My photo
Morocco
"Chance encounters are what keep us going." -Murakami

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Adaptation

As humans, we are incredibly complex. Everyone knows this, but I still must point this out. We have a very unique gift. While the word “gift” is not the word that my science and logical mind wants to use, I will still use it…but I will explain. Humans have evolved over time, as all species have, and naturally have adaptability to the various environments we choose to inhabit, to a point. The reason I use the word “gift” is because I feel privileged to be a human, and feel that this evolution has given us the gift of adaptability. Some people may say there is a higher power that has “blessed” us with that gift. That is perfectly alright if you wish to have that belief. I am just talking through my science and logical mind.

For example, I came to Morocco having no language except a small, mostly unusable piece of French. Almost immediately, I was placed into surroundings that were completely new: A new way of eating and drinking communal style, and new bathroom type and style, and a different climate. These are in addition of course to the language, religion, gestures, and everything else that goes into making a culture unique, which some could argue everything.

While I consider myself more adaptable than average, this may not accurately be the case. I feel that there is a direct correlation between the experiences I have had previously, and my ability to adapt. In short, I am saying that I believe I am more adaptable than the average due to these learned adaptability moments. So the flaw in the logic and accuracy of the statement is that I have had experiences to learn from and use as background knowledge for these adaptability moments, and probably more than the average person. (I also apologize if I just completely confused anyone, hope it made sense.)

You may wonder where exactly I am going with this. I can’t say I totally know where it is heading myself. It all stems from a movie I was watching.

I sat down for breakfast this morning after watching a portion of “Into the Wild.” If you have not seen this movie, watch it. It has everything to do with adaptation to environment (yes I know the end is lack of adaptation). It is based on a true story, and that is all I will say without giving it away. The music is quite fantastic, and Eddie Vedder could not have done a better job in creating the pieces to go along with the movie… But back to what I was I was saying.

So I sat down for breakfast with the movie going in my head, music and all. I began to think about my current situation, and adaptability. I was using my new acquired language to speak, and I was eating in a manner that is only a few months new to me. But, I felt entirely comfortable with my surroundings. There was a natural sort of feeling about it that struck me, and thinking about the movie it just clicked. I am adaptable. I am adaptable enough to learn entirely new things in a matter of a few months. True, I have had the help of those around me, my fellow humans around me who can teach me and know the basic essentials of humanity. Even though the people around share almost zero common history, and there are few common experiences, my fellow human beings have aided me in learning how to live the way that they live, because they are humans as well.

Sure, that is deep, or something. But it is true. The adaptive nature of humans has allowed us to dominate portions of the world. This is not a new and revolutionary thought. We have learned, and we have helped each other learn.

Think about it. Think about other animals you know. Think about teaching in every aspect, and think about domestic dogs and cats. Why dogs and cats???

Well, domestic dogs and cats look very different on the surface. You have various breeds, and those breeds are large, small, brown, black, yellow, spotted etc. All of these traits are different. Yet deep down, they have the same set of genetic DNA that allows them to intermingle and breed, creating new offspring. Stay with me here.

Humans are similar in that aspect. On the surface, we look very different, but we have the same genetic make-up that allows us to breed with someone who is quite different from us on the surface as far as traits go.

But compare dogs and cats and humans. As humans, we are the only species that can teach the others around us from entirely different languages, places, and experiences. This enables me to be taught everything in order to survive here in Morocco.

Yes, I understand that in many animal species, offspring are taught how to do various tasks by family members. But think of the scale difference going on here, and the fact that a group of people I have never met before has taught me the things I know. Dogs do not do this, birds do not do this. I am completely fascinated by this, if you couldn’t tell.

So the main point of this is that humans are incredibly adaptable to the environments in which they choose to inhabit. This has allowed us to live everywhere in the world, and to become the most abundant animal (size wise) on the planet. Of course there are some habitats that humans cannot even live for very long in without extreme adaptability (think Everest here.)

I apologize for the stream-of-consciousness style of writing I sometimes use, and if I have confused anyone, or bored anyone in the process of this entry.

With that said, if you followed me to this point, thanks. I have been extremely busy the past few days, having had to go to the big city of Meknes for a meeting, and then helping the current PCVs get moved out of their place. I have also been meeting and discussing work and potential projects, and all of this is going as well as I think it can go.

