Giving Thanks (and pie and bread!)
Here I am in the Denver airport, waiting for my flight back to El Salvador for my final year in Peace Corps. I wanted to write before I get back because my perspective always changes when I am in a new place (or back in the old), and I want to remember how I feel now so I can seriously consider my life now and my plans for the future.
I went home for Thanksgiving and it was unutterably wonderful. I'm generally pretty happy with my choices and my work in Peace Corps, but there is something about coming home to Colorado that amplifies the murmur of joy in my life. (That little turn of phrase is something I loved from this album, if you're interested). I didn't even do anything special, but good food and good friends and a real kitchen make a world of difference (a first-world to third-world of difference, if you catch my drift). I saw old friends, cooked some good meals (stromboli and ratatouille recipes below), played games old and new (check out Bang! if you've never played), hung out with my family, started looking at possibilities for travel to Europe and New Zealand, and dominated the GRE.
Being back in the US hasn't brought a wave of culture shock. In fact, the only time I felt culture shock was coming back from my first stint abroad, which is a little ironic because Chile, although culturally extremely different, is economically pretty similar to living in the United States. That's not to say I don't appreciate clean water, flushing toilets, preservation of natural resources and wildlife, city planning, private transportation, wifi all day every day, grocery stores, libraries, cultural diversity, etc etc etc...but I don't feel lost or guilty coming back from El Salvador. Maybe it's because I have done it too many times before or maybe it's because I don't love El Salvador. I like my work and I like El Salvador, but I haven't "found home." When I come and go from Chile, it feels like a final destination. I have to force myself to board the bus to the airport to return to my old life, a life I come perilously close to shucking off like a pair of sneakers worn through on the bottom from incessant treading back and forth. This feels altogether different, like a stop on the train, not a final destination, and my "old life" is waiting patiently along with my old friends.
As I boarded the plane to come back to the United States, my mind was full of plans and tasks for my community. Now that I have a new women's group and my grant for the old one has been approved and kids and teenagers are asking again when sports classes are starting up, I find I have a lot of things to plan. All of that went out the window as soon as I glimpsed the frost-covered browns of Colorado winter stretching out to the base of the Rocky Mountains.
It's not lush and green like El Salvador, but it's so much better. I had more than my fill of every shade of green living for four years in Portland, Oregon. The browns, and more importantly the dry air and the snow were the best welcome I could ask for. My family is lovely and everyone was home for the holidays, so we had a chance to catch up. It's easy to explain to my family what I'm doing since they get updates every month or so anyway, but it is surprisingly hard to explain Peace Corps to someone who hasn't ever seen a developing country. I also forget, living outside of the United States, how woefully uniformed many Americans are about the rest of the world. One acquaintance audibly gasped when I explained that I live in El Salvador (proof that the gang violence gets into the news even for those who don't pay attention to world events), then immediately asked if that was close to Nicaragua, which she thought was the most violent place in the world (it's not), and asked what the people looked like. In fact, Honduras with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people, which also borders El Salvador, has the highest homicide rate in the world, but I could tell that her grasp of Central American geography and history was fuzzy at best. El Salvador actually dropped to the #5 slot by 2012, with 41.2 homicides per 100,000 people, with Guatemala at a close #6 (If your geography is a little fuzzy too, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua border El Salvador). Don't freak out. Peace Corps wouldn't have Volunteers in El Salvador and Guatemala if they couldn't keep us safe. That's one reason I suspect they closed down the Honduras post. It's a pain to have all of the safety restrictions, but there is no doubt they keep us safe. Also, how do I explain what Salvadorans look like? I said they look Mexican because that would be her point of reference (basically she wanted to know if they were mexican or black, I think), but that's kind-of like saying that all latinos look alike, which is blatantly untrue. Also, she probably knows Salvadorans, she just never thought to ask where her construction team, electricians, mechanics, cleaning staff or gardeners were from, assuming latino and mexican are synonyms. One of my best friends asked me if I live on an island?!?!?! No. I do not. Don't worry, I still love you though.
