On socializing

I've always enjoyed my alone time so being in Peace Corps is not too difficult for me. In Peace Corps we spend a lot of time alone. Eating alone, sleeping alone, watching TV or movies alone. We all spend days and weeks and even months without much social interaction. For sure not with other Americans.

That being said I have noticed my endurance during social situations get less and less. Whenever a lot of volunteers get together at a training or a big event, like the one I just went to, the beginning is very strong and happy. Everyone is very excited to see each other so it produces a hard and fast natural high. After everyone comes down from that and people start settling into their own smaller groups it starts to get a little more lonely at these events.

I usually feel weird when everyone fits into groups and I'm not sure exactly where I want to fit in. The attention I get goes from large surge to lower and lower as the event passes. And subconsciously, like a small child, I want more attention than I sometimes get.

But what also happens is that after some time with this many people, after being used to being alone, I crave alone time again. I find myself finding reasons to be off alone and being fine with it.

By the time these events are over I am ready to decompress in my own apartment. It's such a strange juxtaposition here in Peace Corps life with socializing. I do crave to get back to a life where there is a better balance between too much and too little.

 The time for me to work at summer camp has arrived. So I will be taking a two week hiatus from this blog. I won't have my computer with me nor will I have the time to write daily. Rest assured that when I get back I will be full of stories to tell about the fun, exciting, exhausting, interesting, and laughter filled days and nights of summer camp.

In the meantime if you haven't already and you are missing my writing, take a look at my creative writing tab on the top of this blog, or take a look at my poetry by clicking the link under labels along the right column. Also listen to my radio features or news demo.

Enjoy your 4th of July! Happy birthday America!

Read more

The heat is on

It's bad over here people, bad. The heat is really on. I am no where near the Sahara Desert so I can't even imagine how my friends down there are feeling. But I, in the more tropical climate of Morocco, am having a hard time getting through the days.

Summers have proven to be some of the toughest parts of my service. For example today I have no running water, my apartment feels like an oven even though my shutters are closed to block the sun's direct rays, and my gas tank for my stove just ran out. I have to cook just about everything I eat and to refill it I have to carry the tank downstairs, hope someone is open to buy a refilled one, and cart it back to my apartment in this monstrous heat.

As you read a couple days earlier I just got back from a weekend away. I hadn't showered in four days and in those four days I went to a very sandy beach, was covered in sticky sunscreen, got the worst windblown and sandy hair, and rode a bus for seven hours. I really needed a shower. But when I went to the faucet it made a sound like a dramatic cartoon coughing out its last breath.  Now it just makes no sound and my faucets just seem like they would be something just on display at Home Depot.

Each time I try the sink with no luck I am almost brought to tears. It makes keeping myself and my house clean very difficult. I have several gallons of water stored but it's not a way to take a shower and to wash dishes I have to awkwardly pour water over them from the heavy bottles. Flushing the toilet is another whole story. I also start to ration my water use. Knowing that the most important is for drinking.

I have to leave for a two week stay at summer camp on Friday and I hope to take clean clothes. However I'm not sure when  I will be able to do laundry before then.

Another thing about summer is there is nothing to do. Aside from my two week stint at summer camp and later on my vacation to the UK (Yay!) I don't have much else on my plate. This is both good and bad. Good because the summer heat makes everyone so lazy, sometimes it's tough to use any brain power at all. Bad because it's really boring sitting alone in your house all day.

The best thing keeping me going is knowing that this is my last Moroccan summer to endure. And the harshness of the heat should let up slightly in September, so I only have two months of hell ahead. But while you are in it, it feels like forever.

Read more

Tip Tuesday

Here are a couple cooking tips for you from an issue of Glamour.

1. Improved pasta
Never add oil to pasta water, it will prevent your sauce from sticking to the pasta. And also never rinse it as it removes the starches, just quickly add it to your sauce to prevent clumping. Also you can reserve a little bit of the water from the pasta for your sauce to add some body and flavor to it.

2. Better grilled cheese
Spread both sides of the bread with mayonnaise instead of butter. Mayo is more stable than butter and gives you a longer time to cook, which allows the cheese to melt more before the bread gets a chance to burn.

