Success and Failure in Rural Morocco

My Peace Corps service has been filled with ups and downs.  When we first get to country we get lots of papers about our emotional health, physical health, work, resources, yada yada.  But my favorite piece of paper is a roller coaster looking chart that explains our emotional wellbeing during these 2 years.  Everyone laughs at this paper when we first get it, but after about 6 months we realize it’s pretty much spot on.  Good days, bad days, happy days, sad days, depressed weeks, skipping through the field’s days…. I can literally experience every emotion I could think of in one day.  Go from dreading leaving my house to go buy milk, to laughing with people in souk, to wanting to punch a child in the face outside my house, to being super happy talking to a friend on the phone to crying during the Justin Beiber movie (yes- this last one happened.)  On top of the everyday stresses with language, being cold/hot, trying to understand what’s going on around me, etc. it’s easy to understand why this roller coaster could occur.  Then you throw work on top of that- that’s the cherry on top of it all.  Work here can be crazy, last minute, unorganized and everything in between… but it’s why I’m here.  So I wanted to share a recent success and recent failure with you… just so you could get a taste :)

Let’s start with the failure and just get it out of the way.  In June I was asked by my sbitar (local clinic) to represent the clinic at a meeting in Ouarzazate at the delegue (pretty much my Moroccan boss).  I had no idea why I was going- I just knew I was going to a meeting and I needed to find a lady from a French Association (didn’t even know her name.)  So I show up, am directed every which way in the building and finally find this lady, her translator, the delegue, my commune leader and another man from a village nearby.  The whole meeting is done in French/Arabic so you can imagine I’m a bit/a lot lost.  I learn that the French Association wants to bring doctors to my village for free exams in October.  Great news, right?  Fast forward to September.  I’m summoned to another meeting, this time invited by a man from my village.  We discuss the upcoming visit and hit a major road block.  The Association wants to come November 8^th.  But that’s L3id (the big holiday in my last post) so the arguing back and forth begins.  The French Association wins and they plan to come from the 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, break for l3id, 9^th, 10^th .  Great, right?  Everyone agrees this will work, myself and the other volunteers in the region will help with translation and it all sounds like peachy dandy…. Now fast forward to November.  About a week before l3id I go to the sbitar to make sure this is all still happening and am told that the Association was told not to even come because certain people in my community didn’t want to work so close to l3id.  I’m (of course) super angry about this and trying to figure out whats going on.  What could we do, could we still get the people to come, who made this decision… this is all running through my head in English while I’m trying to ask the questions in Tash.  And let me tell you, when I get overly excited, sad, tired, hungry or angry my language just *poof* disappears!!  Finally, I talk to some men that are pretty high up on the ‘power’ totem and they promise to make some phone calls and see what they can do.  I finally hear back the day before l3id…. And am told the Association isn’t come.  Sucks, right?  Want to know what sucks even more??  I heard TWO WEEKS LATER that the doctors came.  There was no one there for the free exams because no one was told about it and even if people would have shown up they would have had no one to translate.  So that just goes to show what months of planning and meeting can accomplish- right?  FAIL.

Now, lets rewind to Halloween. I’m in Ouarzazate to use internet, get money and attempt to get my permission from the ministry to be able to teach in the schools for the new school year.  I’d been in to get this form once before but was told to return, so I was hoping this would be a quick trip.  Yeah, right.  The man in charge needed a form from Peace Corps so I called Peace Corps.  After they talk in Arabic for a while I’m handed the phone back and asked by my Peace Corps boss if I’ll be helping with the health day this week.  I had no idea what he was talking about so he filled me in.  The ministry of Education was hosting a ‘health day’ in my site and wanted me help.  So I hang up and being asking questions about this (in Tash).  The man knows close to nothing and asking these questions is like pulling teeth.  After about 2 hours of exhausting language I’m told they want me and the other 3 volunteers in my area to help with the event.  There will be tooth brushing lessons (that we’ll do), eye exams (we’ll help with) and woman’s health information (that we’ll do too).  Keep in mind this is Monday that I’m in the office trying to get these forms and the event is on Wednesday.  So basically I had to organize the other 3 volunteers and myself to get this together, not really knowing what the heck we were signed up from.  Would be have our own classrooms, were we doing small groups, would we be working together or separate, would we have help?  No idea.  So- we show up having ZERO expectations and find all the important people from the ministry’s in Ouarzazazte, all the village leaders and school principals there.  Luckily, everything went as best as it could have.  We successfully taught over 200 children about brushing their teeth, about 25 women about some basic health and helped those 200 kids get their eyes checked.  And it all came together in a few days!  I’d say that’s a success!!

Eid Mubarak!!

Tomorrow is Eid al-Adha, الأضحى‎, Feast of Sacrifice, L3id Nufeska… any and all of the previous! 

This will be my second L3id here in Morocco and I couldn’t be more excited.  Some volunteers stock up and hide in their homes for the holiday, others try to travel to avoid the day but I have been counting down the days for about a month now (which isn’t easy since it’s a lunar holiday and I thought it was going to be on the 8^th until about a week ago!).  Last year the idea of L3id was a bit overwhelming since I had no idea what to expect, but this year I’m ready! 

So—what is L3id, you ask?  (Wow- who knew my blog would be so informative?)

Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic calendar.  Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj (Hajj= the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide)  The date is approximately 70 days (2 Months & 10 days) after the end of the month of Ramadan.  Wikipedia L3id Info

“Ibrahim, known as Abraham in the Christian and Jewish traditions, was commanded by God to sacrifice his adult son. He obeyed and took Ishmael (Ismail or Ismael) to Mount Moriah. Just as he was to sacrifice his son, an angel stopped him and gave him a ram to sacrifice in place of his son. Some people dispute that the son of sacrifice was Isaac (Isḥāq). Regardless, these events are remembered and celebrated at Eid al-Adha. At Eid al-Adha, many Muslims make a special effort to pray and listen to a sermon at a mosque. They also wear new clothes, visit family members and friends and may symbolically sacrifice an animal in an act known as qurbani. This represents the animal that Ibrahim sacrificed in the place of his son. In some traditionally Muslim countries (Like Morocco) families or groups of families may purchase an animal known as udhiya, usually a goat or sheep, to sacrifice" L3id Information

Go to those links for more information… its really interesting stuff and I was tempted to just copy and paste the whole thing, but thought I’d lose some people.  (Which might have happened anyway- but oh well!)