Given how much Latin America pays attention to US politics, policies and popular culture, it is always shocking to return to the States to find that the same concern is rarely reciprocated. I fall into the same trap too. I love Latin America and try to keep myself informed, but find myself feeling incredibly stupid when I take a world geography test or when I realize that I stopped paying attention to most of the Middle East and Asia as soon as my Middle East Politics class ended my junior year of college. When I think about my future I want to be an informed citizen of the world, but I look at my hard drive and find my resolve ebbing away as I consider my movie choices for the evening. I want to learn more languages, but find my browser history full of facebook and youtube and endless food blogs. Maybe studying for the Foreign Service Officer's Test will reignite my desire to learn. Taking the GRE certainly inspired a new appreciation for the specificity of the English language (which is depicted on a small subset of words with really cool HSL model on this site), so I can only hope that I can spend my next year learning from and inspiring development in my community as well as educating myself to become a person worthy of judging others on their lack of international appreciation, rather than being one of those who need to be judged.
Now, on to food. My first stop was Chipotle, because...well, it's Chipotle. Then it was off to visit friends and take full advantage of the amazing ingredients and a full kitchen with a stand mixer and SO MANY WONDERFUL UTENSILS AND DISHES. My friend and I have been emailing and facebooking recipes back and forth for a year, so we had a lot to choose from. In the end we made cranberry pie (link below), pumpkin cheesecake (link below), yeast rolls, chocolate babka (looks cool, but I actually like this recipe a lot more), two different kinds of stromboli (recipe below), and ratatouille (recipe below, and yes, I have been watching too much Disney). At this point all I can think about is food, so if you want the recipes click on the links or look below and get baking.
Ratatouille! (pics coming soon)
serves 3
1/2 cup (more or less, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish) pasta sauce or pizza sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper (long is better than wide)
1 green pepper
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 small eggplant (optional)
salt, pepper and thyme
olive oil
goat cheese (topping)
couscous or bread or anything you like (base)
Preheat the oven to 375ºF
Pour a thin layer of sauce into your dish. Add the chopped onion and garlic.
Thinly slice the rest of the veggies (as thin as you can) and layer them from the outside edge in a spiral to the center so a tiny sliver is visible of each piece.
Pour a dash of olive oil over the top and liberally flavor with salt, pepper and thyme.
Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper fitted inside.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the veggies are cooked and the sauce is bubbling, but they have not turned to mush.
You can eat it just as it is, or put it on top of couscous and add a dollop of goat cheese (my favorite!) on top for an extra bite of deliciousness.
New books read: 65
Book count (total): 95
Recommendation: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - This book was an incredible history of cancer written with beautifully precise language and a good mix of anecdotes and history. He understands that we aren't all oncologists and that sometimes we forget medical terminology, and he weaves a fascinating political, social and scientific history of an elusive and dangerous disease. I was absolutely fascinated.
I went home for Thanksgiving and it was unutterably wonderful. I'm generally pretty happy with my choices and my work in Peace Corps, but there is something about coming home to Colorado that amplifies the murmur of joy in my life. (That little turn of phrase is something I loved from this album, if you're interested). I didn't even do anything special, but good food and good friends and a real kitchen make a world of difference (a first-world to third-world of difference, if you catch my drift). I saw old friends, cooked some good meals (stromboli and ratatouille recipes below), played games old and new (check out Bang! if you've never played), hung out with my family, started looking at possibilities for travel to Europe and New Zealand, and dominated the GRE.
