Rabat

This weekend we packed our bags and set out for the capital! It wasn't exactly D.C., but it was much larger and more glamorous than Meknes. So many palm trees! 

We took the train Friday night (my first time on a train ever) and arrived right after Iftar. We checked into our hotel and headed to the river for dinner at La Dhow, a restaurant on a ship. The ship is docked right next to a night-time carnival. The food was excellent and I had the largest meal I've eaten since Ramadan. Plus, there were mega mojitos (serving five people)!

Our hotel was not looking so hot from the outside. We were located in the old medina and the only sign for the hotel was a canopy over an alleyway. At the end of the alley there were three doors, so obviously we knocked on all of them and angered two Moroccans before the correct door was opened. The hotel was lovely and since we were the only people staying that night, our room was upgraded to what we can only assume was the honeymoon suite. We make this assumption because there was no door on the shower...or the bathroom. 

In the morning we lounged around in our hotel room until the bell boy called to kick us out, it was just too magnificent. Then we went to the Mohamed VI Modern Art Museum. In addition to two floors of modern art, there was a Medieval Morocco exhibit that thrilled us all (especially our history PhD candidate.) 

 This is a bowl that has people sitting on camels all around the rim, I thought it was pretty neat.

 I am absolutely fascinated by the intricate designs from this era!

 Since the National Archives were closed the day we visited, this exhibit had a few consolation prizes in terms of old Arabic books!!!!

 I only took a picture of this because it was supposed to be a lion...I don't see it.

 I'm sorry, but these designs kick Roman architecture's butt.

 Showing my Tribe Pride with this griffin!

 I am a huge sucker for Astrolabes. History behind these: once the civilizations in Morocco became Islamic, they needed to know the time of day so they could know when to pray...hence the astrolabe!

 This is like the medieval Moroccan equivalent of a pulpit!

After touring the museum extensively, we went to check out the royal palace and ended up lounging on the grass under a tree instead (it was nearly 100 degrees.) Then we went to the Hassan Tower (a tower of what was supposed to be the largest mosque ever built, but the tower and mosque were never completed). The tower is inside of this huge impressive compound with the mausoleum of dead kings and as we approached we heard the call to prayer. We asked to guards on horses if we could go in but they replied, "It is reserved for the king," which we take to mean that we were within 50 feet of the king, separated by a wall! So instead of touring the compound, we sat under a tree nearby and listened to the beautiful voices of the prayer. 

After that it was time to catch the train back to Meknes and Sunday was spent catching up on homework. 

Thanks for all the memories, Rabat!

Culture Shock 101

So before studying abroad, William&Mary requires students to take an online course about culture shock. I'm very familiar with the concept, as I had the training before going to Cuba and again before leaving for Morocco. I don't think I've ever experienced this phenomenon myself, however. I am blessed with the natural state of being generally unfazed by people who are different from myself. 

That being said, I have definitely picked up on some cultural differences worth noting!

1) I kept being woken up in the morning and during naps by a man on the street screaming yuuu-UUUP....yuuu-UUUPPP. The worst part is that he waits just long enough between yups, so I start to fall asleep and then get jolted awake again. After a couple weeks I mentioned this to my host family, and it amused them to no end. As it turns out, he is screaming "bee-AAA," which is Arabic for "sell." The man goes around paying people a few dirham for their used household goods and reselling them. 

2) Eat! Eat...eat! I hear this command about 57 times a day. I explained to my host mother that I'm trying to fast for Ramadan, but this hasn't curbed the onslaught. I wake up and eat one egg (so I can take my medicine) and I drink water. This is what is known as "fasting for kids." Apparently there are all sorts of "cheats" for kids participating in Ramadan. Some moms tell their kids to "chew only on the right side of your mouth, that way the left side is fasting," others give them breakfast and have them fast until lunch. I have a habit of waking up at 2am to use the bathroom, but I have to run, or else I will be invited to EAT!!!!