I recently made a playlist for the PCVs that are leaving, as a sort of parting gift. They have done incredible work here, and I can only hope to build off of that. Once again, they have taught me the things they know about life and work here, and allowed me to adapt more easily than I would on my own. While I have only known them a short time period, I certainly will not forget everything they have given me here, and I hope for them the best as they re-adapt back into America.

So here is the playlist:
Homesick - Kings of Convenience
Car Song - Woody Guthrie
Last Year’s Man - Leonard Cohen
#41 (Live at Luther College) - Dave Matthews/ Tim Reynolds
Do You Remember Walter? - The Kinks
Livin Thing - Electric Light Orchestra
Jogging Gorgeous Summer - Islands
Goby - Kaki King
Neighborhood - David Byrne
Lisboa A Noite - Theivery Corporation
Les Champs-Elysees – Darjeering Limited Soundtrack
Knoxville Girl – Charlie Louvin
Tianchi Lake – The Mountain Goats
Winners – K’s Choice

I have also been reading more. Here is a good quote that hit me in a good way the other day.

“That’s the way the mind works: the human brain is genetically disposed towards organization, yet if not tightly controlled, will link one imperial fragment to another on the flimsiest pretense and in the most freewheeling manner, as if it takes a kind of organic pleasure in creative association, without regard for logic or chronological sequence.”
- Tom Robbins “Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates”

This is my exact sort of thoughts on thinking (maybe you could tell that in the above writing). Much Love.

Word.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Houses and Chicken Shop Cats

So I ordered a cat the other day at the chicken shop. It sounds strange I know, but literally that is what I did. The story goes like this: At the local chicken shops here, there are animals that hang out around these shops hoping for some tasty treats. My city has many cats, and only a few dogs. The cats keep away mice, and get a little chicken. At one place in particular, there is gorgeous calico cat. It just so happens that the cat is pregnant with a kitten or more. So after seeing this pregnant cat, I asked if it would be possible if there is a kitten like the mother if I could have it when it is time to be weaned. Of course he said yes. So hopefully this means that in a few months time I will have a calico kitten, and of course this means pictures will be up.

This brings me into my next topic, which is house hunting. Right now, in my village it is difficult to find a place to stay. This is because outside of town about 20km there is a large dam that is being built. So workers need to have a place to stay, and my town is the biggest town in the area. I finish my home-stay with my family in just over a month, and so the past few days have been spent going out and looking at potential places to rent. Yesterday alone I looked at about eight places. This is much more than I anticipated, and gave me a good feel for what I wanted or should expect in a place.

I saw a variety of places, some close to the center of town, some really far away from the center. I saw some places that were too small, and a place that was so nice and extremely too large for me. I saw some places that were super dirty and needed a lot of work, and I saw places that were in very good shape.

So after a long day of searching, I think that I may have found my new home for the next 22 months. It is a nice house, with a large communal room and 2 bedrooms, and a kitchen and Turkish toilet. There is also a shed for storing my fuel-wood for the winter, and if I want I can get some farm animals.

OH, and the last thing is this... My address has changed slightly. So those of you that had my address, the postal code has changed. The last digit changed from a zero to a two... so 0 changes to 2.

Promise there will be more posts soon.
Cheers!
Me!

Music Of Choice: Radiohead - "Kid A" album

Monday, May 18, 2009

The Long Road Ahead...and the Bled

First, The Bled.

This past week, some volunteers and I went hiking and camping. While it surely was fun, it was also for work. I am replacing two volunteers (a couple), and they needed to show me the route to take when I will be working in the large park in my site.

We spent three days in total hiking and two nights camping. The first day and the last day we hiked 25 km to/from the place we camped. The middle day we spent exploring, and showing me the correct routes to follow when I do this on my own. So here are some more details, and I will try to be succinct and organized.

The hike we took is not super technical, on the way there it tends to be more downhill than uphill, but there are three large uphill portions. There are a couple of roads (think hard dirt) that we followed as well. Along the way we passed through two small villages, and by a couple of random houses. To me, these villages and houses represent a style of isolation that is very unimaginable to me. While the two villages are accessible via cameo ride when the weather is good (dump truck ride with 20 or so people and goods in the bed), many of the individual houses are only accessible via mule or donkey or horse. I know that back in the states, some people have cabins in the wilderness only accessible (by car) for part of the year. I suppose this is the same… but the people here are there all year round.

