Morocco, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship

Our last few weeks in Morocco were wonderful. We came back from our trip down South refreshed and ready to take on new tasks. We were invited over to a neighbor's house for couscous one Friday where we learned how to make couscous from scratch (lots of flour sifting and sifting and then sifting again and then steaming followed by mixing and more steaming). While we waited for the couscous to finish, the mom played dress up with Jennifer. 

"Traditional" Moroccan pose

Dressing up took a good decade off Jen

 The Rif Mountains above Chefchauen with our volunteer buddy "The Scottish Rose"

 We inadvertently herded these mountain sheep, after which the shepherd threw rocks at them. These mountains are so dynamic, it was like hiking through Middle-Earth

Brandon's second beer in three months, not pictured is the third and fourth. 

 Jennifer was roped into getting her hands hennaed one day after we got home from the souk. She really had no say in the matter and was whisked away to a neighbor's house

Yep, that's exactly what you think it is...

Fields upon fields of the good stuff

 A last look at the land we worked on for 3 months. We built 150 basins all filled with manure and compost. They will be planted with fruit trees and shrubs come October creating a "Food Forest".

"Tasked with drawing an artist interpretation of what the land will look like Jen unsurprisingly exceeded all expectations and painted a masterpiece" -Brandon Touchstone, 2012

 

Jennifer's little proteges knitting with homemade needles

Notice the yarn? The protege becomes the master

Their album Boys of Faraha drops this summer!

 Brandon playing "food memory" with some children in the center

Our neighbor Haj, our "sister" from Ouazzane and our "mom" from Ouazzane

 Cookies and tea at the center's official opening two days before our departure

Our colleagues at the center: Rose, Abdelillah (the facilitator), Azzedine (the caretaker of the land)

We had an incredible time in Morocco! It was very sad leaving, but we left knowing that we will be back someday and now have a new family to go back to visit. We are so thankful to the women of http://www.ouazzaniyat.org who were so supportive and trusting of us.

Bslama!