3) That transitions nicely into Ramadan. My first couple of weeks here were drastically different from the life we live now that it is Ramadan. Ramadan is a holy month for Muslims, a spiritual journey that brings you closer to God by the end of it. Muslims pray several times a day, and two of these prayers are Fajr (at dawn) and Maghreb (at sundown). During Ramadan, there is no eating, drinking, swearing, sex, or other sinning between Fajr and Maghreb. This means everybody basically lays around all day, avoiding the heat (if they don't have to go outside for work, that is) and conserving their energy. At Maghreb (about 7:48pm) we break our fast with Iftar. Iftar is the same in every Moroccan household: meloui (a type of bread), hard boiled eggs, shbekya (a sweet), dates, beghrir (pancake type bread), harira (a soup), water, milk, and, of course, Moroccan mint tea. Every single night, this is my dinner and their breakfast. After Iftar, my host father leaves to pray at the mosque and the girls clean up from dinner. I only know what happens after this because I managed to stay up until about 3am one night and observe. The family watches the well-known Ramadan programs on TV. Apparently, the television becomes absurdly dramatic during Ramadan because so many people are home and watching. It seems to be a cross between soap operas and Superbowl commercials. The other night a man fell out of a window that he merely leaned against. Anyway, dinner (Sahoor) is served at about 2-3am, right before Fajr. This is usually traditional Moroccan cuisine: tajine, couscous, etc. 

4) The hamam! Here in Morocco there are traditional public baths known as hamams. In the hamam there are three rooms: hot, hotter, and hottest. There are two pipes (hot and cold) with spouts every few feet. You strip down, pick a spout, lay down your mat, and get to washing. It is normal to wash your hair 5-7 times in the hamam (the point is to get as clean as possible.) Then you start in on the body, using a glove that has a rough surface to scratch away your dead skin. If you aren't proficient in the art of scratching (like me), then you can ask one of the ladies working at the hamam to help you. By the end of it, you're two shades lighter and squeaky clean!

Volubilis and Moulay Idriss

This weekend the program put on a trip to the Roman ruins and Moulay Idriss. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of Moroccan history is the number of civilizations that settled here. The location adjacent to both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic made it an ideal place to settle, while the proximity to Europe made Morocco the door to Africa. Along with the Phoenicians and Byzantines, the Roman Empire spent some time in Morocco -- and left behind an amazing city: Volubilis (in Berber we call it waleelee). Volubilis is home to the classic Roman arc, many majestic mosaics, and a pretty intact forum. 

 The name Volubilis (and waleelee) comes from the Oleander plant pictured above. Very poisonous!

 I thought that this was one of the most interesting parts of the site, the Romans built in these basins specifically for vomiting so that they could continue eating after they were full! Very "Hunger Games."

 This was an ancient Roman spa, you can see Ahmed demonstrating the sunbathing technique!

 Moulay Idriss is a beautiful city on two hills (it looks like a double-humped camel from far away) that is considered the holiest site in Morocco. Moulay Idriss I brought Islam to this city, and therefore this country, in the 8th century.

The Aftermath

The trip to Merzouga was magical. 
The food poisoning that followed soon after, however, was underwhelming (to say the least). 

Monday and Tuesday I was unable to go to class because I was so sick. As it turns out, everybody who went to Merzouga (except for the two vegetarians) came down with the stomach bug and one girl even had to go to the hospital for dehydration!

Here's a fun thing I learned about Moroccan culture: when you are sick, everybody you know and their family comes to visit you. I suppose the logic here is that seeing friends will cheer you up, but I was seriously not ready to entertain. Luckily, my mono kicked in and I slept through most of the potential visits.

There is good news though! Here in Morocco they have a medicine called Smecta and it kicks Pepto's butt! I am on the road to recovery.

Trip to Merzouga

The independent group at AALIM decided that we wanted to make the trek to the desert before the beginning of Ramadan. So, in the course of two days, we booked a hotel, chartered a bus, and organized a group field trip! (Hint: I did most of the organizing.) 

The bus left at 9pm on Friday night. It's an eight hour ride from Meknes to Merzouga, so we figured "why not get it out of the while sleeping?" What we did not account for was the fact that nobody can sleep on a bus driving through the Atlas mountains. 

