My first moroccan family meal at Abdellah Soussi's house

Abdellah Soussi is the director of the Moroccan children's trust. He invited me, Oliver and our 2 Somalian guests to join his family for an evening meal. Their dining room is huge-like a restaraunt! Family life is very important in Morocco and it is usual for the whole family to live together in the same house which can include parents and grandparents...the houses are often large so that everyone has there own floor/apartment and they may visit each other's apartments for meals but also have some privacy too.

All this fruit is in season now in Morocco

A visit to Taroudant municipal library

I went with Youssef, my arabic culture teacher, to Taroudant municipal library. It is situated outside the medina in a quiet area of the city amongst all the other municipal buildings.
I have been invited by the library manager to offer some training whilst I am here (like an exchange of ideas)
They wish to expand their services within the community.

I was given a map of the Souss valley
which is where the province of Taroudant lies
and a dvd about the history of the city

We welcome our new visitors from London

A big group of MCT workers, friends & volunteers
enjoying soup and moroccan tea , lots of laughs and singing in the favourite cafe

Brahim and Souhir-the 2 MCT social workers
that I am helping with the childrens' school holiday actiivities

A token pussy cat usually 'hanging out' nearby...

Sukrir's mum helped me to arrange my scarf like a hijab

The souk never sleeps!

I took these photos of the Berber souk in Taroudannt late at night just after buying my berber shoes...

and here are my new berber shoes
a bargain deal at 50 dirhams-that's about £3.40!

 Moroccan people think english people live in houses with sloping rooves (most of us do  suppose)

                       These are some of the childrens first impressions of me - not a bad likeness!

My first session at MCT centre

We shared a typical english tea and home made scones+ strawberry jam with the students
after their english lesson - they liked it!

                                       This is Oliver the MCT volunteer coordinator

                                         we even had an alcoholic drink in the Palais Salam garden!

                              We went for a Sunday afternoon stroll outside the city walls