I was awakened again by the call to prayer at 6am, but it was still cool to hear. We had breakfast with Grandpa Misbahi again, and then said our goodbyes to everyone in the house. It was kind of sad because I really enjoyed getting to know this warm and welcoming family, and our trip with them was really short. But we all exchanged emails to keep in touch.
Our first stop of the day was to the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. On the grounds is a Mosque, a masouleum, and the ruins of a large mosque. The bodies of the current King's father, grandfather (Mohammed V) and his uncle are in a beautiful building inscribed with Koran scriptures and mosaics. It was breathtaking and I loved the ceiling's design. There was also the ruins from a mosque that had been began, but was never finished. I believe the King Hassan II continued the construction of the mausoleum after his father's death. The ruins were from years ago though, and it would have been too expensive to finish it, so the pillars are still there, but nothing else. It was a beautiful day with a bright blue sky and the contrast between the giant pillars and the sky was awesome to see.
We stopped for coffee in a town named Wesan, and then it was another few hours up the mountains to a village family's home for lunch. Simo came with us because the family did not speak English, and it was easier to have a native speaker translate for us. We had a fantastic lunch of fresh vegetables--avocados, carrots, cucumbers, corn,and tomatoes with tuna and bread. Everyone was really excited to make a sandwiches out of the bread and vegetables because everything was so flavorful. The family also made us a vegetable couscous with cabbage and carrots, which was also great --the only problem was that we were all so full from the sandwiches that we couldn't really eat too much of the couscous! For dessert, we had more fresh fruit-I had a banana and of course, tea! But this tea was steeped with rosemary and basil, so it was even more flavorful than the mint one. It was incredible. During our tea time, we chatted with the farmer and his wife (through Simo) and discusses our studies and also their lifestyle. It was interesting to see Morocco from a rural perspective and the family was extremely intrigued by the American way of life and they asked questions about school, marriage, and our futures.
The farmer then took us on a walk of his land-- it was a beautiful hike up a mountain and we could see all the olive trees and other crops that he grows. The sun was almost setting. so it was really a breathtaking site to be that high in the mountains. overlooking the land. We also somehow got roped into singing for the farmer--so of course, we sand Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations...on top of a mountain...in Morocco. It was surreal, but a really fun memory to have.
We said goodbye to the family and thanked them for their hospitality. On our way down the mountain Juan explained to us that this family is a good example of the changes that are happening in Morocco. The farmer's first wife passed away while giving birth because they couldn't get to the hospital in time to save her. They don't have a car, the road was not paved to get down the mountain and the closest hospital was over an hour away. After his wife passed away, the farmer's mother decided to make a change. The grandmother, who cannot read or write, went everyday to the local government building and fought to pave the road. Eventually, they did, as well as make a clinic nearby. Juan told us that this woman's granddaughter is now in school, learning 3 languages, and it shows the wide difference between generations in Morocco. I thought the story was very inspiring because it shows how determination for change can make it a reality.
We drove for a few hours until we reached Chechouen. It is a beautiful town, know for its amazing hiking trails and tourism. We checked into our hostel, which was beautifully decorated and then went to the town to SHOP! In Morocco, there is a haggling culture--Marissa, you would have loved it. We spoke in Spanish to the shopkeepers and basically negotiated every purchase. It was so much fun, but I have to say, Claudine must be part-Moroccan because she was great at it. I got a ton of souvenirs, so I was very happy. But it was also absolutely freezing, so when it came for dinner, I was so excited to get out of the cold!
We went as a big group to dinner at this cute restaurant, and we got to talk with Juan and Simo about A LOT of things--the youth in Morocco and the US, the laws, etc. My favorite topic was Simo's favorite American movies which included the Godfather, Shawshank Redemption, Training Day, and other classics--Simo had my seal of approval of being awesome!! I had another chicken tagine for dinner, and for dessert, I had a Moroccan pastry. I also ate the olives that they had on the table-- I know, who am I? But they were SO good!
