Germany or Washington?

I love the city of Leavenworth, Washington. What I love most about Leavenworth is that it has a theme. In the 1960s, the whole town got together and decided to band together to make their town into an alpine Bavarian Village to attract tourists.

Check out the 76 gas station sign - true Bavarian style.
Even the McDo in Leavenworth is Bavarian themed - how cute is that building?!? Doesn't exactly scream dollar cheeseburgers, but it fits with the rest of the town.
Of course, you can't totally change the golden arches, because otherwise people wouldn't be able to find it. Just put a pretty backdrop behind those classic arches and you'll get a Bavarian McDo.

BTW, if you ever get a chance to drop by Leavenworth, stay at the awesome campgrounds at nearby Icicle Creek and don't miss out on Tube Leavenworth!

Samburu Culture and Tradition

On Christmas Eve, we were able to celebrate with a staff sing along from the Samburu Game Lodge, as well as a cultural talk and dance by the Samburu tribe.



The Samburus are a fascinating people. A very long time ago, they branched off from the Masai tribe of the Masai Mara and took up residence (as much as a nomadic tribe can take up residence) north of Nairobi. In the Samburu tribe, the men are warriors, while the children herd animals such as goats and cattle.
Tribal members are polygamous - the women own their own homes made of sticks and hides and the men visit different homes each night. No Jerry Springer drama in this tribe though - they don't care who the baby daddies of the children are, since they consider everyone in the tribe to be family.

Despite the lack of monogamy, the tribe does have a wedding ritual. A group of men get circumcised and then marry that same day. After that, they are able to go to any hut that they would like.


The traditional dance that the Samburus performed involved a lot of bead shaking by the ladies and jumping by the men. It is tribal tradition for men to jump during the dance as high as they can. The higher they jump, the more popular they are with the ladies. Some of these guys can really jump - the NBA would do well to recruit a few. I'm not sure how their actual shooting skills are, though.

Special Treat: Hammam Guest Blog

Here's a guest blog post from my brother Mike, describing his fascinating experience at a traditional hammam (bathhouse). Unfortunately, we've got no photos to display, but his words paint a great picture. Enjoy!

I had the opportunity of visiting Annie in Casablanca, the North African exotic escape. On the Easy Jet flight from London I dreamed of snake charmers, Arabian carpets and belly dancers. To my great delight, the Hammam experience beat even my best fantasies.

As I inquired with some Morocco-hands into any possibilities available to experience the local Berber flavor, Chris suggested that I go to a Hammam, a Turkish bath, just a block from Annie’s apartment.

So Annie sent me off with minimal instructions: wear boxers (unfortunately I only had briefs but I was right at home with the tighty-whitey French clientele), buy an exfoliating glove at the front desk, “and get the works”.

So I got the works, paid 300 D’s ($35) and went up a flight of stairs to the right, where there was a sign for Hommes, French for “Guys”, I guessed. I entered into a locker-room and was handed a loin-cloth, and was told to disrobe. After I received my locker key and handed over all clothing, I followed the man who was later to massage me (a 6 foot, muscularly endowed black guy) down into the basement.

He handed me a glob of a black tar-like substance which I assumed was soap, and pointed to a shower. After showering I was directed into a steam room where there were a few Frenchmen soaking up the warmth. As I chillaxed, I began to wonder if I had wasted money, I could enjoy a steam bath and shower at the local 24-hour fitness in Austin for a fraction of the cost…

Eventually, another shorter, yet still muscular black guy motioned for me to follow him. In the steam-filled, exfoliating room there were six marble slabs, four of which where occupied by French guys. “The times must be good in Casa”, I thought, “to be able to Hammam at 1pm on a Thursday”. I laid on the marble slab and the exfoliater began to use the glove on me in a rigorous and aggressive pressure. No doubt it was painful but I was willing to pay any price for beauty. “Trust the process”, I prayed. As he scrubbed me raw, a substantial layer of dirt and dead skin began to accumulate. “Wow, I sure am dirty”. This process lasted about 20 minutes, and yes, I did shed a tear or two.

Afterward, I was led into a room with a number of massage tables. I laid on one and the masseuse delicately applied a layer of lotion to my skin that had just recently been scrubbed bare. It was more intimate than I would have liked, but it was a learning experience for me. I observed that I had a completely plutonic reaction to this close-contact, full body sport. This place is strictly business. I was impressed by the professionalism and skill of all who worked there. Then the masseuse shifted gears. He began to exert more strength, until it escalated into a sort of boxing match on my back. After 30 minutes of professional, dignified and skilled massage-pounding I walked out feeling “like I had been a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest”.

