So I think that since last week was Shark Week, I am going to go ahead and call this week "Moroccan Medical Week". I was sick with the most terrible illness imaginable this week and have been doing medical related things ever since then. The night I got back to my village I went over to visit my counterpart. She was in the side room off of her main house with two moms and two little babies. In addition to being an all around bad-ass, my counterpart also works part-time at the Sbitar (clinic) in town and helps out families who have sick members. I was not aware of this awesome trait until yesterday. When I enter the room she immedately starts talking to me like I am her head nurse, ordering me to get things and help out. Just as some background, I have ZERO training in first aid. When I was in 8th grade my mom made me take a babysitting class after school where I learned the most basic first aid ever and have had no training since then. Regardless of this fact, I start fetching things, fanning children and replacing cold rags. Both of the babies that were there were running high fevers and my counterpart was trying to break them. The coolest part was the combination of traditional medicines and more modern techniques.
Mind you, I am a huge advocate of modern medicine and given an option I would always use modern meds over traditional power and oil medications of the village but it was awesome to see it in action. Many of the more traditional techniques have been in use for probably a hundred years. I am sure there has not been a great deal of research on the effectiveness of ground up herbs, some other ground up red powder and oil on breaking a fever, maybe it is more placebo effect than anything, but there must be a reason they still use it, right? My scientific and logical mind just couldn't get enough of seeing real herbal medicene in action as an alternate to modern medicine.
The craziest thing about medical issues in my town is that we have a pretty good pharmacy in town with very well trained pharmacists and a sbitar (doctors clinic) that is FREE to villagers but yet the women still prefer the traditional powders and oils given by my counterpart and other village elders. I am really facinated by this fact since I grew up in a house where medical issues required a doctor's assitance and the most traditional medicine we used was chicken soup. This is a whole different medical world and I think it is worth some exploring.
The babies at my counterpart's house yesterday were little, one was less than a week old. I can't ever remember a time holding a baby so tiny. This baby was just barely a human and it was already sick. The poor little girl had her fingernails painted in henna and traditional tiny little bracelets on her arms and had a fever that was making her so sick. I helped fetch water, clean rags and even got to hold her for a minute while her mom rested. My counterpart fed both babies a mixture of ground herbs, some red powder which I didn't know what it was and olive oil and sent them on their way with a list of instructions for the mothers. I couldn't believe that the new mothers brought their babies to see my counterpart instead of going to the sbitar but I guess that shows how much faith they have in the traditional medicines she uses.
Today I went back over to my counterpart's house just to see my friends and the kids who had come back from Tiznit. There were two more little girls in the room, probably 3 or 4 with fevers as well. I am not sure what is going around, but I am careful to stay far away from it. I did a similar job today as yesterday, mostly just watching and fetching new water. This time my counterpart injected something into one of the little girls and again sent the worried mom's on their way. About an hour later a car pulls up outside of the Zawid (VERY uncommon) and a man runs out of his car with a little boy in his arms. We all run into the little room they use as a medical office and I found out that the little boy was asleep in his home and a scorpion stung him on his head. The dad was in a such a paniced state that he started crying.
The scorpions we have in my part of Morocco are generally not deadly if they sting adults. The sting gets trickier if the child is under 7 or 8. This little boy couldn't have been more than 3 years old. I immedately grab my "Where There Is No Doctor" book to look and see what it says to do, by my counterpart knows exactly what to do. She immedately opens up her med cabinet and gets to work injecting the anti venium into the wound. He immedately calms down. About 5 minutes earlier the pain the little boy was feeling was so strong that he actually threw up. After he calmed down she mixed up a combination of water, oil and ground up olive tree leaves, feeding it to the boy like a tea. This was by far the most frantic the "clinic" has been and frankly, I was quite afraid that the poor boy wasn't going to make it, he didn't look good. After the injections, the stinger was removed and the tea was drank, he immedately feel asleep. I am sure the pain was so great that his body just needed him to shut down for a little while. The crying father thanked my counterpart about a hundred times and took the little boy back to the car and drove away.
