Carrie and I just got back from our first four days at the city which will be our home for the next two years (why don’t we call it Kalamazoo), and we both think that we’ll be quite satisfied. The city sits on a plateau between 4000 and 5000 feet, which makes for good views in all directions. To the east, we can just make out snow-capped peaks in the High Atlas Mountains. For an environment and health Peace Corps site, Kalamazoo is pretty plush. We have electricity, running water, convenient stores, a large market every week, and an internet café. Like most Moroccans, people are friendly and there seems to be little gender division. Men and women work together in the fields, and in the home, men do go into the kitchen although women do the cooking. As for projects that we will be working, we just have to wait and see what our counterparts at the hospital and Department of Water and Forests as well as the townsfolk have to say. From a health and environmental perspective, one of the obvious problems that we saw was a very degraded stream and valley behind the market. Lots of trash gets thrown into the valley, and the water quality looks really bad because of pollution from latrines and the market. There are several active associations in the town and the natural resources are interesting. Kalamazoo is surrounded by thuya and carob forests. The former is used for artisanal wood-working, and the later is an expensive food. Our family couldn’t be more friendly. They have three children (another on the way) and a nephew that lives there. The ages are 2, 4, 9, and 11. The children are real cute (the 4 yr. old told us that we need to go to school with her so that we can learn to talk) and well behaved. There are also about twenty-five other kids in the same age range that hang out by our house after school. We play games with them sometime. Taarabt, the wife, is really nice and an excellent cook. Furthermore, the family has hosted Peace Corps Volunteers before, so they are used to the quirks of Americans. Other volunteers have had mostly positive things to say about their sites. A lot of volunteers have reported caves near their sites, which suggests an opportunity for weekend trips for me. Alex is near a ski resort and Jonathan can see the Mediterranean from his site. We also have plans of visiting some of the small surf villages between Essaouira and Agadir. A word about Essaouira. This major tourist destination on the Atlantic was once known as Mogador (they should change it back). All the buildings are white and blue and there are endless maze-like streets of shops with all kinds of interesting products. The atmosphere is really laid back and you can shop or relax at a café by the ocean without being harassed. You can also get by with only English. If you’re not interested in shopping and a little history, the town offers windsurfing, camel rides, relaxing, and watching people and cats.