Photos...

Part of our bridge got washed out during the recent storms that we were having so now we have to climb over these rocks to get to the other parts of town. (thats my sitemate by the way)

My town. Isn't it pretty?

This is how people in my town get wood for our fornus. People that live on the other side of the mountain bring wood on horses or donkeys. They walk about 2-3hrs to get to our town and then walk back. Sometimes they make various trips in a day, especially when the weather is nice and sunny.

My fornu! This is a little wood burning stove that has pipes going out through my roof. I make fires in it to keep my room warm. If it wasn't for this amazing stove, I think I would freeze :/

I went to a craft fair with the women of the weaving cooperative that we have in town. I helped them set up this zween tent. Isn't it pretty. They make this kind of stuff everyday. Its incredible how dedicated the women are to their work, especially now that its freezing cold in the building in which they work.

This is one of the nearest large towns from where I live. This is a view of Azrou and its beautiful mosque as seen from the roof of one of the city's hotels.

In the Fes medina. These guys bang on these pots until they shape them perfectly. The sounds of their work just fit in perfectly with the atmosphere of the rest of the medina.

A Little About My Work

my town from the mountain behind it :)



I realize that I have not mentioned much about the work that I am supposed to be doing here. My first six months in site were to be dedicated to learning the local language and to assessing community needs as they relate to health. I am currently in the sixth month of service and I am rather disappointed with the way that my language has progressed. I have, however, been assessing community needs.
My job is really that of a job educator. I can educate through whatever medium suits my community best, whether that be by health education at the elementary school, tea talks, or whatever else I can think of. I don't yet have permission to teach at the school, but it is the place where I most want to work. In the meantime I have been hanging out at the clinic and doing informal education primarily with the women of the weaving cooperative in my site. The women are very curious about the causes of hypertension and high cholesterol, so I have been telling them what little I know about these topics. In the future (iunshallah) I want to talk to more women about these topics and others such as birth control and STIs. I was surprised to learn that many women have STIs, but don't know what they are. Also surprising was the fact that many women use birth control, but most use only the pill and use it rather irregularly. I want to tell them about its proper usage and also to inform them about alternative methods.
In the schools, I want to focus on three topics: dental hygiene, general hygiene, and nutrion. These are all topics that I feel are good to focus on for kids because at this age bad habits can still be changed.
I will write more about my work in the future.