As a disclaimer, I know that some traditional medicienes do nothing more than make the person feel better. I am not an advocate either way and given the option, I will always choose the proven scientific method medicines that have been tested and retested but I think the traditional methods deserve some merit as well. I am not sure that the olive leaf tea actually made the boy feel better, but who are we to judge if it did. I will just assume it works until someone proves to me it doesn't.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The worst sickness ever.
These past few days have been anything but boring and despite their insane nature, I realized how much I really do miss my long to-do lists and the stresses associated with them. I know it seems crazy but I have spent the better part of the last 10 years being constantly busy and this slower pace of life is certainly taking some getting used to. Imik s imik as my villagers would say, little by little I will adjust.
As I posted about before, we spent two weeks in Azrou, a small quaint little town only a few hours from Fez. Azrou was beautifulily situated next to Ifrane National Park, home to the Atlas Cedar tree and the Barbary Monkeys. It was a nice change of scenery from the desert Argan forest I spend most of my time in. On the last day of training we took a group field trip to a local women's cooperative specializing in essential oils and other herbs found in an around the national park. The co-op was a small and committed group of 7 women who were more than happy to answer the hundreds of questions we threw at them. Many of my fellow volunteers are looking at starting co-op's in their villages, this was an exteremly helpful visit. The greatest part was the sale they threw for us afterwords. Most of us walked away with at least a couple of items and we got some great stuff. I got two bottles of essential oils and some herbs for only about 6 dollars, it was great!
This is the day that the sickness started taking over. Most of the volunteers had contracted some sort of sickeness over the two weeks, some worse than others. The combination of bringing together a lot of volunteers for a long period of time is a recipie for disaster and a breeding ground for lots of bacteria.
Thursday I spent most of my day in bed, unable to will the strenght to get up. Friday I was feeling a little better so I headed to the field trip. Friday night we indulged in some much deserved ice cream/Snickers bar combination and then headed to bed. Saturday morning was departure day and I wasn't feeling great but Jesse and I headed back to her site to hang out for a day or so before I had to catch my very long bus ride back to the south. This is when disaster hit. I almost threw up in every cab we took and spent most of the rides trying to focus on ANYTHING but the looming feeling of vomit and talking myself out of that feeling. When we finally got to Jesse's site we bought some veggies and Coke and paid a man with a cart to carry it all to her house. We then both spent the next 24 hours immobile on the couch. The sickness attacked me first allowing Jesse just enough time to cook a delicious quiche that we could not even eat. When I say we were immobile, that is not an exaggaration or overstatement. Other than the 10ft walk to the bathroom and the occassional trip to get more water, we did not leave the couch.
This is hands down the worst sickeness I have ever had. I have had some bad hangovers in my life and even experienced a sickness that caused my glands to swell to the point that my sister made me wear a scarf so I didn't scare people, but nothing compares to the feeling I had Saturday night. Just the though of eating anything, drinking water or moving would force my body to expel all the fluids inside of it, no matter the means. Jesse and I spent the entire night competiting for bathroom time. Now mind you, Jesse has a nice bathroom in comparision to many in Morocco but this is no poreclin western toilet we are talking about. This is a turkish toilet (aka a hole). At least she has running water, that literally made all of the difference. This night was the ultimate test of friendship and frankly, Jesse and I will have to be friends forever. Two people cannot go through an extremely personal night like this and not be.
The PC doctors told us to classify dirraea as 4 or more loose stools per day over a three day period. By 3pm we were each at about 12 loose stools (loose is a generous term really, we're talking about water stools), this is when we made the call to our Peace Corps Medical Officers to get some help. The one great thing about being sick in Morocco is that we have a doctor on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ready to help with anything. This may be the only great thing about being sick so far away from home and a western toilet. Our doctor told us to go the pharmacy and get this pill, taking all 4 at once. That was a complete disaster. Our bodies did NOT agree with this assesment and we ended up argubly worse off than before. We spent the next 12 hours with alternating bouts of diarraea and vomiting just trying to stay hydrated enough not to do more harm to our already angry bodies.