Being back in the US hasn't brought a wave of culture shock. In fact, the only time I felt culture shock was coming back from my first stint abroad, which is a little ironic because Chile, although culturally extremely different, is economically pretty similar to living in the United States. That's not to say I don't appreciate clean water, flushing toilets, preservation of natural resources and wildlife, city planning, private transportation, wifi all day every day, grocery stores, libraries, cultural diversity, etc etc etc...but I don't feel lost or guilty coming back from El Salvador. Maybe it's because I have done it too many times before or maybe it's because I don't love El Salvador. I like my work and I like El Salvador, but I haven't "found home." When I come and go from Chile, it feels like a final destination. I have to force myself to board the bus to the airport to return to my old life, a life I come perilously close to shucking off like a pair of sneakers worn through on the bottom from incessant treading back and forth. This feels altogether different, like a stop on the train, not a final destination, and my "old life" is waiting patiently along with my old friends.
As I boarded the plane to come back to the United States, my mind was full of plans and tasks for my community. Now that I have a new women's group and my grant for the old one has been approved and kids and teenagers are asking again when sports classes are starting up, I find I have a lot of things to plan. All of that went out the window as soon as I glimpsed the frost-covered browns of Colorado winter stretching out to the base of the Rocky Mountains.
It's not lush and green like El Salvador, but it's so much better. I had more than my fill of every shade of green living for four years in Portland, Oregon. The browns, and more importantly the dry air and the snow were the best welcome I could ask for. My family is lovely and everyone was home for the holidays, so we had a chance to catch up. It's easy to explain to my family what I'm doing since they get updates every month or so anyway, but it is surprisingly hard to explain Peace Corps to someone who hasn't ever seen a developing country. I also forget, living outside of the United States, how woefully uniformed many Americans are about the rest of the world. One acquaintance audibly gasped when I explained that I live in El Salvador (proof that the gang violence gets into the news even for those who don't pay attention to world events), then immediately asked if that was close to Nicaragua, which she thought was the most violent place in the world (it's not), and asked what the people looked like. In fact, Honduras with 90.4 homicides per 100,000 people, which also borders El Salvador, has the highest homicide rate in the world, but I could tell that her grasp of Central American geography and history was fuzzy at best. El Salvador actually dropped to the #5 slot by 2012, with 41.2 homicides per 100,000 people, with Guatemala at a close #6 (If your geography is a little fuzzy too, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua border El Salvador). Don't freak out. Peace Corps wouldn't have Volunteers in El Salvador and Guatemala if they couldn't keep us safe. That's one reason I suspect they closed down the Honduras post. It's a pain to have all of the safety restrictions, but there is no doubt they keep us safe. Also, how do I explain what Salvadorans look like? I said they look Mexican because that would be her point of reference (basically she wanted to know if they were mexican or black, I think), but that's kind-of like saying that all latinos look alike, which is blatantly untrue. Also, she probably knows Salvadorans, she just never thought to ask where her construction team, electricians, mechanics, cleaning staff or gardeners were from, assuming latino and mexican are synonyms. One of my best friends asked me if I live on an island?!?!?! No. I do not. Don't worry, I still love you though.
Given how much Latin America pays attention to US politics, policies and popular culture, it is always shocking to return to the States to find that the same concern is rarely reciprocated. I fall into the same trap too. I love Latin America and try to keep myself informed, but find myself feeling incredibly stupid when I take a world geography test or when I realize that I stopped paying attention to most of the Middle East and Asia as soon as my Middle East Politics class ended my junior year of college. When I think about my future I want to be an informed citizen of the world, but I look at my hard drive and find my resolve ebbing away as I consider my movie choices for the evening. I want to learn more languages, but find my browser history full of facebook and youtube and endless food blogs. Maybe studying for the Foreign Service Officer's Test will reignite my desire to learn. Taking the GRE certainly inspired a new appreciation for the specificity of the English language (which is depicted on a small subset of words with really cool HSL model on this site), so I can only hope that I can spend my next year learning from and inspiring development in my community as well as educating myself to become a person worthy of judging others on their lack of international appreciation, rather than being one of those who need to be judged.
