THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT! This morning I headed out for my morning walk after the electricity and water disappeared and I couldn't do my laundry...not an uncommon occurrence. Walking on the weekends along the highway generally means less donkey traffic and more vehicular traffic. I always see someone who I've not seen before, or who hasn't seen me. Even though my town is small, there are hundreds of people who live in all the surrounding villages. I do think, however, that many know either who I am or have heard about the American woman.

The reactions I get from people is quite amusing. Men/boys usually give me a quizzical look and/or ask me where I'm going or what I'm doing. Others "get it" right away that I am exercising. Some try to talk to me in French and even though I tell them, in Moroccan Arabic, numerous times that I don't speak French, they continue to try to talk to me in French! (Most all fair-skinned people here are from France.) Lots of drivers give me a thumbs up, indicating they think my exercising is good. I hear girls and women who I don't even know call out "Hi Coonie," (no, that wasn't a typo, somehow my name gets pronounced a bit differently) and may give me the cheek/cheek kiss greeting. A side note to this. Many of the volunteers adopt a Moroccan name, usually at the encouragement of the local people. I opted not to, and am glad of it. Hopefully I am presenting a positive side of the U. S. to Moroccans, and there is no question as to who "Coonie" is...but my unique identity would be lost if I was Fatima or Malika, etc.

The other day an old guy on a donkey and I had a little conversation, as the donkey and I were walking at the same speed. A faucet for city water outside of town was eliminated for some reason, so we hashed that over.

Even though it would be more pleasant (quieter) to walk in the hills/mountains, I don't think it's safe to do that alone, and walking along the highway always seems to lift my spirits, and makes me feel that I am indeed sharing cultures in a positive way.

PARIS STREET SCENES. My last blog on my trip to Paris. The Monday after Easter was a national holiday in Paris, and I enjoyed a morning walk that was relatively quiet.

I'm sure you've read/seen about the new little "Smart Cars," so here is one, with a mini car in the right of the picture.
I walked to the Arc of Triumph, but chose not to pay the 9 Euro to go to the top. The Arc was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 but not completed until 1836, as a monument to honor those who fought for France. There are 12 major avenues that converge at its roundabout- the "Place de l'Etoile" which is legendary for its traffic accidents - in fact no insurance company will insure vehicles that travel around it!

Then I walked down the Champs d'Elysee towards the Obelisk, which was a gift to France from Egypt. It took three years to transport it from the banks of the Nile and was erected in Paris in 1939.

PARIS FASHION. A special little blog for the "clothes horses"!
Here's the Louis Vitton store on Champs d'Elysee. A Hugo Boss store is nearby. I did a bit of window shopping, and here are some things in other stores. Women's fashions, and take a look at the "springy" shoes...and at the prices. A Euro is about equal to $1.50 these days. Windows with men's wear showed some things I did not
see on the streets, but maybe they were covered up with (black) raincoats. (That was kind of a joke.) One of the items I saw that really took me aback was baby
strollers. Very well-made, it would
appear, but prices ranged from
350-500 Euros. Wow!

MUSEE D'ORSAY. This museum is primarily of Impressionistic art but includes some pre and post period works. I went late morning while my hosts were singing at the second Easter service. The line was about 25 minutes long. Photographing was permitted, which certainly changed the viewing experience. I found myself in there with the rest of them, spending too much time trying to get a photo rather than just enjoying the artwork itself. On the left are statues outside the building. On the right is the interior of the main gallery.I used Rick Steve's guide, which I found very helpful since there was no brochure/guide available in English to describe the works on display.

Picture on the left is Renoir's Arab mosque. The picture of "The Gleaners" (Millet-1857) reminded me of the wheat harvesting around my village; it's still done the same way as it was 150 year ago! Because of the short time I was in Paris, I didn't even attempt to tour the Louvre as it is so huge. I would like to go back to this museum again as well.