After dinner, we regrouped with everyone in the hostel and talked about our trip and our experiences in Morocco. It was great to talk about what we saw and felt during our time there. After such a full day though, bed was greatly appreciated.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Marreucos Day 2
So day 2 of our trip started nice and early, with an 8am breakfast at our homestay. Our host grandpa (we LOVED him) got up early and made us a Moroccan feast. There were flat crepe-like things that were a bit crispier that we spread with butter and fresh strawberry jam. There were also two types of honey--since I'm not a huge fan of honey, I only tried one of them. It was incredibly sweet, so I preferred the jam. They served the same kind of whole wheat bread from the night before with olive oil, which of course, I couldn't resist. The olive oil was very flavorful and fresh because Morocco is a big producer of it. There were also rolls with sesame seeds on them and a honey-bun type thing that was not too sweet.
We ate our breakfast with Ashraf, who explained that for Moroccans, it is very easy to get a passport, but nearly impossible to obtain a Visa. Like the two sisters from the day before, he had never been outside of Morocco. In order to get a Visa, a Moroccan has to have a lot of money and a job--basically to show that he or she will return to Morocco, so usually young Moroccans can't get them. Ashraf told us that he wants to visit California, New York, Washington D.C. and Texas, so I told him that one day, when he makes it to NY, he can come visit me!
So after our breakfast, we regrouped with everyone and drove about 20 minutes to Salle, a huge town next to Rabat which is know as a "dorm town" since a lot of people who work in Rabat actually live in Salle and commute because it is cheaper. We drove past the Salle shanty town, which is a huge area of unimaginable poverty. People there live in makeshift shelters, have to steal electricity, and don't have any running water. They work as handymen usually, which means that there is never a stable income, making social betterment impossible. This shanty town was the 3rd biggest in Morocco and was created in 1980 as people began moving from the country to the city to find jobs. It wasn't meant to be a permanent settlement by any means, but as time passed, more and more families found themselves in this reality. We were told that the police are scared to go and the people who live in the shanty town are scared of the police, so there is never any police influence, meaning crime is common. After our drive, we arrived at our destination.
Hope for Salle is a non-profit organization that tries to help the people in the shanty towns. It began in 2002, and in 2004 the NGO was a large meeting room and a classroom. In 2006, it was a meeting room, an administration room and an outside area. Now, it is in a large building with several rooms that was given to them by King Mohammed VI, PERSONALLY! Hope for Salle works predominately with children and young people, some with and some without diplomas. We sat down to speak with some of the volunteers and had one of the most stimulating conversations I think I have ever participated in. One of the volunteers is named Simo (a nickname for Muhammed), and he was great! He also accompanied us on our trip the next day, but we met him because he works at Hope for Salle. The volunteers explained that they help young girls stay in school by offering extra classes and the center, and a grant from the government is going to allow them to help 400 girls this year. They also help people find jobs and even teach them how to look for a job. I realized that this center is some peoples' career services, but there is a major problem with corruption in Morocco, so even if someone is qualified for a job, the person won't get the job unless he or she has connections to the right people.
We got into some pretty heavy political talk at one point of the conversation--it was really interesting to see what the Moroccans thought of their own government and America's upcoming elections. I noticed that pretty much everyone in Morocco was more informed about the American issues than the average American! The volunteers explained that the poor people had been marginalized by the local government and a while ago, there was an incident where the shanty town people began throwing garbage in the middle of a busy street in order to demand help. The new government's Prime Minister, who had been just elected came and walked through the shanty towns without bodyguards and the media to stop the roadblocks. This connection to the people makes the Moroccans hopeful that this government will be more "with the people." The agreement reached dictates that every two shanty homes will be demolished and turned into a two story apartment.
We also discussed the Arab spring movement that Egypt started last January. We asked our host why they thought that the Moroccan people didn't have a violent uprising like Syria and Egypt. Their response was that the King is a symbol of stability and also that there are many different ethnic groups, making it difficult to organize everyone behind one common cause. The February 20th movement from last year was a peaceful protest by the Moroccan people regarding the high level of unemployment. On March 9th, a new constitution was proposed. This fast action showed that violence wasn't needed to achieve change. Moreover, Morocco gets a lot of money from business with Europe (like agriculture) so if there were a revolution, the economy would be negatively impacted. They also explained to us that now that Egypt and Tunisia are in ruins since their revolt, Morocco is now the #1 country for Northern African tourism, which is obviously beneficial to them.
