Some reflections

So, now that I’ve been back in the U.S. for a little over a week, I thought I might make some comments on my experience and Morocco.  I’ve been thinking about a few things, both since I’ve been back and while I was there that stand out the most to me.

1.  Moroccans are the most hospitable people I’ve been around.  No one hesitates to share a cup of tea and some chatting with you, and in fact it would be rude if you didn’t partake.  The same goes for sharing a meal- and people who barely have enough for their family will gladly invite a guest, even a stranger, to share a meal.  This is so special to me.

2.  Morocco needs a trash removal system!  Apparently, I heard there is not national trash system, and of course no recycling system.  Please institute one!  Places that are so beautiful, or natural resources, or people’s homes are being ruined by litter.  This is detrimental to the environment, health, and the economy (for a country that is so focused on agricultural, the surroundings should be healthier!)

3.  Education!  This could not be stressed enough in many of our classes- education and raising literacy is the path towards economic development.  That must be a focus of any development related initiatives in Morocco.

Those are my main observations and what stands out to me the most from my trip.  It’s an adjustment, coming back after being there, and I miss a lot about Morocco!  I’m so thankful for the experience of a new culture and region of the world, and it whets my appetite for travel even more!

The Windy City

First and foremost, props to Tamar for dubbing this the new title of Essaouira- although the wind certainly died down by the end, our first 2.5 days here can certainly be characterized that way!

From Marrakech, we drove 2.5 hours to the Atlantic Coast of Morocco, to an extremely popular vacation destination for both Moroccans and Europeans called Essaouira.  It’s easy to see why- the temperature dropped almost 20 degrees Celsius!  I was even cold at night here.  We stayed at Hotel Les Matins Bleus, a really cute hotel right in the heart of the medina.  They also rent out an apartment next door, and that’s where we were lucky enough to stay- a lofted apartment with two  bedrooms and a huge living room, perfect for spreading out, both our bodies and our clothes and gifts!  And the owners/managers, two brothers and their cousin, are so kind.  They will give you advice about anything, set up any excursion you would want, let us use their fridge for wine and yogurt, and serve a delicious breakfast during which they offer to get you anything else you would want that’s not already there.  They also speak about 5 languages- pretty impressive!

It was really hard for us to leave Essaouira, where we were able to relax so much.  Not only did we walk around the port and see all of the fish stalls, where you pick our your fish fresh and grill it for you (some things I’ve never even seen, like bright pink eels…), but we ate delicious food, and got in some excellent sun J.  We spent several hours on the beach in town, which though extremely crowded and windy, is still really nice.  For 25 dirhams, you can rent a lounge chair and lie in peace.  The water is also a bit warmer and definitely calmer than Asilah.

Now for two of the major highlights of our four and a half days here: a hammam and Jardins de Villa Maroc.

On Sunday evening, we booked a  “Moroccan beauty package’ at the hammam/spa at  Hotel Lalla Mirra, which is partially solar panel heated.  This truly was one of the more interesting experiences in my life.

Jardins de Villa Maroc is a beautiful villa about 15 minutes outside of Essaouira.  It is owned by a Swiss woman, who is married to a Moroccan man, and the combination of the two styles makes this place really beautiful.  You can rent the whole villa or one of the 4 bedrooms, which are designed in earth tones with Moroccan décor such as doors, lanterns, and so forth.  Or you can do what we did, which is pay 180 dirhams to spend the day at the villa by their beautiful pool, and they also provide you with a delicious lunch.

The hammam was truly interesting.  A hammam is a traditional bathhouse, which in the past was usually attached to a mosque.  Public hammams are still used for people to clean themselves, with separate times for women and men.  The hammam we went to was used as a public hammam as well as a private hammam with spa treatments.  When we go there, we were told to just strip down to our bathing suit, and then entered.  The hammam feels like a sauna.  Two ladies (one was EXTREMELY large) then threw water on us- not kidding.  And then left.  Shortly after they returned, directed us to lie on mats on the floor (in the middle of a public sauna…sort of a strange feeling), and then they doused us in argan oil, exfoliated us, slathered us in mud, washed us off, and then gave us a massage.  Our skin was like silk after, and it lasted for a few days.  Certainly an experience!

From there we went on to Oalidia, a small fishing village with a popular beach, followed by an afternoon/night at Villa Blanca (beautiful new hotel) in Casablanca, and home to the U.S.!  I will share some overall reflections on Morocco shortly.

