A Time to Celebrate!

Today Arie and I are celebrating 1 year as Peace Corps Volunteers (cheering and dancing and big smiles)! We are lucky to be spending the day with our friends and colleagues during our regional meetings, and we are thrilled to have made it to the half way mark! But what has really been exciting us over the past week is the news coming from our home state of Minnesota as well as from our workplace, the US Peace Corps (even more cheering and dancing and big smiles).

Last week Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law the same-sex marriage bill. We are proud to come from such a progressive state with enough open-minded individuals willing to stand up for equal human rights for all Minnesotans. We were able to live-stream the senate hearing and listen to the arguments, and we cheered when the vote came through in favor of equality!
Check out photos of the signing of the same-sex marriage bill HERE!

This movement of change is growing, and just yesterday the US Peace Corps announced that they would accept and accommodate same-sex couples in Peace Corps service. This was an issue that we felt personally tied to, because we knew that there were Americans who did not have the equal opportunity to serve together as Peace Corps Volunteers like us. The issue of marriage equality is not just about marriage and family, it is about equal opportunity. Serving together is such a blessing and a wonderful experience for a couple, and we are thrilled to know that all Americans can now take advantage of serving together with their partner!

Read the official Peace Corps press release HERE!
 

 

Arie and I are gearing up for a summer full of fun and adventure. In June we will be traveling around Morocco and going to the Gnaoua music festival in Essaouira (learn more about the festival HERE). In July and August we will be living and volunteering (a WWOOF exchange) on an organic olive farm on the French Riviera for 4 weeks followed by a week vacation in Paris. Learn more about WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) HERE. Look forward to some summer fun posts!

Cheers! Love, Kate & Arie

Half Way - how did we get here?

“nus” in Moroccan Arabic means 'half'. In a cafe one can order a 'nus-nus' coffee; this means half steamed milk and half espresso. When talking about time “nus saعa” means 'half an hour'. Today marks the half way point of our Peace Corps journey in Morocco. 13 months down and 13 months to go. If you have not read all of our blog posts, you may need to know that while Peace Corps service is a 2 year long commitment, there is also a training period of 2-3 months before you are officially sworn in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. Our training period was 2 months long, and when added on to the 2 year service commitment that is a total of...26 months (easy math yes?). In another month we will celebrate 1 year of service, with 1 year to go. I wanted to post at the half way mark, because it is a notable accomplishment for us especially when a year ago the half way point seemed so far away.

Over the past 13 months our personal and professional learning and growth has been exponential, and all of this growth is very much still evolving and maturing (therefore we will examine and discuss that upon our conclusion of service). Amidst all of this learning and growth we have happily adjusted to working and living life in southern Morocco. Our community integration has been smooth and positive. We are known and respected in our community, and our professional and social statuses are accepted. While walking down the main street men, women, and youth recognize us, they know our names, and they will wave or stop to say hello to us. Community leaders want to work with us and have us involved in their schools and associations. Surrounding us are friends and family who help, teach, support, and love us, and we help, teach, support, and love them right back. We have become passionate about the work we do, and we believe that we are having a positive and lasting impact in our community.  

What has greatly contributed to our happiness, satisfaction, and success was that from the very beginning of our Peace Corps journey (which began way back in late March 2010) we made an intentional effort to be open and willing to accept everything that would come our way (thanks to a serious yoga practice this came easily to us both). At that moment our journey transformed into a path where all events, positive and negative, easy and difficult, were just part of our whole great experience, and we could trust that we would move forward in the direction that was meant for us.  

Day to day our method is simple: we just choose to allow things to be the way they are and look for possibilities within that place. We are able to see the possibilities that come our way and onto our path, and we take them and work them into our lives. We try not to force outcomes with events, or people, or situations...And when we do try to force an outcome, it usually doesn't work out very well and thankfully we learn a lesson (and learning a lesson leads to new possibilities - so it's all good!). 

