dunes. Was so cold! But beautiful. I then returned to site and that was how I rung in the New Year. Was amazing and my favorite thus far.
Unfortunately there are no photos for this month as my camera broke and took until the end of January to finally be fixed. Roads were bad and so it took awhile to receive the new part.
I was also taking care of a friend's cat during the month. I renamed her Shitaana which means the devil in darija. She could be really sweet but had a few issues such as not being able to learn not to do something and climbing all over everything.
November Update
Yes it is February, but I have finally had a chance to write updates for the last 3 months. Here is November:
Let’s see…it has been a very very long time since I have updated this. I celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving in a small site with fellow volunteers. It was amazing. We had 2 turkeys, one was cooked in the oven in the traditional manner and the other was deep fried. Quite the interesting spectacle to watch. Then we had green beans with French fried onions on top, regular green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce, biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, and carrots. Then for dessert we had several pies. We had 2 pumpkin, one pumpkin cheesecake, an apple pie and a cake. So yummy. Totally ate myself into a food coma. I was so full I was in pain, but the food was just so good. There were about 20 of us. Almost the whole region. Good times. We also had a night of Thanksgiving Trivia that our host and hostess created. One was definitely easier than the other but also so much fun. We even got to play Cranium, love that game. The following morning we had to get up way early to catch a 5am transit that actually left at 4am. But we were able to call and get another transit and all go back to our homes.
Moroccan taking advantage of comfy flour sacs in a transit to sleep
Everyone has to have a pumpkin with berber symbols for halloween
My friends' site
My friends' house
The dessert table, yummy.
The pumpkin pie I made from scratch. Yummier than it looks, ;)
And this is my awesome pumpkin cheesecake.
All the yummy food
My beautiful plate of food
The turkey's in the broiler
About to boil the turkey
We also unfortunately had a fellow volunteer pass away quite unexpectedly. Many of us went to her memorial service in Rabat in support of each other. She will always be missed.
Workwise not much to report. Women are doing well. I had hoped to help them get a building with a SPA grant, but was unable to attain it. Looking for other options at the moment and trying to work around not having their own building.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
King, Halloween and other updates
Wow, let’s see…it’s been a long time since I updated this. Hmm… not too much has happened in site after Rabat and Fes. Have been doing a lot of relaxing and reading. I went to Erfoud over the 17th and 18th for the Date Festival. I had a really good time. There were so many dates! Erfoud is very well know for its dates and holds a festival every year sometime in October. Was nice to see friends and play some Nintendo Wii. Then I went to Errachidia for flu shots. Was not looking forward to that! I absolutely detest shots. Managed to get through it, had fun seeing people in the region. I had made a successful Chocolate Cheesecake to share with everyone. Only I had ended up stepping on about 1/4th of it. I had stored it in my bedroom so my cat wouldn’t eat it as he tries to do and forgot I had set it on the floor of my bedroom and opened the door and stepped in…oops. Still tasted fabulous. Bought some really pretty pink fabric that I plan to make a skirt out of it. Was also very happy to find the seed beads I needed to finish my belly dance costume that I planned to wear for Halloween. That was my next big activity. I went down to Tinjdad to celebrate Halloween with several other volunteers. I wore my finished belly dance costume and had a lot of fun. Was sad to learn that a fellow volunteer had to go home.
Let’s see…before Halloween I hung out with my retired nomad neighbors and they had a friend henna my hands and feet. Too bad the henna didn’t stain my skin very well, but it was a fun experience. My bike tires are also both so completely flat that I’ll have to take it to a gas station to fill the tires. Hand pumps are doing absolutely nothing.
Received a much appreciated package from my mom, :). American food is always appreciated. Also had a much needed pair of jeans and wonderful knee high socks for when winter sets in. Currently 68°F in my house and steadily declining. Refusing to use more than one blanket as long as possible. I also received a bundle of letters from the Middle School in Iowa I have begun corresponding with and was very happy. Getting mail of any sort is always a happy day.
The king was in Errachidia for nearly a week. That was interesting. I had so much trouble getting transportation into town. I finally was able to get in toward the end of the week and almost got stampeded. I was checking my mail and the king had just finished a speech and was driving away and everyone decided that they wanted to run after his car. Several policemen had to actually pull people off of his car.
Another bit of work news. A coop about 10km from me came to my site and asked me to help them with basic business skills. They are a new coop and specialize in beef cattle. They just purchased a building and will be buying cattle soon. I visited them not too long ago. There are about 8 members and they are so nice. 2 of the women are also artisans who make stained glass pictures and paint on fabric, glass and mirrors. They mainly do floral patterns, very cool.
My coop supposedly had elections last weekend but are had trouble finding a location. I went on Sunday and I think they had started the process of it all but they speak so quickly I’m not sure. I love my current president and am nervous about working with a new one, but that is the coop’s choice. So far they have proved themselves capable. They have also found a building finally but it would cost them their entire bank account, about $3,125 USD. I am hoping to help them gain funding to be able to make this purchase. It would be so helpful to them and then they could finally work on a daily basis. Things seem to finally be going somewhere on obtaining their own building.