Asilah to Marrakech (again)

From Chefchaouen, Omar drove us the few hours to Asilah, driving through Tangier on the way.  Asilah is a small beach city just below Tangier.  We stayed in the Asilah Guesthouse (now called Christina’s Guesthouse).  It is a beautifully designed home, especially the exquisite roof terrace, not far from the ocean.  Asilah is known for its beaches, art, and delicious seafood- and it did not disappoint!  We spent one full day on Paradise Beach, not far from town, and is locally called Las Cuevas due to its caves.  It’s beautiful!  A big beach surrounded by cliffs and rocks, also with a few camels walking around.  The water was a little rough, but the weather was wonderful.  For 20 dirhams you can rent a comfortable lounge with an umbrella and spend a wonderful day! Another pleasant surprise was the medina of Asilah.  By far the most beautiful of any we have been to, with its beautiful homes reminiscent of a Greek Island.  One home that we walked past also served as an art gallery to a lovely French couple- it was so beautiful and they were so welcoming.  The walls of the medina are also filled with murals, either completed or being painted…Asilah hosts a mural painting festival in August

The seafood of course did not disappoint either, and we spent two wonderful dinners at Casa Garcia eating manchego cheese, ham, and fresh seafood like shrimp and sole.  The sole in Asilah is so delicious.

After that it was off to Marrakech on the overnight train.   That was actually really fun and not scary at all!  We had a “couchette,” a sleeper car all to ourselves with bunkbeds.  And honestly we slept almost the whole way there!  Pretty cool, I’ve never been on an overnight train.

In Marrakech we stayed at Riad Julia.  It was so beautiful, and right in the middle of the medina, which is pretty special.  Unfortunately, the management was a little absent, but the rooms are so pretty and they served a wonderful breakfast and had a beautiful courtyard.  It was so peaceful compared to the chaos of the medina outside!  Since we had been to Marrakech before, we didn’t to do anything “touristy,” so mostly shopped and ate J  Of course we went back to Kif Kif, and also to a cooperative that employs handicapped women to make embroidered clothes, pillow covers, and so forth called Al-Kawtar.  It also provides daycare for these women while they’re employed, and all proceeds from the store benefit the non-profit.  It’s a really special place.  We also made our way through the medina, picking up pieces of Morocco throughout.  There is so much to buy, but it’s also so frustrating and exhausting sometimes, because of the process of bargaining that is the norm in Morocco.  The shopkeeper gives you a price, you counter with your lowest price, and you go back and forth until you settle on something.   After a long day of doing this, you barely want to bargain by the end!  One the other hand, going early is to your benefit because you’re not tired but also because you can be the first purchase of the day for the shopkeeper and he is often more willing to meet your price.

Some gems that we discovered this time around: Café des Epices. It’s in the spice market in the medina, and is a café that overlooks all the goings on, and features the yummiest spiced espresso ever!  Also, Café du Livre.  In Gueliz, the hipper newer part of Marrakech, it has such good food- cheeseburgers (wow it had been a while since we had one of those!), sandwiches, a delicious goat cheese salad, lattes, and wireless internet!  We spent hours there each day, and the staff and owner are so nice.

But we were ready to leave the heat of Marrakech (48 celsius- that almost 120 fahrenheit!)- on to the beach!

City Of Blue, High in the Mountains

This is how I would describe Chefchaouen if someone asked me what it looked like- from far away as your approach you can’t tell that the buildings are, even though that’s what you hear- but once you descend on the city what they say is true.  As you walk through the streets, every house is either completely blue or has a blue door.  Up until 1920, Christians were not allowed to enter this city that was Muslim, but also by Jewish people.  In Morocco, Jewish people used to paint their homes or the doors of their homes blue, and this has remained in Chefchaouen.

This is one of the most relaxing places I have ever been, with a very calm vibe and the nicest people I have encountered yet in Morocco.  If I didn’t have a schedule, I would probably stay longer, simply to get to know more people.  It’s really refreshing, after spending most of our time on the AUI campus or in big bustling cities.  We’ve spent our two days here just wandering the streets mostly, looking down alleys and at doorways with beautiful mountains in the background, and of course shopping, where we’ve found lovely textiles and leather.  The food is good and inexpensive, and there are many hidden restaurants to be found.  We’ve eaten dinner at La Lampe Magique and Casa Hassan, which were both excellent.  Lampe Magique more for its ambience, which looks out of Place Uta el-Hammam, the main square of the medina that contains the Grande Mosque and Kasbah (restored fortified walls).  Over dinner we could see a major and intense chess tournament going on in the square below, in which people sat around a large square of tables with chessboards and two people on the inside rotated around each game playing against them.  Casa Hassan definitely had the better food though (best Kufta I’ve had in a while!).

