“Day of the first big snow”

December 2
I wake up in the morning to a foot and a half of snow layered out over my village like a fresh coat of vanilla frosting. School was cancelled because the roads were covered and the two plows in the region didn’t make it this way.
After a round of snow ball fights with the children outside I piled on the clothes and begun my trek to Ifrane. I had plans the day before to go with my site mate and another PCV nearby. We were determined to make it. We began our 4-5 mile hike around 12:30. The scenery around us was pristine and unscathed. Everything took on the appearance of a black and white photograph. All that was visible was white snow, and the wet, saturated tree trunks. The sky, having dropped off all it had to offer on the ground was now beaming sunlight.

We had begun walking through the forest towards the waterfall and stream nearby which had nearly doubled in size due to the past months of heavy rain.

On the way to Ifrane we saw two donkeys basking in the winter sun, trying to keep each other warm. Both had their front legs tied together which is common here so that they do not run away, however the technique provides them with the freedom to roam around larger spaces of land.

Up on a hill away from the road we spotted a group of boys skiing down a small slope. The younger children all stood up on the top of the snow mound watching the older kids ski down. One of the boys skied down to us and asked if we wanted to go for a run and we couldn’t pass up the offer. We climbed up the hill and traded in our snow soaked boots for a pair of ski shoes a few sizes too big. I was a little worried about the steep terrain and oversized boots but I made it down successfully none the less. After one run we thanked the young boys and were on our way, continuing our journey to Ifrane.

There were very few people whom we encountered on the unplowed street but we did come across a man and women walking from Ifrane back into their village. I was shocked a little when I saw that the women was carrying a large bag in each hand and one on her back as the man held nothing. He appeared to be in good shape and able. This is a common scenario I witness. Women do most of the heavy work.
Finally, our journey ended around 4:30 when we arrived to our destination in Ifrane. By this point the post office had closed and most of the tasks which we needed to accomplish had to be postponed as the sun was going down and most businesses had shut down for the day. Fatigued, cold and rather hungry we decided to stay with a friend’s family in Ifrane and carry on with what we needed to do the next day.