Read more

Weekend in Essaouira

Sorry readers about the hiatus for a few days from this blog. I just got to take a trip down to a coastal city called Essaouria. It's pretty big with tourists both Moroccan and foreign. I went there for the annual Gnaoua Music Festival that is very popular as a party weekend for Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco.

The journey was quite a long one totaling in about 8-9 hours travel one way. I got to spend time on the beach (with a lot a lot of sunscreen on, Moroccan sun is strong!), hang out on a cool Moroccan roof, and spend lots of time with a lot of other volunteers.

In total there were about 80-100 other volunteers there from all sectors and all training groups. It was a strange but nice feeling being part of the group there that were going to be the next to leave country. It all goes so fast here that I can easily put myself in the position of anyone else at any stage of their service. It feel strange that I am nearly on my way out already.

It's always fun meeting new volunteers. There are about 230 volunteers in country and it's not possible to meet or know them all. But now I can say I know a lot more! We are all so spread out and Moroccan travel is usually a long and tiring process that it's not likely that I will see many of them again but I wish I could.

Overall it was an experience that I am glad that I got to have, one that  a lot of volunteers like to do while here. It took me back to college days with lots of partying and hanging out in a big house.

I don't have any pictures to share with you because I didn't risk my camera being stolen by taking it there. Essaouira was very crowded during this weekend and I always here about ramped pickpocketing. Plus being in a house so close to so many other people things could get misplaced. But luckily I had no incidents of unfortunate events. Here are a few from the Internet just for you to get the idea.

Read more

Iconic dress sold for millions

A dress that created the iconic image of  Marilyn Monroe standing over a subway vent was just sold at auction to an unnamed buyer for 4.6 million dollars. The dress was sold with other pieces of old Hollywood memorabilia like Audrey Hepburn's costume from the Ascot race scene in "My Fair Lady" and a headdress worn by Elizabeth Taylor in "Cleopatra."

The dress and other items were from the collection of Debbie Reynolds the 79-year-old "Singin' in the Rain" star.  She said she had given up her dream of seeing her collection in a museum of Hollywood costumes someday.

The final tally from the Saturday auction was calculated Monday. About 600 items from Reynolds' extensive collection were up for sale. Another auction is planned for December. Save your money Hollywood fans!

If I could buy any one thing at auction from a starlet of our past it would have to be an item belonging to Lucille Ball. Maybe a dress she wore in the show "I Love Lucy" that she secretly bought without telling Ricky.

Let's step back to yesteryear and watch the scene that made this dress worth 4.6 million dollars.

Read more

Tip Tuesday

No basket

1. From getrichslowly.org, if you are going to the grocery store for just a few items don't get a cart or basket. Limit yourself to just what you can carry in your hands. You will be less able to pick up impulse buys if you can't carry them.

Fresh sponge
2. From tips.maxabout.com, soak a sponge in salt water to freshen it.

Read more

Google's true colors

Google has been showing its true colors this month, which is Gay and Lesbian Pride month.

A six-color rainbow, which is the symbol for gay pride should appear at the end of the search bar when a user searches "gay", "lesbian", "transgender" or any related terms.

Gay rights is a high profile issue that Google has decided to take a stand on, but the company does not usually make statements regarding social issues.

Last month Google took part in the "It Gets Better Project" by creating a 90-second TV ad that ran during an episode of "Glee". The campaign is to encourage gay,  bisexual, lesbian, and transgender teens to not let themselves be victimized by bullies. It grew from last falls wave of gay teen suicides.

Other big companies have contributed to the project like Apple, Dell, Microsoft, and Pixar.

Take a look at Google's ad here. And search It Gets Better Project on youtube for even more ads.

Read more

Fresh Moves produce bus

Hundreds of thousands of Chicagoan live at least one mile from fresh fruits and vegetables. This leaves them with the options of taking long rides and only buying what they can carry home or buying processed less healthy versions of food at corner stores. 

