Time flies!

I am writing this blog post from New York, where Justin and I have been spending the Christmas holiday with his family. It's so hard to believe that we have been back in the U.S. for nearly 5 months! I've been a bit delinquent on posting (it's on my New Years resolutions list to be more frequent!), so let me catch you up on the last few months.

New City:
We're now settled into Washington, DC where we are slowly but surely getting used to life there. It's a slower pace than New York City and certainly very different from Morocco! The transition has taken a while but I think we are finally getting used to both life in the U.S. and life in our new city.

New Apartment:
After living in a temporary place for a month or so, we moved into a permanent apartment in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, which I just recently read has the largest concentration of returned Peace Corps Volunteers in the world! So I'm happy that we're in good company. It took a few months but we're almost fully unpacked and settled in.

New Jobs:
Justin has started back at school to get his PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland (proud wife brag: It's the number one program for this in the country!) and he's doing really well and enjoying the work. I am working as a Marketing Manager at an amazing education technology company called EverFi. The company creates interactive, web platform-based programs to teach critical skills to students that might be missing from either the school or their home (for example, financial education for high schoolers or alcohol abuse prevention for college students) and partners with corporations to bring these into schools free of charge. It's very much a change from my days working in corporate advertising, and I love coming to work knowing that my work has the potential to enrich and improve people's future prospects.

New Year:
Now that we are finally feeling more settled, I'm so excited to begin the next year and to see what adventures are ahead! From our home to yours, wherever you may be in the world, wishing you a year filled with learning, wonder, and beauty. I look forward to continuing to chart our journeys in 2014!

Old Friends and New Friends

Before Justin and I left for Morocco, we spent a lot of time with our old friends. We had a two week-long NYC tour, we took a road trip along the east coast, we even threw ourselves a grand goodbye party with our New York friends. And we took a piece of our friends with us - Here's a picture of our wall which is covered with cards, pictures, and memories of our time back in the U.S.

I didn't really know what to expect in terms of forming relationships in Morocco. I knew that we would be expected to integrate, to get to know a community and to form relationships with counterparts to help plan activities... I didn't know what that meant in terms of friendships. But after 18 months of living in Morocco, I have been able to form real, true friendships with some people in my community. And when I leave Morocco, I will be overjoyed to return to the friends that I have left behind in the U.S. but will also be incredibly sad to leave these wonderful people who have become such an important part of my life.

The last week has really intertwined this idea of old friends and new friends. Last week, one of my closest friends of more than 18 years, Ellis, came to Morocco along with her boyfriend Alex. They drove far out of their way to spend 2 days with Justin and me and it meant so much to get to spend time together in our home. Ellis now lives in Portugal, and it was also really interesting to discuss our similar experiences in being ex-pats and in creating new relationships and learning a new language and culture. Here's Ellis and me from then and now - nothing has really changed :)

A few days after Ellis left, I planned a program for girls and women along with one of my closest friends here, Riham. Riham shares my belief in the importance of giving women a safe space to speak and to express themselves and we created a program together about dreams, goals, and obstacles. Getting to work with Riham on the program and to share our own dreams, goals, and obstacles was really inspiring and brought us even closer together. The program was truly amazing and I think that Riham has been inspired to do more good work in the community. I certainly hope to do more with her in my remaining few months here and I can't wait to see what she will be able to accomplish in the future for the women of Morocco. Here's a picture of Riham and me, and a few other photos from our women's event:

I'm so thankful and happy for both the new and the old friends in my life, and that I've been able to create new relationships where we can teach and learn from one another!

Ringing in an exciting new year

It's hard to believe that an entire year has come and gone! As we move towards 2013, I can't help but reflect upon the past year and think about how much has developed and changed. This time last year, Justin and I were new residents of Tiflet, knowing a handful of people, not sure about what we might plan or accomplish during our time in Morocco, and certainly very nervous about our new lives. Today, we have established strong relationships with people young and old in the community, we have developed some great programs, and we now look at each obstacle and challenge with confidence and readiness. And another big difference from last year - I haven't broken any bones!! 