We asked them what they thought about American politics-- one thing that the volunteers were clear about was that in their mind, there was a difference between the American government and the American people. They think that the government is still an imperial power and that American democracy is not true democracy and used the war in Iraq as an example of how the elected officials don't truly represent the will of the people. They also thought it was hypocritical for the government to fight for democracy in oil rich countries, but ignore the ones without oil. I could see how their perspective was formed, based on what they saw in the news. I really enjoyed seeing how they viewed American policies because it is always cool to see an international perspective.
As a theology major, I was eagerly anticipating some discussion about their beliefs and the Islamic faith. When we asked them about September 11th, they rightfully so expressed annoyance and sadness that such a small group of radicals could taint the world's view of all Muslims. Moreover, they were upset because, in their words, the terrorists were not even Muslims! They said that nowhere in the Quran is what they did acceptable--they pointed out that there is a section that says in war, a Muslim must not kill a tree because it is a living thing, animals for the same reason, women, children, old men, someone unarmed and someone who surrenders. Thus, the true Islam is the opposite of a violent belief system, but rather promotes peace among all people. I made the point that the American view of Islam is, unfortunately, very negative due to uneducated people spreading falsities about the faith.
After our visit, we took a quick walk to the local market, which was outdoors and filled with strange smells, bright colors, and a ton of people. I thought how funny it would be if there were a bunch of tourists in Shoprite, taking pictures of all the produce--we must have looked like freaks to the Moroccans, but they were all very nice and smiled as we gawked. We said goodbye to the volunteers and got back on the bus to drive to Chellah.
Chellah is the site of old Roman ruins from the town Sala Colonia. Juan explained that it was a small merchant town, one of many that was responsible for feeding Rome. The town was eventually settled by Muslims, and the Almohad dynasty used the site as a necropolis. Sultan Abu I-Hasan later built a mosque and the area became an important Muslim post. There were still elements of the pagan tradtion though, shown in the fertility pools filled with eels. We were able to enter the mosque because it is no longer a functioning one-- in 1755, during a prayer, an earthquake in Lisbon caused the mosque to collapse. Many worshipers were killed, as well as the Imam who was presiding over the prayer. It is one of the only mosques in the world to have a grave inside it (the Imam's). The whole area is now a tourist attraction, but it also has one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen.
After this visit, it was back to our host family's house for lunch--and we were graced with two more guests, Professor Lamas and Juan! It was incredible to be sitting there with everyone because SO MANY languages were flying back and forth--Arabic, French, Spanish,. English, AH! Abir, the 11 year old niece knows 5 languages already and is studying Spanish now. It was so impressive. Lunch was a large tangine with couscous, squash, peas, carrots, potatoes, pickles and chicken. We found out that couscous is the traditional Friday lunch--it is kind of like Italian's Sunday lunch with sauce and meatballs because Friday is the Sabbath for Muslims. There was plenty of fresh fruit for dessert-- bananas, tangerines (P.S. the name is from Tangier!) and strawberries. We also had a ton of fun playing a card game that was sort of like UNO, but pumped up 3 notches. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone and just relax and laugh.
When lunch was over, we went on a tour of Rabat's Kabash (old fort), the Medina markets, and "New" Rabat. Our guides were a PhD student named Nassim who was studying law and Mohammed--they were total opposites on the political and religious scale, so it was an entertaining tour, to say the least. We had many discussions about religion and Christianity-- Mohammed was especially interested in how I could explain the Holy Trinity- all my theology classes sure helped me try to explain the concept to him. But in the end, we basically agreed to disagree. We also talked a lot about American culture and the perception of Arabic countries to the West. We had an afternoon snack at this cute cafe-- Claudine and I both had a cafe au lait and shared the perfect chocolate dessert. It was awesome- we even met up with one of the volunteers from Hope for Salle and continued our discussion from the morning. We then walked around "New" Rabat for a little while, which is a much more commercialized and urban area of Rabat.
We thanked our guides and met back up with the Fordham group, and we then walked to one host family's house to meet 2 Fulbright stduents who are doing research in Morocco. It was a fascinating conversation, and I am definietly going to look into a Fulbright --but it is something I have to do soon!!
