So the Journey Continues... in America.

I made it through the last few days of my PC service and arrived safely home.  For the past two months, I've been trying to catch up with friends and family, eat all sorts of delicious food, learn about American culture and get my life in order.  It's not always easy.  Somedays I really miss PC and my life overseas. Other days I'm overwhelmed by America and astounded by how easy life is here.  Here's just a few of the adjustments I've been going through over the past two months:

-Speaking English all the time....  no random Darija or Albanian because people look at like I'm crazy when I throw out a 'zwin', 'mskin', 'bzaf', 'mire', 's'ka gja' or 'ckemi'.
-Being on time, or early.  My days of getting there when I get there are over.
-Not haggling over prices.  Apparently most people want the price that is listed.  Darn.
-Separating my trash.  Hurray for recycling!
-Paying for gas.  No more grand taxis, buses or furgons for this girl.
-Laundry only takes about an hour to finish.  No more sore hands after laundry or doing laundry around the weather.  Laundry is now a piece of cake.
-FOOD!  There are so many different varieties of food everywhere.  I can get whatever I want, usually whenever I want and in most cases delivered direct to me.  Something America always does right.
-Household chores.  Dishes are also a piece of cake now thanks to the dish washer.  Dusting is required less often now that I don't live in a land of dust and sand.
-Less animals inside.  No more bug killing sprees and no surprise bugs crawling out of my shoes, bed, books, bathroom or sink.  Fabulous.
-Internet is super fast.  No more waiting a full day for a 3 minute YouTube clip to download.
-Phone service is almost always available.  Can't use that excuse anymore when someone I don't want to have my number does and constantly calls.
-Guys have boundaries.  It's no longer a world of 'Hey!  I just met you, and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me maybe".  Thank goodness!  There are decent men out there ladies!!
-Stranger Danger.  And not just with children.  Apparently not every person I walk by wants to talk to me.  Fine, be like that.
-Prices.  Did you know that a can of soda in America is almost always at least a dollar?  And clothes are usually more than a dollar.  And rent is more than a hundred dollars??  Talk about sticker shock.
-Driving.  It feels so good to drive again but apparently there are rules about how we should drive and you can't just drive wherever you want or however fast you would like.
-Technology.  Yes I've upgraded to a Mac Air and an iphone since being home but I still don't understand them very well.  I'm learning though.
-Marital Status.  It's so nice to not be judged anymore when I tell people I'm 25 and not married and I don't have kids yet.  I tell people that here and they tell me, "You're young!  You have plenty of time."  Thank goodness.
-Media.  News is kinda sad.  And politicians play dirty.  But at least you can find out both sides if you want to.
-Downloading.  Note to self: no more downloading!!  Wait for it to come on Netflix or watch it on tv when it airs.
-Life after the sun goes down.  Not everything closes when the sun sets.  Quite a bit of activity starts with the sunset.  The nights still young at 10 pm!
-Clothes.  So many pretty clothes.  So many skanky clothes.  So much skin to show.  So little time.
-Work.  My job is now 9-5.  Who came up with these hours and when's nap time???!!!

It's been an interesting few months.  I have many awkward moments.  I've laughed at myself to many times to count and I've been laughed at just as much.  I've accidentally started speaking in Darija and Albanian several times.  I've tried to haggle down prices without success.  Small children have had to show me how to operate my phone and other technology.  Every minute of it has been a blast.  I miss my life with PC but I'm slowly starting to re-build my life here.  It's not always easy but I end up spending most of my days laughing so I count that as success.

Stamping out of PC Morocco!

To my fellow PCV's who are about to come home; don't worry, don't stress out and have fun!  Enjoy your remaining time in your communities and try to say good-bye to as many people as you can.  Don't worry about packing.  If you leave it there, you can buy it in America!  It's not going to be a walk in the park to feel normal again once you get here, but you're going to have so many great stories to tell.  People will be interested in what you have experienced but don't be surprised if they get sick of hearing "This one time in Morocco....".  So, take pictures, drink some mint tea and dance your heart out.  Leaving country doesn't mean you're done being a PCV.  Once you're a PCV, you're a PCV for life.