Here in Morocco families purchase a ram to sacrifice to symbolize these events.  It’s a huge holiday (Think Christmas almost everywhere else in the world). Schools and all official buildings close for the week and family members all travel home to spend the holiday together.  All the kids get new clothes to wear for the holiday and the meat from the animal is eaten throughout the week- every single part!  I asked my friends what their favorite parts of the Ram were yesterday and their answers were the liver (Agree- DELISH!) the eyes and the head.  Families that can afford it usually have multiple rams (my host family had 2 last year). 

….And tomorrows the day!!  I’ve promised my friend Jamila that I’d spend the slaughter (usually at about 930 am- after the king kills his ram) with her family.  I took lots of pictures last year, but I want to get a video of the event this year so look for that (if you’ve got the stomach for it!).  I’m going to make some chocolate no-bake cookies-they’re a hit here since they are so sweet- to bring over too.  After Jamila’s I have 2 other families I promised I’d go see and walking between houses usually means having to stop, have tea, and make kababs (my favorite part of l3id) at various others homes.  So- needless to say, tomorrow will be a long, exciting and VERY full of meat day :)

Eid Mubarak!

Telling time in Morocco

I have now been here in Morocco for 18 months, with only 7ish left.  When I think about it like that I can’t believe it… the time has flown by.  But then when I sit down and actually think about all the things that have happened over these 18 months… I feel like I’ve been here forever.  This is home. People here always ask if I’m tmirt (settled).  My new joke (jokes here are typically pretty lame… think grandpa jokes that everyone laughs at but no one thinks is funny) is that yes, I’m mirġ. I’m half Moroccan and half American- this is half of my home!  People love it, but it’s kinda true.  These people have welcomed me into their homes, their country and treated me like one of their own.  And I’m so blessed to be able to have this experience.

Over the last 18 months I’ve realized there are many ways to tell time… for example, I can tell the time in weeks by the amount of henna that has grown out of my nails, I can usually tell the approximate time of day by the amount of sunlight out or the call to prayers, I can tell what month it is based on the crops growing in the fields, I can tell the day of the week based on the freshness of fruits/veggies at my vegetable guys store, or if its Sunday because its Souk, I can tell if it’s a week day (usually if there are no strikes) by seeing if the kids are playing outside my house or not…. I feel like we have these clues to the time of day, day of the week and month in America but do we ever stop to notice them? 

I often tell people at home that I feel like I’ve learned more from my experience here or from my community than I ever think I could hope to teach them (cliché but true).  One of the biggest things this country has taught me is patience and to stop and enjoy life.  I remember having my schedule down to pretty much every minute of the day in America… and here if I have one small task to do in the day it’s gonna be a good day.  I have the time to stop and have tea with women in the fields, its ok to have tea and basic conversation with the men I’m meeting with for a project before we even speak a word of work, it’s not uncommon for me to go to Souk to buy just milk and end up spending hours talking to all the store owners along the way (and forget to buy the milk), waiting for a taxi or bus for hours is just how it is, or having a counterpart show up an hour late for a meeting is just… that.  When I first got here to Morocco things like this drove me crazy, I was in my America-get work done- mindset.  And I’m not going to lie, sometimes I fall back into that and get a bit stir crazy waiting over an hour for people to show up and a taxi to leave, but Morocco has taught me to appreciate the moment.  Like a good friend of mine once told me “I know it’s hard but really just try to enjoy your time there because it will be over. And then it’s over.  Your home will always be here.”  I don’t know if she knows how much that meant to me, but that quote has been with me since the day she sent it.

Also in relation to time, I feel like in the beginning months here in Morocco I sort of ‘wished my time away.’  It’s not that I wasn’t loving my time here, but it’s hard sometimes- I miss America, my friends, family, the food, my independence and freedom to do or say whatever I wanted.  I still have moments like this- I don’t think I’ve ever been such rollercoaster of emotions as I am here.  I will literally have to force myself to leave the house one day, dread speaking to people along the way and then somewhere in the walk a flip switches and I end up wanting to talk to anyone and everyone along the way- about the weather, about Lily, about life… and end up spending hours in Souk talking to men and walk home on clouds mystified that I live HERE- with the beautiful mountains in the background, walking through postcard like fields and rivers to get home to my crazy dog barking on the roof of my mud house.  Now I have less than 7 months left and I’m grasping at time for dear life.  Don’t get me wrong- I’m excited at the idea of going back to America but this whole experience- all the amazing people I’ve met along the way, all the work I’ve had the privilege of doing… the thought of leaving that really does make me sad.

Well dear readers of mine- my tummy just growled (another way to tell the time) so lunch must be made.  Until next time….

Just another day...

First of all-- I survived my second Ramadan!  It’s now been over a month since it ended and boy am I glad it’s over.  It was a great experience fasting with my community though- I got very mixed responses from people when I told them I was fasting.  Some people were excited and gave me praise, told me to sit and rest or invited me to breakfast with their families, others called me a liar and made me prove to them I was fasting (which was ok sometimes, but when I was extra hungry/thirsty this response didn’t put me in a good mood) and others thought I was crazy for fasting when I didn’t have to.  I ended up breaking my fast a few days early, since I had a friend come to visit and since he wasn’t fasting I didn’t want to continue.  But I successfully fasted for 23 days!!

Lots has been going on here work-wise.  Its weird going from almost a year of begging people for work to not being able to go to Souk without being bothered for a new project or idea.  The desk project is ALMOST complete—yes, I know… I’ve been saying this for a WHILE.  But that’s just how things goes around here.  The blackboards are the last items that need to be delivered and I’ve been bothering the carpenter about them for weeks but INCHALLAH that will get done this week.  (IT DID!  I finally got the last receipts and its all DONEEEEE!)  The project for the Sanitation System is coming along slowly… all the supplies were purchased over Ramadan and digging for the pipes and pits has begun.  I hope to make it to the village soon to check in on things.

I have two new sitemates!  Long story here that I won’t get into, but it’s great for the community since we will be the last volunteers in the area.  So there are now 4 Americans roaming the dirt roads of Tidili- haha!  Team Tidili!!!  Here is a story about house-hunting for my new site mates…. Think about this next time you go on Craigslist or to a relator for a new place to rent :)

So we (myself, Alexa and Leighanne) heard there was a house available in a village about 8 K down the road and wanted to go check it out.  We were told to go to Souk (the main center) at 4 oclock and assumed this meant that we would be getting a ride.