EIFFEL TOWER named after the
architect Gustave Eiffel who completed it in 1889 for the International Exposition. . Here is the view as I approached on foot. As I got nearer, I could see people climbing up the stairs (photo on right). One is able to climb up to the second level for 4 Euros (about $6) or take the elevator. I elected to walk, as I did back in 1965 when I was on tour with a choral group. I planned to walk to the top, (985 feet) but that is not allowed, as they reserve those stairs for emergencies, so I just climbed 400 stairs.


Photo on left catches the small crowd at the bases of the four "legs.On the right is the Seine River. You can spot the steeple of the church in the upper left part of lower right quadrant.



Another shot of the city on the rainy
day. And last, on the right, a picture
of the renowned structure as I departed.

APRIL (well, nearly) IN PARIS. Easter weekend was absolutely wonderful. I saw lots of things and took lots of photos, so will do several blogs on various topics. When I look out of my window in my village, I see "donkey central" and the public water closet near the busy highway; the right photo is the view I was treated to from the Hamilton's fifth floor apartment above the American Church of Paris. The left photo is the corner of the church building.

I was able to make (afford!) this journey because I could stay with friends; he is an associate pastor just doing weddings, of which there are many. This church is a beehive of activity, serving not only as a place of worship, but Montessori school, yoga, aerobics, AA meetings, and a myriad of other things. It is located on the left bank of the Seine, about a 10 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower and 15 minutes to the Musee d'Orsay.

I attended evening services on Thursday and Friday evenings, a meeting on Saturday, and the early Easter service, at which members of the congregation were invited to join the church choir (50 voices) in singing the Hallelujah Chorus. What a great experience! There were also three trumpets along with the pipe organ; a youth choir and handbell choir also performed. There were about 1,000 people who attended the two Easter Sunday services. There was also a free piano concert Sunday night at the church; it was one of a series of performances, with about 400 in attendance. The cultures/races who come to this church are many...probably 30 different nationalities. It is an interdenominational church, and the first American church established outside the U. S.

I was fed delicious meals, we ate out a few times, shopped for some cheese and other items at a supermarket to take home, and even found a Starbucks to have a latte! Prices are very high in Paris, and the dollar is very low, so the only other shopping I did was window variety. I really enjoyed being able to take hot baths and showers, especially since the weather was chilly, with intermittent wind and rain. But with so many wonderful things to see, it was tolerable. I did take my good light blue rainproof jacket...and you could spot me a mile away in the sea of black, black, black jackets and umbrellas!

THE PEACE CORPS PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM. Thank yous have been emailed to all those who were on the list provided to me by Peace Corps D. C. The amount of contribution towards my project with the women's association was not shown on the list.

However, I know many were not listed, perhaps because the "do not provide information" button on the website was accidentally pressed, or the permission card was not mailed in with the check. If you did not receive an email thank you from me, I would like to know who helped, so please do let me know. I do believe the Peace Corps did sent a form letter thank you that also serves as tax deduction document.

I would have preferred to send a note card with my counterpart's signature accompanying mine; however, the cost of a snail mail thank you would have been at least $2.00 and that can be so well used to help us with our project, so am sure all will understand.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE! I am so happy to be able to spend this holiday a bit like I would if I were home; that is, attending church services. Only this year, it will be with dear friends in the great city of Paris. A former minister of mine from Montana is serving for a six-month period at the American Church of Paris; he and and his wife are generously having me as their guest this weekend. The church is located in the heart of the city on the left bank of the Seine, somewhat between the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. I will get to roam around and see the sites so look for a change of scenery in the next set of photos!

POTTERS FROM AMERICA visited one of my friend's site; she works with men in her village who primarily make tajines and small water jugs. She convinced some of the staff from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln to come and do a two-day training. The local potters usually work in a small mud building where the wheel is in a pit; they sit on the ground and are able to kick the wheel from a more comfortable position. They made this stand especially for the event so demonstrations could be viewed by many. There were about 100 people there; many from the community came just to see what was
going on. I especially like the photo of the old man closely watching the woman potter. Another male volunteer in attendance captivated the youngsters who were hanging around.




