Halfway There

Today marks the day when we are halfway through our Peace Corps service. We plan to have a mini celebration which is the only kind available, but have saved some taco shells brought back from Amsterdam for just such an occasion. Congratulations to all of us who have made it this far!


(young woman modeling traditional Berber wedding robe)

Yesterday we went to Fes with Doug’s co-op president, a Moroccan friend, and a driver to purchase some equipment for the co-op. It was fun to ride in a big truck in fake fur covered, dangling bead splendor instead of being squashed in a taxi. On the way, we were motioned over at a gendarme checkpoint where our driver was fined for not wearing a seat belt. Really? I have yet to see anyone in Morocco wearing a seat belt, but it is the law. I tried to fasten mine, but there was nothing to hook it into so I draped the strap over my shoulder and held it in place for the next two checkpoints. Again we were motioned over where they opened the back doors of the truck only to find an American sitting on the wooden bench. The third time, we were waved on through.

In Fes, we went to a western style store with fixed prices, then to some Fes hanuts where Doug and I disappeared down the street so the Moroccans could negotiate a local price. On our way back, the three Moroccans kept up a continual conversation in the style of the country—everyone talking at once in escalating volume. This may be why their conversations are peppered with “Did you understand?” which might really mean “Did you hear me while you were talking over me?”

A lot has happened in the last month. I helped Cooperative Adwal put together photos of their products and prepare an application to take part in the 2012 International Folk Art Festival in Santa Fe. If they are selected (we’ll hear in December) it will be a huge honor, but also the bar will be set high for the quality of products they bring.

We took a much needed vacation to go to Oktoberfest in Munich and to spend a few days in Amsterdam, with stops in Brussels and Paris on the way back. It was a wonderfully relaxing time where we enjoyed the overwhelming selection of food and drink, schweinbraten, the Bavarian Alps,

sidewalk cafes populated with women and children, high speed trains with wifi, hot showers, clean streets and landscapes, European art and architecture, canals and windmills.

Back in Morocco, we were visited by our friends, Jill and Ian, from England. Six years ago our paths crossed in a library in St Chinian, France, and we have kept in touch ever since. We delighted in introducing them to the Morocco that most visitors never see and experiencing the daily life and living conditions of most of the people, including a white knuckle ride in a taxi to Fes with Jill sitting in the inside back seat with a close-up view of the mere inches between us and oncoming vehicles. In the evenings, they entertained us with stories of their extensive travels and shared their Bordeaux wine and goodies brought from Europe. Their account of their visit to our town can be read at Maxted Travels http://modestine2011.blogspot.com/2011/10/ribat-el-kheir.html Their many pictures, keen observations, and British wit make for good reading.