When we got up the following morning, it seemed like maybe this day was going to be better than the previous day (argubly the second worst day in my life). We went back to the pharmacy got some more pills which have reacted much better than the previous and we actually ate something. Mind you, between the two of us we couldn't even finish one cup of rice but it was more than we had eaten in the previous 30 hours.
The doctors seem convinced it was an amoeba which had just decided to take up residence in our gut and wreak havoc on everything inside our skin. While I do not feel fully recovered and even threw up in a bush in Tiznit on Monday, I pray that I never have to experience that pain again in my entire life. While Morocco does provide some awesome experiences and opportunities, it also provides some terrible realities that are sure to slap us back into reality of life outside of America. The reality is that most Americans will never experience amoebas or other food bourne illness because of the extereme care and regulation placed on food preperation. Washing hands, treating water and cleaning every cooking surface are commonplace in America but they are emerging concepts in Morocco. This extereme care has been great for my body when I lived in America but the lack of bacteria has also left my immune system and stomach unprepared and not ready for the new challenges it will face living in Morocco. The reality is that my digestive system will probably never fully recover from my time in Morocco but that is just one of the many challenges I knew I was going to face when I signed up for this experience.
On Monday I headed back to my village (the southernmost post in Morocco). After 12+ hours on the bus and two Tylenol PM, I awoke in Agadir and faced again the harsh heat reality that dominates my region. After an hour and a half cab ride to Tiznit, with 4 people in the backseat and the driver not allowing anyone to roll down any windows (many people in Morocco believe that wind can make you sick), I made it back to the firey land of Tiznit. It took me nearly 45 minutes to walk the 15 block from the taxi stand to the Water and Forest Office and another 45 to walk from there to the taxi stand (a trip that usually takes about 15-20 minutes). On the walk back to the taxi stand, I am sad to admit that I had to throw up in a bush next to the road because of the heat and the sickness. I then waited another hour for a cab to fill and headed back to my village. When I got back to my home I was greeted with my fan and some ice, making everything in the wold seem a whole lot better.
I am thankful that I didn't get my first amoeba and real debilitating sickness until 5 months in country, many fellow volunteers got sick much sooner than I. I am also exteremly tahnkful that it did not drag on for weeks at a time like for some of my friends here and that I am starting to feel recovered again after only 4 days! I guess this is all just a part of the "experience" and I can promise you right now that I will never complain of an upset stomach after eating in America ever again.
Finally, I would like to thank Jesse for allowing me to basically come close to death in her home and still wanting to be my friend!
As I posted about before, we spent two weeks in Azrou, a small quaint little town only a few hours from Fez. Azrou was beautifulily situated next to Ifrane National Park, home to the Atlas Cedar tree and the Barbary Monkeys. It was a nice change of scenery from the desert Argan forest I spend most of my time in. On the last day of training we took a group field trip to a local women's cooperative specializing in essential oils and other herbs found in an around the national park. The co-op was a small and committed group of 7 women who were more than happy to answer the hundreds of questions we threw at them. Many of my fellow volunteers are looking at starting co-op's in their villages, this was an exteremly helpful visit. The greatest part was the sale they threw for us afterwords. Most of us walked away with at least a couple of items and we got some great stuff. I got two bottles of essential oils and some herbs for only about 6 dollars, it was great!
This is the day that the sickness started taking over. Most of the volunteers had contracted some sort of sickeness over the two weeks, some worse than others. The combination of bringing together a lot of volunteers for a long period of time is a recipie for disaster and a breeding ground for lots of bacteria.
