Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Comics & Ballads

Feels like we're just back to site after an eternally long ten day training in Marrakesh and already anticipating this weekend's arrival of my mom and dad. We've got pretty big fish to fry, but wanted to share two personal highlights from the training.

The first is a comic Britt drew -her response to Peace Corps' call for everyone to make a little one-page update on their service so far.



My wife draws comics. No one's luckier than me.


The second is a song we performed during the training. Our friend Leah wrote song lyrics about the nightmare of applying for your legal status in Morocco -obtaining a document called the Carte de Séjour- and sent them to me to take a pass and write some music. The song is one long inside joke, but we had a lot of fun playing it. I played guitar and sang and Britt and Leah accompanied with backing vocals, and harmonica and homemade corn shaker, respectively (and awesome Beau held the mic and lyrics and awesome Kara took really nice-looking video). 

That's right: it's the world premiere of Britt Luby, harmonica player, and our first public performance since the "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" duet. Enjoy!


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

accepting invitations

How are we spending our time right now?  If I were you, that's what I'd be wondering.  I think we have mentioned that the Dar Chebab is closed for renovations.  The Dar Chebab, which translates into "youth house," is our assigned work space.  It's a facility in town that is used by the community for a variety of activities, and we will eventually use it as the location of our English classes and other clubs.  In the Dar Chebab, you can find a classroom or two, a small library, a computer room, and a large theatre room.  A kindergarten class also meets in the Dar Chebab, so there is a room with adorably tiny desks and chairs.  But, alas, ours is closed, so we've been "working" in different ways.

So, again, how do we spend our time?  Per the suggestion of other volunteers, we've been saying "yes" to every invitation that comes our way.  Sometimes, these invitations come in advance.  For example, my neighbor may knock on the door and invite me to come over the next day to learn how to make couscous.  Frequently, they come with little or no advanced notice.  Recently, on a bus ride from Marrakech to our town, the lady sitting next to me overheard my attempt to say something in Arabic and decided to start chatting it up with me.  By the time the bus reached our town, she insisted we join her at her daughter's house for some tea and snacks.  It was hours before we finally made it back to our own home, exhausted from the journey yet thankful for the richness that time with her family added to our day.

My favorite sort of invitation is the "let me teach you how to cook something so you can be a better wife to your husband!" invitation.  I've had a staggering number of couscous lessons, but I still don't think I'm ready to try to cook it on my own yet.  I've had a lesson on some dish that included chicken livers and hearts topped with cinnamon and sugar that I ultimately decided not to take notes on (though it didn't taste half bad).  My favorite lesson was a msmen lesson.  Oh man, that stuff is good, and it's one dish that I've been able to recreate on my own.

Making msmen in our kitchen.

Pete getting in on the msmen action.  Fun fact: typical msmen toppings include cheese, honey, and/or jam.  We've decided that Nutella is an excellent addition to the msmen repertoire.
The most rewarding and most challenging parts of these lessons are the new friendships that are forming over bread dough and cups of  coffee.  Sometimes, my cooking teacher/friend speaks a bit of English, and we can communicate a bit between our broken languages.  But, other times, I'm forced to try a little harder and use the little Arabic that I know.  Luckily, the language of kneading bread and rolling couscous is fairly universal.  Still, I have a long way to go, both in terms of Arabic and kitchen skills.

The end of a very successful cous cous lesson.
Another invitation I gladly accepted was a day trip to Marrakech with some native English-speaking friends in town.  These gals have lived here for several years, and they offered to help me get more familiar with our closest big city.  We did a few touristy things: exploring the winding market and watching the vendors set up in the historic Jemaa el-Fenaa while the sun set.  We also did some where in the heck can I buy peanut butter? and you mean there is a store like Ikea here?? things.  Much, much appreciated.

Hiking invitations?  Have please.  Everyday we feel deliriously lucky that Peace Corps sent us to such a beautiful city nestled in such lovely mountains.  We are starting to get the lay of the land, so we don't necessarily need invitations or a guide anymore.  We just have to strap on our shoes, grab some water (safe to drink from the tap, in case you were curious!), and head to the mountains. 


Just a quick hike up and you're rewarded with astounding views of our city.
I'd like to stay up here, please.
Between cooking lessons, laundry (by hand!), preparing meals for ourselves, a few hiking trips, and accepting any and all invitations, our days fill up fast.  Come visit and see for yourself.  Okay?  Okay.