One of the best things about here has been our host, Omar, and his family.  They own Hotel Koutoubia, where we had plans to stay two nights.  However, when we arrived, a guest who was supposed to leave earlier had to stay because their baby was sick, and only one of our two rooms was available.  Instead, we were put up in one of their houses- it is very slightly further away from the Medina, but only a couple minutes walk.  It’s right next to the Ras El-Maa falls, natural springs that supply all of the city’s water.  Its apparently always cold, because it comes from the mountains, and is wonderful to drink from.  People even do their laundry from the water coming down, and there is a scrubbing area set up there.  The house we are staying in is beautifully decorated with textiles from Chefchaouen, and most importantly our hosts have been so gracious.  They have walked us back at night, shown us restaurants, served us tea, and offered to drive us to our next destination with a stop in Tangier like we were hoping.  If you ever visit here, I HIGHLY recommend that you stay with them!

Anddddd we’re off!

Finals- check!

Summer school- check!

Farewell dinner in Fez- check!

And now the real adventure begins.  Tamar, Jill and I are off for a whirlwind two weeks around Morocco.  We begin in Fez, and will continue to Chefchaouen, Assilah, Tangier, Marrakech, Essaouira, Oualidia, and Casablanca.  Some mountains, some cities, some beach!

I will update whenever I have the chance- but rest assured that you will hear about every adventure at some point!

Get ready for us to rock the casbah…:)

Marrakech Express

We just got back from a weekend in Marrakech.  What a refreshing city!  I love Morocco and I’m having a great time, but at times it’s of course rough here.  Marrakech is so cosmopolitan, Moroccan with some European flair, and so it was just really refreshing to get a taste of something different.  There is so much to see and do- it would be so exciting to live there, and so far is the only city I’ve been to that I can actually picture myself in more permanently too.

After our 7-8 hour drive to Marrakech, which includes a steadily increasing temperature (Marrakech is closer to the desert), we finally arrived at the lovely Hotel Meryem, which had lovely big rooms with AMAZING AIR CONDITIONING (trust me you learn to appreciate that a lot more), and a beautiful pool.  We all settled in quickly, and then for the first time in weeks got dolled up- we were off to dinner and an evening at Le Comptoir!  What a beautiful restaurant- dark and mysterious, with a beautiful outdoor area as well.  The food is Moroccan with European accents- so I had salmon tartare, shrimp with asian vegetables and vermicelli, and a profiterole.  It was a beautiful meal, a pleasant change in cuisine that we all DESPERATELY needed, and to top it off, our evening ended with belly dancing!  And you will never believe- as we were sitting outside afterwards having a drink, two people came up to us and asked if we were from Georgetown- turns out they were also part of a large group of friends from Georgetown visiting that evening!  small world)

Saturday was spent touring Marrakech in a nutshell, visiting places like the Sa’adian tombs, Ali bin Yusuf Madrassah, and the Badi’a Palace (ruins), while the afternoon was spent shopping in the Medinah!  Marrakech has too many tempting things to buy, but you have to be careful- the closer to Jama’ al-Fna (the main public square, literally means assembly of the dead because it’s where public executions used to be held, but oddly enough now contains fresh orange juice vendors, snack charmers, story tellers, ladies who do henna, and transvestites…) you are, the less quality the products have.  However, if you have some time on your hands, you can delve deeper into the Medina onto some off the beaten path streets, and discover places like Kif Kif and beautiful jewelry shops with silver and stones that are rare to find.

Saturday night was also spent in such a fun unique way.  We first had dinner at an Italian restaurant, Le Cantanzaro- we had all definitely been craving pasta!  You really felt like you were in Italy in this restaurant.  Following dinner, we returned to the Badi’a Palace, which had been transformed for the Marrakech Popular Arts Festival.  Saturday was its opening night, and we were so lucky to be in town for it, as the dates change each year so its really hit or miss.  The ruins of the palace had been transformed into a concert venue with traditional Moroccan folk music.  It was so wonderful, especially the gnawa music, which is always my favorite!

Clearly Marrakech was such a refreshing trip- such an excellent way to end the Georgetown program, and get ready to begin the rest of my travels here in Morocco.  We all needed the breath of fresh air that is Marrakech- now on to a week of classes and finals before the journey continues!

Hot Child in the Sahara

This past weekend we spent Friday through Sunday in the Tafilalt Oasis- a small area of arable land close to the Sahara desert, near the Algerian border.  This area also contains one of the largest sights to find fossils, meteorites, and other geologic materials in the world.  In my guide book, it said that the temperature in June, July and August can reach 55 degrees Celsius (about 130 degrees Fahrenheit).  They were not joking!  We could not go out in the afternoon due to the near 130 degree heat, whereas the temperature would lower to around 100-105 at night.  Wow.  This kind of heat is indescribable- it hits you in the face when you walk out in it.