In looking back on some of the goals that I set for myself at the end of last year, I wanted to call out a few for which I am particularly proud of my progress:

1. Take better care of myself
Coming out of a year in which I broke bones in both my hand and leg, I wanted to make sure that taking care of my health became a priority. And I am happy to say that I have made amazing strides. In November I had a mid-service physical check-up and the doctors reported that I am in great shape - not only that, but I have lost 44.5 pounds since I came to Morocco! This has come mainly from exercising regularly and eating lots of healthy vegetable-rich meals that we cook for ourselves.

2. Explore and travel 

If you've kept up with this blog, then you have seen lots of travel-related posts. I'm happy to have had the chance to see many of Morocco's beautiful places and in the coming year, I hope to visit many more! (Going up to Tanger for New Year's, my first time up north, stay tuned!)

3. Develop a support network

Over the last few months, I have begun to develop some truly strong friendships in our community. And with these friendships, I have been able to learn much more about Moroccan culture and to teach about American culture. Beyond the support network in our community, I have developed a strong support network of Peace Corps Volunteers in Morocco and friends and family in the U.S. who have provided more love and strength than I could imagine. Please know that I am so very grateful for it! 

It's been a tough year, full of uncertainty, confusion, and disorder - but out of all this has come so much learning, beauty, and adventure - and I wouldn't trade that for anything. I cannot wait to see what the next year has in store!

From Justin and me, wishing you a year filled with learning, beauty, and adventure. 

I look forward to continuing to chart our journey in 2013!

Mountains and camels and pumpkin pie, oh my!

Greetings and happy December! Justin and I are settling back into Tiflet after a few weeks of traveling - first with friends from the U.S. in Morocco and Spain, and then with Peace Corps Volunteers in a small town in southern Morocco for an authentic Thanksgiving celebration. I was very happy to have lots of travel and adventures this month, because this same time last year I didn't do much more than stare unhappily at the cast on my leg! Thankfully, this year we were able to spend the holidays with new and old friends and take on new experiences, explore new places, and eat lots of yummy food :) Enjoy a few photos from our Moroccan adventures below - photos from Spain will come in another blog post soon!

Justin and I and snowy mountains! Never thought I would see this in Morocco!

Our friends from the U.S., overlooking Ait Benhaddou

Camel trek in the desert near Zagora! My ride for the afternoon :)

I'm not sure if this is just me, but I swear that Justin and his camel
have the SAME facial expression :)

I have been wanting to ride a camel for a while, so you can see I am very excited!

Camel shadows on the desert

Our Thanksgiving feast, some of which required key items to be shipped
from the U.S. (thanks to Justin's parents!). Stuffed chicken (no turkey to be found),
vegetable quiche, cranberry sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole,
sweet potato casserole, stuffing, and gravy. I think I'm still full from it!

Even some authentic apple and pumpkin pies!

A very happy group of Peace Corps Volunteers, about to partake in the meal.

Moroccan Travels, Part Five... El Jadida

This week, Justin and I have four friends from the U.S. visiting! We'll be playing tour guides for part of their trip and then having some new experiences in Morocco and beyond. I'll leave those as a surprise for a future blog post... But in the meantime, I'm very much looking forward to their visit and it's put me in a travel state of mind! 

I introduce to you El Jadida, a city that Justin and I visited back in September. The Portuguese settled in El Jadida in 1502 and built a fort that they named Mazagan. The city quickly became a major center of trade, given its location on the Atlantic. In the 1700s the sultan expelled the Portuguese from El Jadida and dynamited the city as they fled.  The city was resettled by Arab tribes and a large Jewish community in the 19th century, after which it was called El Jadida (which means "the new one").

We only spent a short time in El Jadida, but here are some of the sites that we saw. First, an underground cistern built by the Portuguese in 1514. It was first used as an arsenal, then an armory, and finally a cistern in the mid 1500s. The reflections of the columns and vaulting on the water is truly breathtaking and even a bit mysterious, which might explain why it was used in Orson Welles' film Othello back in the 1950s.

We strolled through the old medina (medina means "city" - the older cities in Morocco all have what's called an old medina, which is where a lot of the historic sites are located) and looked over the city and water from the ramparts which surround the medina.