The live in what is called "food deserts". Mayer Rahm Emmanual sat down Wednesday with six major grocery store chains to address this problem. Living in a food desert can cause diet related illnesses to the residents like diabetes, obesity, and cancer.

A few years ago, Steven Casey, Jeff Pinzino and Sheelah Muhammad hatched the idea for the Fresh Moves bus, a grocery store in a bus. It is designed to bring the healthy foods directly to the communities that need them.

The group got lots of help from area partners in getting the bus, transforming it into a mobile grocery store, and creating a website to go with it.

Fresh Moves gives its left over produce to homeless shelters, which often isn't much. The demand for the products has proven to be high.

Muhammad and Cooper were pleased to debunk the myth that people from low income housing areas were not interested in health food but rather junk food.

"We're proving that unfounded theory wrong," Muhammad said. "There's a huge demand for this. They're tired of the fast food, they're tired of the lack of options."

As reported by the Huffington Post.

Read more

Escaped convict knocks on wrong door

If you plan to escape from prison be careful which door you knock on looking for a phone.

39-year-old James Edward Russell got out of the Washington state penitentiary this Tuesday morning, authorities say.


The next day Russell, still in his prison uniform, knocked on a door of a cabin that happened to be the home of an off duty guard at the very prison where he was serving time.

Department of Corrections spokesman Chad Lewis said that after a scuffle Russell ran off again, but was caught hours later when the unnamed guard reported the incident.

Russell is serving time for forgery and theft and maybe now more time for attempted escape.

If you plan to escape from prison I think you're on your own. Maybe try to secure your own cell phone so you don't have to try and use others'. And you better wear your walking shoes. Having grown up near a prison I've seen this sign many times.

Read more

Weedrobes

Highly fashionable and highly fragrant.

Canadian artist Nicole Dextras of Vancouver B.C., is trying to show the world that frilly fashions can be made from the fruits of the Earth.

Over the past six years Dextras has been collecting plants native to the Pacific Northwest and making them into creations that she calls "Weedrobes".

 Her wish is not only to make a piece of art but make a statement. To address peoples' grown enviornmental concerns.

"I've had an ongoing interest in environmental art, and working in the theater as a clothes designer opened me up to the idea that the way people dress affects their psychology," Dextras told AOL Weird News. "I want these dresses to open a dialogue to people about where their clothes come from."

 The dresses are not made for everyday wear and making comfortable leisure clothing is out of the question.

After finishing the creation and photographing it in a natural environment Dextras employs a model to wear it among spectators. The model is expected to engage them in conversation about what she is wearing.

Afterward the garment is put in a garden or park to decompose naturally.

To read the entire story please follow this link.

Read more

Tip Tuesday

Better photos
1. The people at Kodak suggest looking your photo subject in the eye when taking their photo. Come down to their eye level if they are shorter than you. By being in their gaze you will create a more engaging and inviting photo.

BBQ
2. As the full swing of summer starts and it is time for barbecues take this tip from woai.com, San Antonio's news station. Know that meat will continue to cook after taken off the grill so remove your meats a few minutes before you have reached your desired doneness. Let the meat rest for five minutes by tenting it in tin foil which will give the meat the juiciest flavor.

Read more

Hello Readers! If you have some time and want a little quick entertainment click on over to the creative writing tab on this blog. I would love you to read my short stories and would love your feedback!

Read more

Education PSA

As budget cuts rage through our nations public schools I am heartbroken at the injustice that we are doing our nation's youth. I have seen what a lack of education can do to a person, a city, and a country here in Morocco and I know as Americans we can do better.

Parents and students at Melrose Avenue Elementary School in California have made this PSA to educate the public about the school budget cuts that are threatening our children and their hope of a good quality education.

The childrens' small voices in this clip speak loudly and should really make its viewers think of the consequence that poor education not only brings individuals but all the citizens of a nation.

Watch and enjoy.

Read more

What a good night is

Let me describe to you a good work night. Last night.

A sat in my classroom for a few minutes reading my book. A young boy came in and picked out a children’s book in Arabic and started reading at his own will. I watched his finger follow the lines and heard his soft whisper of the words. Quietly we read together.