• 4:00 pm- SO we show up, talk talk talk, learn about another project that the people in the community, drink a little tea, yada yada.
• 5:00 pm- We are finally are shown to a transit with about 10 others. This must be the worlds S-L-O-W-E-S-T transit.  A ride that should have taken us about 15 minutes probably took about 40. Along the way the driver is pointing out all the towns along the way… beautiful ride up though!
• 6:00 pm- We are dropped off at a café and ask if this is the village with the house to rent.  We’re told its not and that we have to walk through another village to get to it-no biggie, right?  An older man offers to walk us to the village but then hands us off to a kid about 5 minutes into the walk.  The teenager is then instructed to bring us to the house that’s for rent.
• 6:30 pm-  After climbing through a village we arrive, tired, to discover the man who is supposed to show us the house isn’t around.  We are directed to the teenagers house instead.
• 7:00 pm- We decide we cant wait any longer, its getting dark and we need to get back.  So we start walking- very quickly- to the main road to try and stop some sort of transit to take us home.  Along the way, though, everyone keeps inviting us in for tea or to stay the night.  We try to explain we need to get home but everyone tells us we’ll never find transport so we should just stay.  We don’t want to… so we keep on keepin on.
• 7:30 pm- We reach the road and start waving down anything and everything that passes.  It’s starting to get really cold by now, and we’re starting to get really worried… finally we hail down a truck and get thrown in with about 15 other men (literally, most of them were hanging off the truck, but since we were ladies we were able to sit in the bed).  Oh yeah, and there are a few cows in the truck too…. I wish I took at a picture, but it didn’t seem appropriate at the time.  During the car ride every single man asks me to marry him, and one of the guys even gives me an extra jacket he has to keep me warm. (I got to keep the jacket, so at least I got something outta it all!) I talk to the guys the whole 20 minutes ride home- quite an interesting conversation…. We discussed how (in my perspective) men in Morocco don’t have it as tough as the ladies, how far/big America is, how a lot of people in America go to college (even girls, like me!) but not many from my area will…. You get the jest. 
• 8:00 pm- The truck finally arrives at a village about a kilometer from my house so after arguing about a price, we get out and start walking home with our phone flashlights to my house. 
• 8:20 pm- We finally get home, laughing about the day.  Alexa and Leighanne then decide to start making something for dinner.  I have most of my food stashed in a bamboo dresser to keep the mice out, but recently they had got tricky so I had the dresser closed with rope to keep the creatures out….. but just as Leighanne opens the dresser a mouse LEAPS out at her.  I hear screaming in the kitchen to find them both in the corner- the mice have chewed through the BACK of the dresser.  Everything is now is thick plastic bins around my kitchen……..

….. Welcome to my life :)

Videos from Country Part I

Yes, i'm alive after Ramadan!  Its on my to-do list to write a little more about my overall experience with fasting and such but for now I'm in the city so I wanted to post some videos I've taken while being here.  Below are some videos i've had for a while.... Enjoy!

Snow Days

This is a video I took up on my roof in March.  I'm on the phone with a friend (hence the "hang ons" in my part) because i wasn't sure how my community would feel about me filming them on their roofs.  The houses here are made of mud so when it snows a lot everyone has to go on their roofs to shovel the snow off (otherwise the snow melts into water and the houses start to leak or fall apart.)  I just did a big circle with the camera so you could get a sense so everyone on their roofs and all the snow thats fallen onto mine.

Spring Camp Dancing

This video is from Spring Camp.  Spring Camp is an camp that youth development volunteers organize and help facilitate every year.  All PCVs are asked to help teach English and work with the kids.  In April I went with 5 other volunteers to help out.  There was a lot of dancing like this that occurred between events and every evening.  One thing we get pretty comfortable with here as volunteers is making fools of ourselves.  This is just one example with all the dancing/clapping/smiling.

Morocco's Own MJ

This video was from one of two talent shows we had.  This kid was a gooood dancer.  Other kids did dance acts, sang (acapella!!  These kids had no fear!), did comedy kits, told jokes and lots of other stuff.  It was fun to watch the kids performing for each other.  If a talent show like this was happening in America I think people would be bullying each other, making fun of each others or too afraid to do the acts they did in front of their peers.  I was sooo impressed with these kids confidence! 

....to be continued in the next blog post!

10 days and counting...

Today is August 11^th, which means my 10^th day of fasting.  No water or food from sunup (about 330am) until sundown (about 730pm).  It also means 10 days of lfdur (break-fast) with various families in my community… Its been really interesting to see peoples reactions when I tell them I’m fasting.  Tonight I thought I’d write up some of the various… situations that fasting has resulted in.  Read and enjoy (and comment!)

Tonight I was chatting with Caity on the phone.  Shes also fasting, so we have phone dates at night after breakfast to help each other stay awake and also just to catch up.  We were talking about how on the first day of fast we both had a moment where we asked ourselves if we could brush our teeth.  I seriously sat in front of the mirror for about 10 minutes wondering if I was technically ‘allowed’ to do this.  I mean, I’m not eating the toothpase, right?  But what if a little accidently goes down my throat?  Then am I not technically fasting?  I think it quite interesting that both of us thought twice about brushing even though neither of us are fasting for religious reasons.  I guess that’s just what happens when you’ve been in country for 16 months. 

Can you brush your teeth during the fasting hours of ramadan?

Answer: yes because tooth paste is not something you consume (fasting or not you spit it out). Of course you should be careful with the water and make sure you don't swallow any. But if you do swallow by accident then it does not break your fast. Allah swt says : And there is no sin for you in the mistakes that ye make unintentionally.) (Al-Ahzab 33: 5)The Prophet saws also said : "My nation shall not be held accountable for the mistakes they do unintentionally, out of forgetfulness, and under duress." (Reported by Ibn Majah) And Allah swt knows best

My second major fasting dilemma was if I should take my inhailer.  I mean, technically I’m not supposed to eat anything, right?  So should I be breathing things in either?  In the end I decided I’d just do it…. I guess I’d rather ‘breakfast’ and be able to breathe than risk an asthma attack in the mountains of Morocco.

If I have asthma, can I still use my puffer when I’m fasting?



Yes, you can still use your puffer during Ramadan without breaking your fast. This is because it is simply compressed air that you are inhaling into your lungs.

