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

Monday, August 31, 2009

Fasting, and Breaking Fast (Part 1)

I hope that this post finds you doing very well, and enjoying the lovely end of summer, wherever you may be. I miss you all, and hope that I will hear from you soon. Life here for me is going well, with work, with my house, AND my new kitten! She is 10 weeks old, and is gray with black tiger stripes, and white patches here and there. I will post pictures at some point, probably when I can get internet at my house (soon I hope). But onto the subject!

Right now it is the holy month of Ramadan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Ramadan, it is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar (Islamic calendar is based upon Lunar cycles). In the religion of Islam, this month is considered the holiest, and from sunrise to sunset, all believers fast on everything. Foods, water/drinks, and sex, are all things that believers fast from.

The reason for fasting is that it is a way to purify oneself from any sin committed during the previous 11 months. It is also a way for a person to feel and know what it is like to be a needy person, who does not have access to food and water, and is suffering. There are certain exceptions to fasting, such as children, sick/diabetic, and pregnant or new mothers. However, technically, any day not fasted needs to be made up a time later if that is possible (like pregnant women and not permanently sick).

Life in Morocco (and any Islamic country) changes during the holy month. Let me take you through a typical day for me during Ramadan. In my next post, I will discuss the different foods that I eat on a typical day breaking fast.

I usually wake up 4am each day, and drink a glass of water. The reason for this is that fast begins at sunrise, which for me is 4:25am. So I need to have any food or water for the day at this time. Then I go back to sleep for a few more hours.

Around 8 or 9am, I wake up for the day. Since I am not eating or drinking, I brush my teeth, making sure not to swallow any water and break my fast. I then spend my morning reading, writing, or just relaxing. Around town, everyone is still asleep, and all the cafes and stores are closed.

I continue to relax, get some work done, watch a show or play cards on my computer until about 2pm. This is the time when stores start to open, and I can go to the cyber-café to check-email. Most stores are still closed, and most people stay indoors. Remember folks, it is August, and it is pretty hot and dry here. Being outside and walking through town during the day drains you and you become thirsty, and not having any calories leaves you in a haze as the day goes on. So relaxing is key.

After I spent some time at the cyber (2-3 times a week), I walk home, and see more and more stores that are opening. Venders are selling fruits and juices and cookies and dates on the street, and the town is starting to get lively. I stop and talk to a few people, and buy some eggs to boil for later. I go home and relax for a bit, before hard-boiling eggs.

At about 6:15pm, I walk with my site-mate to a host family in the village, and we are going to break fast here after the evening call to prayer. Around 7pm, the call to prayer goes off (sunset), and we can break fast. I will discuss foods in depth later. During this time, we watch television from Mecca, and watch the thousands of people praying after making the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is fascinating to watch all of the people, and luckily there are subtitles of the prayers in English, so I can read what is being said. I sit and break fast with a host family, and they are so great company and so nice. We talk, and at about 8:15, my site mate and I leave to go back home, saying hello to friends and other townsfolk along the way.

After getting home, I am completely full of food. I feel like I am in a food coma, after not eating all day and then gorging myself. Sometimes I watch a show with my site-mate, other times I just relax and continue to rehydrate. Rehydrating is difficult, because you are also full of food. I spend the rest of my evening relaxing, and eating some fruits and rehydrating. At about midnight, I go to sleep for 4 hours, where I then wake up and do it all again. This routine can switch a little bit, depending on if friends are in town or I have to meet a friend for tea or coffee.

In my next post, I will discuss the culture of food associated with Ramadan, and how people typically break their fast. In the third post, I will discuss my thoughts on Ramadan as a whole, and the culture of people during Ramadan. So keep reading, and let me know if you have any questions.

Book of the Moment: “1491” Charles Mann
Album of the Moment: Simian Mobile Disco - “Temporary Pleasures”

Much Love,
Me!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Finally Back Home! After one whole month!

So I spent the last month out of my site, and finally, I am home again. To recap, I spent the first two weeks at a training in order to learn more about our Environmental Sector’s framework, and some guidance on ways we can get assistance and grants. I also spent the two weeks catching up with faces that I had not seen since we swore in at the end of April. Most importantly, the training allowed me to get some clarity on the projects that I intend to be focusing on during my time here in Morocco.