After this conversation, it was time for the Hamman--the traditional Arabic bath! I was a little wary because I didn't really understand how it would work, but it was quite the experience. It was kind of a large steam room with faucets of hot water, everyone got a large plastic bucket to put the hot water in, and we were all given natural soap and a scrubber to use. All of us Americans wore our bathing suits and washed our hair, but it was definitely interesting trying to wash our hair with a smaller bucket of water. It was SO warm though, so we didn't really want to leave. Moreover, I was terrified that once I left the Hammam, I would be absolutely freezing outside, but somehow, I was the warmest I had been there yet. The warmth lasted for about an hour and a half, so I was so happy that I actually went to the Hamman.
When we got back to our house, we had dinner, which was pasta noodles in a tomato sauce. We played another round of the card game, and then it was finally time for bed.
We ate our breakfast with Ashraf, who explained that for Moroccans, it is very easy to get a passport, but nearly impossible to obtain a Visa. Like the two sisters from the day before, he had never been outside of Morocco. In order to get a Visa, a Moroccan has to have a lot of money and a job--basically to show that he or she will return to Morocco, so usually young Moroccans can't get them. Ashraf told us that he wants to visit California, New York, Washington D.C. and Texas, so I told him that one day, when he makes it to NY, he can come visit me!
So after our breakfast, we regrouped with everyone and drove about 20 minutes to Salle, a huge town next to Rabat which is know as a "dorm town" since a lot of people who work in Rabat actually live in Salle and commute because it is cheaper. We drove past the Salle shanty town, which is a huge area of unimaginable poverty. People there live in makeshift shelters, have to steal electricity, and don't have any running water. They work as handymen usually, which means that there is never a stable income, making social betterment impossible. This shanty town was the 3rd biggest in Morocco and was created in 1980 as people began moving from the country to the city to find jobs. It wasn't meant to be a permanent settlement by any means, but as time passed, more and more families found themselves in this reality. We were told that the police are scared to go and the people who live in the shanty town are scared of the police, so there is never any police influence, meaning crime is common. After our drive, we arrived at our destination.
Hope for Salle is a non-profit organization that tries to help the people in the shanty towns. It began in 2002, and in 2004 the NGO was a large meeting room and a classroom. In 2006, it was a meeting room, an administration room and an outside area. Now, it is in a large building with several rooms that was given to them by King Mohammed VI, PERSONALLY! Hope for Salle works predominately with children and young people, some with and some without diplomas. We sat down to speak with some of the volunteers and had one of the most stimulating conversations I think I have ever participated in. One of the volunteers is named Simo (a nickname for Muhammed), and he was great! He also accompanied us on our trip the next day, but we met him because he works at Hope for Salle. The volunteers explained that they help young girls stay in school by offering extra classes and the center, and a grant from the government is going to allow them to help 400 girls this year. They also help people find jobs and even teach them how to look for a job. I realized that this center is some peoples' career services, but there is a major problem with corruption in Morocco, so even if someone is qualified for a job, the person won't get the job unless he or she has connections to the right people.
We got into some pretty heavy political talk at one point of the conversation--it was really interesting to see what the Moroccans thought of their own government and America's upcoming elections. I noticed that pretty much everyone in Morocco was more informed about the American issues than the average American! The volunteers explained that the poor people had been marginalized by the local government and a while ago, there was an incident where the shanty town people began throwing garbage in the middle of a busy street in order to demand help. The new government's Prime Minister, who had been just elected came and walked through the shanty towns without bodyguards and the media to stop the roadblocks. This connection to the people makes the Moroccans hopeful that this government will be more "with the people." The agreement reached dictates that every two shanty homes will be demolished and turned into a two story apartment.
We also discussed the Arab spring movement that Egypt started last January. We asked our host why they thought that the Moroccan people didn't have a violent uprising like Syria and Egypt. Their response was that the King is a symbol of stability and also that there are many different ethnic groups, making it difficult to organize everyone behind one common cause. The February 20th movement from last year was a peaceful protest by the Moroccan people regarding the high level of unemployment. On March 9th, a new constitution was proposed. This fast action showed that violence wasn't needed to achieve change. Moreover, Morocco gets a lot of money from business with Europe (like agriculture) so if there were a revolution, the economy would be negatively impacted. They also explained to us that now that Egypt and Tunisia are in ruins since their revolt, Morocco is now the #1 country for Northern African tourism, which is obviously beneficial to them.
