I was pleased to receive a call from Mr. Brahim, a member of an association for “education and development” in Boujdour city this morning. He invited me to go to visit their association to learn about its activities. In the afternoon, I went to meet Mr Brahim at L’Entraide Centre Nationale (National Solidarity Center) with which they partner to offer pre-elementary education for children and workshops for women and young girls in various areas, including handcrafts such as sewing and embroidering, cooking, and information technology. This was the perfect opportunity for me to introduce myself to the manager of l’Entraide Nationale.

Getting to know the manager of the center and these women and children may simplify my future community meetings, as I can build relationships and a base to invite to meetings. Building such relationships is like paving a road to communication and for me to better understand this vast and diverse community.

Saturday, December 1

It was a sunny cool day. I decided to go to the beach. It is no more than 15 minutes from my apartment. It was empty, except for me and the overwhelming sound made by the blue-white waves. I don’t understand why people don’t like going to the beach during the week. Maybe they have a special time for visiting it, but I’m not aware of what that might be!

I recognized a large white structure next to the shore, a special for people to gather to fulfill the prayers for Eid Aladha and Eid Alfitter, two very holy days in Islam. It is called “Al Mussalla.” The deserted surrounding area was covered with plants locally named “Al hbalia,” which is smooth with water inside its tiny oval leaves, “Oum Elbeina”(this plant’s name is derived from milk’s name because when it is cut, a white liquid like milk comes out of its thorny leaves), and “Elaaggeia” (a plant having white flowers).

In the afternoon, I searched for a cyber café. It is so hard to find a good one, and then struggle with the slow internet connection to email my blog of week 3 to the HAF team. I spent three or four hours loading one document, it is frustrating!