On my first day of fasting I decided (like the rest of my village) to take it easy and hang out in my house.  Us PCVs spend a lot of time sharing and watching variously downloaded tv shows and movies.  One of my new favorites has become Parenthood.  So I sit down, with my fan blowing on me to settle in and watch a few episodes.  Its only about 12 by now, so I have about 7 more hours ahead of me.  Well, well… guess what episode I’m on?  That’s right… the Thanksgiving one.  Being here in Morocco any show about or featuring food is hard to watch, since cravings for things such as bacon, cheese, alcohol and other delicious foods we take for granted in America are quite common.  But sitting through that episode, without my morning cup of coffee and knowing I wouldn’t be able to each for another 7 hours-  well, that, my friends, was rough.    

Many people in my community ask if I’m fasting, since its very public knowledge that I didn’t last year.  One of my favorite, and perhaps most hilarious moments thus far has been when an old man in my Souk asked if I was fasting.  I told him yes, and then he called me a liar.  After a few rounds of “no, I’m not lying” he pointed out that I was wearing chapstick.  Well, yes, I am- of course. Its hot outside, I’m thirsty and I always wear chapstick, I explained.  (Side note, I had no idea what the word for chapstick might be so I kept calling it medicine for lips).  So while I’m trying to defend myself to this man about my medicine for lips he continues to call me a liar.  Finally after about 10 minutes of me  explaining I don’t in-fact eat the stuff, I give up and tell him fine- I’m not fasting.  He kindly smiled and me and said goodbye.  You win that round, old man.

Can I wear lip gloss in Ramadan?



Yes, you can wear lip gloss to moisten your lips when you are fasting, as long as you do not swallow it. 


Lots of other things have happened in the last 10 days including getting a free half kilo of bananas from my vegetable guy because he was so happy I was fasting, almost passing out because of standing up too fast, lots of hours of saying “yes, Ramadan is hard” to various friends and explaing to people that just because I’m fasting I’m not becoming a Muslim.  Overall, its been a tough but interesting experience…. Lets see what the next 19-20 days have in store!

Ps.  While looking up the few questions I had I found this interesting website that had a lot of answers to the questions I had about Ramadan…. Check it out if you're interested!

Adventures in Fasting... Happy Ramadan!

So this is my second of everything in country.  Just celebrated my second 4^th of July, about to celebrate my second Thanksgiving and this is my second Ramadan.  (Go HERE to check out my blog from last year to learn more about Ramadan).  I didn’t fast last year, since I did a bit of traveling in Spain and just honestly didn’t want to.  But I decided I wanted to try and fast this year.  What does that mean you ask?  That means no food or water during sunlight hours which is from the first call to prayer at 3am until the 4^th call to prayer at about 730pm—yes, 16 hours.  And this Ramadan is in August, with the longest and hottest days.  Great time to give it a go, huh?

I’m now on day 3 of fasting.  I wasn’t so much worried about not eating during the day, I could survive being hungry a few hours but the water was the part I was most worried about.  And now that I’ve actually been fasting I think both suck- equally. 

Fasting is intended to educate the Muslim in spirituality, humility and patience. It is a time to cleanse the soul, focus attention on God, and put into practice selflessness.” http://www.whatisramadan.com  

Its only been 3 days now but I think it will be good for me. 

The hardest part so far has been how lethargic I feel during the day after about 4 (when I’m reaaaally hungry and thirsty) and also after breaking fast.  The first night I went to my landlords and yesterday I went to my friends house to break fast.  Its fun being with others who are equally as hungry and thirsty as me but the food they eat has a LOT of sugar.  I mean its great, don’t get me wrong, but after being hungry all day I’ve been craving some strange things.  So what I’ve been doing is breaking fast with families (eating the askeef (white creamy soup), bread, dates, figs and tea) and then going home and preparing a real dinner of some sort (lots of chicken, yummy!)    Language is also very hard when I’m hungry or tired so it’s been interesting attempting conversations right before break fast.

Today will be my first day of walking to souk (assuming this rain slows down) so we’ll see how I do with that.  Its about a 20-30 minute walk each way and I have to talk to some people about work so this will be my first of many challenges this Ramadan since the last few days have been spent in my house or in my dowar trying to adjust my body to no food or water.

I’ll try to post another update soon about fasting.  Ramadan Kareem everyone!

15-ish kilometers for a couple pics? Okkkkkkk

I’ve been trying to get pictures of my completed SPA project for the last few weeks.  All I needed were some pictures of the preschool with the new desks in them… not too big of a deal, right?  In America I’d just drive to the place, take the pictures and done… but this is Morocco.  And Morocco sometimes (or most of the time) things take a lot longer.  So here is my story of how I FINALLY got those three pictures.

I talked to some people in Souk about transport to Tachdirt (the village with the new desks, etc) and was assured I could probably (inchallah) get transport but probably wouldn’t be able to get transport back.  No biggie- I could ride my bike back!  So I asked around about how far the village actually is.  I got all sorts of estimates, anywhere from about 8-11K.  I made sure there was a transit for the day I wanted to go (Tuesday) and Tuesday morning I showed up to Souk at 10, as told by my transit man.

So, now its 10am Tuesday morning and I show up to Souk with my bike expecting to have to bike home from Tachdirt but expecting transit on the way there.  After loading my bike up on the transit I sit to talk to the taxi drivers for a little bit.  Usually my site doesn’t get a lot of tourists, since it’s in the middle of no where but occasionally tourists stop here for transportation to Lake Ifni, a beautiful lake about 30 K into the mountains.  But for some reason, today there were about 10 tourists (in 3 different groups) hoping to get transport to Lake Ifni.  One of the tourists was a young Moroccan from Marrakesh who knew Peace Corps.  It was very interesting talking to him about how a volunteer helped him study for his BAC (a test the kids take here to ‘graduate’ high school) and the impact all the different volunteers have had on him from a young age.  After talking to two of the different groups of tourists I notice my bike being pulled down from the transit.  I walk over to ask what was going on and was informed there will be no transit to Tachdirt today since they could make more money off the tourists going to the lake.  After three weeks of trying to get these pictures I’m over it so I ask my transport man how far I could get via transit.  He tells me there is a transit that will leave within the hour that will take me about half way.  So we load my bike up on the new transit.