I think it was a good thing for these
young girls to see men learning from women. There are very few women potters in this country.
By the way, it was about 120K (70miles) from my site to this one and since I went the cheapest route, it took me about 3 1/2 hours to get there...

MORE ON THIS AND THAT. Dislikes. How could I have forgotten trash?!? I occasionally overlook it and see just the beauty of the land, but it is a big problem here.

How things work, in relation to my work. The Moroccan government has various departments just like the U. S., only they are called Ministries, and there is Tourism, and Education, etc. etc. There are several ministries that the Peace Corps works with, and of course there is a hierarchy from the national level down to the regional. Government is government, politics are politics, bureaucracy is bureaucracy. So working with a different culture, a different government, plus our government does make interesting challenges and not always easy to get things accomplished, as you might expect.

St. Patrick's Day

• 9:30. My counterpart and I went (via taxi) to my post office town where there is branch bank of the women's association bank in Marrakech. It was my thought we would open an account for the project money close by so it would be easy to access cash and/or checks to pay for things as we progress. But we were informed we needed to cash the check at the bank on which the check was drawn.

Stopped by the post office, got two letters from home! And a bill for the Internet.

Went to Marrakech (via bus) then walked 20 minutes to the bank. Cashed the check. Ran into the manager of the place we're getting the movable partitions made and he gave us a ride to the business. We discussed plans for movable partitions, gave him a down payment. He said they would be done in April, and I asked that before they haul them out to us, he call so I can go see them just to make sure my vision/drawings and the finished products agree.

He then gave us a ride to one of her relatives' house where we had a tasty chicken tajine for lunch.

Walked to the bus stop. On the way, we were talking about how I had a hard time keeping everyone in her family straight. We also visited about how families are getting smaller, both in America and here in Morocco.

Waited for the bus about 30 minutes. Then rode the bus about 30 minutes to the next bus stop that takes us back to the post office town, (about 50 minutes) then into a taxi for the last leg (20 minutes.)

Arrived back home at 6:30 p.m.

This business place referred to makes various kinds of things, including furniture and other items made from old tires. Here is a photo of a stool in the office. They used to burn tires abundantly to fire kilns for pottery as there was/is a shortage of wood, but that method is only used out in small rural towns now...I think (hope!)

IF THEY COULD ONLY SEE ME NOW! I just have to tell you about my trip down south last week.

I went out to the taxi/bus area (which is on the highway just a half-block from my house) at about 6 a.m. to catch a taxi to Ouarzazate. It appeared I had just missed a taxi, and a transit (old panel truck) pulled over. A guy got out and opened the door for me; I started to get in and saw my spot was in the back with a sheep. I said in English, "Oh, Connie gets to sit in back with the sheep!" then a guy in the front seat opened the door and let me take his spot. Understand, they can't understand English, but sometimes it doesn't matter, they get the point. So I sat in front with the driver and two guys. By the time we had gone a few more miles down the road, in back of the front seat were about 10 men and 3 sheep in this old rattle-trap. What a hoot. Wish I had a photo of it! The transit arrived at its destination, so I got out and then into a station wagon taxi. I kept asking how much and the driver just kept telling me to get in, which was a little cause for concern as I feared he would try to overcharge me. I was in the back by myself for most of the next little trip, and then it stopped because I needed to take a different taxi to Oz. The charges were reasonable, however, for all means of transportation. It just took me a bit longer than usual to get to where I wanted to go.

After a night in Oz, I took a souk bus to my next destination. I think those busses got their name because that is how many people used to get to the souqs, but now they are just a numerous and cheap means of getting from town to town. It would seem that the leg room is made for people 5 feet tall or shorter. Very uncomfortable.


