Marrakesh, what a great city! I'm here tonight at a cyber after a day of a little shopping (I'm getting to be quite a great haggler...which is the standard game in Morocco.) You never pay the asking price for clothing or the like. Well, I guess you could, but it isn't necessary or expected. Went past a golf course on the way here from my new site. Looked pretty nice! Am spending the night at a little hotel in the center of the city where most of the shopps are, and the snake charmers, orange juice stands, etc. We share a very clean room that has a sink, with a shower and American toilet on the same floor, for an American price of about $6. Had a very good salad for lunch for a little over $2. After some other volunteers arrived we taxied to a McDs. I had a McFlurries. Sure miss the ice cream from home! The prices there are American, which is very expensive for the standard of living here, but it was extremely busy nonetheless. I look forward to exploring here more when I need to get away from it all in my new little town, which is about the size of Fairfield, Montana, where I grew up. So it's rather like living under a microscope.

As I walked this morning, I look at Jaleb Toubkal, the highest mountain which is gorgeous and majorly covered with snow, as I listened to the farmers whack olives from their trees onto large plastic tarps. It's really a gorgeous area. We've heard Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are making a move in the High Atlas and I think it might be near where I am. (Did I already blog that info?!)

I have a ton of info but will wait until I get back to Azrou to blog more. The keyboard here is slow and I'm looking forward to a good bed tonight, even if it is a double one I'm sharing w/ another volunteer.

My new host family has a 4 year old boy and 2 month old boy. There is a huge circumsion party when I was there. About 50 people ate a ton of food we prepared in this little house. I sure got melancholy and missed my grandkids. I went to the nearby town one day to the Cyber as there is none in my town. I need to find one that has Skype and webcam though. I'll also be getting my mail in that town, sharing a box with a volunteer who lives there, but haven't made that connection quite yet. Hope to do that soon so anyone who wants to mail me Christmas cards can send it there.

Last word for this writing. Even this old broad got a little proposition at my new site. It was in jest...I think... But I certainly am the topic of conversation. I hear "American" a lot in conversation. Will be glad when they know I can understand, and also sure wish I knew French! Most people here do....