Chaos Theory

After an exciting weekend of hiking, I was prepared to start work at the center for the Ifrane National Park. The Monday started with an Arabic lesson from our awesome professor. Arabic is a very different language English, and also from French which I took in high school. Its a challenge, but having a good teacher helps. I'm hoping that by the end of my trip I will know at least the basics of Moroccan Arabic. Its such a pretty language.

Day 1 did not go as expected. A slight problem with the lunches on the first day left us quickly grabbing granola bars from the campus store before the volunteers working at the park, as well as 2 other NGOs got into an old Mercedes to be driven to the next town over for our work. Somewhere mid- morning I went to use the toilet only to discover that it did not flush automatically and I had to pour water down to force it to flush. I also found no toilet paper in the bathroom. Luckily for lunch our coordinators meet us at a cafe so we did not have to survive on only granola bars.

Chaos continued in the afternoon. I went on a bus with a bunch of campers (probably ages 6-14) to help the environmental educator to teach the kids about water at a local lake. Well...not so local- we drove for over half an hour when suddenly a loud bump let us know that the bus had a flat tire. We walked with the kids for a bit before realizing the lake was too far for them to get to before it was time to leave. Despite the language barrier, it was really fun interacting with the campers. I got to practice my French and even use a little Arabic. Childhood fun is universal. The kids played the same types of games on the bus, and they all like my cats-cradle string tricks just like the kids I worked with in the US did.

The following day proved no less chaotic. The head of the environmental education program had to leave early unexpectedly that day. Unfortunately this was the day that 2 groups each with around 20 seven year olds showed up for a tour of the eco- museum. I did my best to explain the objects and pictures in the museum. Some of the kids really seemed to enjoy it, but I felt bad because some of them did not understand my English, and there were many questions I did not know the answers to in my 2 days at work.

As the week continued on things got less chaotic. I am learning to take things as they come and be ready for anything. Every event is a learning experience. Right now I'm working on planting saffron in the garden at the park. Its hard work, but I've learned a lot about this rare plant, and hopefully I can share this knowledge through the garden. Also I've learned a lot about gardening. I know that there will be stressful times at this job, but in the end I will have learned a ton and hopefully made a meaningful difference.

Mountains, vallys, farms, fields, and donkeys

The past few days have been a complete whirlwind. The weekend was spent hiking in the Mid-Atlas mountains. Our hike started out at 9 am, and little did we know what we were in for. Our guide took us on a some gorgeous trails through the mountains of the national park. Unlike in the US where national parks are almost entirely for preservation of nature, this park has many little houses and villages throughout. People herd sheep and grow plants within the confines of the park. Throughout our walk there were sheep, donkeys, orchards, and agricultural fields alongside forests, mountains, and lakes.

A little afternoon we arrived at a guesthouse along the way where we had Moroccan salad for lunch and fresh fruit for dessert. Afterwards some of us went paddleboating. Oh... and the coolest part- I got to ride a donkey! I was walking along and there was a kid riding a donkey and I asked if I could take a picture, and he offered me a ride! I felt bad for the donkey though- I definitely was heavier than the kid he was used to carrying.

After lunch we hiked for another two hours until we reached another guesthouse which was absolutely adorable, and a very comfortable place to rest after a 7 hour hike. The owners were so welcoming. That night there was an Imazighan (also called Berber- they are a people who are native to Morocco and have their own unique cultures and traditions) wedding. In their culture, everyone from the village is invited to the wedding, and they let us come along too. The guests all sit under a huge tent- women on one side men on the other. In front of the tent men play drums to build up the anticipation for when the bride and groom arrive. We got to dance along with the rest of the guests. Unfortunately since the ceremony started around 11, we had to leave before it was over, but just being there for a while was really fun.

The next morning we headed out again for another hike- this time only 5 hours, but taking us to a lake and along the country side. On our way we meet a women's weaving group. They showed us how they turn sheep and goat wool into tents. The women were so welcoming; they even gave us each some mint tea. After finally returning to the guesthouse we were all exhausted, but happy to have seen such a beautiful landscape and such important elements of a culture that most visitors do not get to experience.