Wow, it's been awhile

Between the crazy trips, papers, and research, it's like I forgot I had a blog!!!  So sorry!
So in related news, I will be slowly but surely posting pictures this week (in reality!)  So keep checking back.


Memorable events I may not have told y'all about:
1) I RODE A CAMEL IN THE SAHARA!!!!  Yes, this may be one of my life highlights.  It was fabulous and for further information see my profile picture!!!
2) I am hard at work on my ISP, about female sex workers in Morocco.  This has involved some trips to Fez and now Casablanca.  I am getting so much information (12 pages of research notes and counting) so I don't think writing the paper will be a problem.  Provided I can focus and convince myself I still no how to write in grammatically correct English.  I'm not sure this is true, but will keep you posted.  I've been attending lots of meetings and going out to the houses where these girls work, and I can't say much more than that- but it's a really eye-opening experience.  
3) I'm going to Mexico this summer!!!  I will be SPS with Amigos (again- I can't stay away) for the Oaxaca project- which I requested!  So even though I'm scared of dogs and not looking forward to continued male harassment (I think Morocco and Mexico are about on par in this respect) I am excited for this opportunity and to have some new children- my volunteers (hopefully) and supervisors!!!  Guess that means I'll need to bake a lot of cookies and bring glitter pens!!!!


So I will post pictures soon, but just wanted to say I love y'all and miss y'all!  I realized today how transitory I am: in the next two months I will be in Morocco, Spain, Italy, France, the US, and China!  Yikes!!!  So know I'm thinking of y'all as I combat my homesickness with Chinese food tonight (like I won't eventually get sick of that too, I'm sure)!!!  Hugs and kisses!!!


Love always,
Lauren

Finally! I'm back!

Hey y’all!

Sorry for the long time no write thing.  It was a crazy week (midterms week, I guess, so what do you expect?)  But really, I had some papers to write and Arabic to study (I had my midterm today, but it was pretty easy so I’m not very worried.)

Life in Rabat is rather unexciting as usual.  I did some shopping (more to come when I find out if I have a summer job) and got some scarves (someone’s getting a Christmas present!) and am getting a mini-djellaba (kinda like a jedi robe, except mine is green wool with yellow embroidery.)  made.  It’s kinda fun to go buy the fabric, then go to the tailor and have them take your measurements to get your clothes made.  Plus, it’s a little cheaper than buying it on the street. 

On Saturday I also went over to a friend’s with the hopes of watching Sex & the City 2.  However, we were told it was subtitled in English when it was really in Norwegian (team Eric!!!  I know, True blood to the rescue!)  so instead we just watched a bunch of youtube videos.  Thankfully sneezing panda is funny in any language. 

On Sunday I went with some friends to a soccer game (Rabat-Tunisia) and it was pretty fun.  There was cheering and yelling and stomping- all the normal sports event fun that I have missed being in Morocco (and going to Vassar for that matter.)   And we were also apparently on Al-Jazeera, according to my Arabic professor (who brought in another person to tell us because we didn’t believe him.)  So next time you’re watching Al-Jazeera sports, keep a look out for me!  (or if you go to Vassar, Anna or Eli!)

This week is pretty relaxed for me, just a lot of movies to watch for an upcoming film class.  I’m hoping to not spend quite as much money this week (shopping was a bad choice) and just spend lots of time skyping all you lovely people on October break or off enjoying the State Fair.  I’ll be on skype just about every day this week in my afternoon (your morning/early afternoon) so talk to me!  I’ve set up skype dates with some of you but really want to finally catch up with people, especially since craziness will likely ensue after this week which may or may not last till December.  So skype me!

I’ll probably get in another post before this coming week, but here’s an update on what I’m up to.  Next week is our southern excursion, so prepare for rave reviews on camel-riding in the Sahara (I know, my life is awesome!) and the hustlers of Marrakesh.  Then, before I even have time to breathe (literally, I have to run from our group lunch and not take the bus) I have to go to Casablanca for a meeting for my ISP.  But this is super exciting because I’m going to figure out exactly where I’m going, what my living situation will be, and what exactly I’ll be studying.  Yeah!  Then I have a visit from my wonderful twin Jennifer, so if you read my blog prepare for their intersection!  But I’m sure craziness will again happen, and I’ll be off to Casablanca the next weekend with Jennifer to see some tourist stuff and have delicious food. 