At this point, I was no longer concerned about my 300 D payment and I reminded myself to thank Chris later for this stellar recommendation.

But it was not over. I was brought over to another marble slab with a white plastic, saran wrap-like covering. The man reached for bucket and began to apply this greenish, grayish substance to my skin. I knew what it was. I have had enough coastal encounters to know and identify fish when I smell it. The man had applied an elixir of fish guts and seaweed to my skin. I was then covered in plastic and baked in this potion for 10 minutes or so. After uncovering, it seems that another layer of dirt had detoxified and surfaced on my skin from this mixture.

Finally, I was given another glob of soap. I knew what to do from here: into the shower, through the locker room and back to Annie’s apartment… I walked away with a smile on my face, clean as a whistle, so happy to visit my sister Annie in Morocco…

Carnivore

On our first night in Nairobi, we decided to check out one of its most famous restaurants - Carnivore. We gathered around a table and after drinks were served, the middle of the table was full of sauces to put on the various meats that were offered. We were also presented with bread and potatoes.

Here's the menu for Carnivore. We were definitely carnivores - the ostrich and crocodile were delicious! We also enjoyed heaping servings of lamb and the most delicious melt-in-your-mouth turkey I've ever had. I stayed away from Chicken Gizzards and Livers, as I had enough organ meat at Eid el Kibir!

Meats were all cooked in this open kitchen format - on spits. I especially enjoyed the zebra print on the chefs' hats.

To serve the meat, waiters came around with chunks on swords and sliced off pieces. We had a little white flag on the table to put down when we surrendered. You know you've had a lot of meat when people start asking if you meant to put your flag down. We lasted a lot longer than they thought we would!

The meat was phenomenal, but Pat still decided to have a bit of bread and butter as a part of his meal.

Carnivore used to serve a great variety of game meat (zebra, wildebeest, etc.), but with new anti-poaching laws in effect, there are too many regulations for them to serve these meats. The Kenyan government doesn't want a market created for game meat, so just ostrich and crocodile now.

After eating all these awesome meats, we went off to see ostriches and crocs alive. :)

A Holly, Jolly Christmas

Here's a great CAS tradition - the Christmas Sing Along. Even though there are probably only a handful of kids that celebrate Christmas in the religious sense, many of them still go through the Christmas gift giving process. Just another reason to shop!

On the last day before Winter Break, a collection of musically talented staff members (shown below: Carole, LS Music teacher; Mark, US ELL teacher; Amine, US Music teacher; Tony, LS Principal; Sara, US English Intern) show off the tunes that they've been practicing.

The whole school -Nursery (3 year olds) to Seniors- gathers in the gym. Upper School and Lower School classes are matched up to build community. Lyrics to traditional songs, such as Frosty the Snowman and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, are projected on a screen for everyone to sing along.
There are even guest appearances, such as Santa Claus during "Santa Claus is Coming to Town".

Then, Frosty came to do a little jig around the room.

Linda Marie got really into "The 12 Days of Christmas". She inspired some 7th graders to get up and do the hand motions with her. Awesome!

"5 Golden Rings!"

The students did kind of get into the Christmas spirit - it was a pretty good event, even though it took away from Reading instruction! :)

Sheep Balloon

More Eid el Kibir - this one's from Julie...

Ever wonder the most effective way to skin a sheep? Blow him up like a balloon first, of course!

Organ Tagine (Stew)

**WARNING: Unappetizing photos of traditional meals**

Here are some more of Julie's pictures from Eid el Kibir. Check out the organ stew at Fatima Zhara's house - lung, stomach, intestine, etc.

This meal is traditionally eaten for dinner on Day 2 with the sheep's head. Not very sad I missed out on that meal and had homemade Mac n' Cheese at Stephanie's house.

What do you do with the head?

**WARNING: More nastiness from Eid el Kibir!**

Julie took some great pics of her experience at Fatima Zhara's house - she even got to experience the sheep head barbecue! All over Casablanca, on the day of the Eid, people stood in the streets with their blazing fires, so that each family could bring their sheep's head to be put over the fire. I was inside with Sabah's family, so I didn't get a chance to see this firsthand. However, I did get a detailed account...

Step 1: Completely sever the head from the rest of the sheep.