We asked them what they thought about American politics-- one thing that the volunteers were clear about was that in their mind, there was a difference between the American government and the American people. They think that the government is still an imperial power and that American democracy is not true democracy and used the war in Iraq as an example of how the elected officials don't truly represent the will of the people. They also thought it was hypocritical for the government to fight for democracy in oil rich countries, but ignore the ones without oil. I could see how their perspective was formed, based on what they saw in the news. I really enjoyed seeing how they viewed American policies because it is always cool to see an international perspective.
As a theology major, I was eagerly anticipating some discussion about their beliefs and the Islamic faith. When we asked them about September 11th, they rightfully so expressed annoyance and sadness that such a small group of radicals could taint the world's view of all Muslims. Moreover, they were upset because, in their words, the terrorists were not even Muslims! They said that nowhere in the Quran is what they did acceptable--they pointed out that there is a section that says in war, a Muslim must not kill a tree because it is a living thing, animals for the same reason, women, children, old men, someone unarmed and someone who surrenders. Thus, the true Islam is the opposite of a violent belief system, but rather promotes peace among all people. I made the point that the American view of Islam is, unfortunately, very negative due to uneducated people spreading falsities about the faith.
After our visit, we took a quick walk to the local market, which was outdoors and filled with strange smells, bright colors, and a ton of people. I thought how funny it would be if there were a bunch of tourists in Shoprite, taking pictures of all the produce--we must have looked like freaks to the Moroccans, but they were all very nice and smiled as we gawked. We said goodbye to the volunteers and got back on the bus to drive to Chellah.
Chellah is the site of old Roman ruins from the town Sala Colonia. Juan explained that it was a small merchant town, one of many that was responsible for feeding Rome. The town was eventually settled by Muslims, and the Almohad dynasty used the site as a necropolis. Sultan Abu I-Hasan later built a mosque and the area became an important Muslim post. There were still elements of the pagan tradtion though, shown in the fertility pools filled with eels. We were able to enter the mosque because it is no longer a functioning one-- in 1755, during a prayer, an earthquake in Lisbon caused the mosque to collapse. Many worshipers were killed, as well as the Imam who was presiding over the prayer. It is one of the only mosques in the world to have a grave inside it (the Imam's). The whole area is now a tourist attraction, but it also has one of the most beautiful gardens I've ever seen.
After this visit, it was back to our host family's house for lunch--and we were graced with two more guests, Professor Lamas and Juan! It was incredible to be sitting there with everyone because SO MANY languages were flying back and forth--Arabic, French, Spanish,. English, AH! Abir, the 11 year old niece knows 5 languages already and is studying Spanish now. It was so impressive. Lunch was a large tangine with couscous, squash, peas, carrots, potatoes, pickles and chicken. We found out that couscous is the traditional Friday lunch--it is kind of like Italian's Sunday lunch with sauce and meatballs because Friday is the Sabbath for Muslims. There was plenty of fresh fruit for dessert-- bananas, tangerines (P.S. the name is from Tangier!) and strawberries. We also had a ton of fun playing a card game that was sort of like UNO, but pumped up 3 notches. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone and just relax and laugh.
When lunch was over, we went on a tour of Rabat's Kabash (old fort), the Medina markets, and "New" Rabat. Our guides were a PhD student named Nassim who was studying law and Mohammed--they were total opposites on the political and religious scale, so it was an entertaining tour, to say the least. We had many discussions about religion and Christianity-- Mohammed was especially interested in how I could explain the Holy Trinity- all my theology classes sure helped me try to explain the concept to him. But in the end, we basically agreed to disagree. We also talked a lot about American culture and the perception of Arabic countries to the West. We had an afternoon snack at this cute cafe-- Claudine and I both had a cafe au lait and shared the perfect chocolate dessert. It was awesome- we even met up with one of the volunteers from Hope for Salle and continued our discussion from the morning. We then walked around "New" Rabat for a little while, which is a much more commercialized and urban area of Rabat.
We thanked our guides and met back up with the Fordham group, and we then walked to one host family's house to meet 2 Fulbright stduents who are doing research in Morocco. It was a fascinating conversation, and I am definietly going to look into a Fulbright --but it is something I have to do soon!!