In Morocco, there is a specific term for the country. This phrase is called “The Bled”, and basically stands for the country, the middle of nowhere… you get the point. Mud houses are the only structures in these villages, and from afar, it blends in somewhat with the landscape around, and looked very serene and natural. It is this isolation that I had envisioned when I first came to Morocco.

The middle day of hiking was, as I said, very much exploring, but also showing me some of the technical portions of the trail. The campsite we chose is near a natural spring, and the water is cold and fantastic. No need to treat it. The site also is at the mouth of a gorge. The gorge consists of cliffs on either side around 1000 feet at least, maybe more. I am a bad judge at heights. In some portions the gorge is wide, like a quarter mile. Other portions are only as wide as the length of a car, or the width of a normal bedroom. In periods of heavy rain, naturally there are flooding issues. The weather we had was gorgeous and clear, so the stream was at a normal level.

Some of the exploring we did consisted of free-climbing, as the rock faces were perfect for it. There was also a small pool of water that was good for cooling off and swimming. The end of the gorge opened up to a valley (this gorge is THE pass through the mountains) and there were some more houses and trees. Once again, it was absolutely gorgeous.

The volunteers pointed out the way from there over another pass (A pass is a route through/between the mountains) and into the park. From my town, the park is two days hiking away, just to get there. Basically that is roughly 50km or so of hiking in two days. This is in fact the bled.

Naturally, there were a number of people we met along the way. Most of them are curious, yet friendly. There were some shy characters who gave us odd looks, others who talked with us and were happy we knew their language. There were also people along the way who asked us for things. The main things were medicine and candy.

Apparently, whatever foreigner had visited these places in the past must have been a doctor or a candy dealer, or both. There were some adults who would come up to us and ask if we had medicine to give them, or if we had pills to help various ailments. I suppose it is odd for a person to be backpacking through their town, and naturally they may have thought we were all doctors, coming to help the sick and give medicine.

There were also the children. Many of the kids would ask us for candy. They would say hello (after we said hello to them) and then ask for candy. The word for candy in Tam is “l’Hlwa” (basically pronounced Hull-uh-wah). In one particular village, things got crazy. Kids were coming from all around the village, not even saying hello, and just saying as fast as they could “Hlwa Hlwa Hlwa!” They did this in a very high pitched sort of sound. It was both hilarious, and also sad. At some point these kids have been trained in some manner to react this way to foreigners. Maybe some candy fairy foreigner (or doctor) gave them candy, but even so, it was crazy. So we decided that the name of the village should change to “Ait Hlwa.” The word “Ait” means tribe. So Ait Hlwa means “tribe of candy.” It was fitting.

“The Long Road Ahead”
Being at my final site, I have seen some amazing things. I have also seen things that make me sad, and wonder how people can just dump trash and deforest without replanting, and how the environment is not taken care of in any sense.

I had a conversation with my host mom the other day about if I was lonely, or missed my family back home. I told her that of course I missed my family and friends, but at the same time I did choose to come here and do this work.

It is a long road, and definitely an uphill battle in many ways. It has been a great time, but there have also been times since I have been here that have been difficult. Sometimes it gets quite lonely, and due to the fact my language is not yet strong, I cannot just go out and talk to people about intellectually stimulating things. I have to stick to the basics. It is still difficult to describe exactly how I feel to people. There are really good days with language, and then days where talking just is not happening, and the frustration is beyond belief.

As a disclaimer, please do not read this and think that I am having trouble, or am having a hard time. With anything, it is natural to have ups and downs, especially when you are singled out and stick out everywhere you go. This is just a bit of the realistic side of it all.

Of course I want to be at the point where language is perfectly understandable and easy, and the environmental work is going well. But, I definitely have to keep telling myself that while this point will come… and I know that it will… that the whole process should not be forgotten in the meantime, and that the process is maybe more important than the product.

I know that experiencing the ups and downs on my own (yes, I know that people support me), will help me in the end to become a stronger person, and be able to deal with hard issues and events. No matter how ready I ever thought I could be, or how strong I thought I was before coming here, I know that when my time here is up, I will have grown so much more and will see the world in a different way. Sometimes, I just realize that it definitely will be a long road, at times awesome, at times difficult, but it will be rewarding. (That all sounds really cheesy when I re-read it.)

