Last night we had a dinner meeting with the Doyen Rotary club, where the District Governor, "AbdelFettah," was present, as well as their club president. During the day we also visited some schools that the Doyen club was helping. One in particular (in Bouskoura) did not have toilets, so the club helped to fund their installation. I'm still amazed at the things we take for granted. I just talked to my 6-year-old niece, MeKenzie, via Skype, and told her about this. She said, "where did they go to the bathroom?" I said I didn't know, and asked her to imagine that situation at her school. She said, "well, I'd probably just go outside to pee."  :)

We visited another school this morning (Groupe Scolaire la Residence), which was at the other end of the spectrum - an "IB" school, private, 3,000 kids (at 7 different locations) and the teachers are paid very well (about 300 dirhams/$37 an hour). At this school, students are taught English at age 6, along with French, Arabic and Spanish. The President (Mehdi Hefiri) of the school met with us and gave us info via a translater. I attached a two-minute podcast of him speaking in French and the translations about the students and expectations. Tres bien!

We also visited a bank today, and a "baby shower," that apparently is close to an all-day affair here. There was three bands, dancing, food...crazy stuff! It was wild, and WAY different. I'm so used to everyone gathering around the mom-to-be, ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the 1,000,000th one-sie and rattle that they open. :) There was none of this today, and it was fun.