Step 2: Bring sheep head and hooves to the fire people around the corner. They'll have other heads and hooves already cooking.

Step 3: Have them place your sheep's head over the fire.

Step 4: Place sheep head back in the bucket to bring home.
(Tip: Make sure they get it nice and crispy!)

Step 5: Scrape hair off of the sheep head to prepare for cooking. (Tom - doesn't this remind you of the boar head? We totally should have put it over a fire before skinning it. Now I know the trick for next time...)

Step 6: Steam sheep head and serve for dinner! Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the final product, nor did I eat any sheep brains. I'm sure it was delightful.

PS: Happy 21st Birthday, Pat! We are probably having so much fun in Kenya right now! Love you.

Merry Christmas!

As you read this, I'm travelling through the wilds of Kenya - making more memories and enjoying time with the fam! Although I'm far away, I did want to make sure to wish everyone a MERRY, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Happy Holidays!

The Heart of Marrakech

I've been to Marrakech twice now - once in October and then again with the fam over Thanksgiving. Both times I was able to experience Djemma el Fna, the heart of Marrakech.

Tahir Shah provided this description of Marrakech in his book In Arabian Nights. (Side note: Tahir Shah also wrote The Caliph's House about moving to Morocco and his kids go to my school - both of these books are great reads on Moroccan culture and life. I highly recommend them.)

"The narrow passages of the medina swell with tourists, except in the blazing summer months, when a searing drought blows in. I used to think the tourists were set to destroy the soul of the city. After all, there are towering hotels, guides, and restaurants wherever you look. The tourists have certainly brought wealth and have heralded change, but their effect doesn't penetrate.

Jemaa el Fna by day

Jemaa al Fna is the heart of Marrakech. By day it's a turbulent circus of life - teeming with astrologers, healers, storytellers and acrobats. And when the curtain of dusk shrouds the city from the desert all around, the food stalls flare up, creating a banquet for the senses. A quick glance and you might think it's all been laid on for the sightseers. But the longer you spend there, the more you come to see the truth. The tourists take photographs but they don't connect.

Jemma al Fna by night

With its outlandish customs, Jemaa al Fna is a focal point of folklore, a borehold that descends down through the layers and sub-layers of Morocco's underbelly. A lifetime of study couldn't teach you all it represents. To understand it, you must try not to think, but to allow the square's raw energy to be absorbed directly through the skin."

When I got to this passage in the book, I felt I needed to share it - it's such a great description of the effect of Djemma el Fna.

Eid el Kibir: Day 2

**WARNING: Actually, not really much of a warning here - these pics are quite mild.**


Eid el Kibir doesn't end with the sheep slaughter and cleanup, or even with the fat wrapped liver skewers. I was invited back for lunch on Day 2 of the traditional eating frenzy. This time, I got to help some more - I skewered the marinated sheep meat for brochettes and rolled the ground meat and spices (called kefta here) into pieces that could be thrown on the barbecue.







While I was helping with food prep, Reda was chopping up the pancreas to barbecue with the kefta and brochettes and Sabah and Aisha were divvying (sp?) up the sheep meat. At least a third of the meat needed to go to charity and everyone took some of the other two thirds home with them - including me. First visitor I have in Morocco is going to have sheep for dinner - yum!
















I missed out on Day 2's dinner, which was the organ tagine (Moroccan stew) and the sheeps' heads. Hopefully, I'll get the pics from Julie to post about the sheep head experience. I didn't get to partake in that part of the tradition. I guess that means I'll have to experience more of the tradition next year!

Moving the Sheep

I have to give Julie credit for the filmmaking that you are about to see. I wasn't even there, but this was too funny not to share!

This is a video of the morning of the Eid, when Fatima Zhara & her brothers brought Julie with them to pick up their sheep from the garage down the road and bring it home. Did you know that sheep growl? This sheep is not being cute and saying "baaa" - it is not happy and the sounds sure prove it.

Ahh...helping out a neighbor is such a great thing. The little kid was awesome, but another neighbor had to come out and show the most effective way to move a sheep down the street.

Holiday Spirit!

Despite the fact that I have a Christmas tree with lights and some Christmas potpourri & hand towels courtesy of Mum, I can't escape the fact that it's getting close to Christmas and I'm in a Muslim country. Our PTA winter holiday event had tons of holiday decorations and Christmas crafts, as well as Santa Claus, but the rest of the city doesn't look like this.
This is the second Christmas that I'm spending out of the country and I'm kind of missing a few things. It's not so much Christmas itself, but the days leading up to Christmas...

