Day 6: The Art of Arabic and Making Tea

Ready to cook

Salaam! It is currently 9:40 PM here at Home Base and I can’t believe it’s already Thursday. The orphanage was especially tiring today for some reason. We only used one bath for all the children, so the process took a bit longer. Quick aside, I also had to pee so badly the entire time, but didn’t want to resort to the hole in the ground I used the first day. Luckily when I asked a different nurse, she led me to a toilet that was literally open in the middle of room with other nurses washing clothes. Well, it was better than a hole.

Anyhow, many of the mobile children were not there after breakfast, but that meant I got a chance to play with some of the other kids besides Nadir. But not without the double-cheek and shoulder kisses I get when he first sees me. Today, I mostly pushed around Ali outside. He is a character. He speaks with a mixture of French, Arabic, and English words, which makes some of his commands hard to follow. This doesn’t keep him from bossing us all around though. As I push his wheelchair, there’s a constant stream of commands: this way! That way! Stop! No! Sit down! Shh! Vroom vroom! It’s exhausting. But he’s so funny. He always carries around a hot wheels car that I hold when we’re bathing him and give back when we’re done. Each day, he directs whoever is pushing him to a place behind some cars near a tree where one of the many cats has had kittens. So cute. Elsewhere in the orphanage, it was music day and you could hear the kids shaking maracas along with a Katy Perry song. I think it’s really great that they do stuff like that.

Kittens!

Back at the ranch, we had a Moroccan cooking class with Khadija! It was freakin’ awesome! We made chicken tagine, a traditional Moroccan dish cooked in a traditional ceramic pot. She also showed us how to make the delicious mint tea that we have everyday, and boy, it is quite the process. First, the green tea leaves are brewed in some water, the tea is poured out, the pot cleaned and then the tea goes back in. Then, more water is added and it is brought to a boil. A large handful of mint leaves as well as an exorbitant amount of sugar is added (Side note: why are sugar cubes so much more fun than the packets?) and then tea is poured into a cup and back into the pot 5 times to mix it. For something as simple as tea, this seems pretty labor intensive, but it is definitely unique and delicious, I can’t wait to try at home.

Tagine dish

So many spices

Wicked cool herb cutter

Our turn!

Saffron cube!

Onion!

Our final product!

Sugar cubes (not cubes), mint leaves, green tea

Tea

After cooking lesson, we had an Arabic script lesson. I have a whole new respect for the Arabic language. There are 28 letters, 10 of which we learned today that are intricate with many differing by only a dot or two. The letters, the way they incorporate vowels, and the sounds all actually reminded me of learning Hebrew. The two seem very similar. The way you connect letters in Arabic is super cool and it really is beautiful.

"I love"

My attempt at arabic

We had even more tea at 4:00 with beignets. Oh my goodness. Also! For breakfast this morning, there was some more of those fried dough, crispy things from yesterday’s teatime so I took a picture of that too. :)

Beignet

Crispy things

We went to the Glacerie again tonight for a couple people who wanted ice cream after dinner. I love going to cafes and I had some decaf espresso (is that really a thing?). Haha

But as for tomorrow, after the orphanage, we leave for the desert! I’ll be gone until Sunday, riding camels and stuff. But no worries, I made a video that I’ll set up to post while I’m gone.

Wish me luck! And get ready for a buttload of pictures. :)

  

Au revoir!