After that I have a week of writing my proposal, studying for my Arabic final, and then off to ISP time in the South (of Morocco, that is.)  I make no guarantees for what I’ll be up to for two weeks there, but hopefully I’ll know more after my meeting next Friday.   After that I’ll be spending a week somewhere delightful writing my ISP (I would tell you where but… I’ll just say two blogs may intersect again!)  and then back to Rabat for a final week of presentations.  Other than that I’m going to be busy attempting to get a Chinese visa and preparing for fun times in Madrid and Paris.  It’s just weird to think that I’m past the halfway point of this program now.  Especially since the last 4 weeks are independent.  Weird!

Anyway, I’ve rambled on far too much, but I love y’all and miss y’all and fail at posting pictures (sorry, the internet here is very weak!)  But you are all amazing, wonderful, people, and even the most beautiful Moroccan landscape couldn’t match the beauty of your smiles.  So skype me so I can see them, y’all hear???  Talk to you soon, I hope!!!

Long time no update!

Hey y’all!

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!!  Eat some turkey for me! (or better yet some pumpkin pie!)  So much to write about, so stick with me because this is going to be long.  I can’t go to sleep yet because my across the street neighbors are blasting JBiebs.  Well, I guess we should be celebrating Canada?

                So last week we spent six days in a rural village near Boujad, a village super off the map.  It reminded me some of where I lived in Mexico- similar climate- but slightly more spaced out.  My family was awesome- particularly my host mom, who was actually the grandmother of the family, and who we affectionately called Rafiki for her wisdom.  As I can’t possibly describe everything that happened, I will only be able to provide some highlights:

1)     1)  Too much Bread.  I can barely eat it now.  Really, if you think you can’t eat too much bread try eating it for breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, and snack every day.  

2)     2)  So many little kids!  Which was fun and different from here in Rabat.  Unfortunately 13 year-old girls are annoying in any culture, and we had two in our “compound” (an extended family group, of which my mom was the matriarch.)  Plus, one of them just took my shoes and wore them to school for the day without telling anyone, so we (me and the family) spent the entire day looking for them with our host family, only to realize when she got home at 6 that Rafiki was right and she had taken them.

3)     3)  The word privacy does not exist in Moroccan Arabic.  So think about what the implications of that are culturally.

4)      4) Not showering for 6 days= hammam party when we got back!  But seriously, at least 75% of the girls in our group were all at the hammam together.  It felt so good to scrub the dirt off and finally wash my hair!

So this time in the village gave me some time to reconnect with my altruistic roots, since my first major volunteer experience was in a rural community in Panama.  I thought a lot about the direction my life is heading, which lead me to a crisis?  Am I willing to sell my soul to do government work that I decry as ineffectual?  Or work for somewhere like the U.N. which is just broken beyond repair?  I really think the only path for me is NGO (or maybe WHO) but maybe the government can convince me.  But part of me is also tempted to just buy a plane ticket somewhere that needs people to go and work and just go.  Finally do that crazy spontaneous thing.  But maybe that’s not the best option.   And what about Peace Corps?  Could I handle that commitment?  I just don’t know. 

        So at this point, concerning that crisis, I’m going to do some praying.  Because when you’re looking to do some good in the world, I think following God’s path is really the best choice.  I just wish he would give me a little hint where it was going!  But I’m trying to have faith and I know that he will point me in the right direction, even if it isn’t one I can foresee or won’t happen as soon as I want it to.

        So to distance myself from that, I went with two delightful friends, Erika and Denise, to Tangier for a weekend of tourism and finally understanding people (that close to Spain you’re more likely to hear Spanish than French.)  We stayed in an adorably cheap hotel (the same one Paul Bowles and Jack Kerouac stayed in- I know, so hipster) that was functional and had hot water, and explored the city which felt more European than Moroccan.  It was truly a beautiful mix of culture, and I hope the rest of Morocco can follow it’s examples (I would like trash cans and trees in Rabat!)  After wandering the city (including stopping at an English church where a MacLean is buried!) we found a lovely restaurant listed in our guidebook.  What the guidebook did not tell us is that it would play tacky 80s music the entire night, much to our delight!  We also checked out the bar run by the hotel, where our concierge/bartender made us our first drink in a month and we listened to American dance music.  However, the bar was soon overrun by his friends, who were all tall, beautiful, and dressed way cuter than us.  Nevertheless, it was fascinating to watch this generation of Moroccans hang out and listen to Eurotrash music.  Finally we returned to our room, had a little Gaga dance party, and went to sleep.  The next day (Saturday) after more exploring, we returned to Rabat via train.  The trains in Morocco are super nice, with compartments that give them a Harry Potter feel (although the food cart does not sell Chocolate Frogs.)  But riding on it at night could be kinda sketch and we were happy to return to our city.

