New summer, new grant!!

I was thrilled to learn I received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to travel to Oaxaca, Mexico this summer for five weeks! The sponsoring university is the University of Oregon, and the logistics of this grant are pretty different than the Fulbright-Hays to Morocco last summer, but in a good way I think. For one thing, this is FULLY funded :-), I don't have to pay for this one! Woot!

There are 30 teachers in this group, from all over the US, yet most of us seem to teach the Visual Arts or Spanish, but there are other subjects represented. More information about the grant, schedule, day trips etc. can be seen here:

http://whp.uoregon.edu/mesoinstitute/

We'll be studying and researching Architecture, Film, Visual Arts, and Ethnohistory and Culture.

I will be arriving a week early to brush up on my very rusty Spanish at this language school:

http://www.vinigulaza.com/index.htm

Classes are only in the AM, so will have lots of time in the afternoon to get a feel for the city etc. before others arrive. Though I do know a few of those in the group will also get to Oaxaca abit early too, so I hope to meet up with them.

I have already put a deposit on an adorable apartment for my stay there:

http://casitacamila.com/

I already got my airfare (Props to Continental for having a straight 2 1/2 hour flight to Oaxaca!), which was cheaper than my upcoming flight to Lexington, Kentucky! Go figure...

And, for those of you concerned about my safety (ahem, Mom... G-pa, G-ma!), Oaxaca is very far south in Mexico (see map below), so no real worries or concerns about the border drug wars etc. that are happening across the border.

There is SO much more I need to post, but here it is, 3+ months that I have been home from Morocco... and I have been so busy.... so from now on, it will be just pictures with explanations as necessary...

I will finish soon I promise.... Or maybe never... I have been so busy with getting the curriculum unit done for the Fulbright/ US Dept of Ed...

But for now, here is the lovely tri-metal horse bit I bought in Marrakech. It was out of my budget, but a find I could not leave...

It's a nasty piece of equipment... the mouth size being about 4.5" wide, the port/tongue depressor is abit over 4" long/tall...

But nonetheless a gorgeous piece of metalwork. I present to you the early 1900s Saharan bedouin horse bit.

Artist Aziz Amrani

The Artist Aziz Amrani

Several of his works he e-mailed to me (below):

When in Chefchaouen, we stopped at the Kasabah Museum. As most other museums in Morocco, the older artifacts were depressing to say the least. However, there were several younger artists setting up for a show. One such artist was Aziz Amrani. He has no website unfortunately, but I wanted to share his work. We did our best to communicate in my horrible Arabic and his bad Spanish.

Around the medinas

Ceramics in Fes

Fes is well known for their well-made, handmade, beautiful ceramics. First, you have the clay. The chunks on the left are the dry clay, the pool on the right is where the dry clay is being reconstituted into moist workable clay.

The are master potters who do nothing but make ceramic bowls, plates, cups, tajines, and much more. Note he's working on a kick wheel, no motor.

Then the works are bisque fired in a kiln. This one used wood and sawdust and fire fodder.

After the first firing, the works are then handpainted with a variety of designs, in either the traditional blue and white or in various colors.

The work is then fired once more, and the glaze colors darken and become shiny.

To buy, you must bargain... and I tell you, it was really stressful, hard work having to haggle with the young salesman (below), I mean. Really SUCH a chore to bargain with this cutie to buy mom's display plate. Seriously, the things I do for you mom! :-)

Weaving and the tanneries in Fes

While in Fes, we toured the tanneries. We are quite the olfactory experience... noted by the fresh mint they give you to sniff to help combat the odor of the pigeon droppings. I couldn't cram the mint far enough up my nose, but truthfully it wasn't that bad... The vats on the far left (the white ones) are filled with cow urine, pigeon poop, and acids to soften the leather. It is stripped of its hair etc. by hand before being put in these vats. They tan camel, cow, sheep and goat (the finest leather).

Above you can see the guys start the dying process. The brown vats are full of dye, where the hides will sit for days.

As we toured through the medina we also visited a weaving co-op. Still all done by hand on these big looms.

No, this isn't the GodFather

And no, I don't want to put that camel head on your pillow...

So this was a cool river on the way back from the desert to the uni.

The next couple pics are of King Mohammed IV's palace in Rabat.

The next few are of the Palais Mnebhi in Fez. Here is where France and Morocco signed the protectorate treaty of 1912.