Thursday I spent most of my day in bed, unable to will the strenght to get up. Friday I was feeling a little better so I headed to the field trip. Friday night we indulged in some much deserved ice cream/Snickers bar combination and then headed to bed. Saturday morning was departure day and I wasn't feeling great but Jesse and I headed back to her site to hang out for a day or so before I had to catch my very long bus ride back to the south. This is when disaster hit. I almost threw up in every cab we took and spent most of the rides trying to focus on ANYTHING but the looming feeling of vomit and talking myself out of that feeling. When we finally got to Jesse's site we bought some veggies and Coke and paid a man with a cart to carry it all to her house. We then both spent the next 24 hours immobile on the couch. The sickness attacked me first allowing Jesse just enough time to cook a delicious quiche that we could not even eat. When I say we were immobile, that is not an exaggaration or overstatement. Other than the 10ft walk to the bathroom and the occassional trip to get more water, we did not leave the couch.
This is hands down the worst sickeness I have ever had. I have had some bad hangovers in my life and even experienced a sickness that caused my glands to swell to the point that my sister made me wear a scarf so I didn't scare people, but nothing compares to the feeling I had Saturday night. Just the though of eating anything, drinking water or moving would force my body to expel all the fluids inside of it, no matter the means. Jesse and I spent the entire night competiting for bathroom time. Now mind you, Jesse has a nice bathroom in comparision to many in Morocco but this is no poreclin western toilet we are talking about. This is a turkish toilet (aka a hole). At least she has running water, that literally made all of the difference. This night was the ultimate test of friendship and frankly, Jesse and I will have to be friends forever. Two people cannot go through an extremely personal night like this and not be.
The PC doctors told us to classify dirraea as 4 or more loose stools per day over a three day period. By 3pm we were each at about 12 loose stools (loose is a generous term really, we're talking about water stools), this is when we made the call to our Peace Corps Medical Officers to get some help. The one great thing about being sick in Morocco is that we have a doctor on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week ready to help with anything. This may be the only great thing about being sick so far away from home and a western toilet. Our doctor told us to go the pharmacy and get this pill, taking all 4 at once. That was a complete disaster. Our bodies did NOT agree with this assesment and we ended up argubly worse off than before. We spent the next 12 hours with alternating bouts of diarraea and vomiting just trying to stay hydrated enough not to do more harm to our already angry bodies.
When we got up the following morning, it seemed like maybe this day was going to be better than the previous day (argubly the second worst day in my life). We went back to the pharmacy got some more pills which have reacted much better than the previous and we actually ate something. Mind you, between the two of us we couldn't even finish one cup of rice but it was more than we had eaten in the previous 30 hours.
The doctors seem convinced it was an amoeba which had just decided to take up residence in our gut and wreak havoc on everything inside our skin. While I do not feel fully recovered and even threw up in a bush in Tiznit on Monday, I pray that I never have to experience that pain again in my entire life. While Morocco does provide some awesome experiences and opportunities, it also provides some terrible realities that are sure to slap us back into reality of life outside of America. The reality is that most Americans will never experience amoebas or other food bourne illness because of the extereme care and regulation placed on food preperation. Washing hands, treating water and cleaning every cooking surface are commonplace in America but they are emerging concepts in Morocco. This extereme care has been great for my body when I lived in America but the lack of bacteria has also left my immune system and stomach unprepared and not ready for the new challenges it will face living in Morocco. The reality is that my digestive system will probably never fully recover from my time in Morocco but that is just one of the many challenges I knew I was going to face when I signed up for this experience.
On Monday I headed back to my village (the southernmost post in Morocco). After 12+ hours on the bus and two Tylenol PM, I awoke in Agadir and faced again the harsh heat reality that dominates my region. After an hour and a half cab ride to Tiznit, with 4 people in the backseat and the driver not allowing anyone to roll down any windows (many people in Morocco believe that wind can make you sick), I made it back to the firey land of Tiznit. It took me nearly 45 minutes to walk the 15 block from the taxi stand to the Water and Forest Office and another 45 to walk from there to the taxi stand (a trip that usually takes about 15-20 minutes). On the walk back to the taxi stand, I am sad to admit that I had to throw up in a bush next to the road because of the heat and the sickness. I then waited another hour for a cab to fill and headed back to my village. When I got back to my home I was greeted with my fan and some ice, making everything in the wold seem a whole lot better.
