'Rbi3'; Spring in Arabic and New Opportunities

Yoga at my host family's house

Head stand

Here we are; family and friends

Atlas Mountain view from the village

Local men playing checkers with carrot sticks ends and bottle caps

Chickens waiting for their death at the butcher

Local post office motor bike

The post office sign in El Sharij

Gathering and music for prayer of rain

I hosted tea with my Moroccan sister and friends 

Mosque at dusk

Beautiful skies from my balcony 

Tourist, posing for a photo in her new jilaba with my host sister

Mom making dinner tajine

Volleyball at the Dar Taliba

Resting duck

Shopping in Attouia

It has warmed up here considerably and the days are getting longer. I had the opportunity to meet a Canadian tourist who came to visit my host family in the village. We spent four days together and I shared my experiences in Morocco thus far and showed her the village. I hosted a tea party for the first time in my apartment where my host sister and friend came. I have been doing some one on one yoga classes in my community which have been fun and educational. I also visited a new women's association in Attouia where local women were selling their crafts. Volleyball has taken over yoga classes at the Dar Taliba this week. Woman in the village have been gathering to play music and sing to pray for rain as there is a drought here and fruits and vegetables are more expensive with crop watering. I am looking forward to working over Spring break with youth in April. I accepted a new opportunity and adventure as a cycling tour guide on a 10 day excursion from Ouarzazate, camel trekking through the Sahara to the ocean in Essouaria then to Marrakech seeing Kasbah's and beautiful scenery along the way while enjoying fine dining and meeting new people. It will be challenging work and fun all rolled into one. It pays to keep in shape. I continue to enjoy these chance and random encounters which keep me on my toes!  

Spring is Here

A cozy night with candles when the power went out

Another beautiful sunset

Hand henna

Foot Henna

Arabic studies

World Wide School card exchange project

Village mapping project

Peekaboo

Hair Henna 

Emotion activity with Dar Taliba

Drawings of emotions including English and Arabic

It's been a challenging week for electronics. Not only did I need a new charger for my computer, a few days later my independent speakers that I purchased several months ago in Morocco gave out. I was forced to buy new ones since I use them for teaching yoga and an advanced English class. I am on my third pair. I hope these new ones last awhile, the electronics in Morocco are fair at best. I can't complain, I have them now and they appear to work better than the other two. Aside from that, the days are getting longer, I find that I'm not needing my warm jackets or six layers of clothing, gloves or hat much. The birds are singing and frogs burping which I appreciate each morning and evening. The fields are more green and my mood has lifted. It gets upward toward 70 degrees. I have been spending time at friends and families homes in the village making my rounds. It's always a pleasure to get my feet, hands and hair henna'd which is a sure sign Spring has arrived. I am working towards participating in a few Spring camps in Marrakech and Ben Gruir, somewhat close by. I am continuing my Arabic studies and have recently completed the Qaran in English. I am still teaching English and yoga and have taken on private yoga sessions with a few woman in my village. A few students approached me last week about teaching English which I will pick up this week. Although I have a busy schedule, I still find time to myself. I think the villagers are getting more comfortable with my daily walks and occasionally I am asked what I will do when I leave Morocco. They also want to know how long I've been here and how much longer I have and what I think of Moroccan culture. This first year has gone by relatively quickly and although I am in the moment, I have recently been wondering what's in store for me this next year? I hope to take a birthday Sahara camel trek in April, visit Fes for another art festival and perhaps visit a few Peace Corps friends along the way. All good things are on the horizon.

Nothing Is Mundane

The most beautiful sunset yet

These signs frighten me

Yoga on the roof on a cold sunny day

Cookies and scones made on a rainy day

Curried kefta rice

Ouargui from the bridge

Preparing bread 

Hours of sifting

These kids love playing in this bus

Nothing is mundane here. After my travels, I realized how much I had been missed in my community. Continuing to feel blessed and humbled, I am getting back into my routine which  feels good and gives me purpose. I am getting invited to new homes and events. I visited my host family and they gave me lots of hugs. I have so many friends, I find its hard in keeping up. I am taking in this year marker as a milestone and feeling peaceful and happy. The sunsets keep me grounded as does my yoga and meditation practice. Each day I am reminded that the simplicity of it all is what keeps me going. I often wonder how this very moment will effect my life moving forward. As I was in need of a new computer charger, several came to my aid in my community to help me. I was lucky in finding a new one and amazed at the knowledge that the locals have here in terms of fixing things. As they dismantled the battery into many pieces I watched with undivided attention to see how it would get repaired. As men ran across the street bringing back pieces and parts, they opened the battery compartment with small screws and elements I could not imagine how they would repair it. But alas all parts strewn across the meat counter of the local butcher, I just watched in amazement. Afterwards, they said; "Laila, muskil kbir, explosion", which means a big problem, explosion. They sent me off and I purchased a new one close to home which didn't break my budget. Morocco carries on with new adventures ever so mundane and I am so glad to be a part of it.

A trip to Rabat and Khenifra

Kitty outside doorway in alley, Marrakech

View from Hotel Sindi Sud rooftop

One of many mosques at night in Marrakech

Train to Rabat

In full bloom on way to PC office, Rabat

A good indication you're in the right direction

Rabat, capital city

In the souk medina

Souk medina

Yarn store where I purchased jilaba beads

Picturesque doorway

Rabat Fulbrighter and Morocco Exchange students with Peace Corps

Visiting my friend Christine in Khenifra

Khenifra 

Khenifra from mountain hike

Khenifra

Bee Boxes

Bee Press

We visited the bee keeping place

View from over the mountain, Khenifra

A random photo

Siad's bee  buisness

Cactus

Olive and lemon stand

Artichoke and banana stand

Beautiful door knob

This grave yard photo looks very old

The trip to Rabat came about because I needed to see the Peace Corps Dentist to get a chipped tooth repaired. To make a long story short, I bit into a rock at my family's cous-cous luncheon, a common occurrence among Peace Corps volunteers, especially in Morocco, where eating so much grain consists of rocks inside. The Peace Corps dentist is located in the capital city which was quite a treat to see. Peace Corps headquarters is also located there and I had a great time looking through the extensive library there. I also met a few Fullbrighters living in Rabat, they took a few of us out for an Italian meal. I explored the souk medina and enjoyed my stay. I will be back in May for my mid-term medical checkup. After Rabat, I took two taxis to visit my friend Christine, who lives in Khenifra about another 5 hours South of Rabat. Her site, very different from mine and beautiful with mountains hiking distance from her apartment. A few other volunteers came to join for a few days of relaxing, cooking, movies, popcorn, roof top relaxation and meeting her host family. Siad, her host father has a bee keeping business and took us on a tour. Although her community is part of a large city, it was interesting to see the differences from my village to her's. I traveled alone for the first time far distances to new parts of Morocco and was glad I could negotiate my way while finding the best deals and most direct routes. I am so grateful to experience new places. Although nothing is easy in Morocco, I feel confident that I can get around in any part of the world. As I am learning more about myself along the way, I am aware of the process and the changes that are taking place and it's really nice to feel that I am being looked after while going through it.