We spent Saturday morning from about 8 am to 11 am touring local villages, to learn about the irrigation and architectural techniques used in this kind of land area.  Because they are in the oasis, they do have agriculture, especially dates, and this year is supposed to produce a good a harvest.  The methodology of architecture is that of “rammed earth”, made of clay and water.  This is supposed to be the best way to combat the temperatures, but also does not last terribly long.  Newer methods of using concrete are a symbol of modernity and affluence, but they actually are not as beneficial as the clay method.  It is also important to note that in this part of Morocco, a form of a caste system still exists, and even though the lowest class actually usually obtains the most education and money, they are still disdained by the highest class.  We also visited the ruins of Sijilmassa, where the ground is covered in pottery and ceramics from the many layers of cities that existed there.  I took two pieces, and plan to get them dated by a professor from Al Akhawayn.

On Saturday evening we visited a development association, that provides education to a community that is 90% illiterate for women and 80% illiterate for men.  Of course funding is always an issue, but many of the people in the areas still spend much of Saturday there.  The people are so hospitable in Morocco.  When we were too early to go to the association because classes were still going on, the secretary-general invited us into his home, gave us tea, nuts, and cake, and toured us through the alleys of the homes.

Following this, we visited one of the most important zawiyas (Sufi brotherhood) in Morocco, where the shaykh can trace his lineage to the Prophet Mohammad.  Again, the hospitality is astonishing, and we were served a long meal and were shown Qu’ranic chanting and poetry, as well as the drum music that is such an important component of Sufi practice.  It was a very special experience.  However, we returned to the hotel at 1:15 am, only to wake up at 3:10 am for our 3:30 departure to the sand dunes of the Sahara!

To get to the dunes, we had to take a jeep off-road for about an hour’s drive to Merzouga.  We arrived at a beautiful hotel in the middle of nowhere- no roads lead there- where we waited for our camels to arrive!  Once we climbed aboard (trust me, with legs as short as mine, it’s kind of hard to get on a camel!), we were led by guides on foot about 15 minutes into the desert.  It is the most indescribable sight.  The sand is the softest you can imagine, and the dunes are as high mountains- when you look out you see nothing but what looks like mountains, but are actually sand.  We sat atop a dune for several hours as the sun was rising, and we were surrounded by a sand storm (although my guide, Hassan, was so kind and protected my face as much as possible with his scarf).  When we got home later that morning, the sand was everywhere- our hair, eyes, nose, even belly button!  It was one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had, and I hope you all get a chance to see the dunes of the Sahara one day.

Don’t bite me!

On Wednesday we spent the morning touring Volubilis, a city of Roman ruins a few hours from Ifrane.  There is a remarkable amount of ruins, making it much easier to imagine what the city may have looked like in its heyday.  It’s very impressive, however unfortunately, like many Moroccan sights, it is not well maintained.  It suffers weather damage, inadequate reconstructions (caused by both Moroccans and French), and so forth.  It’s really a shame.

The highlight of our day was our visit to a small village nearby called Sidi’Ali Hamdush.  This village is the location of the tomb and mosque of Sidi’Ali Hamdush, founder of the Hamadshah Sufi order.  In Morocco, mental illness is believed to be caused by the possession of one’s body by jinn, evil spirits, and thus mental illness is cured by the administration of  religious trances (which apparently has a 95% cure rate).  Our instructions for our visit contained the following: “The Hamadshah specialize in treating mental illness through trance induced during weekly meetings or hadrah.  Many of the men claim to be possessed by the female jinn ‘A’ishah Qandishah.  There are a number of important restrictions about the Hamadshah including colors that provoke the various jinn.  It is recommended that you not wear anything in black, red, yellow, or green.  People who are possessed may bite themselves or others when provoked.  There are bread stalls along the pathways for you to buy loafs of bread to stuff in the mouths of those biting others.”

Alas, although we safely steered away from wearing black, red, yellow, or green, we did not come across any people possessed by jinn- those who were in town were inside the mosque.  The area is apparently more populated by those possessed during festival times- so we were saved from potential biting this time.  However, the town also contains an oracle situated inside the rocks below the tomb of Sidi’Ali Hamdush, and we were able to visit him.  We made an offering (usually a candle or incense), and the standard procedure is that the oracle helps you find solutions to your problems.  We were given a prayer for our well-being by one of the oracle’s disciples while inhaling sweet-smelling smoke.