Once again… give me topics to write about if you have questions. Thanks for the already suggestions!

Here are some future topics (I came up with these):
- Biggest problems of my Village (that townspeople tell me)
- Funny Language translations, and the way people talk (including my nickname)
- Moroccan Hospitality
- One Plate, One Cup (Communal dinner at its finest)

That’s all I have for now. I love you all, and if you want to send me things, I have an address. I want to mention that you should be smart about shipping in many ways. But the first thing is this… THE US POST OFFICE SELLS BOXES AT A FLAT RATE TO GO OVERSEAS. YOU CAN PUT UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WEIGHT IN THE BOX. THIS IS THE CHEAPEST WAY TO GO PROBABLY, BECAUSE IF YOU SEND ME PACKAGES, YOU MIGHT AS WELL SEND FULL PACKAGES.

Some hints for packages again:
- Label the box “Educational Materials”
- Sending money or electronics = bad idea… things get opened and taken here, this is not the USPS usually good system
- Sending religious materials = see above. I do not want to be viewed as a missionary by anyone in the government here, because it is illegal, and probably would not be helpful for work purposes.
- I like surprises.

Im not saying I expect everyone to send packages… but don’t you like mail too?! If you want to send me packages, and do not have my address, e-mail me or my parents. If you want a list of things to send, I can give make a list up, and post it here on my blog.

I love you, happy summer, and Oh yeah, I saw my first scorpion the other day out hiking. It was cute.

Loves,
Me!

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Some thoughts I have had...

I hope that everything is going well for you back at home. I wrote this a few days ago, and I decided to post it. I probably will post more threads like this, along with other cultural points. PLEASE give me suggestions of topics to write about, or any questions that you have for me. I need suggestions too, because I sometimes don't know what to post about!! :-)

Alright, so here it goes...

I am looking out the door of my cyber. It is open about halfway, and I can hear the sound of a large cameo (think dump truck) purring out the door. I am next door to my brother's Hanut (think small small small store), and the cameo is picking up the empty butagas (propane tanks) containers and delivering a fresh load of new ones, that way families can cook their foods and have cous-cous today... because in fact every friday tends to me a cous-cous friday for some reason.

I see a little girl about 7, cute as a button, walking and talking to a boy down the row. I know this little girl by her face, and the fact she stops at the Hanut a few times a day, in order to pick up some sort of candy items, maybe a gummi treat, or flavored marshmellows (LHlwa n Lponj... which translates literally into candy of the sofa). She sometimes giggles when I talk to her, or just looks at me in silence and a bit of awe.

The sun is shining now somewhere through the newly formed clouds. It is probably a bit hot in the sunlight, but when the shade returns it is a bit chilly. This morning it was all sun, but the weather report last night said we would be getting 34 degrees today but also rain and thunderstorms possibly. So at the day goes on, the mountains in the distance uplift the air pockets and cools them, forming the clouds I am currently seeing. It probably will rain this afternoon, I hope it is thunderstorms.

I see the north face of the mountains (Jebel Masker) in the distance topped by pockets of snow. They will probably be there until June or so, and it looks like it may be raining on the mountain top. It is a great site, and I feel lucky to be here... all the while donkeys and horses with carts come by, along with cars or trucks. It is mix of old and new.

I see the mosque, it's tower painted a light yellow, and trimmed with sea green. It is this very mosque that sometimes wakes me up at 5 in the morning, as the call to prayer is being said, or a portion of the Koran is read. The five times a day of loudspeakers blaring is a constant reminder of where I am, and the beliefs of the people and or the country.

I see people walking by wearing Jellabas, and headwraps, and women carrying weeds for their animals. Little boys are playing some sort of card game, maybe dealing with soccer type cards that my Hanut sells. The humorous part is that like many things at the Hanut, they are old, and in fact these cards are from EURO CUP 1996. Many of the children with them were not even born at the time let alone remember any of the players. I remember watching the Euro Cup and rooting for the Netherlands, in the comfort of my own home for 18 years, sitting in front of a large TV wasting my summer away. There were probably dreams of playing soccer in Europe, of traveling to Europe, at least I hope that is what was being thought.

