NEW YEAR'S EVE. Even I got tired of my own whining about how cold it was in my house, so I got off my duff and walked 12 miles to the post office this morning. It was a very beautiful day outside, and it was a good reminder of how very gorgeous it is in this part of the country. I stopped about half way to have a coffee at a new and lovely cafe with nice sinks and American-type toilets (doesn't take much to delight me!) Then at the bosta, I received three letters/packages from friends and family, so that was also a nice reward! Here are some of the scenes I viewed that I would like to share with you. Remember that you can left click once on the image to make it larger and more viewable.

HAPPY 2008! In about 11 months I will be home! I am once again blogging from home and just posted about Christmas Day. It is getting to be winter here (about 45 degrees in my house this morning when I got up and will likely get up to about 53 for a high) but yesterday I saw a man still plowing a field (with two donkeys) for planting wheat, and a woman washing her clothes by an old well. How I wished I had my camera with me! I will take it the next few days to try to capture some of those images!

I believe that on a blog much earlier I referred to a great book I had read, "The Kite Runner" about two boys and their relationships during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In a recent international Newsweek magazine there is an excellent article about the movie from that book that is just being released. I highly recommend the book, and it appears that the movie is also quite excellent.

The "holiday" atmosphere/lifestyle is still pervasive here following the Muslim Layeed Kbeer. The calendar new year is observed this next week with no school Monday or Tuesday, then I think it is the 10th that the Islamic calendar celebrates new year, so school (and the neddy) are closed then as well. The number days high school has been in session since September is few. As I understand it, it is the "fault" of the students, parents, administration, ministry, and sometimes even the teachers. No wonder hardly any go to the university. I also just discovered this is the first year the "baccalaureate" is offered in my village. That is the equivalent of our high school diploma.

If nothing else, I have to come to appreciate our governments/schools systems more...even with all our imperfections, they are still excellent.

CHRISTMAS DAY EATS. I was lucky to have four friends spend a few days with me at Christmastime. Three are in Small Business Development sector, and assisted with workshops we conducted at the neddy on the 25th and 26th. The other is a health volunteer who just came to be with us.


For Christmas breakfast we had oatmeal and fruit, then for lunch we had homemade wholewheat quesadillas and guacamole. We ate lunch on my roof, primarily to warm up, which is my usual habit during the winter months. For supper we had Vietnamese spring rolls. I'm observing is Margaret arranging the assembly line for making them. Note the extravagant Christmas decor on my bookcase behind! Next day we made vegetable stir fry. For sweets, I made an oatmeal chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting (found the recipe online and it's a keeper) another brought banana nut bread (which I make often and eat with light Laughing Cow cheese). Margaret stayed a bit longer and we enjoyed movies and popcorn.

It certainly took the edge off the loneliness from being absent from family in America. (By the way, that is what home is always referred to here...not U. S., but America.)

MORE MEAT THAN YOU CAN EAT!! This is a picture of the rear of my counterpart's house and the men going to work after the...sacrifice. The sheep are quickly skinned and cleaned; here are the carcasses that my counterpart and her two married sons' families will enjoy. I was invited over to observe and participate. I chose to sit inside and work my sudoku puzzle rather than see the throats being slit, but did have several kabobs. The meat is marinated and cooked, then wrapped with fat and grilled over charcoal. Quite tasty. It was kind of funny, though, as the little camp-size charcoaler was in that same room (in photo) right off the kitchen and you could hardly breathe or see for smoke!

They eat lots of bread and meat for several days. I'd hazard a guess that they eat more meat in three days than they usually eat in three months. Seriously! The sheep are more expensive than usual this year...I think about 3500-4000 Dhs. I don't know what the average salary is around here, but am pretty sure very few families makes that much a month. Not much of the animal goes to waste. Stomach lining, intestine casing...the works. Before I went over to their house, a man came to my door with a tray laden with food. It was my neighbor next door who I never see (I don't think she leaves the house; he is a high school teacher) giving me this gift for their special holiday. I was very touched. About the time I am in the throes of a good pity party for myself, something like this happens. You see, that's the kind of thing that makes it worthwhile staying.

For some reason I am able to blog from my house. One just never knows! The weather has been kind of crummy. Following the high winds, we got cloudy overcast weather, rained a bit last night and had a downpour late afternoon. I'm glad I have company coming tomorrow and more on Monday to cheer up the place for Christmas.

Have been enjoying playing Scrabble online with people all over the world. And watching some good movies. But I will be ready to get back into a routine after the first of the year. My program manager in Rabat has left the Peace Corps so my sector is in hopes we will soon get a good replacement to enable us to do better work.

Again, Merry Christmas. Do be grateful that you can easily attend a church of your choice, if that is your wish, and to spend the holidays in comfort and hopefully, with those you love. Those are really big privileges.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND hello from the cyber. The internet connection on my computer is once again not allowing access to blog. All other sites etc. are ok. Who's to know?! That's just the way things are, I guess.

Big winds all last night and today. Power out all night as well, so did some reading by flashlight. My work site is closed until Monday for their big holiday. I will have lots of time to clean house (it will need it after all the dirt that has blown in!) and do other things in preparation for my company and workshops next week. I hope the remainder of this year is wonderful for you, and I'll be back after the first with more pictures and stories.

CHRISTMAS SEASON IN MOROCCO. Yes, there is excitement in the air here! But it is not in preparation for the birthday of Christ, it is in for Layeed Kbeer. (That's the phonetic spelling.) This is the central feast in Islam, comparable to and derived from the feast of the atonement, Abraham's substitute sacrifice, for the remission of sins. Most all families kill a sheep(or goat or other cheaper animal if they are very poor)which is then eaten in an orderly fashion, depending on local customs. Internal organs and the head and feet are usually eaten on the first few days, then lots of kabobs of "regular" meat cooked over charcoal (that's the part I prefer) in following days.