Next one of my older students came in, one of my favorites. And I gave him a book to read as well. In peace we three read together.

Then I challenged Zacharia to read a book in English. His English is pretty good for his age, 13, and he makes me proud. He read the book successfully and I was happy for him.

Later I read the two of them a book in English about a little body who was having a very boring day.

Next we played a  few rounds of a game together.

I found a book in Arabic that looked really beautiful by the illustrations. I asked Zacharia if he could read it to me. When he read the Arabic it sounded like poetry. And bless his heart, he tried his hardest to translate each line for me. He did very well. I never stopped him when he made mistakes  (I will see for you=I will show you) but helped him when he was struggling for the words. (Grass, sky, sun) The story was about a parent wanting to show their little boy everything the world has to offer.

My work is slow now, but my work is simple. Having meaningful interactions like those keeps me strong.

Read more

A weighted issue

For the first time in my life I have had to deal with the issue of my weight. Yes, I can feel you rolling your eyes at me now. Yes I get it, I know I am thin, but it just that I’m not as thin as I once was. The way I feel comfortable.

Most people may not even notice my weight issue and Moroccans think big is beautiful. So this issue is just within me and believe me, it has been a tough one.

I never gained the freshmen 15 in college. But I did gain the Peace Corps 15. I was told right away that male volunteers in Morocco lose weight while female ones gain. This is very true. Women gain because of the huge spike in carbs we are eating. White pasta, white bread, white potatoes. You name it, white, white, white. Men lose weight because of the decrease in meat we are eating. I’ve seen many of my male friends slim down and heard many of my female friends complain about their weight. Including me.

My peak gain here was 15 pounds. And I very slowly have been coming down from that since I first figured out about the gain last March. I was out of town at a fellow volunteers house and was presented with a scale for the first time. Until then I hadn’t really thought about my weight. I was jogging regularly and eating whatever. But when I stepped on it and realize how my body had changed, in numbers, I was shocked. Never in my life had I experienced such a quick gain and never did I have to worry about this.

Since that time I’ve gone through many crises when I see myself in a full length mirror every so often.

My trip to Paris jump started my “diet”. I don’t like the word diet because I believe there should be no diets, just all the time good eating. But in Paris I was exposed to different foods than I am here and was able to add variety to what I was eating. And I was eating things I knew were good for me. Plus I was walking a ton, being a lot more active than I am here in Morocco.

Ever since I’ve been here, aside from a few very lazy points, I’ve tried to do some form of working out. I’ve been doing it since I was 17 so it’s pretty much a huge part of my life. My options for working out here are somewhat limited. There is no gym I can go to and jogging outside makes me uncomfortable as people stare at me.

So most of my working out has been inside my home. I am able to get lots of workout DVDs from the Internet so I have tried a whole bunch of different programs. P90X, P90, Zumba, Cardio Bellydance, I’ve tried them all. For the past several months I have been very into yoga, which has truly helped my body and my mind.

So the update is that since I left Paris and I realize I had lost two pounds I am going to do everything I can to keep it off and to keep going. I still have seven more to go to be completely comfortable. And I know weight is just a number but I am talking about my overall feeling. The extra pounds feel terribly uncomfortable on me.

I am actually trying to lose the weight to also fit into some shorts that once fit me when I first brought them here to Morocco. I want to wear them on my vacation to the UK this July and I really need to fit into them because I don’t have much else to wear there!

Read more

Tip Tuesday

Smooth eyeliner
1. From Woman's World, hold the tip of your eyeliner pencil in a flame for a few seconds to soften it for ideal consistency to slide across your eyelids.

Clean blender
2. From tips4you.com to quickly and safely clean a blender fill the blender container with warm water and add a few drops of liquid soap and blend for 30 seconds then rinse well.

Soften feet
3. Also from Woman's World, pour 2-4 cups of warm milk into a large basin and soak feet for 5 minutes. Sprinkle baking soda over damp feet and gently massage them. Soak for 5 more minutes and pat dry. The lactic acid in the milk helps to exfoliate the top layers of skin while the baking soda buffs away tougher dry spots like at the heals. 