And that brings us back to the present. I am looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with friends this coming weekend even though it will be in a cold site! L’3id kbir (the big holiday) is this month as well. The one where they sacrifice a sheep. I’m looking forward to the seasoned beef kabobs, :). Also been working on my cross stitch projects a bit and hope to start making my own cheese soon. Speaking of cross stitch I plan to hold a cross stitch techniques workshop for a friend’s coop next week depending on the king. Very excited, :). I’ve had to push the workshop back several times now because he keeps post-poning his visit.
My cat has recently ran off about 4 days ago. Hoping he comes back, he is an un-fixed male. Waiting another week and if he hasn’t returned I’ll adopt a friend’s kitten. I am really hoping my returns.
Let’s see…before Halloween I hung out with my retired nomad neighbors and they had a friend henna my hands and feet. Too bad the henna didn’t stain my skin very well, but it was a fun experience. My bike tires are also both so completely flat that I’ll have to take it to a gas station to fill the tires. Hand pumps are doing absolutely nothing.
Received a much appreciated package from my mom, :). American food is always appreciated. Also had a much needed pair of jeans and wonderful knee high socks for when winter sets in. Currently 68°F in my house and steadily declining. Refusing to use more than one blanket as long as possible. I also received a bundle of letters from the Middle School in Iowa I have begun corresponding with and was very happy. Getting mail of any sort is always a happy day.
The king was in Errachidia for nearly a week. That was interesting. I had so much trouble getting transportation into town. I finally was able to get in toward the end of the week and almost got stampeded. I was checking my mail and the king had just finished a speech and was driving away and everyone decided that they wanted to run after his car. Several policemen had to actually pull people off of his car.
Another bit of work news. A coop about 10km from me came to my site and asked me to help them with basic business skills. They are a new coop and specialize in beef cattle. They just purchased a building and will be buying cattle soon. I visited them not too long ago. There are about 8 members and they are so nice. 2 of the women are also artisans who make stained glass pictures and paint on fabric, glass and mirrors. They mainly do floral patterns, very cool.
My coop supposedly had elections last weekend but are had trouble finding a location. I went on Sunday and I think they had started the process of it all but they speak so quickly I’m not sure. I love my current president and am nervous about working with a new one, but that is the coop’s choice. So far they have proved themselves capable. They have also found a building finally but it would cost them their entire bank account, about $3,125 USD. I am hoping to help them gain funding to be able to make this purchase. It would be so helpful to them and then they could finally work on a daily basis. Things seem to finally be going somewhere on obtaining their own building.
And that brings us back to the present. I am looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with friends this coming weekend even though it will be in a cold site! L’3id kbir (the big holiday) is this month as well. The one where they sacrifice a sheep. I’m looking forward to the seasoned beef kabobs, :). Also been working on my cross stitch projects a bit and hope to start making my own cheese soon. Speaking of cross stitch I plan to hold a cross stitch techniques workshop for a friend’s coop next week depending on the king. Very excited, :). I’ve had to push the workshop back several times now because he keeps post-poning his visit.
My cat has recently ran off about 4 days ago. Hoping he comes back, he is an un-fixed male. Waiting another week and if he hasn’t returned I’ll adopt a friend’s kitten. I am really hoping my returns.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Travel Adventures
Let’s see… I went started traveling to Rabat last Tuesday for another ear exam. I looked at the bus schedule, buses at 12pm, 1pm, and 1:45pm. I thought I would try to catch the 1:45pm. I left my house at 12pm, managed to get a taxi at 12:30pm and thought I would make it to Errachidia just in time for the 1pm bus. Unfortunately the taxi was stopped by Gendarmes for speeding. Grrr… So I didn’t get into Errachidia until 1:15pm missing the 1pm bus and only to arrive at the bus station to learn that there no longer was a 1:45pm bus. I really do wish they would update their bus time schedule. The next bus wasn’t until 3pm and was full and the next wouldn’t be until 5pm and unfortunately due to the inability to travel at night I was forced to take a taxi. Luck had it that I got a taxi right away, the bad luck was that I had to squish into a back seat with a very large man, a not so small woman and an average sized woman. I was not able to get a window seat either. I’ve been uncomfortable before, but this was actually painful, for 4 hours. It was such a relief to arrive in Azrou. One of the doors to the backseat of the taxi didn’t shut so well either and opened up twice on the way to Azrou. Hence to say it was an adventure. In Azrou my friend and I ate with a few others and I was able to take a very appreciated hot shower and was able to get a good night’s sleep. Travel the next day was absolutely magical in comparison. I arrived at the Azrou taxi stand and was able to get a taxi to Meknes within 10 minutes, was comfortable, arrived in Mekness by 9am and caught the 9:30am train to Rabat city center. Arrived by 12pm, had previously reserved a room and was able to set down my things by 12:30pm. The travel was so smooth. I also met two wonderful ladies on the train who do belly dancing from the states. Then in Rabat I made a nice trip to Marjane, ate McDonalds and stopped by the Peace Corps Headquarters office. It was great to be able to peruse all the books in the library and use the free internet. That night was a bit irritating as several times guys tried to follow me within a block of my hotel, but other than that I was able to pick up a few new movies in the Medina, :).