After getting into the transit with 4 other women and about 10 men we are finally off!  It’s really interesting to watch the reactions I get from Moroccans who I haven't met yet and that don’t know I know Tashlheet.  The women are very cold, don’t smile back and usually look at me with disgust.  During this transit ride I got a phone call from another volunteer and spoke with her on the phone for a little bit (in English, obviously.)  After getting off the phone everyone pretty much ignored me, the tourist, on the transit with them.  After about 3 minutes in the transit my carpenter calls.  He doesn’t speak any English so I talk to him on the phone in Tashlheet.  Everyones faces was PRICELESS.  Smiles all around, whispering to each other “that girl knows tashlheet!”  The mood in the transit suddenly changed.  Everyone wanted to know who I was, where I learned Tashlheet, where I live, invite me to tea!  I met two young ladies who invited me to tea and told them if I had time on the way back I’d stop in to say hello. 

After getting out in a dowar a couple kilometers in I began the first of my bike treks for the day.  I have never been to this dowar so at every dowar along the way I asked people if I was indeed on the road to Tachdirt.  Along the way I ran into woman doing laundry, had lots of tea invites and even joked around with some kids who were swimming in their underwear in the river (lucky kids- if I want to swim I have to do it in a long sleeve shirt and pants!).  After rocky terrain, lots of hills, almost falling off my bike about 3 times and having to cross a river I finally arrived to a dowar where I saw someone I knew, the principal of the school that the desks were for!  The bike ride took about 1 ½ hours and I was exhausted and hot.  I was immediately invited in for tea and a second breakfast which I happily ate.  After breakfast we went to see the desks at the school and I took some pictures.  After talking for a while about possible future projects and more tea I was brought to the principal’s house to relax before lunch.  The principal told me he was going back to work but I was told to stay there until after 4 when it would cool off and I could bike home.  Often here in Morocco I’m brought into a room and left there alone for anywhere from 1-4 hours.  Luckily, this happens a lot so I always travel with my ipod and a book.  After a quick nap and some light reading I got bored so I went to find the wife in the house to chat.  I sat and talking to the principals wife and some other ladies from the dowar for a while and then finally, at almost 3:30, lunch was served!!  I was starving so I ate lots, relaxed for another 30 minutes and then I was on my way home.

After about 5K of my bike ride home it started raining.  And not just light, cool off, nice rain, but pouring “ouch this hurts” rain.  Luckily, I was in the dowar of my two transit friends so when I was asked by one of the woman to come in for tea I told her I had friends here and she took me to their doors.  We sat, had tea, cookies, I taught them some English words and was on my way again.  The last 5K was the hardest.  By this time my legs were killing me and any hill I saw on the horizon brought tears to my eyes.  I biked down the hills and on the flat parts but walked up the hills- which were plentiful.  I passed through lots of dowars, again, lots of tea invites and walked my bike a lot.  FINALLY… after 2 ½ hours I was in my Souk!  I bought my dinner (some chicken breasts), talked to a few people and biked home. 

What a day, right?  Just another day here in Morocco! But I made it… and I got those pictures!  So, overall-  SUCCESS!!

March, April, May, June... oh wait, its July!? Ooops!

Ok. I admit it.  I have a problem.  I am the worlds worst blogger.  But here I am, however many months later… admitting my problem and working to fix it. 

Now the hard part.  Where do I even begin?  So much has happened.  I guess I should start with life in general?  I’ve now been in Morocco for about 16 months- and like I’ve said before… it’s been the longest and shortest 16 months of my life.  I’ve grown, cried, wanted to go home, loved my life and every feeling or emotion in-between.  The only way I can think of retelling my adventures is month by month.  So here ya go!  By the way, I just looked BACK at my last post and wow- I really do suck!  Heres a short summary of the last 6 months!

March 

I finally got the SPA funding for my desks project and this was the month I spent talking to my carpenter to get the project started.  The project consisted of 45 new desks, 2 blackboards and a bookshelf for two preschools which also double as women’s literacy centers in villages nearby.  This project is ALMOST completed as of July!!  This month we also received the newest staj of health and environment volunteers into the country.  This will be the LAST group of health and environment volunteers since now all PCVs in Morocco will be youth development.  This also means this is the last group to be learning any berber dialects (like Tashlheet, which I speak) since all incomers will now only be learning Moroccan Arabic (Darija). 

April  

This month I made my first trip up north and spent a few days in Fez!  I was there to visit friends but also because Small Business Development Volunteers were holding a craft fair (Marche Maroc) and I wanted to get gifts for my soon-to be trip home.   I loved the city, got to visit the tanneries, ate lots of McDonalds and did a lot of walking around the medina area.  I hope to make another trip up north again soon!  April also held Spring Camp!!!  This is a week long English camp that PCVs help coordinate and run.  A friend of mine was organizing the camp and since I’d already be waaaaay up north I figured why not.  I did camp with 5 other voltuneers.  We all taught English 3 hours in the morning and then had clubs/activities with the kids in the afternoon.  When I say afternoon I mean UNTIL ABOUT MIDNIGHT EVERYNIGHT!  I have no idea how these kids had so much energy but they did-  7-midnight for a week.  It was a very long week… my class made me cry (by talking crap about me, in front of me, in a language I don’t know) but I also met some amazing kids.  Some of the highlights include: 3 other PCV girls and I did a dance performance of Waka Waka by Shakira which had an encore performance featuring girls from our camp, the kids all crying and wanting signatures the last night (I guess they REALLY liked camp) and being called ‘miskeena=sad/pathetic/poor’ by one of my campers after seeing pictures of my home.  Overall, long but fun week!  After camp I also visited a good friends site nearby.  Finally (whoa—this month was busy!)  I met my new site mate, Alex this month.  Oh yeah. And Lily got hit by a car.  But don’t worry, she’s fine now.  Tough little pup!

May 

Aghhhh!  What a wonderful, fabulous, amazing month!  This month my beautiful, amazing younger sister Gabbi graduated from CSU in May and my fabulous father purchased my ticket so I could be home in Colorado for the event.  It was amazing.  I got to see all my fabulous friends, family, old co-workers and enjoy all the fabulous-ness that is amazing for a beautiful 2 ½ weeks.  I wont bore you with the stories of America since chances are you LIVE there… but let me tell you… I miss that country!  Hot water, amazing restaurants with fabulous service, air conditioning, no restrictions on clothes/makeup/hair, English all the time and all the people I love the most.  It was a GREAT trip home and I really can’t imagine it being ANY better than it was!

