This area, known as the Fes-Meknes area, has summers that are milder than Marrakesh. For example, in July and August, the temperature in Marrakesh reaches 52' C (125' F)!! I used to live down in that area, before here in Jeeri. It's really challenging to live in that kind of heat... kind of like living in an oven.
What's the hottest day that you can remember? On that day, what did you do to protect yourself from the heat and sun? Here we sleep on the rooftop at night. We also try to avoid the severe heat by waiting to do anything extra, such as shopping or playing outside, until the evening. The hours here are very different because of this. Many stores are open until midnight, and when you go outside at night in the city (which everyone does here, because they are happy to finally be able to go outside), then there are thousands of people everywhere enjoying themselves. You will see people sitting with friends and family , and having picnics or just catching up on their day. It's like a nightly carnival!
Right now, because of the drought, there are fewer jobs available in the area, and in the whole country as a whole. The unemployment makes the issues that poor families face even more difficult. For example, while during dinnertime in the U.S., every person usually has their own piece of chicken plus vegetables and bread, here in Morocco, unless it's a special occasion (such as a wedding), most a typical dinner will only have one or two pieces of chicken that are shared with the whole family. However, there's usually a lot of vegetables and a lot of bread to accompany it.