RPCV Morocco 2010 - 2012

RPCV Albania 2008 - 2010

Congratulations! You're a Peace Corps photo contest winner!

The above was the subject line in an email I opened up this morning.  When I opened it and read it I couldn't have pictured a more perfect way to end the Acting Out Awareness project.

One of the photos I submitted from the play won 2nd place in the third category titled ending discrimination and stigma.  The winning photos were selected by Alicia Keys and will be posted today on her twitter page and collection.peacecorps.gov.  It will also be on display at Peace Corps headquaters in D.C. and at Carnegie Library in D.C.  The title of the photo is 'AIDS is strong but We are stronger'.  Just in case you can't wait to see my winning photo, here it is!

AIDS is strong but We are stronger

I was able to tell my mudir and one of the students from the play today.  When I told him Alicia Keys picked the photo, his smile was so big!  Now they all will be famous in our little corner of Morocco.  Talk about a claim to fame for some small town boys!  Couldn't be happier for them and all the hard work they've put into the project.  Just another little bit of icing on my Peace Corps service :)

SURPRISE!

There's nothing like a good surprise and the other days my friends got me real good.  Since we've had an English day camp at the dar chabab for the past few days, we've been trying to figure out when to have my good bye party.  My closest friend in site, Ahmed, had been telling me that some people from Rabat might be coming to Massa because we've been having issues with our delegue.  I believed him when he told me Hassan (my director at the dar chabab) might call me that night because they had finally come.  

I got the call from Hassan and pulled myself together as quickly as possible.  As I was on my way out the door I called Tania (the new PCV) to tell her that I was heading up to the dar chabab to meet with them and that she should come too.  She told me she had run into our host mom on the street and would be up shortly.  I got up to the dar chabab and didn't see a car which made me wonder if people from Rabat had really come.  I walked into Hassan's office and he told me that they left but would be back in a few minutes.  He walked me over to the door to one of the side rooms and knocked.  Again, suspicious.  He opened the door and I walked in and yelled.  All of my favorite people were lined up against the wall.  They got me :)

I was so touched by the small gesture that I had to keep myself together from starting to hug Hassan (very inappropriate in this culture) or crying.  The girls had made some cakes and they had brought soda.  I couldn't believe it when Hassan started bringing in the gifts one by one.  He gave me a box topped with sunflowers to remember the dar chabab.  He gave me a painting of one of the neighborhoods here in Massa that he had done himself to remember Massa.  He gave me a medal from the ministry to remember my time with Peace Corps at the dar chabab in Massa.  I couldn't believe it.  I started hugging him like crazy (in my head so it was ok).  

We turned on the music and had a little dance party.  Since it was hot we only kept it going for half an hour or so.  When we were all danced out and sweaty, we sat down and Ahmed starting telling Tania about the first time he met me at the old dar chabab.  He told her how much I've done for the dar chabab and for Massa.  I know that he was telling the truth and it was so sweet I had to kept it together again or I would have started to cry.  Hassan had said some of the same things earlier as he was giving me my gifts and I just couldn't believe how much they appreciated the things I've done here.  I feel like my projects were so small but now as I'm getting ready to leave, I see how big of an impact they have had on the community.  

We left the dar chabab when the sun was almost down.  It was such a great surprise and a great start to my final week in Massa.  I can't believe how little time I have left here and how many people I still need to say good bye to.  This week is going to be so very bittersweet......

Wait...What Now??!!

It's been a long time since I've had mail sent to an American address.  I can't tell you the last time I watched t.v.  I have no clue how to operate an ipad.  I don't know what's happening in the presidential race for 2012.  There's a lot of things that I have missed over the past four years while serving with PC.  As a fun way to document just how long I've been a PCV, I've created the following list.  It includes technological advances, political changes, pop culture references etc that have all happened/taken place while I've been a PCV.  So when I come home and I don't know who the new boy band is that everyone is listening to, don't laugh.  Ignorance is bliss right?