June 

Another busy month!  (I have a feeling the next 10 will be this way!  Well- minus August, which is Ramadan!)  Lindas home!! A dear friend of mine, Linda, that lives about 30 K away returned home after some medical stuff in South Africa so I went to visit her with my two newbies, Alex (sitemate) and Louis (Steves replacement- he lives about 20K further into the mountain).  I also hosted a BBQ at my site this month, which was my first gathering of more than 2 voltuneers.  The point of this bbq was to say our farewells to Andy.  Yes, Andy has left.  Sad news, I know.  He has such a great source of knowledge to have around and I have been honored and privileged to have been able to get to know him over the last year!  The BBQ was fun, we ate lots of American foods (thanks to everyone who’s sent boxes for all the care package goodies!), grilled and played beer pong!!  June was also Gnaua, a music festival that happens every year in Essaouria.  LOTS of volunteers go so it’s a great chance for us to all hang out, listen to good music (if we go to the concerts), wear dresses/makeup and have a mini vacation in country! 

July 

This month!!!  Finally, I never thought I’d get there!  Most of the volunteers in the Ouarzazate and surrounding area celebrated the 4^th of July in Ouarzazate at a hotel pool in the city!  We even made brownies and homemade ice cream to celebrate the holiday.  I also had a meeting with the men who I will be working on for my upcoming Sanitation System grant (THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU DONATED!!!) recently and we’re all really excited to get this show on the road.  We’re going to be buying supplies for the project this month (inchallah) and start digging right after Ramadan.

Whelp… I think that’s about it.  I promise I’ll get better at this, I only have 10 months to get my butt in gear but I’ll try... Really hard... I will!!  As always, any and all responses are appreciated… hey, think of it this way… Your responses will make me happy and when I’m happy I write more blog posts.  Its science!  So do it!  Hit the response button!  NOW!

Request for help from YOU!

So.... have you been thinking "How can I help Angelica and all the work shes doing (other than sending her an awesome care package, of course?)"  Lucky for you I know just how!  
Recently a village in my community expressed interest/want for a Sanitation System since they currently don’t have one… However, it’s expensive and not something I can cover with a Peace Corps grant.  So- we’ve (myself and community) written up another grant and now I need contributions from friends and family at home.  The total amount we need to complete this project is $9,227, but my community will contribute $4,327 (which is 46% of the final budget!) though labor, transportation and other various tasks.  So that leaves only $4,900 to help a village in my community fight disease, transmission of human waste into the crops/water and much more for years to come.

You can read more about the actual project here:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=378-149

Now what I’m asking from all of you is to help me and my community! If you can donate anything, please do.  I know that everyone is busy and no one is made of money but any amount really does help.  Go without your Starbucks for a week, get an outfit at Goodwill instead of new or make dinner at home instead of going out and donate the difference!  Any amount- big or small- helps us to get to our end goal.  We can’t get started building until the grant is completely funded and its something I really want to get started on to ensure that it’s completed by my close of service May 2012 (a little over a year away!).

If you have any friends or family who you think might be interested in helping through donations please feel free to direct them to the donation page… The sooner this grant can be completely funded the sooner we can begin work on helping this community with their sanitation problem.

Take care and Shukran Bzzzzf (Thank you so much!)

And now we're expecting..... two puppies

Recently I decided it was finally time to suck it up, transport Lily to the city and finally get her spayed and immunized.  This wouldn’t be such a big deal in America, but here in Morocco this entails getting her into 2 forms of transportation, with lots of scared Moroccans and trying to keep her calm… and that just wasn’t something I was looking forward to. 

Before I share this story with you I have to tell you:

• I DID NOT want to have to do this to Lily with the given place, situation, etc.  But unfortunately it’s not like I have my choice of vet clinics here in Morocco.
• The doctor spoke better English than my Tashlheet, but things often don’t translate very well in regards to bedside manner (example: we are going to operate=I cut her open). 
• This story is pretty awful, especially if you’re a pet person… but unfortunately its all true.

So read on if you dare... After waiting forever in my Souk (go figure, I needed to get somewhere) I finally got Lily to the city.  I hadn’t fed her dinner or breakfast since she was going to be operated on, so the poor thing was hungry and tired.  I had planned to go in at the same time as another volunteer who had a male dog she wanted to get fixed.  You have to understand what an ordeal this has been, trying to find a vet that was willing to do the procedure and had the immunizations she needed.  This has literally been on my “to-do” list since October!!  So we finally get to the “vet” clinic, which is really an agricultural center in Ouarzazate.   My friend had got there before me, so her dog was already being snipped.  After greeting her she told me that her dog (Beaner) had woke up during the surgery and crying in pain.  This is obviously hard for any pet owner to hear and my friend was visibly upset.  After telling me the story she fainted… she landed hip first (thank god) and came to quickly, but needless to say- it was scary.  After Beaner was done being operated on the doctor carried him into the “waiting room”.  Poor Beaners tounge was hanging out of his mouth and after he tried to stand he fell on his face- it was awful to see.  This freaked Lily out like whoa and she had the death grip on my arm so I wouldn’t put her down.  After we finally coaxed lily into the “operating room” (picture a closet with boxes and medicines all over the place- awful, I know) he gave her the shot to knock her out.  Poor baby started crying and shaking, which of course made me cry.  It didn’t help the doctor kept saying “why you cry??”  Not what a pet owner wants to hear in the given circumstance.  After Lily was out the doctor told me to go and come back in 2 hours.  I couldn’t imagine sitting in that dirty room outside the “closet” where he was operation so I went to try and run some errands. 

After 45 minutes I get a call from the vet- not good.  I rush back to the clinic to find Lily laying on the floor in her own urine.  I immediately ask if this is normal and the doctor replies “no.”…. again, NOT GOOD.  I pick poor Lily up, she cant move, is terrified and crying.  The doctor then starts telling me he couldn’t operate because he saw a cyst in her belly.  He told me he thought it was urine and wants to look again since she’s not relieved herself.  Keep in mind this is all in broken English/Tashlheet.  So we put poor Lily back on the fold out table he uses for operations (still covered in Beaners hair and some blood) and he tries to find the cyst with the ultrasound machine.  Then he tells me shes pregnate.  Not possible right?!  She's only 6, 7 months max.  He then tells me she’s 9 months…. Which I’m still not sure if I believe.  This has turned into a day from hell at this point.  I have no idea what to do, if I should believe him, who the dad is if its true……. I guess I’ll know for sure in a few weeks.