After this conversation, it was time for the Hamman--the traditional Arabic bath! I was a little wary because I didn't really understand how it would work, but it was quite the experience. It was kind of a large steam room with faucets of hot water, everyone got a large plastic bucket to put the hot water in, and we were all given natural soap and a scrubber to use. All of us Americans wore our bathing suits and washed our hair, but it was definitely interesting trying to wash our hair with a smaller bucket of water. It was SO warm though, so we didn't really want to leave. Moreover, I was terrified that once I left the Hammam, I would be absolutely freezing outside, but somehow, I was the warmest I had been there yet. The warmth lasted for about an hour and a half, so I was so happy that I actually went to the Hamman.
When we got back to our house, we had dinner, which was pasta noodles in a tomato sauce. We played another round of the card game, and then it was finally time for bed.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Marreucos Day 1
Sorry for the delay, but it has taken me a few days to collect my thoughts and reflect on my experiences in Morocco. I experienced a total culture shock and was exposed to so many new things that it seems like an insurmountable task to write this post. But I really want to share what I saw and felt during my trip. It was such a learning experience that I couldn´t imagine not explaining it (or at least trying to). Well, I guess I should start at the begining...
Thursday Feb 2nd
All 16 of us had to meet at la puerta real at 6:45am for our bus ride to Tarifa (a southern port city in Spain). This meant a 5am wake up for everyone, so you can imagine how thrilled we were to be leaving at the time. But we all made it on time and left according to schedule. Half way through our bus ride, we stopped at a gas station for breakfast or snacks. I´m including this because I saw the strangest potato chip flavors there. There are paprika pringles and shrimp flavored chips...ew. It was bizarre to say the least. Then, after a few hours we arrived at the port in Tarifa. We all met Juan, aka Josh Groban's doppleganger, who was our guide for the whole trip. He joined the Peace Corps after college and was stationed in the countryside of Northern Morocco. He speaks Spanish and Dirija (the Moroccan dialect of Arabic). He finished his enrollment last fall and is now staying in Morocco until May to give tours like the one we went on. Ah, yes...so back to Tarifa. So, we took a boat from Tarifa to Tangier- it was about an hour long trip but it felt like FOREVER. The waters were extremely choppy and so most of us felt seasick the whole time...it was the definitely worst part of the entire trip.
So we finally arrived in Tangier and it was an immediate change from Spain. All the signs were in Arabic, people were speaking dialect all around us and even our money changed (to Dirhams, which actually have a great exchange rate from euros). We got on the bus and went to the center of town to visit DARNA, a women´s center which literally means "our house". The bus ride to DARNA was quite the experience. I am surprised we didn´t hit someone because it seemed like there were no pedestrian laws and the streets were SO NARROW. We drove through a street with a lot of little shopfronts so there was a multitude of colors, sounds and smells as we inched our way closer to town. It was such a crazy first introduction to the country--I totally felt like I was in sensory overload! Once we got off the bus, a man, who we ALL thought was part of our tour starting guiding us to DARNA. Juan informed us that he is what the Moroccans call a "fake guide" (in French, of course) which basically means he spends his days escorting American tourists to their destination and then asks for some money for his services. It was a brilliant scheme because a lot of the time, Americans will gladly give over a few Dirham. So after all the traveling we did, we were all starving..luckily for us, DARNA is also wonderful restaurant! Basically, in order to make more money to support the center, they opened a restaurant on the first level of the center with professionally trained chefs, so it is like a local place for business people to have their lunch. After our first bites, we could taste why so many people go. Our salad was fresh greens, a cherry tomato, and chopped cucumbers in a mayonnaise and dill dressing. Then came our main course--we were served a tagine,which is technically the name of the clay dish that meals are served in which has a tee-pee shaped clay top, of chicken, green beans and carrots in a wonderfully seasoned broth. I was worried that the food in Morocco would be too spicy for my taste, but I was excited to find out that really hot spices are not a big part of the Moroccan diet. Then, came the pièce de résistance, our dessert! It was this incredibly light lemon meringue pie that had the perfect consistency and a ton of lemon flavor (which anyone who has been to Arthur Ave with me would know, I love!) But that's not all...this meal was also our first introduction to Moroccan tea--it is a HUGE part of the culture and is served after every meal and as a pick-me-up during the day. It is traditionally green tea that has been steeped with a mint leaf and sweetened with what tasted like a pound of sugar. It was incredible and a perfect way to end the meal.