During this time, men make sure to get haircuts (which is nothing new, since men see the barber often) and many women henna their hands and feet. Almsgiving and prayer are also an important part of this holiday. Of course, as always, families get together just like we do for the holidays. Because of this, the Peace Corps volunteers have travel restrictions placed upon us as the highways are busier than usual, and therefore even more dangerous. This year the travel restriction ends on December 23rd. Several friends are coming on the 24th; one of them will be doing workshops at the neddy on the 25th and 26th, so we take this opportunity of togetherness and have a little Christmas feast. I think we'll skip the sheep head and feet.

Back to Christmas. I can remember getting so frustrated when I would ask my mom what she would like for a gift, and she would reply, "I don't need a thing." It seemed that there must be something I could give her that would increase her happiness. I know now that my time and attention was the most important "thing" I could give her.

Being here has not changed the way I feel about the American Christmas season; I was beginning to get quite fed up with the commercialism and more reluctant to be sucked up in it. Being here has certainly made me even more aware of the reason for the season, as has become the cliche. I so miss family and friends, and music and all that, and the exchanging of a few thoughtful gifts, but I must admit it is a bit of a relief not to have all the advertising etc. "in my face." That being said, it will be great, though, to be back home next year for the Christmas season.

I HAVE LEARNED that it takes about five months to grow out your fingernails. Astounding piece of information for you, I'm sure. I had my hands and fingernails "hennaed" before I went home on vacation last summer, and the last bit of orange will be gone in a couple of weeks.

For some reason, I am able to blog today on my own computer at home! Hope this continues! It's a gorgeous day outside. My inside temp has warmed up to about 55-58 the past few days. I enjoyed some movies this weekend, just like home, with diet coke and buttered popcorn...and a hot water bottle to keep me warm. Well, sometimes you have to take what you can get. :)

A HUGE thanks to Global Village in Billings, Montana for their patience, assistance and support in showing products from the women in my area in their store. And my bigger project for creating study/store/storeroom space has already started getting contributions. Now the work really begins: getting quality product made to put on those shelves, teaching them record keeping and customer service, lining up work schedules. Many of these activities are new to most of them.

I'm getting company for lunch...one of the PCVs from my nearby town. During these winter months I usually cook up some vegetables in broth, puree it in the blender, then add milk every day when I heat it up a portion of it. It's a great way to have a tasty hot lunch. Today's potage is cream of cauliflower/potato soup. I'd love to have you join me!

MY PROJECT is now posted on the Peace Corps website and available for you to review and donate! Go to www.peacecorps.gov; then on the left side, click on donate now; then on left side, in the blue, donate to volunteer projects; then step 1, choose region: North Africa; then my project will appear. You can send your tax deductible contribution to: Peace Corps OPSI, 1111 20th St. N. W., Washington, DC 20526. Here are some photos so you can visualize what will happen.

The entrance to the boutique (this French word is also commonly used here for a small store that sells artisans' crafts, etc.), and the space inside where the dividers will create the store space.

Here is where we try to conduct classes, an open space with an old propped up blackboard, and a look at the existing make-shift shelving for product. We can’t locate the shelf brackets needed, so these nails are put in, and the shelves inevitably fall down.

Your contribution will go 100% to help fund this project Once the entire amount needed is received, we will get the funds from P. C. Washington, and can begin. Also, not until that time will I receive a list of the contributors to thank, just so you know. Thanks for your support!

VISITOR FROM PC/DC! We were treated to a charming visitor recently: Gretchen, a Peace Corps staffer from D. C. who is a Congressional liaison. Here's me on the left, then Rebecca, the youth development volunteer who lives near me; Gretchen, and Janeila, another small business development person in the same town as Rebecca. When Gretchen came to visit my village, we went to the beader’s house to take pictures so the store in Billings could show one of the artisans. I think she went home with good first hand knowledge of the work to pitch to our senators and representatives so they will continue funding us. Here is a bit more about Fatima, a Berber woman; you can see the remnants of the (henna) tattoo that many women wear…a vertical line down the middle of her face. When I took her the money for her work about a week ago, her thanks were profuse. It was by accident I found at the neddy the beaded necklace she made, and since it was green and red, (the colors of Morocco) I immediately thought “Christmas jewelry!” So ultimately we got them to the U. S. The lesson I learned from this episode is that good things could be right around the corner in places you least expect, so keep the faith and your eyes wide open. That applies where you live, as well as here, yes?!

MID SERVICE MEDS. In Rabat, and am again blogging from a cyber. I still have been unable to resolve my problem with my internet, but ensha’allah it will be resolved soon. Actually, am having problems with blogger, as I just tried to insert picture now, and am unable to do so.

All the volunteers in my Small Business Development group are here for mid-service medical exams. We get a thorough going-over, and again in November prior to our departure (Dec. 1, 2008!) Am SO enjoying the lovely climate/weather here, as well as the daily hot shower I get in the hotel! Went last night to eat at the American Club (next to the American Embassy) and had a bacon cheeseburger. Yum! Simple things become such luxuries! It is fun to see everyone again, most of them the first time since the in-service training we had last June in the beach city of Agadir. Out of 30in our group, we have lost just 5, at this point.

Weather report. It is darn cold in my house these days, about 50 degrees…up a few during the day and down a few at night. We’ve had lots of rain, which means lots of snow in the mountains, and people are pretty happy about that. Lots are busy planting wheat, and others, harvesting olives.

Hope to be able to post some photos soon!