i had gotten an invitation to spend the Eid (the culminating celebration of R-dan) with a friend and her family down south. turns out i was unable to spend this holiday with them as the days of the Eid were too close to my departure date to France and with it being quite a significant holiday we didn't want to chance it with me not being able to get back to my home-city and then not make it on the plane. so, my friend and her delightful sister insisted that we are travel down to their family's home about 4 hours away. it was a really neat trip and i learned much more than i think i had expected. the family really didn't speak much english at all, so the weekend was a great time to practice language and learn/practice some more phrases, words, etc. in some ways i have to admit that i cam back feeling like i still don't know very much, but thankfully friends like yourself have reminded me that i have come so far and should celebrate that--thanks RB! :) also, i was somewhat surprised by the emotions that came about as a result of this weekend visit. i was showing the family pictures of my family and honestly i had a tear come down my cheek as being with this family made me want to be with my family. the community my friend's family lives in as been just about evacuated to european countries with the hopes of finding work to provide for their families. honestly that was very sad. and to also hear about the struggles of my friend's family in the midst of their extreme hospitality. they are very giving for sure. it was just a lot to take in and i am still unpacking what all happened--how, why, etc.
what an incredible cultural immersion opportunity this was!
so, onto the adventures of my trip.
from the first step out onto the street from my apartment to meet my friend the adventure began! we immediately starting walking quickly, then jogging began as we were trying to catch a city bus to take us to the city's bus station. we got on the bus and the generousity begins. my friends insists on paying my way on the bus. we come to the city bus station and get off the city bus to enter the station. men everywhere are blurting out city names with bus tickets in their hands. my friend's sister had already purchased our tickets and was already even on the bus. she had been there for about two hours waiting and then when allowed on the bus she saved the front row of seats. so, i know some may be wondering what kind of bus this was. as far as i know there were not any chickens hanging out anywhere on the bus. it was actually pretty close to a greyhound bus. although the horn was like that of a freight train! and the driver never curbed his usage. honking is pretty normal here, so him using it regularly wasn't too much of a surprise. so after getting on the bus and sitting there for a bit, i was given some roasted chicken and hubz (the local bread) to start snacking on from my friend's sister. i am pretty sure i ate a chicken liver. later the sister, Z, went to get something to drink. and they don't really do individual bottles here a lot. so, she brought back a liter and a half of fanta with some small plastic cups so we could share. so different from America, right? anyways, later Z decided to haggle with a guy that came on the bus selling flavoured wafers so he would lower the price lke 15 cents. it was pretty interesting to watch. after about an hour we finally left the station and were on our way. it amazed me how along the way we would pick up people in what i thought to be random places, but everyone seemed to think it completely normal. i enjoyed taking in the sights of the countryside as we got further from the big cities. at one smaller town the driver started honking the horn to signal his arrival for whay i thought might be another pick up of people, but instead we came to a stop and he proceeded to lay on the blasting horn. i looked over and saw this young guy quickly react. he ran over to the butcher shop, motioned quickly at the butcher, and delivered a bag of meat to the driver. the driver put the meat by his side and we proceeded. what?!?! :)
later we actually stopped a a station where folks got off the grab a snack (and this isn't like an Exxon) or visit the bathroom. so, i had already told my friend and Z that i wasn't hungry, but of course she bought a ground beef sandwich and fries for me. it was tasty, but i knew there would be food waiting at the house for us. Z said that they always bought from food these guys while travelling, so it was only the right thing to do.
so, then as it got closer the our place of arrival, the sisters asked if we could be dropped off along the route. i thought we were maybe going to this somewhat larger, southern city, but turns out i was wrong. the bus stopped and we quickly gathered our things and hopped off the bus. we were immediately greeted by another sister and a man that would drive us to their home. i never saw that man again. so, we arrived to the house and greetings/cheek kissing all around! of course there was food on the table--casse crout--which is their snacky meal that is served actually before dinner. so, we enjoyed the foods, changed into pajamas, and i got introduced to all the family. then of course later we had dinner--maybe 11pm or 11:30. below is a photo of us all digging into the tajine. it was great! they are full of laughs and loads of fun.