Which brings me to today (Sunday.)  This morning I went to a new church, with a service in English (mixed Americans and Africans, including some Nigerians) and it was wonderful.  It was there that something truly exciting happened- my friend made the decision to become a Christian!  This has been a difficult journey for her and we were very excited to welcome her into our community and share our love with her!  We celebrated by going to McDonalds (don’t judge, how else could you celebrate something like that in Morocco?) and getting McFlurrys and Happy Meals .  Life has been good.  But now I’m stuck writing papers, although most are shorter than this post.  I had to write one on something I learned in the village, so I wrote about the use of the harmonic minor scale in singing as opposed to the major scale, and how this caused difficulty when we tried to teach the children songs and vice versa.  I know, I’m a music dork.  My next paper was on a controversial subject we covered in class, so I wrote of the handling of alcohol in Muslim countries.  My opinion is that we as the West should stop pushing these countries to be freer with alcohol- even if it shouldn’t be forbidden on religious grounds, as some argue, more harm than good will come of making it socially acceptable to drink, just as it does in the U.S.  My last paper should be on a topic related to women.  I think I’m going to write it on how the veil has been distorted as being used to cover women, and that this wasn’t the original intent. 

Oh, and exciting news for those of you who don’t read my facebook- I have my ISP!!!  I’ll be working with an NGO and following them around to different towns where they meet with prostitutes to discuss the HIV/AIDS crisis, prevention methods, and general concerns!  I’m very excited!  I’ll share more details when I can.

In my last bit of news, I’m considering breaking a rule here- leaving the country.  What do y’all think?  Is it worth it?  I would be going to see someone, and others have been doing so, but I’m just not sure I want to?  I guess I should pray on that too!

Also apologies if I’m sounding a little spiritual- but being here makes me spiritual, plus it’s a Sunday!

So good night and (as a friend’s voicemail message that always makes me smile says) God bless!

Love always,

Lauren

Apologies!

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile and that this is a short post.  I was in the village (amazing but frustrating!) for the last week and am now kinda having a crisis.  Like I need to figure out what I want to do with my life so I can figure out how to work with people to increase development opportunities while preserving culture, and if I should graduate early, try to do Peace Corps, Fullbright, gov work, ngo?  Or should I just travel the world and help people while being broke, which is what I kinda want to do?  So I'll have a post on Monday with pictures and stories, but until then, email, comment, facebook- I need guidance!!!


Love always,
Lauren

Lock out fun and other adventures!

Hey everyone!

So, I didn’t post anything yesterday!  Oops!  But really, I am trying so hard to post pictures- it just takes forever.  For another taste of Morocco, feel free to facebook stalk me and see what my friends have posted- I’m tagged in some pictures.

This weekend was relatively boring, so my sincere apologies.  On Friday I got locked out of my house for awhile, which was not cool.  Thankfully, the guy who runs the dry cleaners across the street told me my sister was at the hammam and would be back shwiya (Arabic for soonish- the most literal translation is Spanish en seguida.)  I went to the internet café, and even though I didn’t have money, the lovely guy there told me not to worry and let me watch my Grey’s Anatomy and Gossip Girl on the condition I’d come back and pay him at some point.  By the way, both of those shows were awesome.  And I still can’t find a way to watch Glee here!  I can’t find the new episode on any of my familiar standbys. 

Friday night I didn’t really do anything, mainly because I was exhausted!  But Saturday I went to visit my dear friend Jenna in the hospital, where she has been stuck fighting a blood infection for a week!!!  She was released today and is doing well, but a lot of this weekend was spent watching MTV Arabia in her hospital room.  I told y’all it was an exciting weekend.  But I did spend some quality time bonding with my host mama.  We watch game shows together, and get mad when people don’t know easy answers (dear silly Libyans: Mardonna is Argentine, not American.)  I also had movie night Saturday night, and watched Enchanted.  This actually backfired, since I saw the Time Warner building and really started craving pinkberry.  Can we work on getting that in Morocco please?

Sunday I went to church, and it was a special day.  The bishop or cardinal was visiting- it was hard to tell who, and if it was the bishop it was of France instead of Morocco.  But it was nice because we pretended to be multicultural.  There was a good portion of the service in Spanish, and at the end we sang “Lord I want to be a Christian in my heart” in English.  However, there was a lot of southern-style “amens” and the important guy did not seem to like that as much as I did.