Technological Advances
-ipad created
-itouch created
-Mac air created
-e-readers came out
-electric cigarettes
-Twitter (not sure if  this should go here or in pop culture but....)
-Google+
-Smart phones (what makes it so smart?  I don't know)
-Cars can now parallel park themselves (where was that when I was learning to drive?)
-Students now have tablets in schools to take notes, borrow books etc...

Politics
-Barack Obama elected president
-Sudan broke into Sudan and South Sudan
-Kosovo was recognized as a country
-Arab Spring swept the Middle East and North Africa
-New government was created in Tunisia
-Gadafi was killed leading to....
-New government in Libya
-New government in Egypt
-New government in Bahrain
-New government in Lebanon
-Occupy Wall Street Movement
-Tea Party became popular
-Wisconsin elected a republican governor (WTF??!!!)
-Russia invaded Georgia (the country, not the state for my non-geographically inclined friends)
-Gay marriage became legal in several states
-US troops left Iraq
-Greek national debt leading to riots and protests
-Don't Ask, Don't Tell repealed
-Illegal immigration laws causing controversy mainly in the south
-Birth Control and Viagra controversy
-EU economic crisis
-Osama bin Laden is killed by US forces
-London riots
-Russia elections where Putin declares himself the winner....again
-Internet Piracy Act controversy
-Moroccan constitutional reform
-the hijab became illegal in France
-Co'up in Mali
-North Korea doing nuclear missals test
-Mynammar ends military rule
-Chinese activist Chen escapes house arrest in China
-President Obama supports gay marriage
-Syria revolt
-John Edwards going on trial
-Congresswomen's use of the word 'vagina' controversy
-Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska
-Obamacare
-Bangkok protests/riots
-Kim Jung Soon died leaving North Korea in his son's hands
-Auto industry bailout in America
-Chief of IMF scandal

Pop Culture
-Will and Kate married
-Prince Albert of Monaco married
-Crown Princess of Sweden married
-Glee swept the nation
-Community was cancelled and came back
-Modern Family started airing
-Vampire fever hit with things such as Twilight and True Blood
-Harry Potter saga ended
-Harry Potter amusement park was created
-Michael Jackson died
-Whitney Houston died
-Patrick Swayze died
-Farrah Faucet died
-Brittany Murphy died
-Elizabeth Taylor died
-Steve Jobs died
-Amy Winehouse died
-Kim Kardashian married and divorced in 72 days
-Oprah, Law and Order, Desperate Housewives and House all ended
-Girl with the Dragoon Tattoo series
-The Hunger Games series
-Justin Bieber
-Justin Bieber accused of fathering a child
-Lindsay Lohan spirals out of control and lands in rehab.... more than once
-Kony 2012 campaign
-Jon and Kate divorced
-Planking
-Wikileaks
-Chris Brown beat Rihanna but now they're back together
-Brad and Angelina are finally engaged!
-Teen Mom makes teenage pregnancy 'glamorous' but one teen Mom lands in jail.... more than once
-Octomom became Octomom and is now thinking about doing porn to earn money
-Facebook went public
-The Duggards had baby 18, 19 and 20 who they sadly lost
-Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes divorce
-Arnold Schwarzenegger and wife divorce
-John Travolta is accused of being gay
-Lady Gaga cancels her concert in Indonesia because she is accused of being a devil worshiper
-Casey Anthony not guilty of killing her daughter
-Amanda Know acquitted in the killing of her British roommate
-10 year anniversary of 9/11
-Trayvon Martin case
-Paula Deen has diabetes