i do have to say that one of the the interesting parts of the weekend for me was that i realized that this family had encountered a couple of other blonde foreigner ladies before. so, i was compared to them some during the weekend and told just about endlessly that i was beautiful and nice. it was a lot to take in. then it turns out that the sisters were pretty forward in basically letting me choose which brother i would like to marry. i have to say that started to put a damper on things because i just didn't really want that to be the focus of the weekend. so, i tried to just avoid it all together and finally had to say that it is basically forbidden for me to date folks while i am here to study--which is true! and they held off the topic some from then on. so, we then got ready for bed...
i got to sleep in the other salon with my friend and her daughter and the mama. i slept were the solo green pillow is there and mama actually slept on the floor! it was so nice and quiet there.
the next day we woke up and had breakfast. we started out with this dunplingish soup and then had some breads and tea. after a little bit Z and i went to talk about in the city to check out the sites and to pick up ingredients for the couscous lunch. we went through their medina, which was really, really small. i definitely got a lot more stares and thankfully not as many comments since i was with my NA friend. it was fun to see their city and to learn more about it. after we returned to the house, we decided to have a little photo session. then my friend gave me this outfit above--a traditional dress called a tiksheta. i was so honored. later we had couscous for lunch and of course they insisted that i eat enough food for like me and two other people. they were so giving. below is a photo of a decor item i bought from one of my lang teachers actually. she is really talented. it is very common to bring a gift when going to a home for a visit. i wanted something special, so i was excited when i remembered that my teacher painted these wall hangings.
i gave it to them and they immediately errupted into gratitude saying how much the loved it. and quickly after all the praises, they found a nail to hang it on the wall right then. i was so glad they liked it:)
so, for the evening meal, they asked me which dish i liked the most. i mentioned one and then mentioned another that is prepared with chicken. they said they would make the second dish i mentioned. so, they talked to each other a bit and such. i didn't understand everything, but soon understood what they had discussed. after the photo session my friend asked if i wanted to shower. i was sorta surprised because i was kind of thinking i would not shower until i got home. i said that i could just wash me hair, but she said that is was okay. well, the toilet (room) is also the shower. they did not quite have a "squatty potty", but actually had a toilet, but without the flushing capacity. so, the shower was just me, soap, shampoo, a bucket of water, a cup, and a drain. all right next to this toilet. it was interesting for sure, but i am glad that i had been exposed to similiar bathing technique/places elsewhere before this time. i got all cleaned up and turns out my friend actually trained as a hair stylist. so, she wanted to blowdry my hair for me and style it all nice. that was fun!
my friend and i went for a stroll in the afternoon and on the way out of the courtyard of the house--i had looked over to see one of the cats with a chicken head in its mouth! i have to admit it startled me and then quickly thereafter it all clicked: they were trying to decided which chicken from out front we were going to have with the dish that night. talk about freshness!
so, later on my stomach started to bother me--which i still don't know why. i went to go lay down a bit in that other salon and soon there after the whole crew was asking where i had gone. see, life is not lived alone here. if one person feels ill, another person must take on that same illness--one can't be ill alone! so, they came into the salon flipping on the light and asking me all kinds of questions. thankfully i had my trusty lang dictionary with me to help with some vocab i hadn't learned yet. they let me rest some, but fed me some of their own knd of medicine even after i took some of my own pepto. then the brothers came home and wondered where i was and when they found out i wasn't feeling 100% one of the bros came into the salon and proceeding to question me and then left to go get a natural medicinal type agent. i drank some tea that he made, and then they all insisted that i drink tonic water! it was not delicious--and i told them that:) they enjoyed my scrunchy faces and sour looks. so, then they asked if i could eat yet. after all that liquid there was no way i could eat anything. i asked them with a great big PLEASE if i didn't have to eat right then. they laughed when i said please:)
so, i laid down a bit longer and they weren't eating cause i wasn't eating. oh, and to go back to the whole you are never alone concept. my friend said that her stomach felt kind of bad, too. and she even took medicine when i took it and drank that tonic water right along with me. pretty amazing, huh?