We go with the flow and possibilities just show up!..Sounds easy? Well, actually we have to put in a lot of effort and thought into each day, but it is worth it. We try very hard to maintain open minds and open hearts. We live in a culture that is at times confusing to us (while other days we LOVE it!). We can quickly become irritated and frustrated with situations and people if we are not careful to keep positive and stay present to the possibilities that hide within each situation and interaction.

Some people may just say that we just got lucky with our Peace Corps experience, because nearly everything about our service is full of goodness...and maybe some of it is luck and circumstance...but we believe that more of it has to do with a positive attitude and a whole lot of hard work and conscious effort on our parts.  Recently I have come across a concept called the 90/10 principle, which helps to explain our point of view in this case.  The idea goes two ways. First: Life is 10% circumstance and 90% attitude. Second: Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% of how you react to it.  Either way you look at it, our attitudes and reactions are more important than all that is happening around us.  Putting effort into cultivating and maintaining healthy and happy attitudes and reactions is what fills our service journey with goodness and leads us to success!

So, now that I have said all this, and you have read it, maybe you would like to see some photos of our awesome and amazing Peace Corps life?

Kate likes being an art teacher.

A typical sight in Akka: clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and peach painted geometric design.

Arie is a Peace Corps Rock Star, at least Kate and all the kids at the youth center think so!

Laundry on our roof (by hand of course!).

Arie and one of his brightest piano students.

Kate and Adam...he is a great teacher of the "Terrible Twos".

Arie with our very own goat (named Patty) posing with the youngest ones of our host family.

Kate on her way to a Berber Wedding party (women only) where there will be drumming, dancing, singing, and tea.

What in the World are we Doing?

Have you ever wondered what it is that Arie and I do everyday in Morocco? Sure, we told everyone that we will be working as Youth Development Volunteers at a Youth Center, but we didn't even really know what that meant until about half way into our first year of service.  And to think that 2 years seemed so LONG! But in terms of actual work, it really isnt that long at all...

...You see, the first 6 months are spent simply adjusting and integrating...this may seem like an easy and relaxing job, but let me tell you that it is not easy (although sometimes it is totally FUN).  Cultural integration and adjustment are really difficult; it is challenging to be a complete outsider walking down the street with the intention of somehow completing transactions in Arabic at places like the market or the post office or the bank. And it's not that we didn't do work during these first 6 months - we were learning Arabic, going to trainings and workshops, and we had 2 summer camps to coordinate and facilitate.  For us the most important part of these first 6 months was to just be present. Everyday. 

Then comes the real time to work - for 1 year we get to "go at it" and "go for it".  Our work is our responsibility and we get to choose how we spend our time.  This can be a challenge for some.  The natural inclination for some volunteers is to hide away in your home and avert yourself from doing real and challenging work.  The wonderful part of this time is the satisfaction that comes from getting out and doing your job.  It is truly exhilarating to be a part of a community working together - this is the reward for putting forth the effort to get out of the house to go work...everyday (especially on the days that you really really want to sleep and watch movies and dream about eating pepperoni pizza while sipping a Summit IPA with your friends)!

The final 6 months I cannot speak of yet, but they seem to be a time of gliding downhill.  Wrapping things up, doing some final projects, preparing your work for sustainability, and most importantly saying goodbye to all the friends, family, youth and community that you have grown to love...while preparing to go back to America where you have to think about things like a job, health insurance, graduate school, an apartment...

2 years is actually a short amount of time in relation to "work".  If you have ever had a job that you worked at for 2 years or longer you might agree that the first year is a time where you are still learning.  It's not until the second year that you hit your stride and can reach an optimal level of productivity. Soon we will be wondering where the time went as we pack to return to America.

So what are Arie and I doing? Right now?
First it is important for you to know that the Peace Corps' mission has three simple goals:
 1. Helping the people of interested countries (Morocco) in meeting their need for trained men and women.
 2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served (Moroccans).
 3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples (Moroccans) on the part of Americans.

Goal 1 is met through our daily work in the youth center and high school and any other associations we might be working with.

Goal 2 is met by our simple presence as Americans in Morocco. This means that we are working when we go to the pharmacy, the post office, the market and also when we go to a party or dinner.  We are seen. Moroccans observe us, and over time they get to know parts of the American culture that we share with them.  With learning comes understanding and with understanding comes peace. 