A few girls walk by, on their way to school I presume, and stare at me. This is common, and I still don't know what sort of way to feel about girls who are of marrying age (15 or so) here staring at me in this sort of way. Sometimes they will talk to me, say Bonjour, and I will speak in Tam to them back. Sometimes they are surprised, sometimes they just laugh and say nothing else. The reaction that I get kind of reminds me of some of the Korean ESL students, and the sorts of giggles and looks that they gave me.

The Little girl is back again, with her hooded red shirt and her blue jeans and little light blue plaid type shoes. She dashes off, and seems very happy with the world around her. Innocence like this is seen everywhere here, and sometimes this lack of world knowledge, this ignorance is what makes people content and happy. Sometimes, I envy for this feeling, as I know that there are better ways of living than the way some live here.

FINISHED

Hope you enjoy.

Much Love,
ME!

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Welcome to the Mountains

So as I said before, I am near the mountains. I have arrived at my final site, and been spending the past few days trying to take care of some business like residency card and also a PO box. Both of which I have, and if you would like my address to send me a letter, card, package, surprise, just e-mail me and ask and I will probably give it to you.

The town I live in and the area around me is very contradictory. The town is quite large, and a center of local commerce. It is around 8000 people, and I really have most everything here that I need like stores, souks, and cyber-cafes. The town itself is quite windy at times, and there is a lot of dust that gets blown around. Also, one of the huge environmental problems of the area is the trash issue. I will talk more about this later, but basically people dump their trash in the river beds, and on the street. So littering is prevalent. In the people’s defense, there is no trash collection system in place, so the trash that can be burned sometimes is burned for heat. But, the biggest problems are the plastic bags. Every little store gives them out with a purchase, even the smallest items. The bags end up like modern-day tumbleweed, and it is not surprising to see them blowing by you in the street, or in a plastic bag whirlwind, or hung up on some tree somewhere. It is quite depressing to see, but really, this is part of the reason I am here. Even I have trouble disposing of trash, as I said there is no adequate collection system. SO, if you send anything to me, please make it something I can burn that is not plastic or Styrofoam, so I do not have trouble disposing.

So in general, this is my town. It is not unique, but the area around it is unique and also breathtaking. I have two large peaks nearby, one at 11000 ft, and the other at 12500. The latter is the third highest peak in North Africa. I hope to climb both of these once the snow is gone in June. There are a number of other peaks around as well. Generally, there are very few trees, partly due to the semi-arid conditions, and party due to the overharvesting and not replanting trees. This allows for great hiking (minus the wind) and I plan to get out and do a lot of hiking. It is actually part of my job, and the park I will work in is a two day hike away (2 days of 8 hours hiking) and camping in the middle.

There is not a lot in the way of big wildlife. Most of the large mammals were gone a while ago. This leaves hares, boars, wild dogs, and some grazing animals as the mammals. There are a few snakes present, and also a number of skinks and lizards. There are also a number of small birds, and some large birds or prey present. The trees around are pine, oak, and cedar. Cedar is the most native here, and is also the most threatened by overharvesting. People here are not replacing the trees much at all, and this is the problem. People here need the wood to stay warm in the bitter cold winters, as electricity is way too expensive. So once again, this will be part of my work.

Since being here, my schedule has changed immensely from being super busy to now having not a whole lot to do. I am trying to integrate into my community, and I continue studying language, talk to community members, and learn about the community from the volunteers that are leaving. I try to make myself present and visible, so that people become accustomed to seeing me.
Even still, I have a lot of down time, and so I study languages, and also read books and play a few games or watch a quick bit of BBC news. Things tend to get accomplished at a slower pace here; it is just a fact of life.

I will try to keep a list of books I read in one of the side columns. I am definitely open to suggestions as well. Peace Corps here has a decent library in Rabat, and I can have books sent to me.

Also, if you have any questions, please e-mail me, and if they are topics I can write about here on this blog, then I will definitely do so. I have access to cyber-cafes all the time, and I go a couple times a week. Eventually, after I move into my own place, I will look into getting internet (not sure if it is possible). It will be much easier to get work done (a lot of work forms for Peace Corps are done via computer) and also condense my time staying in contact with people for the two times a week I plan on doing so. I also am already thinking about the cold winter, and how I do not want to have to leave my place to a cold cyber-café.

I hope that this post finds everyone safe and sound, and enjoying spring wherever you may be living.

Much Love!
Me!