I am thankful that I didn't get my first amoeba and real debilitating sickness until 5 months in country, many fellow volunteers got sick much sooner than I. I am also exteremly tahnkful that it did not drag on for weeks at a time like for some of my friends here and that I am starting to feel recovered again after only 4 days! I guess this is all just a part of the "experience" and I can promise you right now that I will never complain of an upset stomach after eating in America ever again.
Finally, I would like to thank Jesse for allowing me to basically come close to death in her home and still wanting to be my friend!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
No doubt about it, what I love about the south.
There have been a lot of questions recently about what my "job" is here in Morocco and since that is a slightly complicated question, I figured I would explain it here. My job is really three fold but the first two are my main focus.
1. Working with a local women's argan co-op. The women of my village assembeled themseleves about 6 years ago to form an income generating co-op focused on Argan and other local products. The Argan tree is native to southern Morocco and has been living in this part of Morocco for 25 million years. The women use the nut produced (looks like an acorn) to create the highly coveted Argan oil. It is used by a great deal of high-end salons all over the world to make your hair soft and shiny as well as help improve your skin. They also create an Argan oil that is used in cooking (similar to olive oil with a much nuttier flavor). I am helping them establish some better business practices, expand their current markets, increase efficency and cleanliness and general women's development. Many of the women in the co-op are either divorced, widowed or never married and they use the income they make from the co-op to live. We have a recently remodeled co-op building that is directly next door to my house in the village. The women usually spend a couple of hours a day (depending on the season) creating a variety of products including the above mentioned Argan oil, Amalou (delicious deviation from peanut butter), cous cous and some jewlery. At festivals the women sell Argan oil, amalou, natural herbs and flowers, cous cous, jewlery, cook books and quite a bit of other products that are unique to my region of Morocco (Souss).
I am sure many of you are asking why I am working with a co-op since I am an environment volunteer. The easiest way to explain it is that Peace Corps assigns you to a village and you do what needs to be done to help that village. The Argan tree is a site of biological importance and there has been a lot of stress on the trees due to increased desertification caused by global climate change. The tree is VERY important to the region so part of my work with the co-op is to educate the women and the village on the importance of the tree both biologically and ecologically. Plus, the women are awesome which is what makes my work amazing.
I have some project ideas in the works, mostly related to Argan tree education and conservation and other women's development workshops to help some of the local women acquire skills that will help them in their everyday lives. Most of the women are uneducated and unable to read or write so by teaching them some basic skills they can become educated in some of the most important things they face in everyday life.
I have a really motivated and awesome counterpart at site who is the president of the co-op and really wants the best for the 30 women who are a part of it. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do.
2. Working with the local schools to develop an environmental education curriculum. This is really like a co-project I will hopefully be devoting as much time to as the co-op project. I have already had a few meetings with the school's teachers and administration hoping to get some basic EE lessons incorporated into the school plan. I know that my local schools have incorporated things in the past, they are just looking for new and more creative ideas. I am hoping to help with that. Year one will be all about generating EE excitement and lessons so hopefully by year two I can get a legitimate after school EE club started. We will see how it goes.
3. Photodocumentation of local flora and fauna. The Department of Water and Forest has a great interest in my region based on the unique Argan and desert ecosystems. Hopefully, I will be able to get a booklet of local plants together to help collect information for the department as well as local schools and associations. Right now they don't really know what is out there, my job is to hopefully figure it out. This is definitely a third tier project but hopefully if I get some time next spring I can start putting something together when the plants are flowering.
As you can see, my job description is quite broad and allows for a great deal of flexibility within my work. This can be both a good and bad thing. I am looking forward to using this fall to really dig deep into what the community wants and then start implementing some training's next spring. Maybe even a region wide event, but all things will come in time. I am really lucky to have such an amazing counterpart and co-op to work with as well as a cooperative and excited local school. I really have all my ducks in a row and am just looking forward to getting some stuff going.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions, hope this was clear to all!
