maroc: extras!

Here are a few little fun stories (and pictures) about Morocco that just didn't make it into the other posts!

I just realized that I can change the font color of the post's text. So get excited.

camel butts, for your viewing pleasure. 

Our last two days in M'hamid were spend volunteering with at a local Association. I forget the exact name of the organization, but it was kinda like an after-school program + provided literacy classes for women in the community. Except, well its ironic that i say "afterschool program" since about half of the kids actually SKIPPED school to come to the association the days we were there.  I guess we were a bit of an attraction...foreigners. Haha. 

making origami!

We split the kids into several very uneven groups, a couple groups for language skills, one HUGE group playing soccer, and one HUGE group for art. Yeah, so maybe 10 of the kids spoke french, maybe. And they were mostly older, and in the language groups. Thus, none of the 20 kids in our art group spoke french or english, just arabic! 


Our plan for the day was to have the kids draw pictures of M'hamid and then make origami! 


Teaching 20 restless kids who dont speak french or english how to make origami frogs is probably one of the coolest things I've ever had to do.  :)
Vocab used: Oui (yes) Non (no), comme ca (like this), and Zuh-wheen (pretty in arabic). 

It was just crazy. 


And once they realized how to make the little paper frogs jump, oh the room went wild. Frogs jumping everywhere. Smiles everywhere. Yes. 


Haha. No one but my family would probably remember this, but for the 4H project public speaking contest in 4th grade i had to give a presentation on how to make origami frogs. hmm, in fourth grade i never thought about how i would adapt it for a room full of moroccan children. :)  

ahhhh! yogurt fight!!

Also while we were at the association, they had a little contest/game between a couple of the kids just for fun. So they put on blindfolds and towels around two of the girls, and gave them each a thing of yogurt and a spoon and they had to feed it to each other blindfolded. Yeah, there was yogurt everywhere. haha, so random. 

i just think this is a pretty sweet picture.
(fire one night in the desert)

On the second night in the desert, we slept out under the stars and then got up to watch the sunrise. Too bad it was cloudy, but it was still really beautiful.

watching the sunrise

At times things were a little disorganized...so ended up only about 3/4 of the group got to take a shower.  American mindset: BIG DEAL. Moroccan/french mindset: Oh. okay, whatever.  So by the end of the week, Elliot had a pretty rockin' hair-do. 

 Product secret: sand, sweat, and soleil.

Olivia trekked in these stylish yellow polka-dot sandals.
get it girl.

dinner in Marrakesh!

MMmmm. They had such great olives...green, black, and even red! We also feasted on some little chicken kababs, wonderful, super spicy salsa (so great b/c the french rarely eat anything spicy), some kind of spinach something, fries, moroccan bread, and some calamari. All for about $3 a person. 

Amour d'Auberge ("the love of the hostel")

This is a pic of the inside of our hostel in Marrakesh!  Our bunks were right through those blue doors. Ha, the last night we were there it started raining and sooooo much water came through the roof in hte common area. I guess ya just dont know you have leaks until it rains! But the water didnt hurt anything (beautiful, mosaic tile floors) so it wasnt a problem. The staff were so great. If you're ever in Marrakesh....

Billy in turban

cool moto in the alleyway outside our hostel :)