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Editor's Notes
- This is me, in Morocco with the Peace Corps, about one year ago! Its hard to believe its been a year already....so much has happened! My name is Michele and I grew up in Rochester, New York. I have also lived in Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco and the US Virgin Islands.
- So what IS that stuff on my hands???? That is henna, a temporary coloring made from the ground-up leaves of a plant. Its traditional for women to decorate their hands, and sometimes their feet too, for special occasions. My right hand is an example of a modern henna design; my left hand, the all-over effect, is in the very old Berber style. It wears off in a couple days...EXCEPT on the fingernails which takes up to 4 months to grow out!
- I am living in about the middle of the country in a valley below the Middle Atlas Mountains, in a small village near Beni Mellal. The country of Morocco is very similar to the state of California, including its shape and size, and its latitude on the earth. This is the view, in wintertime last year, from my rooftop terrace. Happily the snow doesn't fall all the way down to my village.
- Here are some picture of the inside of my apartment.....the 'salon' or living room...
- ….part of the kitchen.....
- ….the 'bathroom'....... yes that is a weird toilet! Its called a 'Turkish toilet' and it has a hole connected to a sewer pipe, and 2footpads so you won't slip. One squats to use it.....then you pour a bucket of water to 'flush'. The good part is that it never breaks!
- ...and this is part of my terrace. I slept out here a lot last summer when it was over 100 degrees during the day for 3 months!
- There are about 250 Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco. There are 4 different programs we work in: Environment, Health, Youth, and Small Business. The volunteers are of all ages and backgrounds....
- ….
- Some volunteers at a handicrafts show....
- ...more volunteers at a handicrafts show.... as you can see, we represent all of America!!!!
- ….here are some pictures of the small village where I have lived for one year and will be for another year....
- ...this is the main street...and the only street that is paved!
- ...when it rains the unpaved streets are very muddy! In the middle you can see the horse wagons. These are used in my village a lot for everything from transportation of people to building materials. I ride one once a week to go to the outdoor food market about a mile away.
- ...this is what is left of an old adobe house. The early inhabitants of Morocco were mostly herdsmen who took their sheep and goats to the mountains in the summer and down to the valleys in the winter. For a long time they lived in caves or tents but eventually they became more settled and started building houses made of mud bricks.
- ...another very old adobe and stone building.....when they started adding stones to the walls the buildings lasted longer.
- ...here is the tower of a mosque....where the Muslim people go to pray. Many of them are very beautiful.....
- ….this is a very famous and large mosque in Marrakesh. ..it is called The Kotubia.
- ….Moroccans raise and eat a lot of sheep....and they use the wool to make blankets and clothes.....
- ...and there are a lot of goats too for goat cheese, and their fur was traditionally used for weaving the big family tents they moved from place to place.