This blog is about my day in a very small village about a 45 minute walk from me...(that is Moroccan walk speed, which is a fairly slow pace) I went with one of the women from the neddy who teaches illiterate women and children around the area. My purpose in going was to see the pottery that various men make there. Several of them came to a meeting at the neddy, as I believe they were interested in learning how I might help them market their products.

Here is are two women who are making bread in a pan on an open fire. (Many do not have ovens in their homes, so use fire, or take them to the public oven to bake, as I think it may be cheaper in the long run that using propane at home) We had tajine, primarily consisting of potatoes, summer squash, and a bit of chicken. The eating utensil, of course, was the bread.

Here is the classroom where my friend teaches, and a picture of her teaching as well. She was teaching classical (standard) Arabic, and called on me to answer questions, along with the dozen or so students, ranging in age from likely 8 to 60. She also did some basic arithmetic teaching. As usual, I got quite a bit of attention.



Here are the potters. First is one of the potters, putting the painting touches on a water jug, which keeps water cool in the hot summer weather. The men have dug holes where their legs fit, and their feet pedal to make the wheel spin to create their pots. Then they fire them in the kiln, which is very old, and branches/wood from the nearby forest is used, which of course creates a problem as they don't have all that much and erosion is a big issue here...but I guess it's better than tires, which are used at other locations.

Four of the potters from the village. (Surprisingly enough, none of the four is named Mohammed!) One of them gave me an unglazed glass made of same clay material, which I think, when glazed, might be an appealing product for French tourists as wine glasses. I will explore the possibility of sale of them at a possible boutique at the neddy. A photo of Idder's inventory, which will be distributed to souqs in the area for sale to locals.

It is becoming more and more evident why every action in the future is subject to "inshaallah." (God willing) as one has so little control over what can happen, especially considering the culture of the Moroccan, the governments at every level, etc. etc. The wheels of progress on my project, language capability notwithstanding, grind exceedingly slow!!