After training was over, I spend the better part of two weeks teaching at a summer camp for kids between the ages of 6-14. There were 6 of us PCVs that were involved in the summer camp, and we taught environmental education, geography, and English. I was teaching English, along with another PCV. Teaching went well, even though it is difficult to teach to a vast age difference (they did not group by age), and then teaching English to some kids who had not been to primary school yet, or had just spent a year at primary school.

In English, we taught all sorts of things like greetings, body parts, the alphabet, and seasons, along with other random environmental terms (like tree, air, sun etc.) It was Basic English, and it was kind of crazy to be teaching English in Tamazight and Darija, but also using my French as guidance.

Our job as PCVs was to teach. In addition, we helped out with activities, and bonded with the kids. The kids were so great, and made everything worth it. It was a good chance to use our languages we had learned both in teaching, and just interacting with the kids. I had initially expected all the kids to know my language, Tamazight, but this was not the case. So I learned some good Darija words and phrases over the time, and this was also a good way to bond with the kids.

Overall, the camp was a success. The most important thing was that the kids had a good time. In addition to the classes that they were doing for 2 hours each day, the kids were doing arts and crafts, various environmental activities, and various group activities and games.

While there were some hitches and miscommunications between the way the PCVs thought things should be and the way the directors of the camp had wanted it to be, this was kept mainly in the background, so that the kids could not see it.

The camp was a good learning experience as well for me. I was able to see the planning stages of the camp, and see how this actually played out. All of the PCVs learned ways that we could improve the camp for next year, and have a better oversight of the camp, so that the things discussed in planning could actually be implemented in the camp. In addition, I am probably going to be trying to start a small day camp next year myself, and so this information is even more valuable.

Camp and training were both really draining, and so after camp was over I took advantage of a 4 day weekend (due to Moroccan Holidays) and took off with a group of friends to the city of Chefchouen, in the northern part of the country, and in the Rif Mountains. The goal was to have a relaxing trip, just hanging out in the city. That is exactly what happened.

I will attempt to describe Chefchouen Medina (old city). Picture a maze of small narrow streets (more like alleys) with all sorts of shops lining each side. Artisanal shops, general stores, clothing stores, restaurants, and fruit stands. Now picture all the buildings and doors painted a fantastic glacial blue color, with hints of purple. This is Chefchouen, at least the old part of the city. It is a gorgeous place, and sits on the side of the mountain. Luckily, the place we stayed had a rooftop terrace, and you could go and look up at the mountains, or look over the city of blue.

In terms of people, it is quite a touristy city, and sadly I got hassled more than I have been hassled (even in Fes!!!) in Morocco. But it is high tourist season, and there were so many tourists, from all over the world. The people watching was incredible, and a lot of the time we sat at cafes in the main square playing cards (a sweet game called judgment) and just having coffee or soda, and watched the people. Chefchouen has a reputation as a hippie town (due to its location in the Rif Mountains, and what is associated with the Rif), so we saw multiples of dreadlocks, and hippies. In addition though, we saw everyday people, and even families that came to Chefchouen. It is a great place for all. I really urge you to look up pictures of Chefchouen, so that you can see the stunning blue that I am talking about.

Other than relaxing at cafes, and eating good food (goat cheese in particular), I did some shopping, and Chefchouen is known for wool goods like hats, socks, and hooded wool sweaters. I bought some wool socks and a scarf for the winter, at a good price. The artisanal goods were very beautiful as well.

At the end of our time in Chefchouen, the holy month of Ramadan began. So on Sunday, I fasted while I was returning to my site. I am now back in my village, and will be discussing Ramadan hopefully in depth soon. I am glad to be experiencing the Holy Month of Ramadan in an Islamic country, and it has given me insights into the culture of the people and the religion of the people. I shall be posting regularly now again!

Book of the Time: John Steinbeck –“The Winter of our Discontent”
Album of the Time: Calvin Harris – “Ready for the Weekend” (New album from Calvin Harris, and definitely worth a listen if you are into dance type music)

Much Love!
Eric