Now, on to food. My first stop was Chipotle, because...well, it's Chipotle. Then it was off to visit friends and take full advantage of the amazing ingredients and a full kitchen with a stand mixer and SO MANY WONDERFUL UTENSILS AND DISHES. My friend and I have been emailing and facebooking recipes back and forth for a year, so we had a lot to choose from. In the end we made cranberry pie (link below), pumpkin cheesecake (link below), yeast rolls, chocolate babka (looks cool, but I actually like this recipe a lot more), two different kinds of stromboli (recipe below), and ratatouille (recipe below, and yes, I have been watching too much Disney). At this point all I can think about is food, so if you want the recipes click on the links or look below and get baking.
The cranberry pie we made for Thanksgiving I think will be a new Thanksgiving staple, along with the pumpkin cheesecake (liberally adjusted from this recipe) we made two years ago and repeated this year. The pie was the perfect mix of flavors and tartness and amazing texture as the berries burst in your mouth. The cheesecake, of course, as all cheesecakes are, was divine. It was even better this year because we added a sour cream topping that made for a beautiful presentation and a great contrast in flavors.
Stromboli (filled bread)
This is from a cookbook my friend has, and I can't for the life of me remember which it is.
Dough:
2 tsp. of yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 C. warm water (between 105-115ºF if proofing [as described below] and 120-130ºF if not)
1 large egg
2 Tbs. of olive oil
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 – 2 1/2 bread flour
Filling:
We made one ham & swiss and the other turkey & pepperjack. In Argentina I had an awesome mozzarella, tomato & basil, and I would love to make a goat cheese & zucchini with a little pepper and salt. Pretty much add anything you would put in a hot sandwich, calzone or pizza.
Pour the warm water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast, sugar, and 1 Tbs. of flour into the water. Stir to dissolve and let stand at room temperature until foamy, about 15 minutes. (proofing) In a large bowl, or an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the egg, oil, remaining flour, and yeast mixture. Mix until the dough is smooth and tacky (not sticky). Add more flour as needed. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously, about 5 minutes, until springy, dusting sparingly with flour to prevent sticking. The dough should be soft, smooth, and very springy. Shape into a flattened ball. Place the dough in a greased container. Turn the dough once to coat the top with an extra tablespoon of olive oil and cover. Let rise at room temperature until tripled in bulk, about 1 hour. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll into a 16 x 12 rectangle. Spread your filling, leaving about an 1 inch boarder. Starting from the long side, roll up jelly-roll fashion. Pinch together the seams; tuck under the ends, pinching them into tapered points. Gently transfer to parchment lined baking sheet. Cover lightly and let rest for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Brush top of roll with olive oil and prick all over with a fork to allow steam to escape. Place the baking sheet o a rack in the center of the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven thermostat to 375o F. Bake 20 to 25 minutes more, or until golden brown and crusty and the loaves sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Let rest on the baking sheet 10 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
Ratatouille! (pics coming soon)
serves 3
1/2 cup (more or less, just enough to cover the bottom of the dish) pasta sauce or pizza sauce
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 red pepper (long is better than wide)
1 green pepper
1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 small eggplant (optional)
salt, pepper and thyme
olive oil
goat cheese (topping)
couscous or bread or anything you like (base)
Preheat the oven to 375ºF
Pour a thin layer of sauce into your dish. Add the chopped onion and garlic.
Thinly slice the rest of the veggies (as thin as you can) and layer them from the outside edge in a spiral to the center so a tiny sliver is visible of each piece.
Pour a dash of olive oil over the top and liberally flavor with salt, pepper and thyme.
Cover the dish with a piece of parchment paper fitted inside.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until the veggies are cooked and the sauce is bubbling, but they have not turned to mush.
You can eat it just as it is, or put it on top of couscous and add a dollop of goat cheese (my favorite!) on top for an extra bite of deliciousness.
New books read: 65
Book count (total): 95
Recommendation: The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee - This book was an incredible history of cancer written with beautifully precise language and a good mix of anecdotes and history. He understands that we aren't all oncologists and that sometimes we forget medical terminology, and he weaves a fascinating political, social and scientific history of an elusive and dangerous disease. I was absolutely fascinated.
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