As I mentioned, El Jadida had a large Jewish population in the 19th century, most of whom emigrated to Israel in the 1950s. We did get to see a deserted synagogue which interestingly had a Star of David with a crescent floating above it - it's a bit small but you should be able to see it near the top of the building:

 

We also took a quick day trip to Azemmour, a small coastal town just about 20 minutes away from El Jadida. Azemmour also had beautiful ruins of ramparts, old gates, and a kasbah - but what we loved the most were murals that were painted all along the inner walls of the old medina. Here's a cool one by an artist called "El Hani," whom I learned has been painting since the age of 9 and mostly uses sticks, old credit cards, and his fingers!

 

Thinking about everyone still recovering from the hurricane and the Nor'easter. I hope that you are rebounding and able to move forward without too much pain or difficulty. I've been reading about all of the people in New York and New Jersey who have mobilized to help others and it is really beautiful to see. Missing everyone!

The Winds of Change..

Something that I have noticed about living in Morocco is that I really feel the time changing, much more so than I did in the U.S. For example, since we do not have air conditioning or heat in our apartment (very few people in Morocco do), I can truly feel the changing of the seasons. In the last week or so, I have been very excitedly anticipating the beginning of fall because I have been sleeping with a BLANKET (imagine that!). And in our market, I love watching produce come in and out based on the season (I was sad to see strawberries leave with the coming of summer but they were replaced with the most amazing watermelons I have ever eaten!). And because we spend lots of time walking around town, we've seen the dynamic of the community change over the last few months - from school ending and families traveling, to Ramadan ushering in a more nocturnal schedule, and now to families preparing again for the beginning of the school year.

The seasons are not the only things that are changing - Over the next few months, we are seeing lots of new developments in our personal and work lives. First off, we'll be starting classes (and hopefully other activities) in early October and we're spending this last month getting prepared. It's been nice having extra time, but I'm looking forward to having a bit more of a daily routine. Next, we'll soon be saying goodbye to a round of Peace Corps Volunteers, many of whom are now our friends, as they will be closing out their service and heading back to the U.S. - and when that happens, we will have reached our halfway mark! And lastly, the most recent change is that our sitemate Robin has left Tiflet to return back to America. We had a goodbye dinner the day before she left, and you can see some photos below.

So the winds of change are blowing ever so strong this month! But I have to say that our experiences here have helped me to hone the traits of patience, adaptability, and flexibility - Whereas before I might have looked upon changes with nervousness, now I relish them, because with those changes come new experiences and adventures!

Justin and Robin (and our maps and bikes).

My first try at homemade sugar cookies, pretty good!
The one on the bottom right says "Rebha" which is Robin's Moroccan name,
 bestowed on her by youth in the community.

The spread - Yogurt-marinated kabobs, saffron rice with almonds and raisins,
vinegar slaw, and cookies. Have been doing lots of cooking recently -
more on that in another post!

Robin and her heart cookie :)

Moroccan Travels.. Off the Beaten Path

And by off the beaten path, I mean really off... about 230 miles south of Marrakech, in an area known for its winding and barely paved roads and steep mountain passes (over 7500 feet above sea level)! 

Justin and I were very excited to have our friends Emily, Chris, and Jeremy come to visit us in Morocco. Emily is Justin's oldest friend; they have known each other since they were 2 years old! Chris is a seasoned Morocco traveler (he knows an amazing amount about Jewish history and music in Morocco, which you can read about on his blog). And Jeremy is a Peace Corps Volunteer who served in Cambodia from 2009-2011. Emily and Chris rented a car, which was a huge luxury for us because we're not allowed to drive in Morocco, and there are many parts of the country that are not accessible by train and require days upon days and multiple means of transportation. So we spent our time together catching up on old memories, talking about the Peace Corps, and most importantly, exploring some very exciting parts of Morocco!

To start... on the road to Tafraoute, we passed quite a sight, which I mentioned in my last blog post. The famous tree-climbing goats! This is an argan tree, with tasty fruits that entice the goats to climb up and eat them. In the middle of the argan fruits are large nuts, and contained within each nut are 1-3 kernels rich in argan oil which can then be extracted for use in many cosmetic and culinary products. Now here's a slightly graphic detail - Historically, in order to extract argan oil, people would collect argan pits from the waste of the goats (yes, waste) and then press them to extract the oil. Today, this doesn't seem to be as common, but it's still a fun story to tell!