He tried to show me the puppies (yes, 2 of them) on the ultrasound machine, I have no idea what I’m looking at.  He tells me the puppies are 3 weeks old.  This means that she either got pregnant when she jumped off my roof while I was gone or while escaped while my friend was watching her and got knocked up.  I then ask him what I should do and he tells me can operate and “kill puppies” but Lily will probably die too.  I barley wanted to do a simple surgery here so there is no way we’re having a real surgery done here. 

So… we’re expecting puppies.  Two of them.  March 20^th.  I have a friend, who is also a volunteer and wants one when its old enough… so I guess I’ll just go with the flow, keep Lily healthy and see what happens…. 

Guest Blog Post: Dad

As stated recently in my last post my dad visited me for my birthday last month.... I asked him to write a "Guest Blog Post" and well.....ENJOY!

The plan was simple enough, buy the ticket, visit my Peace Corps daughter in the shadow of the Atlas mountains in Morocco, ensure she realizes I intend to spend one night only in her house and the rest basking somewhere more regal with access to amenities such as a shower, temperature controlled environment, creatureless bed(room), beer, and food of my choice. Buying the tickets was the only part that worked as planned! Read on: Tickets were easy and connections looked very doable time-wise, so far, so good. First airline Iberia – red flag for me, I’ve never had good experiences with them and sure enough – the streak continues. The check-in lady has me place my carry-on in the little “if it fits here you can take it bin” – DAMN! It doesn’t fit – half-kiddingly I ask her if she guarantees the bag will arrive – she smirks. I’ve seen that smirk – I invented that smirk when some guy asked me “How’s it going?” when I was scooping up my dogs poop in the park – yeah, everything’s fine… “DUMBASS”.  I took note of the HUGE bags in the overhead – at least twice as big as mine – I despise you Iberia! Venice to Madrid, no problem and 5 hours to wander the cavernous Madrid airport. Connection coming from Casablanca is delayed, but still doable… …two hours later, it is delayed and is becoming less doable. Iberia “customer Service” is anything but what the title implies – they’re ill-tempered and rude – granted short- staffing doesn’t help, nor the hundreds of stranded passengers that are in line (weather problems in Europe) but not my problem – missing the connection is my problem!

Arrive in Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc at about 0950 – run through gates and make it to a cheerful service rep who informs me, “the plane just left”. She directs me to the “Customer Service” area where one poor 18-19 year old kid is asking the “manager” what to do – realize this conversation takes place in front of me – the manager never talks toward/to me – the kid is frazzled but presses on. Can they put me up for the nigh? The kids asks’ “the man” who snorts, asks the kid to get the ticket from me, takes a look and informs the kid to tell me that they won’t pay for the lodging for “this class ticket” – WTF? I’m tired and in a foreign country and need to keep my cool – trust me - that’s NOT ME! (But I’ve also seen Midnight Express - and even though that was Turkey, the feeling is the same and I don’t need that kind of exposure to the culture). “Where can I stay if I pay?” Take the blue bus for the “Atlas Hotel – it’s free!” Well, the Atlas is a dump that costs me $100 for the night. The towel is a bit larger than a face cloth – but who cares I have no luggage anyway – bring it on! Round two, I’m booked on a flight from Casablanca to Agadir, then on to Ourzazate (closest airport to Peace Corps camping adventure). All goes as advertised, until the 4 other passengers and I are at the luggage carousel and thy pick up their bags while I watch it go in circles – damn you Iberia! No matter, I see my daughter and I will be fine. I exit, and we’re good (for now). I file a claim leave a phone number and off into the Moroccan night!

My amazing daughter has picked up the language quite well (at least to me, though she is corrected a lot). Amazing considering it is a tribal language and has no real written equivalent. She negotiates the taxi, to the bus and off we go into the blackness. The bus drops us for a “local” taxi – she’s very remote, in this case the taxi is a taxi only because it has four wheels and a battered sign – I’m ambivalent but we press on. Halfway through a treacherous mountain switchback (coal black nigh) the strange noises from the back are getting stronger. We stop. The driver and his co-captain (a couple of 20-22 year olds) get out and start beating some part of the rear end of the car with a rock – life is grand and we’re going to die. Oh well, so be it. Car is fixed (good rock work guys) we get to the edge of her village and walk through the dark on a road that is probably a thousand years old – its crystal clear now and the stars are at our finger tips. I’m freezing, but so what – I’m with my daughter and we’re heading to her house. We get home and we hear the villagers out and about with a bonfire and song – not for me despite my long trek… Lilly the wonder dog is a boundless ball of energy and explodes at both of us as soon as the door opens – she has no manners, but she is a wonderful companion to my daughter and a bit of a rockstar in the surrounding villages – they all know her and it is extremely rare for a dog to be kept as a pet (she came from a stray pack that still wanders the villages). She’s broken into my daughters secret food stash and made a mess. Now, when I say food stash, I’m sure visions of cookies, candy and cakes fill your minds – wrong! We’re talking the basics here e.g. instant oatmeal and some random stuff, but in this world it’s GOLD! Lillie is lucky to be alive after that little escapade – Rockstar or not.

My daughter takes me to her host/adopted families house for tea – mind you, there was a vague possibility that I would visit and an even vaguer timeframe for that to happen and they could not have been kinder. The “tea preparation process” is a small wonder in itself and I found myself transformed and transfixed back in time as I am sure this was how it’s been done in the Berber villages forever. There is a social rank/status and the process takes it all into consideration in regarding to who is served first and how they are served.  I’m sitting on cushions, wrapped in thick blankets, in a wonderful family room that exists’ for the sole reason of social interaction e.g. drinking tea and eating – I did not understand a work that was being said and was totally at home – having said that, I understand “EASH” (spelling is questionable) but it means “EAT” – if you’re a guest, invited or not – you’re expected to eat the lions-share of the food and the family elder will prod you to “EASH”. We started with some sweets, then onto bread and oil, then a communal plate of meat, potatoes, and vegetables, followed by fruit. All food was eaten by hand using the massive loafs of locally/community baked bread – hands are washed at the table before and after the meal. Eat what is in front of you and don’t reach across anyone else’s’ “space” that’s rude (thankfully I was forgiven being the outsider, but that only lasted one day – after that I was no longer a visitor and expected to maintain proper decorum - I’m sure I embarrassed my daughter repeatedly but she never chastised me too badly-not publicly at least – a bit of role reversal there). Feeling totally bloated we waddled through the village and into my daughters house which resembled an adobe house from the American Southwest, but with VERY low doors (I have the bumps to prove it). The bathroom was a danger area for me as it was really cramped and low-ceilinged – thankfully I did not need to use it in the middle of the night as I would have knocked myself out and/or twisted my back and/or fallen down and/or all of the preceding.  Angelica has a REAL bed (alright, almost real – she has a real mattress) and she was sweet to give it up to me – although this confused Lilly to no end, too bad for her, I kicked her out!

