Dress: Nearly all the women in this town are scarved but very few wear veils which was also the case in Azrou. It is a matter of personal choice with some influence within the family. The scarved women also usually wear the jellabas on the street but take them off in the home. My family wears light weight sweats underneath and loose longer tops, both fairly western style. Shoes are removed in the home only in carpeted areas. In my house the hallway and kitchen are plain concrete the bathroom has ceramic tiles on the floor and the other rooms have carpets/rugs on the floors. I think I mentioned it will get quite cold at night fairly soon. I think there is just one heater deal and that is in the living room. So layering becomes the way of dressing. The more religious men wear jellabas as well.

Even though the country is Muslim, just like at home, not everyone practices the Islam faith, except at Ramadan everyone fasts. Last night we had their first meal of the day at about 6:30 when it was dark. Dessert first...sweet pastries, cornbread, dates, a chocolate kind of deal. Then a wonderful soup that had a pureed vegetable base of carrots, tomatoes, celery, parsley, spices, and then garbanzo beans which started out as dried and then they soaked overnight to add to the soup. It was quite filling. I think I disappointed the family because I went to bed at 10:30 and they ate again their big meal about 11:30 then a light meal at 4:00 a.m.. I managed fine with leftover cornbread and olives for breakfast w/my coffee au lait, then had an apple; orange, and some nuts for lunch today. They tend to sleep a lot during the day while they refrain from eating or drinking ANY beverages.

We met with a cooperative today who formed recently and is selling their carpets to a group in France. We are going to use them as a case study and the PC volunteer here will continue on with that. It was a really cool experience.

Salaam.