The Butcher, the Baker, and the Candlestick Maker

Well I really didn't talk to a butcher or a candlestick maker, but yesterday we did get to go out into the community surrounding the school and talk to the owners of local businesses, like small grocery stores, a shoe repairman, and a worker at the hammam. It was incredibly difficult to understand what most of them were saying (they mostly use Moroccan Arabic, which I know very little of), but generally we were able to get the information that we were looking for. Hopefully practice makes perfect, eventually.

In the souk. The fruit is wonderful.

(Grandma, if you click on the picture it will get bigger.)

Boys working in the wood shop. The owner was talking to us.

The man who fixes shoes.

Today we went on a trip to the new port (building began in 2003) just outside of Tangier. It is the largest in Africa. I learned some new vocabulary, and it was neat to see all the ships and the beautiful landscape along the way. The photo below shows the port with the words "God", "Country", "The King" written on the mountain.

Port Tangier

The countryside outside of the city.

I think tomorrow is a relatively calm day without any additional Arabic-related activities--just 4 hours of classwork. On Friday one other student and I will be going to our Moroccan family for a few hours to eat with them and get to know them. Then during the weekend we're going on an excursion to a beach and a private nature reserve--pretty exclusive, right?

I've been able to go swimming in our pool a couple of times, and it has been so refreshing. It gets very warm here in the afternoons.

I hope you are having a good Wednesday!