Goal 3 is met when we share our learnings about Morocco and its people with Americans.  This can look different ways.  We share when we have friends and family visit us, when we call home, when we send a postcard, when we post on Facebook, when we write in our blog.  What we say about Morocco and its people to Americans should ideally promote understanding between the two cultures, and ultimately it should promote peace.

Here is a summary what we are doing during our work weeks in site:

Arie is:
Teaching an Advanced English class to older teenagers at the youth center
Tutoring students in English at the high school
Teaching music - guitar and piano - at the youth center
Vice President of Peace Corps Morocco's Gender and Development Comittee
Arie also is working on:
Co-planning a job skills and resume writing workshop with an English teacher from the high school
Co-leading an inter-library reading competition at the youth center with Kate
In the past Arie:
Co-organized (Dec. 2012) a World AIDS Day Event at the youth center with another Peace Corps Volunteer
Co-coordinated and co-facilitated summer camp at the youth center with Kate

World AIDS Day Event at the Youth Center - Dec. 1st 2012

Kate is:
Teaching an Intermediate English class to middle school aged teenagers at the youth center
Tutoring students in English at the high school
Co-teaching aerobics and yoga at a local women's association with a female teacher from the high school
Co-leading a girls club at the youth center with another Peace Corps Volunteer
Kate is also working on:
Co-leading a women's leadership and empowerment workshop with the same female teacher from the high school 
Co-leading an inter-library reading competition at the youth center with Arie
In the past Kate:
Directed (Jan. 2013) the Annual Morocco Spelling Bee at the youth center
Co-coordinated and co-facilitated summer camp at the youth center with Arie

Spelling Bee Morocco at the Youth Center - Jan. 20th 2013

What do we do in our free time?

Arie's chores:
Going to the farmers market 2x a week to buy our fresh produce (the bulk of what we consume each week)
Preparing foods like chicken and goat stock, marinara sauce, pesto sauce, etc...
Sweeping the apartment, hall, stairs
Taking out the compost
Making the bed

For fun Arie likes to:
Practice guitar and study music theory (although this could count as prep work for teaching music) Practice yoga
Read
Watch every single episode of the Simpsons ever
Beat every Angry Birds level/game on his Kindle

Kate's chores:
Laundry (all by hand)
Making breakfast
Preparing peanut butter, soy milk, hummus, and cold-press coffee
Dusting

For fun Kate likes to:
Practice yoga
Run 3 miles
Read
Knit
Paint and draw
Cook and bake

Together Arie and Kate like to:
Cook and prepare meals, especially soups/stews
Go on bike rides around the oaisis
Hang out with the other Peace Corps Volunteers in our area
Drink tea with our Moroccan friends
Eat couscous on Fridays with our host family
Watch TV Shows like: The Wire, Treme, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Mad Men and Modern Family
Watch movies
   and
Be silly and laugh - because when you spend so much time with your partner as married Volunteers do, you have to have a little fun! 

This is our Peace Corps life! We love it! 

A Moroccan Adventure!

 "It will the biggest adventure of your lifetime!" This is what we told my mom, dad, and little sister as they prepared for their big trip to visit us in Morocco.  We were all excited! My family was excited to see the wonders of Morocco and its rich culture, and Arie and I were excited to share our experience and journey with my family.  It was a wonderful and magical trip! Everyone stayed healthy and safe - ahumdullah.

We all agreed that:
Fes - is a great and wonderful city to visit!
Azrou - is beautiful!
Essaouira - is magical!
Marrakesh - well...needless to say, it was our least favorite city we spent time in...

