Off on the Road to Morocco

I Get to Paint on Walls When I go to Work

brennaanderst — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:05:25 +0000

One of my main goals, for the Dar Chebab (youth center) where I work, is to aid in making it a more welcoming place for kids. Upon arriving to Azrou and visiting my Dar Chebab for the first time I didn’t walk away with the youthful energy that one might expect to find at a ‘youth center’. The rooms were empty, the walls were white and stained, and even worse… there were no youth.

Since then, the attendance has grown and I have started a number of different clubs and classes. This wasn’t easy at first, with only a small following of about 3 to 5 youth coming to class. But as friends told friends and parents told parents my class sizes grew. Now I have between 20 and 30 students when I show up to the Dar Chebab gate.

After a number of meetings with my mudira (Dar Chebab director) it was agreed that there needed to be something more than just my classes getting youth to come to the center. While this may be good for the time being, I will not be in Azrou forever, and therefore things need to be more sustainable.

We decided (much to my excitement) that creating murals would be both useful for the Dar Chebab and have an impact on the youth. By allowing the youth to have a key role in the implementation of the murals they not only take something away from the ideas behind the images but also gain a sense of pride in their Dar Chebab.

The first mural’s theme was ‘Peace and Friendship’ and it was created on the main wall of my classroom. The mudira and the youth all stated ideas of what they wanted to see on this mural and I compiled the ideas together to make one image.

Once the ‘Peace and Friendship’ mural was complete we began on a second mural with the theme of ‘Community’. This mural didn’t start with one design. Instead it is layered with different colors and small images. I started by allowing the younger kids to paint the base. This allowed them to use colors and brush strokes freely (no mess ups!!) . Then the older youth painted more defining images over that. Finally, as a group, we painted children from around the world as the overall focal point.

The youth seem to be really happy with what they have created and it has made the Dar Chebab look so much brighter!

Veganism in Morocco

brennaanderst — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:49:35 +0000

Being vegan is hard… sometimes really hard. In Morocco it can be even harder, with the lack of vegan (or even vegetarian) options anywhere. But, I have also found that it is a lot of fun. Although being vegan proves to be a challenge it has also forced me to be more involved with my food. In America if I wanted a cookie without dairy or eggs, I could go to a health shop and get it. Simple as that. In Morocco, if I want such an odd cookie, it is up to me to create it myself. At first this was daunting considering a year ago I would have never pictured myself as a kitchen wiz, now the idea of trying a new vegan trick can be the highlight of my day! Pancakes, cookies, brownies, muffins, creamy pasta sauce! All of these can be made vegan with the simple ingredients that Morocco has to offer!

Something that was hard for me to get past was not having a surplus of milk alternatives available to me. Sure, I could look a vegan recipe on the internet, but if it called for a milk substitute I would be stuck. Or I would just rely on the magical-fix-all-fruit banana and hope things would turn out. After doing this a few times I became determined to create my own plant based milk. My town’s market has about five different varieties of flax seed, so this is what I settled on. Homemade flax seed milk! Which I now use with tea, coffee, creamy soups, and baking. I have also made oat milk but the taste from the flax seed is much better.

Here is a vegan recipe that I have used a lot recently to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day:

Vegan Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups oat flour
2 cups non-dairy milk (Flax seed milk!)
2 tsp apple-cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp raw sugar (optional)
1/2 cup raisins, nuts, seeds, etc. (I added lavender!!!)

Directions:

Combine apple-cider vinegar and milk; set aside.
In mixing bowl, measure in your flour, soda, salt, sugar/seasonings/nuts/fruit, etc. Whisk thoroughly so as to get an even mixture.
Superspeed whisk your cider/milk combo, so as to curdle it a bit.
Slowly pour the liquid-ness into the dry ingredients, stirring with a wooden spoon. Adding the milk mix in intervals helps this whole process.
Once moist-ish and mixed, gently knead the bread a few times only.
Place on a greased baking pan or cast-iron skillet (which, I hear, is the Irish way) and bake for 35-45 minutes.

I gotta say I am really going to miss all of the fresh organic produce that I can get in town. I love being able to buy my veggies directly from the local farmers, use freshly pressed olive oil, and pick out fresh herbs at the market. Today I went to souk and bought a kilo of the the most beautiful lemons I have ever seen!

