First Impressions

Morocco is Green! In my short-sighted minds eye, I had not pictured the lush verdant fields which greeted us in Casa Blanca and followed us on our 4 hr bus ride inland to the base of the Atlas mountains. Amidst the green are waves of bright yellow, orange, and purple wild flowers being consumed by small groups of sheep, goats and cows. These animals are often accompanied by leisurely strolling shepherds mildly coaxing with staff in hand, and sometimes with only a single cow to watch. Scattered along the roads are gardens and small farms whose gentle farmers, often in a hooded cloaks (jalabis) and walking stick, pass along the edges of their keep, prodding and kneading the soil as necessary. Numerous propped tarps along the roadside shelter men watching after their groups of live chickens for sale. Plots of land are offset by a variety of trees (many look like olive trees), agave, handmade stone walls, and dense massive prickly pear bushes. These prickly pair bushes, ingeniously, are used as impenetrable fences and for holding freshly washed clothes left out to dry. Transportation of every kind pass along the same highway and at any given moment you may glimpse a bus, car, Pugeot motor bike, bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, or donkey slung with canvas bags on either side. Diesel, which the US ambassador tells us is subsidized by the Moroccan government, is widely used and can easily be detected in the bigger towns and cities. The people of Morocco seam to have a knack for patience, and though the city can be quite loud and bustling (especially in the souks) there is no sense of urgency. On every block, fancy euro-style coffee shops with large covered patios are a haven for thousands of men who sit with small gold-gilded glass cups of tea or coffee. They will often sip for hours while they read papers, play cards, watch the people on the street, or chat with friends. The first 5 days of training are held at a beautiful hotel with snow topped mountains on the horizon. We are fed three delicious buffet style Moroccan meals punctuated by two tea/coffee breaks daily. On Friday, a special couscous dish is eaten from a large central platter topped by local steamed vegetables including fava bean, zucchini, squash, comquat, carrot, and delicious spiced stewed beef. All meals include many varieties of salad dishes; beets, fruit salad, potatoes, sliced tomato, bell pepper, onion, etc. The food is amazing, diverse, and by nature, local. Trainees are as diverse as the food. At times they seem awestruck and bewildered, but they are generally impressively optimistic and always friendly. This is truly a great group of humans to reflect US culture!