palm trees, red earth, walnut bark and khol

On the 7th of march our group of 60 separated into 2 groups and took buses to the south east of Morocco. My group has about 34 people, all of us health volunteers (the others are focusing on the environment). The trip south was long (about 9 hours) but beautiful. I saw the landscape transform and blossom into different experiences before me. I wished I could stop the bus and go walk near the sea, touch the green long grass. Not only was it green, it was deep dark rich green. I wished I could stand and stare at the snow capped Atlas mountains with a garden of palm trees immediately in front of me. It was all very fast, and I felt as if I had tasted one drop of a warm sweet tea that I would have to wait to drink but didn't know when I would get a chance to live that out in reality. I saw the earth change around me. I saw plains and then was between mountains, above valleys- green ones, dark brown ones, rusty red ones and yellow ones. After a long trip we arrived in the city where I have been for the last week training. This city is dry, but also has palms spread throughout it's landscape. My health group is at a hotel near a mosque, several cyber cafes, bakeries, a lot of corner stores, beauty shops, and our local open air market/comercial center which we call the "Souk" where you can find anything from piles of colorful spices that penetrate your nostrils as you walk by to natural/herbal beauty products such as "Khol" a black powder made from a mixture of crushed herbs and coal which is used as an eyeliner here along with being "useful for any eye troubles" (yes! I know.. it's vague but that's what the little flyer said that came with it!). It's applied with a small stick usually made of glass or wood. You place it horizontally in front of your eye and let it touch in between your eyelids. It's good to have a mirror, ofcourse- make sure you get it along the whole edge. Other things to be found in the souk are shoes, any type of clothing- western and traditional, fresh chicken and meat (they will even kill the chicken in front of you and use a machine to pluck it!), there are cell phone/dvd shops, popcorn poppers, praline makers, and nut toasters. I was able to go to the souk several times this week in my evening free time. During the day we've had any combination of Moroccan arabic classes, lectures, and what they call "self directed learning"-this is a time to go out and practice arabic, read outside, go to the souk and experience the bustling life around us while listening to arabic and people watching. My moroccan teachers are very warm and willing to talk about any aspect of life here and help us adjust in any way they can. On thursday I went to the souk with a PC friend and two of our berber teachers. First we went to buy cloth and then to the taylor to get measured for djellabas! This is exciting :). Tomorrow we all move away from this city for about a week. There are about 6 of us per group going to different towns nearby to live each of us with a host family. I am curious and excited to see how it will be! I can't wait to meet my family and to be part of their lifestyle. There are 11 people in my family, and the sheet that I got says they have sheep, cows, and last but not least 1 cat! :). In my next post I will tell you all about it. In that same town our teacher will be renting a house that will also be our language school. I'll be learning a berber dialect called Tashalheit. I have some pictures I still want to post but have yet to do it. The connection hasn't been fast enough so far, or my pictures are too large. Life here is always interesting and I look forward to writing my next post with all the new things I will have lived by then...