Takurt!

It's been really hot and the sun is constant, which makes for long days. Its a bit cooler in our CBT village, but still hot enough that we haven't ventured out for walks at lunch time. We had our tree sale today and it started out as a nice sunny day, but by afternoon the wind had picked up and the dark clouds rolled in. We watched the storm approach from the mountains and could see the wall of rain move towards us. It was a good storm with lots of lightning and thunder. The thunder was a low rolling rumble, not the violent claps we have in Chicago. It was a welcome reminder of spring time at home; the rain even smelled the same – that earthy, fresh smell.
Everything cooled off and the storm cleared before we left school. When I got home, we drank tea and then my sister Mina and I walked to the cliff overlooking the river. Due to the rain, the river is full and she wanted me to see it. We ran into Arik and his brother doing the same thing, so we walked down together. It was a beautiful evening, cool and breezy and the sky was kind of pink with a few puffy clouds. The river was definitely full of water and mud! It was brown!
Dan and his host brothers were playing takurt (soccer) at the field there, so I joined them. It was the first time I've played soccer since I arrived in Morocco! Living with a family of mostly women, I haven't had an opportunity to play. Even though I'm horrible and don't know the strategies, I had a great time. They treated me like one of the boys – when I got knocked down, the game continued as if nothing happened! I picked myself up and got right back in the game. I even scored a goal. It was great to run around and work up a sweat.
My family was a bit concerned about me because women and girls in my CBT village don't play soccer and they were worried that I wore myself out. When we finished dinner at 10:15, I was exhausted and ready for bed. They told me it was because I had played soccer, but I think it was because I'd been going since 7am that morning!