Sound sleep and an early 0900 rising to the smell of coffee – bright sunshine and a very tolerable dare I say “nice” day – yes I dare – it was pretty nice in the sun and the walls of her courtyard.  I know we ate something, but I can’t remember what – no matter, the day held much food in our future! The coffee was great! Angelica decided to take me on her daily route, so we walked through the fields on a sunny, warm day to souk (think Wal-Mart without the wall) lots of shops spread in a small area all specializing in some type of commerce. E.g. beds, metal, butcher, corner store, etc. – one shop for each “specialty”.  The walk was about 20-30 minutes and between Lilly and Angelica, every one we met had to say hello and or stop and see the “dog” and or both. Once I was introduced I was given a warm welcome and good wishes – these are amazingly wonderful people, no pretense about them just lots of curiosity, I never felt out of place (other than my rather large frame and pale skin of course). After souk, we went to Angelica’s other host-family (they took care of her when she initially reported to this village) and again I was surrounded by “family” , stuffed to the gills with food, bonded with, good naturedly chastised for my short trip, and totally oblivious to what anyone was saying and again – totally comfortable with all of it.  Anyone who spotted us walking through the fields wanted to say hello and everyone knew Angelica and Lilly and now, they know me as well and I know them – they are “family” – that’s just the way it is here and I can live with that. My daughter is in good hands and I am thankful for that. The amazing thing to me is that, she is recognized within a 50-mile radius – what warm and caring people! Ok, so, now my village time is running out (thanks Iberia and RAM! – BTW, where is my bag?).

We must return to Ourzazate as I have an early departure the next day. We get the taxi, then the bus, and then we stay at the luxury (relative, but VERY nice) hotel. I also need to mention that Ourzazate was an amazingly clean city. We ate at a little French/Moroccan bistro, listened to a live musical entourage in the square, ate cotton-candy (well, one of us did…) and I got to spend quality time with my favorite Peace Corps volunteer (Alexa, you’re a close second…), the meal was great, the wine very nice and the time was gone in a flash. At 0dark thirty we arrived at the airport to find my bag in the “lost baggage” office – so much for the “We’ll call you” – nobody knew when it arrived. So I dug out gifts from her mom, some treasures from me (Peanut Butter and Ping-Pong balls) and was on my way back – this time being allowed to hand-carry my bag – I barely make it home as fog has obliterated the landscape and I can’t even see the road signs (I miss my turn off twice). Finally at home, greeted by Luna (the cat) I can’t help but feel I was short-changed and must return – I had a great time. Blessings upon your parents. Hopefully I return again soon – In challah!   

Casablanca, Italy and Dads Visit!

As usual, lots to report, since I seem to never be able to find the time (or want to pull my hands out of the covers) to type up a blog report.  But today, although cloudy, isn’t too cold so I shall type up an entry!  

I’ll start with my amazing vacation I took!  I went with another PCV, Alexa, to Italy for Christmas to visit my dad but along the way I was able to meet up with a friend I went to school in Colorado with, who lives in Casablanca.  He was generous to let myself and Alexa stay with his family for the two nights before we flew out.  It was both of our first time in Casablanca and it was so great having such an amazing tour guide/friend in the city!  Here are some of the highlights of the trip: hanging out with Moroccan males like we would American friends, watching the boys play a soccer match, exploring the souk area of Casa, the amazing hospitality of Salahs family, the surprise they had when they saw our Carte de Sejours and discovered we really do live and function here in Morocco with our limited Tashlheet, going to visit Hassan II Mosque, finding an awesome restaurant with live music, Alexa getting an egg thrown at her (sorry Alexa, but this was, in fact, hilarious), drinks at TGIFriday, going out to a club in our day sweaters and riding in a CAR!  It was such a great trip to Casa, Thanks Salah!

After our wonderful pre-vacation Casa trip we were off to Italy to visit my Dad and Sandy (step mom).  They picked us up at the airport with Taco Bell (god bless their parents) and it was SOOO good to see them.  When we got back to the house we opened a bottle of wine and chatted the night away.  The next day we were off to Florence to celebrate Alexas birthday for two days (thanks dad!) and then back to dads house.  Alexa and I had sooo much fun doing laundry, taking showers, eating excessive amounts of food and drinking delicious adult beverages.  (you would think that was me being sarcastic, but its not--- it was amazing)  We also managed to fit in a trip to Vicenza to visit friends and a night out on the town in Aviano with old friends too.  It was SO amazing having a real Christmas with presents, a tree and delicious Christmas dinner with family.  After 11 days of being spoiled I returned home to pick up Lily and travel back to site.  By the time I was finally home, settled and unpacked I didn’t want to leave again for New Years so I celebrated quietly at home with some Velveeta, Mad Men and cuddled up with Lily.

After being home for about two weeks I also had my first in site visitor, MY DAD!  His flights ended up messing things up a bit, and he was stuck in Casablanca for an extra night (so I got to stay in a fancy hotel with towels, a tub and its own bathroom by myself- oh the little things!) but I picked him up and we hit the ground running (without his bag- thanks Royal Air Maroc) and headed to site.  It was a bit overwhelming for me, so I can only imagine how the trip went for him (hopefully he’ll type up his own blog soon and you’ll all get to hear what he thought!—hint hint dad!!)  But we hit all the important places, Host families’ house, land lords house and saw Souk.  I know my village really loved getting to meet my dad and it was so awesome finally getting to show someone from home this life/experience I’m having.  

Moroccan Weddings: Video and Pics

I've written a past post about Moroccan weddings here but am finally at an internet connection to post some videos...



Here are some pictures to check out too:
Wedding Pics
More Wedding Pics

Enjoy--- a real blog post coming soon!