Cel-e-brate good times!

2010-03-10T17:01:00.022Z

So this is Nicola and it's time to update you on all things Asni/education for all. A bit of a back log for which I apologise but nothing to do but begin. So January or as we in Tashelhit month 1.....

I arrived in January full of excitement and ready to get stuck into life in the Dar Asni household. It was an action packed first week that's for sure. We had a big party January 15 on just my 2nd night in the house. At the party we celebrated my own arrival, Liz's departure and an enourmous 5 birthdays!!

It was a great party with delicious biscuits, banners, fashionistas, games and lots of dancing.

The girls taught me some new Berber moves and helped me improve on what I already knew. At this point I should add that I spent time travelling through Morocco during 2009 and this was not my first Berber dance fest; indeed the dancing may have been a deciding factor for my return!

Berber music is fabulous and the dancing in these parts basically involves a lot of shimmy shaking and hip swivelling. This is to say, from the women, and let me tell you, our girls sure can move!

So we partied the night away to a mix between the sounds of local Berber artists; shimmying away to the percussive bendir (a hend-held, framed snare drum) and the Berber banjo; and some good old ABBA. Yes, that's what I said ABBA. Always a great way to break the ice!

My contribution to the dancing involved some classic get-down-to-the-floor-twist, The Nutbush and something my Mum taught me. Does anyone know that move where you bang your legs together really fast and syncronise your hands to touch your knees at the exact point that when your legs come together . . . . Well, I'm sorry but I never said it was easy!

Did I mention birthday's? We had 5 of them. Celebrating birthdays which ranged from November through to February. In Morocco there is not the emphasis placed on the remembrance or celebration of birthdays as there is Cristian cultures. So here in Dar Asni we have a handful of girls who know not the exact date of their birth but either simply the month or just the year.

Receiving a card to celebrate this obscure event has gained popularity in the house and at this party put a smile on the dial of these each of these girls. I think you would too if you had seen the plethora of cards which were prepared for them!!

The party began to wind down when the tears began to flow with the realisation that the wonderful volunteer Liz would soon be leaving Dar Asni for her next exciting adventure in a little known country Down Under. No that one, the other one. It's smaller and definately greener!

Liz gave her time and expertise to Dar Asni and Education For All from September to January and it was a hard knock for the girls who came to love Liz as a big sister!! We (and I say we) didn't cry for long though because we can look forward to Liz's return this coming April for Education For All Open Day.

So, with this news, we finished the night off with an impromptu live performance and I was treated to some live Berber rhythmic grooves. The plastic tubs were whipped out, vocal chords dusted off and the table tops became our weapon. Mouna (3rd year girl) and I had blisters for days! It has to be said though that the only Berber lyrics the girls knew were wedding songs but hey, whatever gets the party going (again)!

Volunteers new, volunteers old.

2010-02-16T18:23:00.003Z

A very warm welcome 'MarHaba' from Ilaria and Nicola in Asni, Morocco. We are the 2 newest volunteers with Education For All. We join Karima the wonderful Moroccan/French volunteer who resides over at EFAs newest house in Talat-n-Yacoub and follow on from the fantastic volunteer that was Liz.

Updates coming soon!

2010-01-26T13:10:00.001Z

New updates from Asni will be coming soon...

Volunteers' blog

Cel-e-brate good times!

Volunteers new, volunteers old.

Updates coming soon!