The sign that leads people to my co-op.
1. Working with a local women's argan co-op. The women of my village assembeled themseleves about 6 years ago to form an income generating co-op focused on Argan and other local products. The Argan tree is native to southern Morocco and has been living in this part of Morocco for 25 million years. The women use the nut produced (looks like an acorn) to create the highly coveted Argan oil. It is used by a great deal of high-end salons all over the world to make your hair soft and shiny as well as help improve your skin. They also create an Argan oil that is used in cooking (similar to olive oil with a much nuttier flavor). I am helping them establish some better business practices, expand their current markets, increase efficency and cleanliness and general women's development. Many of the women in the co-op are either divorced, widowed or never married and they use the income they make from the co-op to live. We have a recently remodeled co-op building that is directly next door to my house in the village. The women usually spend a couple of hours a day (depending on the season) creating a variety of products including the above mentioned Argan oil, Amalou (delicious deviation from peanut butter), cous cous and some jewlery. At festivals the women sell Argan oil, amalou, natural herbs and flowers, cous cous, jewlery, cook books and quite a bit of other products that are unique to my region of Morocco (Souss).
I am sure many of you are asking why I am working with a co-op since I am an environment volunteer. The easiest way to explain it is that Peace Corps assigns you to a village and you do what needs to be done to help that village. The Argan tree is a site of biological importance and there has been a lot of stress on the trees due to increased desertification caused by global climate change. The tree is VERY important to the region so part of my work with the co-op is to educate the women and the village on the importance of the tree both biologically and ecologically. Plus, the women are awesome which is what makes my work amazing.
I have some project ideas in the works, mostly related to Argan tree education and conservation and other women's development workshops to help some of the local women acquire skills that will help them in their everyday lives. Most of the women are uneducated and unable to read or write so by teaching them some basic skills they can become educated in some of the most important things they face in everyday life.
I have a really motivated and awesome counterpart at site who is the president of the co-op and really wants the best for the 30 women who are a part of it. I am looking forward to seeing what I can do.
2. Working with the local schools to develop an environmental education curriculum. This is really like a co-project I will hopefully be devoting as much time to as the co-op project. I have already had a few meetings with the school's teachers and administration hoping to get some basic EE lessons incorporated into the school plan. I know that my local schools have incorporated things in the past, they are just looking for new and more creative ideas. I am hoping to help with that. Year one will be all about generating EE excitement and lessons so hopefully by year two I can get a legitimate after school EE club started. We will see how it goes.
3. Photodocumentation of local flora and fauna. The Department of Water and Forest has a great interest in my region based on the unique Argan and desert ecosystems. Hopefully, I will be able to get a booklet of local plants together to help collect information for the department as well as local schools and associations. Right now they don't really know what is out there, my job is to hopefully figure it out. This is definitely a third tier project but hopefully if I get some time next spring I can start putting something together when the plants are flowering.
As you can see, my job description is quite broad and allows for a great deal of flexibility within my work. This can be both a good and bad thing. I am looking forward to using this fall to really dig deep into what the community wants and then start implementing some training's next spring. Maybe even a region wide event, but all things will come in time. I am really lucky to have such an amazing counterpart and co-op to work with as well as a cooperative and excited local school. I really have all my ducks in a row and am just looking forward to getting some stuff going.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions, hope this was clear to all!
The sign that leads people to my co-op.
A Big Trip in the works.
So the biggest news recently is that on September 5th I will be taking a trip to Israel with two of my fellow PCV's. I literally cannot wait.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Trip to Fes.
So we are here in Azrou for 2 weeks for our Post- Pre Service training. It is essentially a training focused more on technical skills and language as opposed to Pre Service training which was almost entirely focused on culture and survival language.