St. Patrick’s Day and a Year Away

brennaanderst — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 15:17:39 +0000

Today is St. Patrick’s Day! Which means it was exactly a year ago that I said goodbye to my friends and the college town of Bellingham. A year ago today that I had a parting Irish Car Bomb with Calista Klein and then headed out of the pub for a group hug on the sidewalk and a ride to my parent’s house. There I would have potato soup and prepare for departing the next morning.

Leaving Bellingham

St. Patrick’s Day in Morocco is just like any day. I got up and began my morning routine; feed the pets, boil water for tea and barley oats, mop floors, hang clean clothes in the sun. In fact, if this wasn’t my year marker and my boyfriend wasn’t off in England singing Irish folk songs with his band, I might have not even remembered that is was St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t worry though, I wore green and I even made Irish soda bread (vegan!).

As a celebration of a year in Morocco (and also because we wanted to), my housemate and I bought ourselves some Berber rugs. This is something that I had been wanting to do for a long time but never wanted to spend the money. It was worth every ryal and now I am addicted to them. Azrou is known for its rugs because many artisans from the villages come to sell their creations in our medina. Luckily, I knew just where I wanted to make my purchase. When I first got to Azrou I ran into a medina shop owner that had known Peace Corps Volunteers for many years. He invited me to look at his shop and have a cup of tea. A shop is just a simple term for what this place is, it is more like an archive. To paint a picture, think of the movie Aladdin, this place is like walking into the cave of treasures. Inside there are layers upon layers of carpets and antiques from all over Morocco. There are hundreds of rugs, all with their own history and origin. The owner is the perfect man for the job. He knows each of the carpets personally. If you point to a rug squashed at the bottom of a five foot stack he will know exactly which one you are talking about. I call him the carpet librarian. My housemate and I spent hours looking through his collection and listening to what he had to say about each piece. I ended up buying to smaller rugs to hang on my wall. One was made right outside or Azrou and the other was made in a village in the high Atlas region.

Tabarkalikum to my fellow volunteers for making it to a year in country!

A Little of This and a Bit of That

brennaanderst — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 14:51:32 +0000

Just wanted to give a few updates about what I have been doing lately!

First of all, the weather has been much better recently. We haven’t had any rain or snow in about two weeks now, just clear skies. It is still really cold inside my house and the nights are freezing, but having a bit of sunlight makes up for that.

Speaking of temperatures! My housemate and I got ourselves a hot water heater a few weeks ago! Basically the best idea we have ever had (besides adopting our babies). We had gotten to the point where our bucket baths were at an ultimate low due to the cold. Now all we have to do is turn on our water heater, wait for about an hour for enough water to get hot, and then hop in the shower. I never knew how happy a warm shower could make me! The heater was a bit pricey but luckily I have someone to split the cost with, I don’t think either of us regret a penny.

Last week was Superbowl Sunday so a bunch of volunteers from my region got together. We all brought food (the most American things we could think of), hung out, and streamed the game live from a lap top. Most of us weren’t able to stay awake for the whole thing, considering it started at 11:00pm Moroccan time, but at least I got to see Beyonce.

The week before I got together with a couple of the female volunteers in my area to take advantage of the sunny weather. We all met up at fellow volunteer Monica’s house in a small town called Skoura. Our day there was fairy tale perfect! We got up early to go hiking; taking a route through waterfalls, tiny villages, and a ledge that overlooked the town and valley. We stopped at one of the many view points for a picnic before we returned to town. Once we were back at Monica’s house we enjoyed homemade chai tea and kettle corn. For dinner we made vegetarian soup and our own bread bowls, flavored with fresh rosemary that we picked on the mountain.

Now for some more important things, work! I am still working at the youth center (Dar Chebab) not far from my house in Azrou. I have recently added a few more classes to my schedule. I have Elementary English twice a week, Advanced English every Friday, Art and Environment Club twice a week, and a Life Skills class for teens. The Art and Environment Club is mostly geared toward the younger kids that I have in my Elementary English classes, 12 years old and under. The class is formulated to allow the kids to be creative with a focus on using recycled products. It has been great to give the kids a chance to do more art, especially the girls who don’t have many options of things to do at the Dar Chebab. The Life Skills class is done with my Advanced students (many of whom are nearly fluent in English). This class goes over topics such as personal values, community relationships, self-expression, critical thinking, and goal setting.

