Our Wonderful Host Family

Welcome to our Moroccan family, the Abdous:  Abdillah (father), Ghizlan (mother), and two sons (Lmehdi and Housayn).  We could not have been more lucky to join such a patient and hospitable family.  See for yourself...

Abdou + Gerst = One big happy family, taken from atop the Kasbah at Ait Ben Haddou.

These tricky little bundles of joy provide hours of mischievous entertainment, and the 5 year old on the left (pronounced Maddy) really helps with language acquisition via constant repitition and a simple vocabulary.  Believe it or not, once Alex and I get home from school, Lmehdi is always by our side.

Abdillah's favorite view of the kasbah from a quiet spot behind the community gardens.  The family photo above was taken from the building on top of the hill.

In addition to language and cultural classes, Peace Corps' goal for us this week is to interview community members to learn about their likes and dislikes with respect to traditional gender roles, the relatively new tourist industry, and most importantly, environmental issues (e.g. trash incineration and disposal in unlined sinkholes, climate change, and water shortages).  The video below outlines some potential complications.   

In addition to differences in language between domestic groups, Alex and I are still getting used to many other complications (e.g. the presence of 3 different forms of currency; Frank, Ryal, and the Dhiram).   We've learned that much of the desparity between people in rural areas is due to the marginalization of the native peoples (i.e. Berber people) via occupation by several different foreign nations (i.e. France, Spain, and Arab) over the centuries. Berber peole, such as our host family, have been isolated and pushed into the mountains, much like the Native Americans have been isolated to tribal reservations.  Fortunately, in recent years, Berber people have regained some political representation, but there is still much work to be done.  Despite our desire to explore the nearby mountains, most our time is spent studying so that Alex and I aren't completely lost after we lose our translator in May.