Sports
-2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing
-Michael Phelps wins 8 medals at Beijing Olympics
-Brett Favre retires, comes out of retirement and retires again
-Brett Favre leaves the Packers, goes to the Jets and is the worst traitor in history by then going to the Vikings
-2010 Winter Olympics in Torino
-World Cup 2010 where Spain beats the Netherlands for the win
-Packers won the 2011 superbowl
-NBA lockout
-Penn State basketball coach abuse scandal

Natural Disasters
-hurricane in Haiti
-tsunami in Japan
-volcano eruption in Iceland
-Global Warming on the rise
-tornadoes in the Midwest in 2010 and 2012
-drought and famine in East Africa

Man Created Disasters
-Gulf of Mexico oil spill
-Bombing in Marrakech
-shooting spree in Norway
-London subway bombings

Miscellaneous Events
-Cash for Clunkers program
-Ketchup becomes an official vegetable
-Stamps are now over 40 cents each
-Robert Morris College became Robert Morris University
-My 5 year high school reunion came and went
-New scoring system for the SAT
-Italian cruise ship sank
-Swine Flu
-Mad Cow disease in California
-Girl Scouts controversy

The list is long and it doesn't even come close to covering everything that's happened but its a good start.  So if we meet up when I'm back in America, give me some prep time if you want to have a deep, meaningful discussion on the upcoming elections.  Otherwise, it's going to be 'so nice weather we're having today'. To watch the morning news again and to read an actual newspaper is going to be magical.   It's going to be so nice to be in the know once again!

Time Again for Good-byes

It's beginning again.  It's the beginning of my 'last time I'll do this' and 'last time I'll see you here'.  It's the countdown to the end of my time with PC and my time in Morocco.  There's only 20 days left until I finish this chapter of my life and move on to new experiences back in America.

It's hard to believe that I've spent the past 52 months as a PCV.  My first 30 months in Albania flew by and were so memorable that I can't help but think about my time there and smile.  Now as I'm finishing up my 22 month in Morocco, I can't even seem to figure out where the time went.  When I came to Morocco, I thought that I may have made the wrong choice deciding to do PC again.  It took me a long time to feel comfortable here while I had to deal with extreme cultural differences and learn to hide parts of who I am.  Now as I get ready to leave, I'm sad to say good-bye to all the people that I've come to know and the town that I've started to call home.

When you come close to finishing your service you go to a COS conference (close of service).  I will not be attending my COS conference in Morocco as it is the week after my first grad school classes.  However, I remember my COS conference from Albania.  They told us something that I think helps make the transition home easier.  They said "don't think of it as a close of service but a continuation of service".  That's how I'm thinking of these last few days here in Morocco.  Not the end, but a transition to a new type of service.  Going home and telling all my friends and family about my time here.  Goal number three.

It's time to get out there and shake hands and drink tea and kiss cheeks.  Time to enjoy the last few days here.  Time to make some memories to take home with me.  It's time to start saying good-bye and packing up my suitcases.  It's the toughest part of the job but everyone must do it.  Time to enjoy my last 20 days in Morocco.  Time to enjoy my last 20 days as a PCV..... for now :)

Moroccan How To #6: Couscous

Alright, the blog post that so many of you have been waiting for.  How to make Moroccan couscous.  For many of you, the only couscous you know is the boxed kind that you add water to and let boil for 20 minutes and then eat.  Well that is not Moroccan couscous.  Moroccan couscous is a time consuming meal to make. You should allow 2 hours to prepare it correctly.  Moroccan couscous is by no means an exact science and you should play with the recipe to find what tastes best to you.  Saying that, here are the instructions to make traditional meat and vegetable couscous.

1: Buy plain couscous (approximately 1 pound for six people), meat of your preference (beef or chicken works best), and vegetables.  Suggestions for vegetables are carrots, turnips, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, onions, green peppers and potatoes.

2: First cook the meat.  This should be done in the bottom half of a steamer pot.  See picture below.

This is the pot you need

3: Add vegetables that take longer to soften as boiled; turnips, carrots, potatoes, green peppers, zucchini.  Pour enough water into pot so that all vegetables are submerged.