Our hosts during lunch were two sisters, one named Hajar but I can't remember her sister's name! They are in college in Tangier and they spent the entire lunch talking with us about the educational system in Morocco, their lives, the politics of their country, and so much more. I loved when we discussed what they think about Americans and we shared what stereotypes Americans have of Arabic speaking countries/ Muslims/ Morocco. It was really insightful to talk with these girls about topics like school and family because it just showed similar people are, even when they live a world away. What also blew me away was the fact that the girls spoke perfect English but had been studying it for less that 10 years. They only began English classes in High School. Oh, and they also spoke the Moroccan dialect, classical Arabic and French. CRAZY! All of us were like, we still struggle with English and Spanish and one is our native language! Almost everyone we met during this trip spoke at least 4 languages which was such a different experience than being in America, where being bilingual is considered an accomplishment. Wait til I get to Abir...But back to DARNA.
So after lunch, we got a tour of the center from the girls. DARNA works as a sort of trade school and classroom for women in Tangier. So there are two weaving rooms-- one with the traditional hand machines and one with automatic sewing machines where girls and women learn how to sew and make beautiful pieces. Then, once they learn the trade, they can get a job in Tangier. But DARNA aslo offers classes in classical Arabic (the written language of Morocco) and I think other languages as well to women of all ages. Moreover, they teach women basic math and a little French too. The sisters explained to us that about 50% of people in Morocco are illiterate, so the work that the center is doing is really helping the women of Tangier. Especially since 95% of the people who attend the classes are women...they girls said the reason for that is that the men get too frustrated...ahem. Anyway, we made our way up to the roof and when we looked out over the city, we were able to see a mountain in the distance...That mountain was Spain and the sisters informed us that we were at the closest point from Africa to Europe, about 14 km. It was really cool to think that just that morning, we had been in another continent. We were chatting on the roof when I asked the girls who their favorite American singers were. I almost died when one sister said her favorite is MICHAEL BUBLE! My love for him has no bounds, so I legitimately jumped up and down like a little school girl and gasped. It was embarrassing for about two seconds until I realized that I have something in common with this girl who literally lives an entire ocean and culture away. It was such a awesome moment (and the first of many) where I could see similarities between two different worlds.
So after lunch, we got a tour of the center from the girls. DARNA works as a sort of trade school and classroom for women in Tangier. So there are two weaving rooms-- one with the traditional hand machines and one with automatic sewing machines where girls and women learn how to sew and make beautiful pieces. Then, once they learn the trade, they can get a job in Tangier. But DARNA aslo offers classes in classical Arabic (the written language of Morocco) and I think other languages as well to women of all ages. Moreover, they teach women basic math and a little French too. The sisters explained to us that about 50% of people in Morocco are illiterate, so the work that the center is doing is really helping the women of Tangier. Especially since 95% of the people who attend the classes are women...they girls said the reason for that is that the men get too frustrated...ahem. Anyway, we made our way up to the roof and when we looked out over the city, we were able to see a mountain in the distance...That mountain was Spain and the sisters informed us that we were at the closest point from Africa to Europe, about 14 km. It was really cool to think that just that morning, we had been in another continent. We were chatting on the roof when I asked the girls who their favorite American singers were. I almost died when one sister said her favorite is MICHAEL BUBLE! My love for him has no bounds, so I legitimately jumped up and down like a little school girl and gasped. It was embarrassing for about two seconds until I realized that I have something in common with this girl who literally lives an entire ocean and culture away. It was such a awesome moment (and the first of many) where I could see similarities between two different worlds.
So after our wonderful first encounter with mint tea, tangines, and the Moroccan people, were were off to Asilah. The drive was supposed to take about an hour, but we were delayed because suddenly, our tour bus pulled off the side of the road. We were confused as to why we were stopping, until Juan turned around and told us "Oh, right, we are gonna get out now and ride some camels" ...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were all shocked because camel riding was NOT on the itinerary. We climbed out of the bus onto a beautiful beach with the most amazing sunset in front of us with orange and pink clouds that touched the horizon. It was something out of a movie. The first four brave souls jumped on as we looked on to see if any of the camels were gonna freak out (well, I was anyway). But luckily, all of them were calm except for this one who was looking a little irritated. I steered clear of him and found my way to another camel. After the first horrifying second when the camel gets off the ground, the ride was pretty calm. It was surreal to say the least thouhg. Walking along the beach at sunset, on a camel in Africa, what more could I ask for? Well, I guess a gentler dismount...But after everyone had their ride, we were on our way.