I am also working with a group of female volunteers to plan a GLOW Camp (Girls Leading Our World). This camp will invite successful Moroccan women to do workshops and seminars for the female campers. We hope to have workshops covering health topics, leadership skills, community/volunteer work, and entrepreneurial skills. This will potentially be a very rewarding experience for both the campers and volunteers!

I also found this lovely thing in the Azrou market the other day…

7 Days of Creation

brennaanderst — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:35:43 +0000

I had an unexpected week off from the Dar Chebab in celebration of the Prophet Mohammed’s (Peace be upon Him) birthday. Instead of doing the usual winter hibernation thing (although my blankets are always tempting), I decided to set in little goal for myself. During the cold months in the mountains it is really hard to have the motivation to do anything, unless you have a work schedule to follow. Thus I came up with the idea of doing ‘7 days of creation’. On each of these seven days I have to create something, anything… useful, artsy, eatable; as long as I am up, moving, and creating.

This really wasn’t too much of a challenge for me, I live for this kinda stuff. I love playing around with crafts and cooking can be a great pass time. The only thing was, this time I was holding myself responsible for doing something each day for a week. Normally these things just start with a sudden burst of inspiration with no rhyme or reason.

7 Days of Creation

Day 1: Dreamcatcher
I made this dreamcatcher completely from materials around my house. Some leftover rope from the clothesline, pieces of loose fabric, and sticks from outside all came together to make a decoration for my bedroom.

Day 2: Power Bars
Power Bars, more like Protein packed, nutrient rich, vegan, gluten free, fiber filled, naturally sweetened, chocolaty bars. Yep, this creation was all of those things. I made almond and oat flour to make it gluten free, shredded apple and carrot for natural sweetening, blended black beans and some banana in replace of eggs, and a little bit of salt, pure cocoa powder and cinnamon. I know that having beans in there sounds weird, but really, give it a chance because it’s great.

Day 3: Art Supply Shelf
I’m a big organizer. I love it. Having a special place to put something lights up my life, seriously. For the past few months all of my teaching/art supplies were kept on top of my dresser. I had been wanting them to have their own spot for awhile. So I decided to create one. I asked around at a few veggie stands and was able to get a wooden crate to start with. Then I spotted an old window frame outside of a woodshop, perfect! After explaining that I didn’t need it to have glass or be repainted I received a few odd looks and the frame for free! The rest of the materials all came from around the house again and now I have a lovely upcycled shelf.

Day 4: Almond Butter
The cheap food processer that my housemate and I bought in town was probably one of my favorite purchases ever. And this creation even further enhanced my love of it. Almond butter, with a little bit of cinnamon and the natural sweetness from my sunflower oil, will now accompany my market bread in the morning.

Day 5: Painting
I call these ‘Silhouettes of Morocco’. I can’t find any canvas here so I have been using cardboard to do most of my painting on. From the left we have Atlas Mountain Donkey, a Mosque in Marrakech, and a Rooftop Stork in Ifrane.

Day 6: A Beach Rap
This is for any potential summer vacations I might be having this year… Can you tell I’m excited for winter to be over? This is just a simple dress that I can wear over a swimsuit or just have for a warm day. Sorry you can’t see the whole thing in this picture, I was too cold to take my three layers of pants off.

Day 7: Chai Tea Latte Mix
My favorite thing about cold weather is tea. I’m a little obsessed with it. And I have been even more obsessed with chai tea since high school. So naturally it has been a real downer to be in a country that doesn’t share my taste (although I do love Moroccan mint tea). Anyways, this just means that I had to create my own! Cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger powder, nutmeg, vanilla sugar, and cardamom all mixed together and there you have it! Just boil some oat milk and water, mix, and sweeten with honey.

Now that my week of creating is over it is back to the Dar Chebab. Classes there are getting much smoother now that the kids are getting used to a schedule. Today will be the first day of my Art and Environment Club. This is basically an art class with a focus on the environment and incorporating recycled products like plastic bags, empty bottles, etc. I have also started to help plan a GLOW Camp (Girls Leading Our World) with a group of female volunteers in my area, this will take place at the end of the summer.

