Souk (market)
In our town we have two weekly souks or markets. One very small vegetable souk and a larger souk on Fridays with pretty much anything we might need. It’s similar to a flea market with stalls set up and rented out. During the week the area is completely closed and dead but on Fridays people from all around come and it’s packed with people and donkeys (haven’t seen anyone come in on camels yet, although in other areas they do.) There are areas for different goods such as shoes, vegetables, rugs, meat and even a row of barbers…Right now the produce area is thriving with van and truck loads pouring in stuffed full of watermelons. Other fruits such as grapes, melons, oranges, apples, bananas and prunes are available too. Vegetables are onions, squash, carrots, potatoes, beets and turnips. We can find plenty of peanuts, rice and spices there as well along with odds and ends such as gloves, thread, candy, toothpaste… In general, men do the shopping, but women can be seen in souk as well.
Well we were beginning to think that it would be a slow summer but suddenly we have 3 projects to get started and keep us busy. There is a very small school (30 students) that the previous volunteer found funds to build toilets and a cistern. We will be here to see the project through and hopefully do some health/environment lessons with kids after it’s complete. Our main school of about 400 kids is also asking for help putting in running water and toilets. It will be a much larger project and will take a while but it looks promising. There’s an association here that is very excited about working with us and the school on the project. Third, the health clinic is in need of a way to dispose of medical waste (mainly used needles.) I am looking in to medical waste incinerators and other options.
No big plans for the weekend. Just resting and maybe watching a movies. Next weekend is the Ganoua music festival in Essaouira which we’re looking forward to. We got to check out our future apartment so we’re getting excited about that. It’s a really nice place (bigger than our apt. in DC). It has running water and electricity a nice large kitchen, a bedroom and sitting room with lots of windows. It also has a roof for washing clothes and watching sunsets.
In our town we have two weekly souks or markets. One very small vegetable souk and a larger souk on Fridays with pretty much anything we might need. It’s similar to a flea market with stalls set up and rented out. During the week the area is completely closed and dead but on Fridays people from all around come and it’s packed with people and donkeys (haven’t seen anyone come in on camels yet, although in other areas they do.) There are areas for different goods such as shoes, vegetables, rugs, meat and even a row of barbers…Right now the produce area is thriving with van and truck loads pouring in stuffed full of watermelons. Other fruits such as grapes, melons, oranges, apples, bananas and prunes are available too. Vegetables are onions, squash, carrots, potatoes, beets and turnips. We can find plenty of peanuts, rice and spices there as well along with odds and ends such as gloves, thread, candy, toothpaste… In general, men do the shopping, but women can be seen in souk as well.
Well we were beginning to think that it would be a slow summer but suddenly we have 3 projects to get started and keep us busy. There is a very small school (30 students) that the previous volunteer found funds to build toilets and a cistern. We will be here to see the project through and hopefully do some health/environment lessons with kids after it’s complete. Our main school of about 400 kids is also asking for help putting in running water and toilets. It will be a much larger project and will take a while but it looks promising. There’s an association here that is very excited about working with us and the school on the project. Third, the health clinic is in need of a way to dispose of medical waste (mainly used needles.) I am looking in to medical waste incinerators and other options.
No big plans for the weekend. Just resting and maybe watching a movies. Next weekend is the Ganoua music festival in Essaouira which we’re looking forward to. We got to check out our future apartment so we’re getting excited about that. It’s a really nice place (bigger than our apt. in DC). It has running water and electricity a nice large kitchen, a bedroom and sitting room with lots of windows. It also has a roof for washing clothes and watching sunsets.
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