For example: I haven't been able to find this with my local DVD guy and it's not playing on every television channel (I don't even have television channels).

And this...my dear Uncle Kev called me yesterday as his family was making the povo - man, I miss rolling out that dough! BTW, no povo is complete without the raisins!

I'm still hoping that Mike and Mum can pull off some outfits like this on our Kenya adventure. And you can't beat the bonfire in the snow, especially with the trail ignited by tons of gasoline. I love Georgetown Lake in the winter!

Most of all, I think I'm going to miss another year of ice fishing with Pops on Georgetown Lake. I hope Ryan and Tom are out there this winter catching lots of fish for us to smoke this summer!

Don't get me wrong - I'm totally excited for our trip to Kenya this year and I look forward to seeing Christmas in London on Saturday. I figure I'll get more in the spirit once I'm there. I can't wait to see all the lights and garlands! Yay Christmas!

Eating the Sheep: Rated PG-13

**WARNING: These images aren't that bad, but if you're grossed out by raw animal organs, don't scroll down.**





Once the intestines and stomach is rid of all the poop, it's time to boil pieces of the stomach and remove more nastiness. These stomach pieces were boiled with garlic, lemon, and other herbs.



The lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, and other organs were then boiled in the water the stomach had been boiled in.

Unfortunately, or fortunately actually, the stew made with the above organs is not the first meal of the Eid. Instead, pieces of liver are chopped up and wrapped in the fat that was hung on the clothesline. They are then skewered and barbecued. Not the most delicious thing I've ever tasted, but I kept myself from vomiting!

Although the sheep organs are the main event, other side dishes, such as Moroccan salads and artichokes, are served as well.

Here's Sabah chopping up the intestines for the stew (Dinner on Day 2). I was only able to try the stomach and lungs before the nausea set in, but I'm sure the intestines were just as tasty.

Election 2008

Another late post...here's the file cabinet in Cheryl's classroom. One interesting thing about living overseas is the United States Presidential Election. You can post whatever you want in your classroom and no one is going to tell you not to advertise your political views. Cheryl had this Obama poster front and center in her classroom before the election and wore an Obama pin to school each day.
The day after the election, parents came to school and shook American teachers' hands to congratulate them on Obama's victory. So not okay in the US public schools, but hey - we're in Morocco.

More Photos

If you're looking for more pics of the Eid el Kibir slaughter, check out my Flickr set.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/casablancalady/sets/72157611003468276/

Where Do You Put Your Sheep?

Aaaah...the lovely smell of a barnyard. This is what I encountered when I walked into Linda Marie's apartment building last night and again as I walked out on my balcony this evening. The Muslim holiday of Eid el Kibir (also called Eid el Adha) is here. This holiday is celebrated to remember the sacrifice of a sheep instead of Abraham's son, Ishmael (Isaac). To celebrate, each family slaughters a sheep and uses it to make the food that they serve throughout the day. And by each family, I mean every married couple, which means that there are a large number of sheep hanging out in Casa these days.

The best way that I can describe the onset of sheep selling is to compare it to Christmas tree stands all of a sudden popping up all over the place back home in late November/early December. Every empty lot and garage pretty much gets turned into a spot to sell sheep for the holiday. Sheep are brought in from everywhere and prices depend on size and where the sheep came from.

Linda Marie last counted 16 sheep in the parking garage in her building, so we decided to go check it out. Here's what we encountered when we walked down the stairs into the parking garage. Note the sheep pen in the right hand corner of the photo below. (I am so glad I don't have a car here, so I don't have to park it by the sheep!)

Although the sides seemed very sturdy, the door to the sheep pen was a piece of wood tied to the sides - not the most secure spot. We were a little worried that the sheep might stampede and were unsure of what we would do if that happened.

Have you ever heard a sheep growl? These sheep were not making adorable Baa Baa noises. They were growling as they were not happy to be the focal point of all of my pictures.

Each sheep has markings to distinguish them, so that people will collect the right sheep when it comes time to slaughter them.

Tomorrow's the big day - my neighbor told me that her family is killing 3 sheep on our rooftop (one for her and her husband, and one each for her 2 daughters and their husbands). I'm sure they won't be the only ones. She told me that she'd come by and get me when they were planning on doing it, so that I could check it out. I'm hoping that she follows through so that I can satisfy my morbid curiosity about sheep slaughter. Hopefully, I'll have more to report tomorrow.