Hello

Hi everyone it's Sarah. I come with a new blog post from Kaylyn:

Ok, so I’m terrible at keeping in touch…what’s new? My only excuse is that I can no longer access my blog because my internet is too slow I guess. So I’m sending it to Sarah who will post it for me when she has time.

Hum…Where to start? Winter has been interesting. I quickly realized just how much I appreciate central heat in addition to AC. I know I cried about the heat last summer but the cold is pretty darn miserable too. I don’t know which has been more difficult.

This winter has been the ‘best’ (for the farmers) in 30 years. Meaning, its rained a lot! If you’ve looked at my pictures on flicker you have seen how much my house has leaked which was not fun at all. Thankfully, the only dry spot in my house was above my bed so at least I had a dry place to sleep. Every time we have a few dry, sunny days, my host dad has been adding more dirt to the roof and things are improving.

The cold is prevents things from drying so my house is still wet, and washing laundry involves more strategy than you could imagine (if it hangs in your house for 3 days and doesn’t dry at all things start smelling funky and it needs another wash). Its fun get a view of the village after a week of rain because every house has laundry drying on the roof in the sun. The sun is really incredible…I did an experiment one day in my courtyard and it was 50 F in the shade and 95 F in the sun! Talking to my Dad one night he asked “How do people stay warm there? Especially if its colder in other places?” Mostly you just wear more layers and huddle around the fire. During the day many people will sit outside in the sun because its warmer than inside their houses. My Dad’s reply, “They sun themselves…like reptiles?” Yes they do, thanks for the laugh Dad.

I went to Ashley and Audreys house for Thanksgiving with many other volunteers. We had a traditional meal and way too much food. Matt even bought a turkey in the summer and we had Steven (the turkey) for dinner. There is always one problem when many volunteers get together, not enough pace settings. We ate out of any containers we could find using any utensil we could find. Jeff ate his Thanksgiving meal out of a juicer and Audrey used a spatula, funny sight to see.

Christmas Eve I spent with just two other girls and we cooked some food before I went home Christmas day. I was able to call my Grandparents from my friends house which was great. I do have internet at my house but its slow, so skype works much better on faster connections. New Years I was huddled in bed under my blankets…I never really know what to do if I’m not working.

Early in December I took a trip to Dan’s site to help with a project. A group in Casablanca donated a number of large metal barrels to a local association in his area. They modified the barrels to be used as trash cans where it can also be burned (burnt?). Four households share one trash can, so women don’t have to travel far from their houses, and share responsibility for the burning. When the can is full the trash is burned and buried nearby. Dan and the local Doctor gave a presentation to the members of the association about the program and its benefits. The following day we (volunteers and association members) broke into groups and visited every house in the village to explain the program. It’s a great project using materials available and lead by motivated community members. While I was there is also snowed and you can see a lot of fun pictures on flicker.

Work in my own site is still slow. I was hoping to use the vetiver (I don’t remember if I’ve explained before) on a project to stabilize the ground surrounding the source but it does not look healthy enough. The government will be providing money for the commune to improve the structure of our water source and I will hopefully be able to do additional education and slope stabilizations with other plants at the same time. We also have the a big teachers conference coming up where a few teachers from each area will learn about starting Environmental Clubs and how to train others to do the same.

The olive harvest started in mid-November and they are still making oil. I posted pictures of one of the traditional presses in my village, sorry they are so terrible. My village supposedly has some of the best olive oil around…I’m no judge though since I hate olives. What the heck am I doing here?! If they had the best fruit I would be a much happier camper, but oh well.

I guess that’s all for now. Pretty much covers the last few months. Maybe I’ll post again soon, and try to cover some of the things I know you are all interested in. Food being a major one…let me know if you have other suggestions. Sarah can pass them on to me. I hope everyone had a great holiday season and thanks to all the folks at VUMC who sent cards! Take care.