After Tafraoute, we visited Aït Mansour, and I truly understood what the word "oasis" means! As we drove amongst endless dry stone deserts and huge towering rocks, all of a sudden, a valley appeared with a long flowing river and a trail of palm trees. One of the most beautiful sites I have seen in Morocco! And since we were down south, we saw a lot of Imazighen (Berber) people and artwork (I talked a bit about the history of the Berber people in this blog post). 

The next day was a long drive to Aït Benhaddou that was rewarded with a wonderful couscous dinner and some amazingly beautiful sites the following day. Aït Benhaddou is a famous ksar (a fortified city) that was once an important trading stop for merchants traveling between the Sahara and Marrakech, and some buildings date back to the 11th century. The ksar boasts a long list of movie credits due to its size and preservation - a few that you might recognize are Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Jesus of Nazareth (1977). It was truly stunning.

On our final leg of the trip, we took the Tizi n'Tichka pass, which winds through the High Atlas mountains and roads that Peace Corps Volunteers will only mention in the same sentence along with the word "dramamine." Motion sickness aside, it was a beautiful drive and we were also able to stop in Telouet to see the Glaoui Kasbah, with ruins on the outside and an unexpectedly beautiful salon on the inside.

 

It was an awesome trip, and we are so grateful to Emily, Chris, and Jeremy for their wonderful company, for all of their travel research, and for giving us a way to see some places in Morocco that we might never have gotten to otherwise! The final highlight of my trip made it into our lunch on the road back to Marrakech. LOUISIANA HOT SAUCE!! Just a little piece of home 3,000 miles away :)

 

Today is my birthday!

I am celebrating my (gasp) 30th birthday today in Morocco! 

I have been reflecting on the past year and how very different my life has become, and for sure the hardest thing about this birthday is not being able to celebrate with friends and family back in the U.S. But I feel so fortunate to have Justin here with me, and that we've been given the chance to build friends and family here in Morocco. And while it is undoubtedly very difficult for me to be away from friends and family (this day more than ever), I think that it is just as hard for those back in the U.S. It's not as easy as just picking up the phone, dropping a card in the mail, or meeting up after work to catch up... these days we have to arrange for Skype dates instead of simple phone calls, allow several weeks for mail to make its way here, and correspond via email and Facebook instead of chatting together over dinner or at the office. 

To all of my friends and family, please know that I am so grateful and thankful that you have adjusted your lives to keep me a part of them. Sending lots of love across the ocean today and on all days! xxooo

Moroccan Travels, Part Four... Essaouira

After regional meetings and a visit from my parents (if you missed those, you can read about them here and here), Justin and I headed west to Essaouira for our last round of travel adventures for a little while. 

Essaouira is a beautiful city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, about 3 hours west of Marrakech. The town consists of a heavily fortified 18th-century old "medina" (city) along with a more modern new medina. Remains of those 18th century towers, gateways, and bastions can be found throughout the old medina and look out upon stunning views of the Atlantic. Lots of great fish caught fresh and sold in Essaouira's port, along with really interesting art, fun shopping, and great restaurants. And a beach, of course!

We visited Essaouira during a famous annual music event that has taken place for 15 years now - the Gnaoua World Music festival. Gnaoua music is a mix of religious songs and rhythms pulled from sub-Saharan African, Berber, and Sufi influences and is both a blend of music as well as Islamic rituals and prayers. Gnaoua music today is mainly concentrated in Morocco and Algeria. The festival included plenty of Gnaoua music but also other popular music for Moroccans - we heard a band from Mali for instance, as well as a ska band from Casablanca. It was a crazy time to be in Essaouira as the town was packed full of people there for the festival, but that lended to a really fun and vibrant atmosphere and an interesting experience. I'd like to visit Essaouira when it's a little less busy to get a better feel for the town - hopefully we'll get the chance again!

Now Justin and I are back in Tiflet and making plans for the rest of the summer, which will include some travels, visits from friends, planning for the fall, and hopefully lots of cooking and new adventures! More to come soon :)

A view of the Atlantic coast from a tower

One of the Gnaoua Festival stages

Justin and I with the Atlantic peeping out behind us

An old tower and the city's port (with lots of fish, which explains all the birds!)

An Essaouira sunset

A fishing boat coming into the port

Camel riding on the beach!

Fresh, wonderful fish

Haven't had much fish in Morocco, so I was veeeery excited :)

Some of our Peace Corps friends, enjoying Essaouira with us