after a bit i felt good enough to go out to the other salon and join them for the delicious food. although this time i wasn't going to be able to eat nearly as much as i had the previous meals. i never actually got sick, just had bad stomach pain and nausea. but i felt better by the end of the night, which by that point it was time to go to bed. the next morning we got up, had breakfast, and made our way to the bus station. the amazing thing about our trek back was that my friend and her sister had gotten the phone number of bus driver so he could save us the front seats on the way home. indeed he made good on the deal and we had those fronts seats on the way home! i don't think i ate anything for at least 8 hours. i was sooo full.
i got home and my fabulous roommate had planned to have hot dogs and mac & cheese for dinner. it was so delicious:)
it was quite a weekend and really challenged me in my lang, my thoughts, my cultural perspective and worldview. there are some major hardships these folks deal with here. and on the way home it was hard to hear my friend say that so many of the people here want to marry foreigners because of their light skin or a to possibly get a ticket to another place to have a better life. i tried so hard to communicate that beauty fades. isn't it amazing that us humans look many times only skin deep and usually prefer what we don't have.
so, thanks for reading. i know this was a lot, but even if this blog serves as a diary for me of my time here, it has been necessary for me to share. i only wish you could see, hear, smell, and experience so many more of the little things (and big things, too) that i see, hear, smell, and experience each and every day here.
much, much love.
so, i got to lead up a free time of crafts and such. it was fun to watch these kids and their creativity run free. i really enjoyed getting to talk with them while we crafted and hung out. thanks mom for sending me some of my stamping stuff!
we had an incredible treat one night with a bonfire and s'mores! we were totally stoked for this oh so delicious treat. can you tell? :)
here is the group of ladies i got to kick it with for the weekend--we were the LADYBUGS. they were great ladies and i was in awe of their walks with the Father. it was cool to watch. i am not sure if i really did a whole to encourage them, but i was amazed just to be able to kick it with them and thankful for their devotion. 
so, my roomie and i have decided to make Tuesday night BREAKFAST NIGHT. we have realized that we need to eat up some of the great imported foods we have received or still have even from when we came here initially. we definitely are looking forward this new weekly tradition and ate up some good food this past Tuesday night. chocolate chip pancakes--my favorite!
well, i have a lang exam this week and i have been logging extra hours with my lang helper to review and get ready. i am really grateful for her and her willingness to listen to me slowly read through sentences, ask questions, mispronounce words, and forget what some words mean even. i have had the opportunity to go to her house to study and it has been fun. i happen to go during a time in the day here when they typically serve like a snack to hold folks over til dinner that will be had later. this mini-meal is called casse-croute, which is actually french for sandwich. some folks may eat a sandwich for this time, but a majority of the time folks will serve sweets or local specialties. quite the after school snack i must say. above was one of the casse-croutes i enjoyed this past week. my friend is quite the cook as she prepared everything you see here except the s'fuf (brown, powdering looking stuff). i am excited because i am hoping to learn from her how to make up some of these delicious treats during my upcoming break from lang school.
i was super excited to receive this lovely package from my dad and bonnie. i really appreciate these fun gifts to celebrate the holidays. it really brightened my day and the goodies inside have been quite a hit. thanks so much!