My family got a great dose of Moroccan culture:
They ate the traditional couscous on Friday with our host family in Azrou.
They experienced kaskrut - Moroccan tea time.
They ate zmita, melawi, olives, dates, and fresh warm bread.
They ate fresh caught seafood.
They ate from a tagine.
They squeezed into a Grand Taxi for a 2 hour ride.
They rode through the Atlas mountains.
They took a first class train ride north.
They rode camels on the beach.
They heard us speaking French and Arabic.
They met our friend Eghali.
They met some lovely and very cool Peace Corps Volunteers.
They walked through Jeema el fna in Marrakesh on New Year's Eve.
They stayed in two beautiful riads.
They took a Moroccan style nap on ponges covered with blankets.
They used the Turkish toilet (aka squatty potty) successfully.
They saw wealth.
They saw poverty.
They saw goats up in the Argan Trees eating the nuts.
They saw the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

What I also want to say is that I am so proud of my family for making this trip.  I am certain that they never imagined themselves ever visiting North Africa, but they came.  Maybe they were a little worried, or scared, or nervous, or anxious, but ultimately they had a wonderful time full of learning and fun.  You just never know where your path in life will lead. 

View of Ktoubia Mosque in Marrakesh

 

The beautiful and traditional tile work at Bou Inania Medersa in Fes

 

 

A visit to a tannery inside the old medina of Fes

 

 Our family got to meet our favorite Moroccan friend in Fes

 

Enjoying traditional Moroccan couscous with our CBT host family in Azrou

 

 Fishing boats in Essaouira

 

Riding camels on the beach of Essaouira was the highlight of our trip

  

A champagne toast over a seafood lunch in Essaouira

 

The sun sets over a couple of camels and the Atlantic Ocean on our last night together in Morocco

Happy Holidays from Morocco!

 

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas 

and a happy New Year!
Thank you all for your support and love, prayers and well wishes, and care packages and letters! 

2012 has been an amazing year for us.  We look forward to 2013, and we wish and hope for peace and equality at home and around the world.

Love, Arie & Kate

got goat?

A Warm and Cozy Meal:
Spicy Goat Stew & Winter Squash Gratin

We Peace Corps Volunteers who live in Morocco most likely spent at least one day (if not four days) celebrating the important Muslim holiday of l'Eid al Adha.  The main tradition of l'Eid is that each household or family sacrifices at least one goat or sheep; then everyone feasts for four days on all parts of the animal (including its internal organs, brain, and eyeballs).  Often a family will share some of its meat with those who are less fortunate.  Arie and I received two gifts of goat meat from neighbors and friends which we put in the freezer. This was about the time I began to fear that the bags of frozen meat would end up lost in the back of the freezer for a year.  I was determined to find a delicious way to utilize the meat.  I searched the web for ideas and came up with the Spicy Goat Stew recipe of my own based on what was available in our site and our kitchen.

In addition to this recipe is a delicious squash dish that can be served along side the stew.  Squash is my favorite winter vegetable, and this is my favorite way to prepare it.  I make it a few times each season.  The recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison given to me nearly 15 years ago (when I was still a teenager who thought it was cool to be veggie) as a Christmas gift from my Aunt Bridget and her family.  This classic cookbook, with an encyclopedic perspective on all earthly foods, contains simple and delicious ways to prepare everything.  Even for non-vegetarians this book offers ways to prepare simple, healthy and tasty meals.

*Please note the length of time it takes both dishes to cook (up to 2 hours) - plan accordingly (if you are a PCV - you've got time; plus this will warm up your kitchen)!  Enjoy! 

Spicy Goat Stew - Serves 4

Ingredients
2 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 pound goat meat, cut in 1″ cubes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
28 oz can of tomatoes or 5 peeled tomatoes; chopped (*see instructions below to make your own tomatoes)
Pinch saffron
2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade (or 1 cube of knorr with 2 cups of water) 

Spice Mixture
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dried hot peppers (hang and dry your own and then grind them up)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

Garnish
sour cream (plain yogurt)
fresh chopped cilantro 

Instructions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.

Place the spices for the spice mixture in a medium bowl and whisk to combine thoroughly. Toss the goat in the mixture until well-coated. Add the goat and garlic to the pot with the onions; increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring frequently, until the goat is browned.

Stir the tomatoes, saffron and chicken stock into the pot with the spiced goat. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and the goat becomes fork tender, about another half hour. At this point, the stew can be refrigerated and reheated later. Serve with plain yogurt and fresh cilantro. Yum!