We started a new round of classes today, and I’m taking a course on Women and Change.  It’s interesting, but can also be frustrating to me- a lot of people want to focus on feminist theory.  I’m realizing that I’m really not a theory oriented person- I’d much rather be out there doing something or at least talking about people doing something.  And yes, I know theory is the basis for the actions that cause the change- so if you can stomach it than good for you and I’m glad there are people like you in the world! 

We also had a session with an Iranian film maker and writer, who made a documentary on divorce court in Iran (the equivalent of family court.)  It is truly depressing the lengths people go to in these courts to get what they want.   I must say that I feel like an outcast among student here because my moral center is just a little too strong- I don’t care if your situation is bad, lying to the court about your actions is not the answer.  Of course, my time at work at school has shown me some of the horrors of family court in the U.S. as well.  I must say that the two are surprisingly similar.  I believe most people were just shocked because they don’t realize how bad the situation can be in the U.S. as well- people are willing to do anything, and make ridiculous accusations or promises in order to get a divorce or keep custody.  We have to remember that when we see a documentary that a custody case is a painful thing in any country, and it does not appear kind in any of these cases.  However, the ability of women to obtain a divorce is certainly more restricted in Iran- although the film maker said it is no longer stigmatizing, which may means they have actually moved beyond the U.S. in this manner.

On Thursday we depart for our rural homestay, and we had orientation for it today.  While I listened to other students laugh and despair at the situations we will soon find ourselves in, I couldn’t help but reflect on my previous situations.  A few things we were told to prepare for brought up very specific reminders:

1)     1)  People don’t treat dogs as pets, they will throw rocks at them: Well, I learned that the hard way, but rest assured I won’t hesitate this time- and my director is trying to find the family with the least dogs given my tendency to have panic attacks whenever I see dogs running.  However, they also insist that if you get bit you have to get the rabies vaccine- Dear AMIGOS, are we the only people who use the 10-day rule?

2)     2) You may not have electricity: I remember winding that ridiculous flashlight in Panama for the babies to play with while I would walk around just looking at the stars glimmering without interference.

3)      3) You won’t have toilets: Gotta love latrines/ Haitian style fun!  I think we’re all just hoping for no haitian happiness, or that would make the hygiene situation unfortunate. 

4)      4) You get to see chickens and milk a cow and you might see horses: Yeah, even just being from North Carolina makes this pretty normal

So I may be rather jaded toward this experience, as unfortunate as that may be.  It’s just the experience is supposed to make us understand how some people live in these “extreme” conditions.  And while I know every community is different, I’ve seen how difficult it can be.  And to be honest, I’m still haunted by nightmares of Haiti, and I’d rather not be transported back there for a week without a little more mental preparation and also without any activities planned to do anything to empower the people.

But who knows, maybe I’m overdue for another super-inspirational “I need to do more in the world” experience.  I can’t really do volunteer work here (language barriers, and the only place I could is Casablanca, which is too far for weekdays, plus there’s not really a volunteer culture) and it makes me sad and restless.  I guess I have to see my work as a cultural ambassador as more important- a type of volunteer work as I share it with my family and anyone else I meet.  But if there are any email campaigns or outreach y’all think I could do from here, don’t hesitate to email, call, or facebook with suggestions!  If you’re reading this, you know I love feeling useful, and sometimes I just don’t here, much to my dismay.

So this is a long post, and I’ll leave further reflections till later!  Check your inbox for messages from me (I love email) and I love you and miss you all!  Talk to you Wednesday or maybe Thursday morning, but prepare to not hear from me for a week!

Xoxo Lauren (sorry, too much gossip girl this week, I couldn’t resist!)

Pictures of Meknes, Casablanca, and more!

Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca

The inside (that's right, even non- Muslims like me can go in!

I'm alive, I promise!

The Grainery in Meknes- it's huge and insulated to keep the grain cold- brilliant!

The view from Meknes!

A lama and a big city- is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship?

Ciao!

I know, the pictures are slow to upload, but some are up now and more are coming throughout the day- all my favs from the past week will be up by around 6 my time?  Wa-ha? (OK)

*Sorry, schedule change.  No pictures tonight, hopefully tomorrow?*  I’m trying not to be frustrated!