recently i was able to finally meet the family of a friend that i met within the first month of being here. i was so excited! i went over for couscous and her family is really quite lovely. the picture below might not give it complete justice, but this was a huge serving of couscous. i started out trying to make the balls with my hands and eat it that way, but for some reason this time my couscous balls weren't sticking so well. below on the table and to the left you will see glasses of what looks like milk. it is in fact leben. leben is something i had yet to experience, but had heard much about since arriving here. i guess it is pretty traditional for folks to drink leben with their couscous meal--of course it helps the digestion (they are really big on that here). well, i have heard horror stories about the stuff and so of course was a bit nervous about it. it is a type of buttermilk. i haven't ever drank buttermilk, so i can't compare. i have to say it wasn't that bad. it was a cross between yogurt, sour cream, and milk. good thing i like all of those things. it was fun to be a part of their family. 
they treated me to some henna! i was really excited to get it and talk to the friend of the family that did it for me. i asked her how she had learned (cause i want to practice) and she said she taught herself! so, there is hope for me:)
some of us ladies decided to treat one of our friends to a night out to the theater. we totally surprised her with a night to the Moscowian Circus on Ice. it was fun to get all fancied up and enjoy a neat show. i was totally in awe most of the time as the entire performance was done on ice. it was cool! sorry that there aren't any photos, but they were not allowed. bummer.
some of decided to do a little trick or treating actually the day after Halloween. we went to the home of the family that helps keep things in line here. it was fun! we even brought candy with us to do a reverse trick or treat. Kev is a guardian (parking attendant), Jenn is Cruela DeVille, Sherry is a magic/flying carpet, and I am the Wash My World girl. my character was inspired by this techno song that has been heard all over the place here. it is all about making the world a cleaner place. it is pretty catchy. it was really fun to get all dressed up and surprise the family.
i was so excited to get this package from my mom and a friend. birthday gifts are still coming in. i had also asked my mom to package up my down jacket for me as i may be traveling to some colder places over the winter (and may not mind having it here:). thanks so much to all of you that send items, notes, cards, etc. i am so grateful!
of course there was gonna be a food shot, right? so, my roomie and i went to this shopping mall in our city to check out a pet store that she wanted to go to. we had also decided to go there to eat lunch. well, we topped the stairs and saw a sign for this beauty! i am pretty sure it is a turkey frank, but it was delicious! really fun. we just love fun finds like these.
we had quite the birthday bash for 4 students studying either here in our city or one close by. there was a good group of us folks that went out to TGIFriday's. i had the fried shrimp in case you were wondering:) above is one of the birthday gals, me, and my roomie (from L to R).
then it was off to my friend's house to celebrate mama's birthday. it was a fun, yet interesting time as i have been over to their house several times now, so my status has shifted some from guest to now part of the family. they of course still insist that i eat, eat, eat, but i ended up watching how the family reacts to certain situations and that was honestly hard to see. it was a bit mind-boggling, but it has given me an immense about of insight into the people here--especially how birthdays are celebrated, how families may deal with disagreements, and even more about the relationships between family members. the cake below was huge and i don't think the picture really gives it justice. all and all the visit was good. i am grateful for this friend for sure.
the next day, my roomie, a couple of other students and myself went to visit a gal and her family. we had met this gal and her family at the night of power during r-dan. they were amazing. the father was so pleasant, gracious, and very funny. turns out he used to work with the big cats at the zoo here! below is the lunch they served us! it was amazing. the friend is very sweet and we are excited to get to know her more. she is so patient in her talking with those of us that aren't as far along with our language learning. that is great for sure.
so, i have been told that it is fall and i have been told that it is winter here. no matter which season, it involves much rain! which is a great thing as this place has been troubled by drought for years past. rainy, rainy days ahead of us is what i hear. and it gets cool, too. fun! you will have to check in on me every once and while as i can be a pretty sun-dependent kind of person:)
so, this is a fun one! i am already thinking about how much i am going to miss the locally grown, super cheap produce here whenever i go back to the States. look at these peppers! it really is a gift to have such good food available here and i am thankful to have healthy and fresh options available, too.