Well, that’s it for now! Off to buy some fruit and a few treats for my newly fixed kitty cat.

Pizza and Snow Days

brennaanderst — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:22:16 +0000

Snow on the ground and a day full of tornado like winds means no work at the Dar Chebab and extra time around the house. I have taken this as a chance to do a little bit of needed self care. Apart from the odd house chore (there seems to be some sort of leaking problem so, during times of heavy rain and snow, I am constantly mopping out my bedroom, the hallway, and the kitchen) I have nothing but schedule-less time.

Self Care Task List:
1. Drink hot chocolate. Made with oat milk and a little bit of care package Starbucks coffee.
2. Take a bath. I’m not going to tell you how long it has been because I don’t want to be judged… it’s cold okay. Taking a bath consists of boiling two pots of water on a slow heating gas stove, mixing with cold water in a big bucket, soaping myself all over, and dumping the water on my head. This system is perfect in the summer, but feels like death when there is snow outside and no heat inside.
3. Cuddle with the pets.
4. Make pizza! I finally found a pizza dough recipe that uses ingredients that are easily available. It also works perfectly in our little gas bread oven because I can make it crispy on the edges.
5. Put argon oil in my newly cleaned hair. Argon can only be found in Morocco but has quickly become popular in many places around the world.

My cheeseless pizza with a balsamic and olive oil sauce

I also spent a few hours at my neighbor’s house where I was invited to have tea and cookies. After my tea, I helped the kids with their math homework and drew a few pictures for them to use as coloring pages. My neighborhood has gotten increasingly more welcoming of my site mate and I. The kids all know us by name and are always asking to play games. I have been invited for tea a number of times now and the families are very hospitable, after seeing how much their kids like having us around. It is great to really feel like part of the community, even if it only extends to the end of the street we live on.

And there you have it! A day at home.

Holidays in Ireland

brennaanderst — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 21:26:10 +0000

My first time leaving Morocco in 9 months was to visit my boyfriend and his family in Ireland for the holidays. It was wonderful to have a break from work for awhile and be surrounded by lots of Christmas cheer! I got warm meals cooked for me, chai tea lattes made with soy milk, the chance to see The Hobbit in theaters, broccoli, beer, karaoke, and plenty of hugs and kisses (tmi?). All in all, it was pretty perfect and just what I needed!

L Brrd (The Cold)

brennaanderst — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 21:16:43 +0000

8:15pm and I’m in bed… I certainly lead a wild life. Azrou and the rest of the Atlas Mountain Region has been showered with snow over the past week. This hasn’t necessarily been pleasant while living in an apartment with no insulation, no central heating, no double pain windows, and no hot water. Not to mention the leaks in both my bedroom and the kitchen. Yes, a good old snow day isn’t what it used to be. Instead of frolicking in the surrounding winter wonderland I am drinking whole pots of tea under my blankets trying to keep my body temperature up. Sounds pretty pathetic doesn’t it? Truthfully though, having freezing weather outside isn’t that bad. Having freezing weather outside and not being able to come home to a warm house is tough.

Walking to work

This week at souk (weekly market which is more like a giant outdoor thrift store) I had a mission; winter gear. So, after trekking through the ice for about a mile I became the proud owner of a big blanket for my bed and some water proof snow boots. Souk has also been the provider of a few new sweaters or just full on sweater outfits. When rummaging through the piles of clothes there is no telling what you will find! Chances are, if you see me at all this winter I will be a head to toe sweater. This has improved things.

Rocking my full on sweater gear plus my new boots at the youth center with my site mate and one of my beginner students.

The cold has also caused me to eat more, like a lot. Partly because my body wants more blubber (like an arctic seal) and also partly because the kitchen gets a bit warmer with the stove or oven on. Soup and chili seems to be the name of the game these days!

Winter Veggie Chili: Onion, carrot, sweet potato, cauliflower, pumpkin, eggplant, corn, and barley.

To make things better I have a kitty and a puppy to cuddle with every day! We help keep each other toasty.