Not a bad way to spend a day in Morocco.

Fes and Berbers and Weddings oh my!

Someone asked me to sum up my time in Morocco in one word- I chose thought provoking.  Of course I’m having fun too- everywhere we go is new and exciting and my time with my new friends provides stomach aching laughter.  But this weekend especially taught me so much about Moroccans and how they truly live.

On Saturday we were able to tour Fez with a professor from here at AUI.  The Fez medina is a cultural heritage sight, but what is unique about it is that it still in use now.  There are no cars allowed in the medina, as the widest streets are only wide enough to accommodate a donkey and a person or two, while the narrowest can fit just a person.  Most of the medina is filled with shops that cater to Moroccans’ everyday life, specializing in textiles, leather, and copper.  Its truly fascinating to walk through time in these streets, and yet know that it still functions as it always has.  One important fact to note is that in the medina itself, there are 1,050 people living per hectare (4 acres), whereas outside the medina, in the wealthier areas, there are 5 people living per hectare.  Imagine how it looks for the people who live there then- house on top of house between house, and so forth.

We also had an opportunity to visit the Jewish quarter of Fez.  Jews used to be abundant in Fez, acting as the financial handlers of the monarchy (and thus living very close the royal palace of Fez), but now number fewer than 100.  The synagogue remains, but it is rarely used but for special occasions.  It is still, however, beautiful.

On Saturday evening, we went to stay in a Berber village called Zawiya Sidi Abdsalem about 15 minutes away from our university.  This village dates back from the early 1600s, when Sidi Ibsalem established a Sufi Order there.  He is buried there, and the village is thus a pilgrimage site.  More importantly, everyone in the village claims descent from Sidi Abdsalem.

Courtney, a Peace Corps volunteer stationed there working on small business development, facilitated our stay.  Two of us each were assigned to stay with a family- my family was all women (until the last day, when one woman’s husband returned for lunch)- an older woman who seemed to be the matriarch, several women, and many children!  In this village, people used to live in caves because it was cooler in the summer and warmed in the winter, and now they have built their houses around the caves, so that many homes still have the caves in them.  In our house, it was used for storage and as a lounge.

In this village, we had an opportunity to see how most Moroccans truly live, as removed from our insulated wealthy university.  Before we had arrived, there was no water for four days.  Once while there, the power went out for about a half hour.  They use “Turkish” toilets, which are a hole in the ground which you flush out with a bucket of water.  They were over-generous with the food they shared with us, which is part of the culture here- they push and push food upon their guests until you finally have to forcibly indicate that you are full.  They are so generous and hospitable!  Our family only spoke their local Berber dialect and a bit of Moroccan Arabic, so we had difficulty communicating- but we managed with hand gestures and the few words we could share in French, English, or Arabic.

The most exciting part of our days with them was the Berber wedding on Saturday night!  After dinner (which is at 10:30-11) the wedding started at midnight (before which our entire household visited with another group of women, during which we were encouraged to essentially take a shot of orange juice!!).  There is a procession, during which the bride is carried on a traditional gold and silver platform.  Then the bride and groom sit on a traditional “throne” overlooking the party, and the entire village that has come out to watch and is lining the street on chairs, benches, walls, the floor, etc.  The bridge and groom change outfits multiple times, there is music and dancing, and it all goes on until 5 am!  Luckily we were able to sneak out around 2!

This was such an eye opening experience- to Berber/Moroccan culture, to economic status, to who has access to what resources and luxuries, how different people live throughout the world, and also our similarities.  I especially want to note how admirable the work that Courtney, our Peace Corps volunteer does, and the adversities and joys she faces daily while carrying it out.

P.S. Just to end this on a light note…one of the Berber ladies in my house did in fact ask me to breast feed her baby.  I politely declined…although it was a cute baby.

Couscous You Complete Me

Friday is the Holy Day for Muslims, which means we don’t have classes.  It also means- couscous!  Most of you know that at home, couscous is a major staple of my diet, so I’ve been looking forward to eating some in a place that really knows how to make it well.  I finally got my chance!  Moroccans only eat couscous on Fridays.  We got a plate of couscous with a hole in the middle for meats, vegetables, sauces, etc.  Delish!

An another note, what I have always enjoyed most about being in a Muslim area is the call to prayer.  My experience with this is limited to the times before September 2000 when I could visit Arab cities in Israel.  Even though I’m not Muslim, there is something about the words and the voice over the loudspeaker from the mosque five times a day that is so moving, and gives me chills.  Our mosque on campus does not use the loudspeaker, but we can hear it from town!