We arrived and began our walk through Medina, the old town of Asilah. Juan explained that this town had a large Jewish influence, and so a lot of the buildings had blue on them. The green we saw on doors and buildings were the mark of Islam. The town and castle had been built by the Portuguese, but there were also ruins from the Romans and Carthaginians. We climbed to the top of this beautiful view of the water and the town, and Juan told us that that spot is where people who were punished to death were thrown into the water below. (Cue giant step back from the edge).
After our walk through Medina, we drove to Rabat, which took about 3 hours. When we pulled up to our stop, Claudine, our homestay roommate Karina, and I saw a young man and one a little older waiting across the street. Lamas told us that they were there to pick us up and take us to our homestay family. The young man's name was Ashraf (please excuse all spelling for the rest of these posts) and he was getting his masters in Linguistics and Language. Whoa. He spoke English, French, the dialect and classical Arabic and he was so excited to talk to us about our views on life and the world. It was really funny because he was talking to me the entire walk home and giving me pretty deep insights, like how he identified himself, when the older man (his uncle) told him to stop talking because I was so tired from the trip! But I didn't mind at all, because everyone knows how much I LOVE to talk. But one thing that he said that really struck me was that in a country as socially divided as Morocco, meaning there are different dialects, the Berber natives, Muslims, Jews, etc, he identifies himself as a Moroccan. He doesn't point to one aspect of his genetic makeup or the accent his family has or even what religion he follows, rather, he had a strong tie to his homeland. I explained how in America, when you ask someone "what are you?" or "how do you identify yourself?", chances are high that the response will be the nationality of one's ancestors. In America, people try to differentiate themselves from others by embracing their heritage, but with Ashraf, it was like he looked past all the differences to find a common ground with his fellow country men. It was wonderful to experience someone so open about something so personal. It made me feel right at home.
That feeling definitely continued as I was ushered into a beautiful, traditional Moroccan home with an open air ceiling and greeted by a ton of friendly faces. I met Aiysha, our hostess, her mother and father more of grandpa later), her niece Abir who is 11 and absolutely adorable and Ashraf's other cousin. We also met Ash, an Australian volunteer who is staying in Morocco to teach English to doctors for a month (although she said she loved it so much already that she is thinking of extending her visit). I can't even do the house justice with my description, so if you wanna see what it looks like, check out the photo album.
In Morocco, people eat around the same time as people in Spain, so by 9pm, we were all very hungry. The family had prepared a feast for us, and as we sat around the table, they brought out a delicious soup (perfect because we were so cold!). Our second course was an enormous tangine with chicken, carrots and peas, and then they also had sweets on the table during dinner. We also participated in the Moroccan way of eating, which means that there is one giant dish that everyone shares. The family explained that in their culture, sharing a meal is like sharing a blessing and thus, families and guests always eat of the same dish. You get a little triangle that is in front of you (Juan told us this in the bus), but it was kind of cool to be literally sharing a meal together. There was a backlava type philo dough one with dates, almonds and honey drizzled on top and something else that I honestly have no idea what it was was---but it was good! There were also fresh dates on the table, another Moroccan staple. Bread is also a huge part of Moroccan meals, so we had this hearty, wheat bread at every single meal, everywhere we went. Of course, our meal concluded with numerous cups of the sweet mint tea. We relaxed at the table, chatting and laughing with the family...there was also some screaming because the uncle came in with a Scream mask on and everyone thought it was hilarious. He also stuck a cigarette in the mouth of the mask, which made for more laughs. We took pictures of the whole thing, so once I email the family, I hope to get some of them so I can share them. After an extremely eventful day, we were all VERY excited to go to bed. So we said our good nights and went to our room, which can be seen in the photo album. It was a very traditional looking Moroccan room which Juan told us was common in their homes.
So this is only the first blog post about Morocco (now you can see why it took me so long!) I hope to do the other ones much quicker, but since this blog is also my way to remember my trip, I didn't want to leave anything out!
Hasta luego!
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