This autumn has been a very busy season!  Not long after 3id Kbir, we enjoyed entertaining some fellow Peace Corps volunteers, our good friends Jenny and Steve, and nearby PC neighbor and friend, Morgan.  Jenny is an art instructor, and she gave me so many tips for using recycled materials in art projects.  She is also an avid gardener, and had great advice for the ḍar šbab garden we are hoping to expand – inshallah – including composting and rain water collection suggestions.  Meanwhile, Steve treated us to his gourmet pancakes, fashioned into animal shapes, before we headed to Marrakech to introduce them to the infamous big square.  

The following week, Morgan brought her youthful energy, and we enjoyed the requisite hike to Imi n’Ifri along with our dear friend and tutor, Soukaina.

Activities at the ḍar šbab got off to a bit of a slow start, although much groundwork was laid for planned projects, primarily of a garden and environmental nature.  I’m also teaching English, and started an aerobics class at the ḍar šbab. 

Not one to be inactive for any length of time, while waiting for activities to ramp up at the ḍar šbab, I decided to try my hand at cooking Moroccan cous cous, after buying Mal a cous cous pot for his birthday.  Don’t laugh, it appears I’m getting an oven from him for Christmas!  Anyway, I’m getting the hang of it, and have dared to entertain some friends in town even while in this experimental stage.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Moroccan cous cous, it is a mouthwatering blend of well-fluffed and steamed cous cous served on a platter with beef topped with vegetables including squash, zucchini, carrots, peppers, and more.

We introduced the Scouts and youth at our ḍar šbab to the American version of Halloween.  We carved a Moroccan pumpkin for the occasion and passed around lots of candy. 

We also hosted our first trash cleanup event in our neighborhood park, and had more than 20 volunteers of all ages join us in the effort.

 

Then, on November 5^th, Morocco celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Green March, a mass demonstration occurring in 1975 and coordinated by the Moroccan government to force Spain to hand over the disputed province of Spanish Sahara to Morocco. The demonstration of some 350,000 Moroccans advanced several miles into the Western Sahara territory, escorted by nearly 20,000 Moroccan troops. The events quickly escalated into the Western Sahara War, which, truth be told, is still underway.  Commemorating the Green March is a big celebration in our little town.

Not long after Green March, we travelled to Rabat and joined Peace Corps volunteers from across the nation for a traditional Thanksgiving feast. 

Upon our return, Mal and I managed to sneak in a little vacation time at Cape Verde – brown sugar beaches, glorious sun, turquois water, lots of swimming and a bit of snorkeling.  Just what we needed before the onset of the cold Moroccan winter.

We celebrated the actual American Thanksgiving quietly, although it was wonderful to connect with my New York family via skype, chatting away while their turkey was carved.  I hadn’t been to New York in more than a year, so it was wonderful to see some of the gang face-to-face.  A little homesick.  Mal and I made turkey stir fry, heavy on the sage, before reporting for work at our ḍar šbab.

Our town’s soccer team are the national champions, and Mal and I were invited by the team’s coach to attend a hometown game last weekend.  Imagine my surprise when I found myself to be the only woman in a group of about 500 men and boys cheering on the team.  Well, just add it to my šuma list.

And now Christmas approaches.  Tired of throwing away the remnants of our bottled drinking water (there is no plastic recycling in Morocco), Mal had a brainstorm idea for our Christmas tree this year.  He cut, fastened together and painted our overflowing supply of empty water bottles, attached them to a broom handle secured in an umbrella stand, and…voilà…a homemade Christmas tree.  I used additional recycled material for tree decorations, and with a little help from Carrefour, we are now ready for the holiday.  Oh, and I got my oven as an early Christmas present and I’m now ready to bake some cookies, date nut bread, and other holiday delectables.  This is actually the easiest holiday season I can remember since my youth, which is a good thing, as my Peace Corps projects are ramping up just now as I write a grant for environmental projects to begin - inshallah - after the first of the year.