Written by: Soufien M. – CorpsAfrica/Maroc Volunteer
Date: February 23, 2015
So far I have been to a birth and a funeral, but not to a wedding yet, because summer is the season of weddings here in The Valley. As people promised me it would be so much fu
n, the weather is warm, nature flourishes, tourists hanging out around the valley, people get their harvest of walnut, apple and cherries, and they get married with spectacular celebrations dancing Ahouach (the local traditional dance).
Still I am enjoying my time at the moment in the cold winter, with the lovely kids at the river or at the mosque and even with oldies of the community who haven’t left the village and still taking care of their families and the fields, though most of adults are working far away in big cities like Marrakech earning money for their families or getting themselves prepared financially to get married, particularly those who have not yet, mostly in summer, their favorite season.
Again when I ask questions about marriage I get different information about it, for instance about young adults in my age or even younger who are planning to marry next summer like Mohammed (the guy standing in the picture) who has turned twenty-two years old, then they would tease me sometimes as Rashid (the one riding donkey) does always, he once hardly expressed himself in Arabic saying to me “You are twenty-five, so what are you waiting for?!! Get yourself a Berber girl from here!! She would be much better than a city girl, patient, 
obedient, hardworking, and even prettier!! Am I wrong?” I frankly get confused answering the question every time I am asked but I just smile and say “yes you are totally right, we’ll see I don’t know! Hopefully, I can’t tell!!” once more sometimes I tease them too saying “maybe if you give me a large field of walnut and apple to earn my living here and live with you here forever. I promise you I’ll think about it!!” then they would laugh hard and tell me that I can’t handle life in the valley as they do, as Rashid said one time “you know what!! You’ll won’t marry till you are forty years old” thus we’ll all laugh and I reply “ok let it be my miserable destiny then”
Pending for a promising summer in the valley to witness the unique traditions and events occurring during the hottest season of the year, I am taking pleasure of every moment I spend in my daily life here which I consider to be unique and special moments of my life.
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