Read more

Alternet.org

If you get some time and want to read some interesting things about our world today, cruise on over to Alternet.org, one of my newest obsessions.

Alternet is full of commentary and well formed opinions on current events. You wont find up to the minute hard news, but rather reflections on our current situation.

Browse different subjects to find what most interests you. The stories can get a bit lengthy, and I sometimes don't read them all, but there is always something to learn.

Be aware it is pretty left winged.

Please click the link in the post or the picture on the right column. Enjoy!

Read more

Paris slideshow

For me to wrap-up my Paris trip for you I leave you guys with the video I worked on. Please excuse the black spots!

Read more

Eiffel Tower

I didn't expect to be as moved as I was by the Eiffel Tower. But quickly it became a sight that I wanted to see over and over.

Constructed in 1889 as the entrance arch to the World's Fair that year, the Eiffel Tower is still the tallest structure in Paris at 1, 063 feet. The same height as an 81- storey building. It is the most visited paid monument in the world. I didn't pay anything to admire its beauty but there are three levels for visitors. Levels are accessed by stairs and elevator both at different prices.  Both the first and second levels feature restaurants.

Being near the tower made me feel so hip and modern. Even though the structure is over 100 years old it is the symbol of Paris and its modernity and fun. There are areas all around with the tower in view to sit and relax and even enjoy some street entertainment.

On our last night Cynthia and I got some drinks-yes adult drinks-and had them on the lawn in front of the tower. I could think of no better way to say goodbye to Paris.

At night the tower lights up beautifully. And every 20 minutes or so it sparkles. People sit around ready to see the lights like they are waiting for a fireworks display. Once the first sparkle goes everyone ohhhs and ahhhs and it's such a beautiful sight.

Read more

Paris cemetery

One of the spontaneous things Cynthia and I did on our last day in Paris was walked to a Paris cemetery. It might sound odd to go to a cemetery but ones in Paris are different that the ones we are used to back home. It turned out to be one of the nicest experiences in Paris. We walked to the cemetery of Montparnasse, which was just south east of where we were staying.

It was nice walking through the cemetery, which felt like a park, under the shade of its trees. I enjoyed walking through the tiny alley ways between rows of graves and exploring the names written on them.

I sat for while on a bench and enjoyed a few minutes of solitude. It was something I hadn't gotten to do in a long time, sit outside in the quiet nature, enjoying the sun and fresh air.

The headstones are quite large in Paris cemeteries because they are built to hold the entire family below. Each family had a beautiful headstone that runs the length of the crypt. There are just tiny lanes between the rows of graves with little grassy area. The cemeteries in Paris are so packed due to so many citizens. Then you run into the issue of having to create an ossuary, like you read about in my earlier post about the Catacombes.

Read more

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame de Paris. Our lady of Paris. A gothic, Catholic cathedral located near the banks of the River Seine in Paris. The groundbreaking on the cathedral was in 1163 and was finally completed in 1345. I visited it in 2011.

Notre Dame was a nice attraction because it was free. Free to go inside the church but it did cost to go up in the towers. But going inside was just enough. I love the smell of a church and this one smelled the same as any other I had been in. Visitors are able to walk around the outside perimeter of the first floor admiring the woodwork, stained glass, and statues of saints. It had been a while since I had touched my Catholic roots but I wanted to do something special in Notre Dame. I lit a candle for my grandma Sarah among a candelabra  of many other burning flames.

 

The cathedral still holds mass several times daily and Sundays. The public is welcomed to join and can come in free of charge without reservation.

Nearby Notre Dame Cynthia and I had our first real food in Paris. There are places nearby to get sandwiches pretty cheap at five euro a pop. I know a sandwich isn't too much to get excited about but when coming from Morocco and a nice basic sandwich is something that we don't get it surely is a pleasure. The bread was soft yet crispy, the veggies were fresh, and the turkey was a nice treat. With food in Paris it didn't take much to please us.

Please check out Notre Dame's official website for more information.

Read more