Next blog entry... doing this ahead of time at the house. Lots of new stuff going on, and then lots of nothing. Some days seem incredibly busy, and others, like today, I hardly did anything at all because it was cold and started raining. Hard to meet anyone when no one is outside of their house. My host dad came back today after a few days of being gone. The guests who were at our house are gone, and are replaced by another relative of my host father. It seems like people are constantly flowing in and out of the house. There are either friends of the family, relatives, or other people who I have no idea why they are there at all times. It's kind of fun though... lots of new people to meet and talk to, or at least try to talk to. Went up the mountain the other day with the local goat herder. He took me to a cave system, and I got some pretty sweet pictures that you may see on facebook. The whole area around me is riddled with caves and caverns, I've already discovered a couple by myself just walking around. Actually, the largest cave in North Africa isn't too far away... it's called Friouato Cave, and I'm sure I'll be checking it out in the near future.
Another thing on my mind lately is the loss of the personal bubble. There is no sense of the personal bubble in Morocco. Taxis will often have seven people in a five person vehicle (Two in the front passenger seat, the driver, and four in the back seats). You have to get comfortable with being cozy pretty quick in this country. Also, this morning I was trying to read a book in the living area, and the seven year old got right up in my book trying to understand it. If you've ever had an attention needy cat, it was like that. People are often coming into my room... they don't seem to understand the concept of the psychological benefits of alone time. Usually during the day I have very little of this unless I am running in the morning, or I have said that I am going to sleep. In between, there is always someone who wants to hang out, be it in your room, around the house, or on a walk through town. Also, they are a lot like insistent grandparents. Their favorite phrase is Kul, Kul, (Eat, Eat) and then whatever it is that you aren't eating. Sometimes it's something you don't especially want to eat, and then you feel bad for not eating it.
If there was any question as to whether or not it would be cold in the winter here, it is gone now. It is mid-may, and a cold front came through. Not sure exactly the temperature, but I could see my breath inside the house in the middle of the day. When I was in Oaurzazat, there were a couple days that were in the low 90s and I was thinking to myself, why did I bring all this cold weather gear? But now that I'm in the mountains, I am so happy that I did. Haven't put on glove liners yet, but I'm thinking about it, and I have my wool hat on.
Till next time!
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