Monday, October 29, 2007

Ifrane, Morocco

In the distance are the three hills of Ifrane! This is like traveling into Central Oregon and seeing who spots Black Butte first! We are about to enter into the cedar forest--where the cow sign is... Ifrane is at an elevation of about 5,600 feet. It is on what I would call, a plateau. When you descend to travel to Meknes or Fes, you immediately drop about 4,000 feet.

This is the view from my livingroom window. We are looking toward Azrou. Perhaps if you enlarge this you can see some sheep herders at 12 o'clock. I took this on the day I arrived.

This is my school--from a window in my flat. The building to the left is EC, PK and K; the center building is Administration and the teacher work room and a building behind that is the rest of the school. Music--along with p.e.--is way back in a corner!

A look at the Early Childhood, PK and K center out a window from my flat
--as well as one of the hills of Ifrane.
These teachers and I had fitor together: Linda (English/History), Fatima (French)
and Maha(Art).
In this photo, you can sort of see where I live. It is the building straight ahead and farthest away! The other buildings that you see are empty. They are either summer residences or they are buildings that are unfinished.

This is some of the Early Childhood class! There are 15 students in all. Ms. Rachida (L) is the helper and Ms. Mammah (C) is the lead teacher.

My buddy Zouheir.

This is a wall the workers built in the Early Childhood classroom.

~~~~~
The next two photos are of the traveling souk--which is located a mile or so down the road from where I live. Again, it's improper to blatently take photos, so I pretended to take photos of my friend Julia Reimer --who speaks fluent French and Arabic. Hopefully, you can get an idea of what the souk is like.


This is Al Akhawayn University. The building to the left is the main building. Faculty and student residences are straight ahead.

This is the theatre where the choir rehearses each week. I will perform here as pianist several times this fall. Great facility! The ceiling is incredibly decorated.

I took these photos early one morning and the sounds of the birds were amazing. You can see the top of the mosque and the third building down is the library.

1 comment:

Kelly said...

Great pictures, I like this small town situated in Morocco's Middle Atlas, Ifrane has been around for centuries. Many tourists from other parts of Morocco come here during the hot summer months to escape the heat. Perhaps the most distinguishable trait of Ifrane is its unusual Alpine architectural style - quite out of character with the rest of Morocco property architecture. The French villas are now predominantly Moroccan owned but they still retain their unusual charm.