Please forgive the short entry. Today is a day of “self directed study” and all I have studied so far (and it is 4pm now) are a Kasbah and some local stores. The benefits of the day have gained me a cell-phone, yet the losses have deprived me of some very valuable and needed Darija studying. But all is not yet lost, for in the midst of my shopping I have obtained some graph board to cut up for note cards, which I will then utilize in my studying, hopefully tonight… It totally makes sense to me, alright?!
I know I’ve said that I will not be learning Darija, but as we now found out a minority of us will in fact be placed within Darija speaking communities and therefore be learning Moroccan Arabic. We will not find out which language we will be learning until the end of this week. They love to keep us on our toes, there is never a dull moment!
Right now all of the SBD trainees and I are in Quarzazate, which is located in the South of Morocco and is about an 8-9hr drive from Rabat. I know the drive sounds long and miserable, but having experienced it just this past week I can tell you that it is nothing less then spectacular, the highlight of the drive being the last 4 hrs after passing Marrakech. Once the mountains after Marrakech begin the scenery is astonishing. The mountains start out being covered entirely in various greenery, intermixing pines and palms. Later, the relentlessly winding road runs through steep ochre mountains of clay adorned with sporadic oases. All throughout the drive we encounter local homes and villages that camouflage seamlessly into the scenery. Once in a while there is a market, or some cafes by the road which are frequently accented with bright, saturated colors.
I have no time to go on about anything else. I will however mention that although beauty of Quazazarte is uncanny, the people here are even more so incredible! The sincerity and warmth in these people is not expected or common in any Western community I’ve ever seen.
*The picture is the Kasbah I was studying this morning
I know I’ve said that I will not be learning Darija, but as we now found out a minority of us will in fact be placed within Darija speaking communities and therefore be learning Moroccan Arabic. We will not find out which language we will be learning until the end of this week. They love to keep us on our toes, there is never a dull moment!
Right now all of the SBD trainees and I are in Quarzazate, which is located in the South of Morocco and is about an 8-9hr drive from Rabat. I know the drive sounds long and miserable, but having experienced it just this past week I can tell you that it is nothing less then spectacular, the highlight of the drive being the last 4 hrs after passing Marrakech. Once the mountains after Marrakech begin the scenery is astonishing. The mountains start out being covered entirely in various greenery, intermixing pines and palms. Later, the relentlessly winding road runs through steep ochre mountains of clay adorned with sporadic oases. All throughout the drive we encounter local homes and villages that camouflage seamlessly into the scenery. Once in a while there is a market, or some cafes by the road which are frequently accented with bright, saturated colors.
I have no time to go on about anything else. I will however mention that although beauty of Quazazarte is uncanny, the people here are even more so incredible! The sincerity and warmth in these people is not expected or common in any Western community I’ve ever seen.
*The picture is the Kasbah I was studying this morning
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