Veggies are ready to cook!

4: Pour couscous onto a large plate or into a pan with raised edges.  Using your hands, mix the couscous so that there are no clumps.

Couscous straight from the package

5: Pour about one cup of water into the couscous, little by little, so that couscous is moist.

My host mom used her hand to splash a little bit of the water on the couscous at a time

6: Next you will take the top part of the steamer pot and put the couscous into it.

7: Allow about 10-15 minutes to steam.

8: Dump the couscous back into large plate or pan and mix it again so that there are no clumps.

9: Add another cup of water to the couscous, little by little, so that couscous becomes moist again.

10: Sprinkle a 3 to 4 tablespoons salt over couscous and mix again.

Can you tell what's salt and what's couscous?

11: Pour 1/4 cup olive oil over couscous and mix well.

Just a little bit of olive oil

12: Ensure that the vegetables in the bottom of the steamer pot are still covered in water and if not add more.

13: Add remaining vegetables into bottom of steamer pot; squash, pumpkin, tomatoes etc.

14: Put couscous back into top part of steamer pot and allow another 20 to 25 minutes to steam.

15: After couscous has cooked again, dump back into large plate or pan and mix again so that there are no clumps.

16: Mix in another cup of water so that couscous is fluffy.

17: Transfer couscous onto large serving plate and spread out evenly.

18: Check on vegetables and see if they are done.  If not, continue boiling until they are soft.

19: Season vegetables and meat to taste with bullion cube, salt, pepper etc..

20: Ladle the vegetables and meat into the center of the plate.

The finished product..... YUM!

21: Pour the remaining juices into a bowl for people to use as they like.

22: Moroccans like to eat couscous with buttermilk.  If you're a fan of buttermilk, try it.

23: Eat with a spoon or try the Moroccan way, with your right hand.

24: Enjoy!  Bismillah!


And that's how its done ladies and gentlemen.  I hope you've enjoyed this Moroccan how to and look forward to the next one!

Tell Me a Story Dad!

When I was growing up, I loved it when my Dad used to tell me stories.  He wouldn't just read the books but he would have voices for all the characters.  I remember when he used to come to my school to read books to my class.  Always a crowd pleaser.  As Father's Day just passed, I feel as though it is my time to tell a story about my Dad.

One of my favorite stories about my Dad is from when I was about six years old.  My family and I were at a mall and we wandered into a book store.  I walked over to the children's section and picked out a Goosebumps book (very popular at the time).  Deciding that it would be easier to get my Dad to buy the book for me than my Mom, I found him and put on the cutest puppy dog face I could muster at six.  My Dad handled the situation very diplomatically and said, "if you can read the first page, I'll buy it for you".  Well I sat down right there on the floor and opened the book up and I read that first page and after the last word, looked up at my Dad and said "shall I continue??"  It was the first of many bets that my Dad lost to me.

Another one of my favorite Dad stories is again from when I was little.  I had always asked my parents for a little sister because Charlie, my older brother, was no fun to play with at all.  Since my parents had made a deal that my Mom would have the first two kids and any after that would have to come from my Dad, we stayed a two child family.  That being the case I would instead use my Dad as a doll.  He would be sitting on the couch watching t.v. or reading and I would come sit next to him with all my hair ties and give him the most beautiful hair styles you've ever seen on a grown man.  There are pictures of this but unfortunately I do not have any to post here.  Now many a grown man would say definitely not.  "You're not putting barrettes in my hair!"  Not my Dad.  He was a great client and came back to my little salon quite often while I was little.

I'm one of the lucky ones to say that I know my Dad and have many memories with him.  I'm lucky to know that he's proud of me and will support me through anything.  I'm lucky that using my puppy dog face still works on him and he takes me to the movies, out to eat and shopping when I'm home.  I'm lucky to have him in my life and I'm even luckier that he's my Dad :)

Yup, that's my Dad