So the “ciao” is a small ode to the fact that I was asked if I was Italian yesterday by my taxi driver.  The original guess was French, but my ability to read the Italian pay-meter caused some re-evaluation.  Dear Moroccans, why do you assume only the Europeans are multi-lingual?

In other news, this past weekend was amazing.  We went to Meknes (a beautiful small town), Volubiss (Roman ruins that are spectacular and look like they belong in Italy, not Morocco) and Fez (which has a medina so big the guides still get lost and streets so narrow you have to walk single file.)  Each town had something special to offer, and Meknes was my favorite, probably due to my love of small towns.  Fez was a little overwhelming for me, and unfortunately my ankle bothered me some and I couldn’t explore quite as much as I wanted to.  But I did get to take a hot shower and also watch Aladdin with some friends.  Aladdin may be racist and sexist, among other things, but that doesn’t make it any less of a fabulous movie!!!

So we arrived back on Monday, and it was off to the hammam for me to get rid of the dirt of travelling, then to bible study to cleanse my spirit as well.  On Tuesday we had class, although almost half our group was out sick- it seems this is pretty common after the first excursion.  We got our tickets and money for Wednesday so that we could take on the big city by ourselves- that is Casablanca.

Unfortunately, my family is still not understanding that grits and milk are not a good meal for a girl who can’t handle milk, and it was a little rough on my stomach Wednesday morning.  I woke up with the call to prayer (around 4:30 am) feeling nauseous and couldn’t go back to sleep- ick.  Thankfully I didn’t actually have any problems in Casablanca, but had to make it a half-day trip as I was very tired.

In Casablanca I first went to the Hassan II Mosque, the sight of many of my exciting pictures.  This Mosque, the third largest in the world, is actually open to non-Muslims (most are not,) but as a sign of respect I wore a veil.  I believe this made me stick out from some of the other tourists, but when I told my host family they were very proud of me.   It’s a beautiful mosque, and so huge that it’s impossible to capture with pictures- you just have to go.  But almost all the materials are Moroccan (only the glass and some stucco is Italian) which makes it even more beautiful. 

After that I was off to a meeting with a doctor at Hopital Ibn Rochd.  After the most complicated and chaotic process of getting into the hospital (I’m still quite sure I only got in because I looked so confused and out of place) I was able to meet with the formidable Dr. Himmich, a truly amazing woman.  In addition being a doctor, she is the founder of the first NGO in MENA to fight AIDS.  While we are still trying to figure out how I will overcome language barriers, I am hopeful I will be able to work with her organization for my final paper.   The director for the campaign specifically aimed at female prostitutes speaks fluent Spanish, so I believe there is still hope. 

After this, I had hoped to wander the hospital quarter, which seems very upscale and therefore safe.  However, my friend could not find a taxi to bring her there, so instead I used my impressive taxi hailing skills to get one to the train station.  From there we set off to meet some other friends at Rick’s Café- yes, like in the movie Casablanca.  Run by an American ex-pat who obviously knows what tourists want, the overpriced café makes up for its prices (which are the same as those in the US) with its ambience (modeled after the movie sets, with tv screens playing Casablanca on constant loop on every floor) and delicious cheesecake.  It also (gasp!) serves alcohol, which means if I ever return sometime in the evening, I may have to try a mojito at the bar- or perhaps something with gin?  But it’s a cute place, and the terrace is beautiful as well.

The trains to Casablanca were also very nice, similar in style to NJ Transit trains.  I encountered no problems, which was good as I had heard some stories of girls having difficulty.  But riding the trains during non peak hours seems to alleviate these problems! 

It’s likely I’ll be living in Casablanca for 3 weeks at the end of the semester- so be prepared to hear more about it.  I haven’t actually been to the “medina” yet, but I could be back there this weekend- or going to another town for a marriage festival (known to be very interesting, since the brides have equal say in choosing their husbands) or a jazz festival in Tangiers.  Or I could just do some shopping in Rabat- Fez gave me some ideas, and with my host sister at my side, I’m hopeful I can get some pretty good deals!  So far I’ve been good at not doing too much shopping, but we’ll see if I can keep my savings account intact!

Well, that’s it for now.  Again, pictures will be all up today- get excited!  And don’t forget to skype, or facebook message, or email- I’m feeling pretty cut off from the world this week and just a little homesick.  So send me a message and let me know what’s new in your lives- I want to hear all the gossip stateside!

I’ll try and do another post on Friday- but no promises if I have to run off to Casablanca!  Talk to y’all soon and hugs and kisses, as always!

Love always,

Lauren