The neat thing about this past week has been the opportunity to meet up and talk with other volunteers to get a gauge of sites, what people are doing and other project ideas. I also moved up one level in my language exam, so rock on. I haven't been able to find a tutor for the past three months, I have been just practicing with the people around me and it seems to be working out well, so far at least. We shall see how the next exam goes.
This past weekend we had a "free" weekend so many people in our stage scattered to places all over the region. Jancy, Jessie and I hung out in Azrou on Saturday and explored the old medina. We saw some crazy outfits, ate some delicious 5dh fish sandwiches and got delicious fruit smoothies for 6dh. It was a pretty successful day. On Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Fes. Fes is this great city, not too far from here, with an amazing and huge medina. The first place we went was this great cafe run by an English fellow called Cafe Clock. It was three stories tall and had great treats we dont normally get in country like maple syrup for our recotta pancakes and iced coffees. We spent a good portion of our day there and even ate a camel burger.
From the cafe we headed shopping in the medina. So many things are available and so much to look it, it was overwhelming. We ended up getting Jessie a GREAT pair of silver and turquois earrings. Jancy got a great leather over the shoulder bag for only 200dh (25USD) that was made from hand, and I got a little fan and a pink leather wallet. It was quite a successful shopping trip.
After nearly overheating in the medina we headed to a house in the medina where two Fullbright scholars live. The house was amazing. Much nicer than what we could afford on a Peace Corps budget for sure.
Finally we hit the Marjane and got some much needed air conditioning and relaxing time. It turned out to be a long, but great day and it was quite nice to check out a new part of Morocco so far and disconnected from the Morocco I am used to in my village. The craziest part about visiting up north is the fact that all of my language skills are useless. The Berbers of this part of Morocco speak a different version of Tashlheet than I do and I do not know Moroccan Arabic. Who would have guessed that life can be so different just a few hundred km away. My plan for the fall is to start learning some Arabic to help me in times like these, but for now I am enjoying my friends just translating for me :)
The neat thing about this past week has been the opportunity to meet up and talk with other volunteers to get a gauge of sites, what people are doing and other project ideas. I also moved up one level in my language exam, so rock on. I haven't been able to find a tutor for the past three months, I have been just practicing with the people around me and it seems to be working out well, so far at least. We shall see how the next exam goes.
This past weekend we had a "free" weekend so many people in our stage scattered to places all over the region. Jancy, Jessie and I hung out in Azrou on Saturday and explored the old medina. We saw some crazy outfits, ate some delicious 5dh fish sandwiches and got delicious fruit smoothies for 6dh. It was a pretty successful day. On Sunday morning we got up early and headed to Fes. Fes is this great city, not too far from here, with an amazing and huge medina. The first place we went was this great cafe run by an English fellow called Cafe Clock. It was three stories tall and had great treats we dont normally get in country like maple syrup for our recotta pancakes and iced coffees. We spent a good portion of our day there and even ate a camel burger.
From the cafe we headed shopping in the medina. So many things are available and so much to look it, it was overwhelming. We ended up getting Jessie a GREAT pair of silver and turquois earrings. Jancy got a great leather over the shoulder bag for only 200dh (25USD) that was made from hand, and I got a little fan and a pink leather wallet. It was quite a successful shopping trip.
After nearly overheating in the medina we headed to a house in the medina where two Fullbright scholars live. The house was amazing. Much nicer than what we could afford on a Peace Corps budget for sure.
Finally we hit the Marjane and got some much needed air conditioning and relaxing time. It turned out to be a long, but great day and it was quite nice to check out a new part of Morocco so far and disconnected from the Morocco I am used to in my village. The craziest part about visiting up north is the fact that all of my language skills are useless. The Berbers of this part of Morocco speak a different version of Tashlheet than I do and I do not know Moroccan Arabic. Who would have guessed that life can be so different just a few hundred km away. My plan for the fall is to start learning some Arabic to help me in times like these, but for now I am enjoying my friends just translating for me :)
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