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.

Becoming a Knight

Apparently, it's not too hard to become a knight. At the Tower of London, we came across a knighting ceremony. Dozens of kids were all lined up ready to accept the title of "Sir". I wonder if this is what it was like when Elton John got his title. Can't beat the venue - pink and orange striped tents are marvelous!

BTW, if I had seen any adults in line, I would've totally done this. Unfortunately, I think it was just for kids. :(

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…

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!

Thanksgiving in Morocco: A Family Event

Thanksgiving in Morocco was a great family bonding experience. We all played important roles in getting a turkey and turning it into a delicious meal. I had to have someone at work call a butcher to order a turkey and then was given directions in French, Arabic, and English to give to a cab driver.


Mom, Katie, and I went Thursday to pick up the turkey ("bibi" in Arabic) in a petit taxi. Luckily, the taxi driver agreed to wait for us and bring us back home as the butcher shop was not in a busy area of town.

Katie and I had the 9.5 kilo bibi in between us in the back of the cab. Note the great packaging - two purple, plastic grocery bags. We all laughed pretty much the whole way home!


When we got home, Katie was in charge of carrying the bibi up to my apartment. It was quite the arm workout.

Not only was our bibi very large, it also had an enormous neck!

Mum and I used tweezers to finish plucking the turkey. It was a long process....

Pops' job was to remove the organs and clean out the turkey.

The bibi barely fit in the oven and my oven's not the most reliable appliance out there, but we managed to get it cooked. We had our Thanksgiving dinner with Julie around 8pm the night before they all left - it was wonderful!

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!

Deprived Childhood

At the PTA's holiday festival, I volunteered to lead a Christmas craft for a couple of hours. I was a little unsure of what "Orange Decoration" meant, as orange pomanders were not a part of my childhood. Susan taught me to tie ribbon around an orange and use pins to keep it in place. I also put additional Christmas themed sequins with colored pins in various places and pushed cloves into the orange.

I had never even seen this before! I do love the smell of orange/clove, so I brought my example home with me and will keep it on my desk until it starts to rot! I can't believe my childhood was so deprived that I did not discover this until age 27...

Christmas Presents

Just so everyone knows...this is what I would like to buy everyone for Christmas this year. When I lived in Thailand, the Thai flip flops were the best thing ever. These shoes are the next best thing and they are all over Morocco. Most men wear the bright yellow version and ladies wear all different styles to go with their different djellabas. Just like a djellaba is like a bathrobe, Moroccan shoes are like wearing slippers. This is my kind of style!

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.

Eid el Kabir: Cleaning Up and Food Prep (Rated PG-13)

**WARNING: Some of these pics are just plain nasty!**

Once the sheep are slaughtered and skinned, the real dirty work begins. A layer of fat is rinsed in water....

Then it's hung on a clothesline...

This is to be used later for the skewers of liver wrapped in fat.

The liver is the first organ cleaned because it's the first one eaten. The heart, lungs, kidneys, and spleen are all cleaned out and set aside to barbecue for breakfast the next morning.

The grossest part was the one I participated in: the digestive system. Check out this tub o' organs - yes, that is poop.

The stomachs were split open and poop placed into a garbage bag. Then, they were put in a bucket of water to be rinsed.

I got talked into helping with the intestine. Kind of like cleaning out a sausage casing, but instead of rinsing salt & water, I had to push poop through and out to the garbage bag. The family got a real kick out of me partaking in this part of the tradition, so they took a bunch of pics of me doing the dirty work.

Next installment: what we actually consumed. :)