Great googily moogily

Here's where Alex and I will be living for the next 2-3 years (Timzgida photo courtesy of http://www.maplandia.com/morocco/tensift/marrakesh/tidili-mesfioua/; google):

The origin of this ellipsoidal drainage basin, which I suspect was once a continuous ring (slope and dip of bedding planes indicates a massive syncline) of limestone, still eludes me.  Further exploration of the ~14 total miles of cliff line will be necessary to assess regional drainage patterns. 

Our village, Timzgida (translated to: place of worship), is a small rural town (~800 people) that retains many traditional values and a simple yet beautiful way of living. Our host parents rely on local agriculture and animal husbandry as a means of subsistence, and they have a very large family (11 kids and several grandkids) that either live within walking distance, or have moved to bigger cities for work. We are situated on a mountain side just above a large agriculture valley that sustains Timzgida and many other villages via irrigation from a large river nearby, and the occasional well. The people's association in Timzgida is a leader in several development projects in the area, and they have just received a significant grant from USAID to help several other associations in the Tidilli Commune by facilitating development project that intend to improve the standard of living throughout the commune. The project emphasizes the importance of improved water quality and quantity management. We will be assisting 5 associations by helping to obtain/administer more grants, deliver technical expertise, and provide education for improved management practices. Although we will be in a rural setting that is somewhat difficult to access, our location is surrounded on three sides by larger towns that each offer a market (souq) one day of the following: Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. One of the towns, Ait Ourir, which is located a 30 min taxi drive away, is quite large and provides many essentials: hospital, bank, post office, police station, and pharmacy.


During our first week, we conducted an interview with one of the associations. We were received very well with a feast and gifted bottles of olive oil. Our interview with the Touerte association identified that their biggest problem is that the village doesn't have the infrastructure and quantity of water needed to irrigate their fields for sufficient agricultural production. In this village, only one well supplies water for all households and livestock. From the well, water is pumped to a 20 ton storage vault above the village. The village is 500 to 600 years old and consists of 400 people from five very big families. Apparently no foreigners visit the area. The village, located 2 miles west of Timzgida, is situated far from the river, where only hand-delivered well water is available to hydrate the plants. Karst springs are situated above the village that have been haphazardly damned off but contain stagnant water that yield less water now than when they were installed ~20 years ago (perhaps conduit breakthrough?...climate change?). Without cooperation from other villages, drought renders Touerte helpless. In fact, from ~1935-1945 prolonged drought and famine led to extreme hardships. Nowadays more civilized means of interaction with other villages preclude this act of survivalism.



After the meeting, members of the association took us on a community walk to show us the springs, well, pump house, and 20 ton storage vault. During our walk, I also spied several climbable rock cliffs, caves, and springs just minutes from the village that I anxiously await to explore. On the community walk, the gentlemen of the association took us to a small scale, association sponsored clothing (i.e. knitting/weaving/crocheting) co-op, and an olive pressing center. I think it was especially nice for Alex to meet the women and girls of the village at the co-op because, while introducing ourselves, we made goofs mispronouncing words and pausing often that ended in friendly laughter, thus helping to take the edge off from the somewhat intense meetings we'd had with the men earlier that day. During all of our introductions, Alex and I have been fed incredible albeit starchy food, supplied with very delicious sweet tea, and been given extensive albeit mildly aggressive welcome. Although for some of these people, we are the first foreigners they've met, our cultural integration and verbal exchange has been facilitated very well by a middle-aged man that has learned all of his English due to a long-time fascination with American films and music. He is the chief financial officer of our village's association. He is friends with and the coworker of our host brother, a resident of nearby Marrakech, who happens to be the president of the association that is primarily responsible for securing the USAID funding. Much work needs to be done, and I've already begun late work nights, but for now we are still enjoying the travel and sight-seeing. In fact, last night on our way back for our last month of training, we stopped in Marrakech, ate an extraordinary rooftop dinner, and later walked through the medina to see dancing monkeys, snake charmers, and traditional Berber music circles.


Although there are many exciting challenges and some hard truths to learn ahead; we are very happy now, and hoping that you are too!


Peace on dirt,
Jonathan