The Days Go By

The days go by with little change in routine. Every day except Sunday, we go to class where we study language and cross-culture. On Sundays we go to the souk which is always interesting. Last week we met with the artisan co-op that we will be working with during our training. It was a very interesting session, conducted through our LCF as interpreter. We saw some of their products which were beautifully crafted, and heard about some of the problems they are facing. Their embroidery work is exquisite, showing no difference between the back and the front. Our task is to come up with recommendations for them at the end of the training period. We have many good ideas but who knows if they are practical? We hope to meet with the again this week.

The first rains of the winter have started and we are all bundling up for the classroom since there is no heat source in the building. Ceiling plaster occasionally sifts down on our heads, and the broken window panes alternately let in flies or cold wind. The landlord brought new glass for the windows but it was too big, so we taped plastic over the holes until the right size glass can be found. Luckily we have a great cook and a large delicious lunch to sustain us.

Last Friday we traveled to Azrou to meet with the other 22 small business developers for further training and to report on the first phase of our meeting with the artisans. It was fun to swap stories with the other trainees about our host families and our experiences. One trainee told of his taxi ride between towns where a passenger actually got in and sat to the left of the driver so that here were four in front. Another trainee lives in a house without a bathroom door and has a host mom who tries to tuck her in at night. Then there are a fortunate few who have their own bathrooms and hot showers (not us).

Our environment here has taken some getting used to, for example, new odors, no fixed prices or schedules, one glass of water passed around the table, herds of sheep crossing the street, heating water on the stove for bucket showers, call to prayer five times a day, people riding donkeys, and red dust forever blowing. But the light can be extraordinarily beautiful, the stars are bright, and the people are amazingly friendly and helpful when we try to speak our limited darija.