Thursday was crazy. Woke up early, found my way to the ear clinic and waited a few minutes. The doctor looked at my ears and jaws. I had a hearing test done which concluded I still have a loss of hearing in my right ear. Then they took me to an operating room and laid me down on a table and stuck wet pieces of cloth into my nose and told me to breathe. I was freaking out just a bit here because I had no idea what was going on. Found out a few minutes later the pieces of cloth were to numb my nose so they could use a microscope to see the inside of my ear drum to see if there was anything clogging the insides of it. It looked fine to them. The doctor then told me he would give a prognosis after I had all my previous test results sent to him and all my previous treatments and recommendations. He also wishes to see me again in 2 months, which I will be in Rabat anyway for mid-service medicals. I then went back to the office, got reimbursed and hung out for a bit before heading out to an amazing lunch at Pizza Hut and catching the 2pm train to Fes where I was attending a Marketing workshop/Craft Fair with my women.
The craft fair was awesome. It was so great to experience one and to hang out with fellow SBDers to share information. SBD is small business development. I also ate very well for dinner while I was there, ;). I was able to eat the most amazing sushi ever one night, well, maybe not ever, but pretty amazing. My women sold a few things and had a woman place an order for a few more things. Overall it was a really great first experience for them. It was also nice for me to see all the other artists that other volunteers work with and to get a few ideas and helpful hints. I wasn’t a fan of the hostel. It was a great location, but the management was something else. I wanted to get a receipt for one night but no one could write a receipt for me and the owner was on vacation the last two days I was there. Very irritating. There were many other issues as well. Travel back was good. I traveled with a friend and two of his artisans. Mine didn’t tell me when they were leaving and I forgot to ask. I just took a bus back and then crashed when I returned to my site. Traveling to Rabat and Fes so soon after my return to from the states was exhausting. I’m sure every tourist feels the same way.
So back in site and just relaxing for a bit. My women won’t meet again until Sunday as school is back in session. Been trying to pay my rent all week. Beginning to wonder if my land lord moved. I’ll just have to pay his aunt tomorrow. I do miss being able to just send a check through the mail or putting it in a drop off box.
Otherwise nothing too big going on this month. Hope to go somewhere for Halloween. Very excited it’s on a weekend. I’d say it is one of my favorite holidays.
Thursday was crazy. Woke up early, found my way to the ear clinic and waited a few minutes. The doctor looked at my ears and jaws. I had a hearing test done which concluded I still have a loss of hearing in my right ear. Then they took me to an operating room and laid me down on a table and stuck wet pieces of cloth into my nose and told me to breathe. I was freaking out just a bit here because I had no idea what was going on. Found out a few minutes later the pieces of cloth were to numb my nose so they could use a microscope to see the inside of my ear drum to see if there was anything clogging the insides of it. It looked fine to them. The doctor then told me he would give a prognosis after I had all my previous test results sent to him and all my previous treatments and recommendations. He also wishes to see me again in 2 months, which I will be in Rabat anyway for mid-service medicals. I then went back to the office, got reimbursed and hung out for a bit before heading out to an amazing lunch at Pizza Hut and catching the 2pm train to Fes where I was attending a Marketing workshop/Craft Fair with my women.
The craft fair was awesome. It was so great to experience one and to hang out with fellow SBDers to share information. SBD is small business development. I also ate very well for dinner while I was there, ;). I was able to eat the most amazing sushi ever one night, well, maybe not ever, but pretty amazing. My women sold a few things and had a woman place an order for a few more things. Overall it was a really great first experience for them. It was also nice for me to see all the other artists that other volunteers work with and to get a few ideas and helpful hints. I wasn’t a fan of the hostel. It was a great location, but the management was something else. I wanted to get a receipt for one night but no one could write a receipt for me and the owner was on vacation the last two days I was there. Very irritating. There were many other issues as well. Travel back was good. I traveled with a friend and two of his artisans. Mine didn’t tell me when they were leaving and I forgot to ask. I just took a bus back and then crashed when I returned to my site. Traveling to Rabat and Fes so soon after my return to from the states was exhausting. I’m sure every tourist feels the same way.
So back in site and just relaxing for a bit. My women won’t meet again until Sunday as school is back in session. Been trying to pay my rent all week. Beginning to wonder if my land lord moved. I’ll just have to pay his aunt tomorrow. I do miss being able to just send a check through the mail or putting it in a drop off box.
Otherwise nothing too big going on this month. Hope to go somewhere for Halloween. Very excited it’s on a weekend. I’d say it is one of my favorite holidays.
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