*To make your own “canned” tomatoes – take 5 large ripe tomatoes and core them (cut out the center where they were connected to the vine) and cut an 'X' in their bottom (this will make them easier to peel). Have a boiling pot of water on the stove ready and bowl of ice cold water ready. Drop one or a few tomatoes in the boiling water and let sit for 60 seconds. Remove and place in cold water 60 seconds. Remove from cold water and peel off their skins. Cut into quarters and remove the juice and seeds. Place juice and seeds in a strainer to strain the juice. Keep the juice, toss the seeds, chop the quarters. The juice and the chopped tomatoes will (approximately) equal a 28 oz can.

Winter Squash Gratin - Serves 4
Ingredients
About 2 lbs (1 kilo) butternut squash (or any variety of yellow/orange squash)
5 garlic gloves, finely chopped
½ cup chopped (fresh) parsley (dry parsley can be used too)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons flour
Extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions 
Preheat the oven to 325 F. and oil a shallow baking dish. Peel the squash and cut it into even-sized cubes, from ½ inch to 1 inch. Toss it with the garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. Add the flour and toss again until the pieces are coated lightly, letting the excess fall to the bottom. Pile the squash into the dish and drizzle oil generously over the top. Bake, uncovered, until the squash is browned and tender when pierced with a knife, about 2 hours. When served, the individual pieces will collapse into a puree. (Credit: Deborah Madison, “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.”)

Recipes to Keep You Warm

December has arrived and the weather has turned cooler.  For us that means 70's and 80's when the sun is shining and wool sweater weather once the sun sets.  For other volunteers in Morocco (living in the north or up in the Atlas mountains) this means a cold, snowy winter without central heating.  Here are two recipes to keep you warm this winter: Vegan Carrot Bread (there is nothing like a warm oven to heat up the kitchen) and Root Vegetable Soup (if it weren't for the chicken Knorr, this soup would be vegan too).  Enjoy!

Vegan Carrot Bread

Ingredients

• 1 cup carrot puree (steam carrots then puree in a food processor)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soy milk (carrot juice or pineapple juice works well too)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins)
• 1 cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, your choice)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger (if you have)
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (if you have)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1/2 cup oats (used for the topping)
  

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease your pan of choice:
1 bundt (1 hour 15 minutes)
2 loaf (50 minutes)
6 mini loaf (45 minutes)

Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl, and mix dry ingredients in another bowl. Slowly add dry ingredients into large bowl with wet ingredients. Stir. Spoon batter into prepared pan(s), sprinkle with 1/2 cup of remaining oats, bake for the amount next to each pan above, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in pans for about 15 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Baked loaves can be wrapped then frozen for up to a few months. Just thaw at room temperature for a few hours before eating.
Note:
This is a quick bread - which means it is slightly sweet.  It is not quite like carrot cake and is best enjoyed warm with butter. 

 Root Vegetable Soup

Ingredients
Veggies of your choice:

• 1 cup diced potato
• 1 cup diced carrot
• 1 cup diced turnip
• 1 cup diced squash or pumpkin (if including, add with the chickpeas since it cooks faster)
• 1 cup diced sweet potato

• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 cups of chickpeas cooked
• Approx ¼ cup of Olive Oil
• Salt, Pepper, Cumin to taste (about 1 tsp each)
• Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano to taste (about 1 TBS each) - ground if possible
• 1 cube of Chicken Knorr
• 1 Bay Leaf
• Water
• 3 TBS of flour

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large pot and add onion, saute for about 5 min, then add garlic, veggies, and all spices. Cook, stirring, for about 5 min. Add water (enough to cover all veggies and 1 inch above veggie level) Knorr, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 min. Add cooked chickpeas (and squash/pumpkin), and simmer until veggies are tender. Remove 2 cups of liquid broth and add it to a small bowl. Add flour and whisk (this will thicken the soup when added). Put flour mixture and 2 cups of soup (with chunks of veggies) into a blender and puree. Add puree back into soup and stir. Enjoy. Usually serves about 6.

Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Bay Leaf
are very important additions!