A little background: I left for Morocco in September of 2010 months after graduating college. I didn't know any Arabic, much less any of the Moroccan dialect of it, called darijia. I spent 3 months living with a wonderful host family and learning the language and then was fully sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer and sent on my way to a new town where I would live for the next 2 years. The first day of work was nerve-wracking. I hardly spoke darijia- how was I going to teach these ladies how to market thier products; let alone build a relationship so they would want to work with me in the first place? Looking back there was nothing to worry about. The girls have been genuinely interested in getting to know me and what I'm doing since day 1. Moroccans have a great reputation for being a welcoming people but I truely think the Amal girls go beyond even that precedent. After about a month here the girls surprised me with my own djabador that they had hand sewn as a gift welcoming me into the Amal family. I feel truly lucky to be a part of such a wonderful cooperative and hope to share the experience with you here.
next: couscous Friday at Sieda's house