I assisted a volunteer there by doing basic business skills
workshops for a group of women, plus a discussion on the same subject with another entrepreneur and it was very enjoyable. They had no previous knowledge of costing out various items to determine the most cost-efficient items to make, and that was an interesting exercise to do, as well as a conversation about customer service, which is a passion of mine.


The town I visited is an oasis. Here is a picture of date palms and wheat fields. The ownership is separated by dirt rows. The wheat here is already heading out, quite a bit ahead of the wheat in my area. The southern part of Morocco is where all the dates are grown, from inexpensive ones to very pricey dates.

To close out the story, I will tell you that I took a CTM bus all the way back home. This is one of two bus lines that have comfortable seating and you can actually reserve seats prior to departure date. They are also faster than the souk busses as they don' stop for every person standing along the road, or at every tiny town, like mine. Therefore, to get the better busses to travel south on my road, I have to go into Marrakech, which of course takes more money, time and hassle. The "good" busses are a bit more expensive, as well. None of the buses have toilets, but do make a pit stop about every 3 hours. One learns not to drink a lot before or during a bus trip.

HOW IT WORKS...sort of. I've had some inquiries about my work, and related entities, so here's a bit more info about that. The King has a Foundation (well, I imagine he has many) that provided the building the women's association (aka neddy) where my workplace is. The primary purpose of the neddy to teach the rural women various skills including: embroidery (both hand and machine), knitting (both hand and machine), crochet, ceramics, etc. The girls pay a small one-time membership fee and that includes all the training, for which they will get a diploma if they complete everything over a two-year period. Most of the girls come either in the morning or afternoon. Some walk 45 minutes over rocky paths to get here. The association gets annual funding to pay for trainers and transportation costs for the board members to attend meetings and workshops.

The King and the Moroccan government, in their development efforts, also support numerous other types of associations,, such as environment and sports. Sports being primarily soccer, I think. There are about 25 such associations in my little village. Don't ask me why...

It was interesting to note that I meeting I recently attended in the provincial (regional) capitol with my counterpart was conducted by two independent consultants hired by the Moroccan government on a fact-finding tour, as apparently the entire association arena is generally not functionally very well and results are not what was anticipated.

Back to the neddy. We (Small Business Development volunteers) see the same type of work all over the country like is being done at my neddy. The girls are learning these skills, but we're not sure for what purpose. So my project will hopefully put some of those acquired skills to use by making the types of products that will appeal to tourists. By use of partitions, we will make a little space in the corner that will be a small store from which they can sell their things. This whole concept/vision is very foreign to the girls from the outer villages. A few understand and I think have an inkling of the potential, but not really. Women here do not generally know anything about money, budgets, buying, selling. When I ask how much the materials cost for a certain item, they usually don't know. There is a huge learning curve on product development, pricing, record keeping, marketing...the whole small business thing. In one of my former lives I was the executive director of a chamber of commerce, and one of the first things I learned was that 50% of small business start-ups fail, primarily due to lack of a good business plan. I'm hoping that my experience and knowledge will put this effort on the success side of a start-up.

I will be receiving the check for the project next week, which will then entail me going with my counterpart to the nearby town that has a bank to try to open a temporary account which has little/no charges. Then we need to go to Marrakech and continue discussion with the welder who will be making the partitions. Then to a store to find fabric with which to cover the partitions. Then to a sign maker, someplace to make road signs. An on and on. But finally there is action! I will likely recommend another volunteer replace me next December as it will take some time to get them independently running the business.

A young woman has been selected to manage the store, and I am working with her on computer skills, of which she knows little. Her interest really is the store and handling product but she sees the need for record keeping etc. I am encouraging her to go to the cyber town and go through Microsoft online tutorials on Word and Excel in French, which can really teach her better than I. Now that she's coming to the neddy a lot for computer lessons, lots of girls now want to learn. I sat there most of the winter with no interest and of course now when I'm getting busy, everyone wants part of the action!