Just a Few Little Updates

brennaanderst — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:34:46 +0000

Things seem to be moving pretty quickly these days. Finally having a regular schedule at the Dar Chabab (youth center) has helped a lot. Nikki and I have five classes between the two of us, and we would like to expand from there once we get a better understanding of school schedules in town. I now teach Beginner English twice a week with a consistent group of about 15 to 20 kids and a Fitness Class for teenage girls. Nikki teaches Advanced English, working with a group of youth that is preparing for their BAC Exam. We have both needed to get creative with our teaching methods due to the lack of supplies available. For example, I made a set of Bingo boards out of old cereal boxes as a fun way to have my students practice their English letters, dried chickpeas were used as space holders. At the Dar Chabab we use a small room that we have dubbed as our English Class space. All the room has is a few chairs, a white board, and some tables that we carry in from outside. Everything else we have to bring for ourselves; books, pens, pencils, paper, games etc.

Our Dar Chebab

For Thanksgiving my housemate Nikki and I went to Errachidia. Errachidia is a larger city located East of the mountains on the edge of the Sahara and is home to our training friends Nick and Brittany. A bunch of other volunteers from the area were invited too and combined we had a giant potluck! The combination and variety of food was wonderful, and there was plenty of it! I was basically consuming calories for 24 hours straight with a brief break for sleeping. The meal consisted of: Chicken (turkeys are expensive), roasted ginger carrots, eggplant parm, roasted cauliflower, corn bread, Greek salad, mixed corn and green beans, mashed potatoes, creamy mac and cheese, French fries, cranberry sauce, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate cake balls, and zucchini bread. The group of us spent our time playing board games, singing Christmas songs, complimenting each other’s souk sweaters, and talking about travel plans for Christmas. It was like having a mini vacation to America!

Getting ready for our feast!

The table, and Nick cutting his chicken

Our very own Peace Corps Thanksgiving carrot cake!

On our way home from Errachidia, Nikki and I met some travelers on the bus, a couple from Spain and a guy from Germany. They were headed towards Azrou/Fez and didn’t have a place to stay for the night so we invited them to crash with us. They ended up staying for two nights so that they could look around Azrou and see the monkeys. As a thank you, Nikki and I were well fed with traditional Spanish cooking.

Dinner with our visitors

As far as news at my home goes, Nikki and I have adopted two new pets! A little black kitten and a tiny puppy. The kitten is named Moosh (the local Berber word for cat) and the puppy is named Kika (the Darija word for cake). They have both been a lot of work so far because they are so young but they are great to have around. Nikki and I will just be lacking a lot of sleep until they are older.

BABIES!

When it Rains Head to the Kitchen

brennaanderst — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 19:41:55 +0000

So in the Fall/Winter it rains here, a lot, and it snows, and it’s cold. This doesn’t leave much room for doing things outside, other than walking to work or walking to the market for food. More inside time means that I have to find other things to occupy my days. Thus, I turn to the kitchen! Which is also a way for me to stay warm because I can stand next to the oven or the stove. No insulation in the walls, no heat, no hot water, and no double pane windows makes for a very cold apartment.

Anyway, I have been trying to be more creative with my cooking. I don’t get all fancy or intense, but I try to make food that is healthy and well balanced.

Baked Stuffed Vegetables:
I love making these because you can put anything inside. Plus I think they look cute. I try to stuff with beans or quinoa so that I can get some protein in my meal.

Creamy Pasta:
For a vegan alternative to alfredo, butter, or cheese pasta sauces I use avocado. I smash the avocado till it is smooth and then I mix it with chopped garlic. Sometimes I add some onion, red pepper, or tomato for a bit of variety. I am normally not a big fan of pasta but I like making this once in awhile, especially when the weather isn’t that great.

Gluten Free Pancakes:
I have come up with the perfect pancake recipe that allows just the right portion size for one person. In order to avoid eating a lot of white flour (which is used in almost every Moroccan meal) I have started to make my own almond flour. I have a small food processer that allows me to grind almonds into an almost powder form. This can be used in cookies, breads, muffins, anything that requires flour.

To make these perfectly portioned pancakes I use one small banana (or ¾ of a large one), one egg, and 10 to 15 almonds grinded. I mix the tree of these ingredients together, heat up a frying pan, and cook them just like regular pancakes. I try to make them a bit smaller so that they hold together well. One batch is normally equal to about five small cakes!