We arrived at our hotel at about 5am, divided up the rooms, and promptly passed out. We were woken up by our Berber hosts, Mohamed and Hassan, at around noon for Berber breakfast. This was a lot like Meknes breakfast, but it included a tomato omelet (I'm definitely not complaining about that delicious omelet!) Then we took a walk to the "desert garden" where we got to see some really interesting plants and their irrigation system.

Next we headed to the gift shop. I should add here that we are walking around the sand with the sun beating down on us. Hot is an understatement. At the gift shop I scored some goodies for my family back home and got to experience haggling for the first time! 

About an hour before sunset, we set out on our camels into the Sahara. Camel riding is a little bit more bumpy and grueling than I was anticipating, but I was so caught up in the moment that it didn’t bother me. I temporarily named my camel Fred. He was a good camel. The glamorous part of the trip: we were in a caravan trekking through the Sahara surrounded by enormous dunes and desert sky. The less than glamorous part: camels poop a lot more than you would think. 

 

We arrived at little encampment, complete with tables set for tea. We watched the sun go down from atop a sand mountain and used a snowboard to dune surf. Unfortunately, our dune surfing was interrupted by a small-scale sandstorm. Even more unfortunately, the winds continued throughout the night. However, nothing could dampen our spirits. We ran back to the tents and tucked into an authentic Berber dinner complete with fresh fruit for dinner. At the time, everybody loved the food…the feeling did not last (more on this later). After dinner, we all pulled our mattresses out of the tents to stargaze. I witnessed nine shooting stars. It was a magical night. 

The magical night came to an abrupt end as Hassan and Mohamed walked through camp clapping to wake up the tourists for the sunrise. My roommate had her period though, so I had to watch the sunrise over my shoulder as we rode two camels back to the hotel. Upon arrival I slept again, until sleeping more on the bus ride home. 

All in all, this trip was one of the highlights of my life.

Classes

Today, we had to take a taxi by ourselves for the first time and it actually didn’t end horribly. The cab driver was super nice and very patient with my Arabic. He kept stopping to show us pretty views and made me take a picture of a guy walking with his donkey (which actually turned out quite well). I have class weekdays from 9am-1pm. I have Ostatha Fatima from 9-11 and Ostatha Doha from 11-1. I like this system because it splits up the day and allows us to talk to different Arabic speakers. 

After class, Jasmine and I decided to attempt walking home. It took us an hour and we may have gotten lost a few times, but we made it back safe and sound. After our hour up-hill walk we were drained, so we slept for a couple hours and then Imane made us chicken. We went on a walk and then had second dinner (couscous), after which we were offered third dinner (harira). We kindly declined. 

 

The Program

I am studying here in Meknes at AALIM, a center for Arabic language learning. One of my Arabic professors from William & Mary is the director of the program, so that's why I chose this one. The institute is beautiful and it's home several different programs from different schools. Since I didn't apply through an organized program, I'm in the "independent scholar" group. There are fifteen of us in the independent group and I like everybody I've met so far! Yesterday was the first day of classes and we took a three hour placement test. After that we had orientation about how to live in Morocco...here's the gist of it:
1) Women don't expose their knees or shoulders
2) Men will be amazed to see Americans and harass you on the street (sexual harassment isn't a concept here)
3) You will get very sick to your stomach at some point, luckily there is a French medication better than Pepto: smecta
4) There are no street signs or addresses really, if you need to know how to get somewhere: ask (but never ask a man)

After the orientation, we went on a tour of the old city. Meknes is split into two parts: Old City (medina qdeema) and New City (Hamria). The old city is an intricate maze of alleys that are filled with artisans hammering away. I can't wait to go shopping!

Journey to Meknes

Greetings! Welcome to my travel blog for the summer of 2015!

After months of preparation and a few teary goodbyes, I set off from Richmond on my long trip to Meknes. I took a flight from Richmond to Chicago, from Chicago to Montreal, and then from Montreal to Casablanca. Upon arrival in Casablanca, I was welcomed into a group of students all headed for the Arab-American Language Institute in Meknes. So, we piled into a bus and settled in for a three hour ride. Needless to say, we were all pretty much delirious with exhaustion by the time we reached the center. Luckily, we were quickly introduced to our host families and shuttled off to our respective locations.

My host family consists of a father (Habib), mother (Fatima), and their eighteen year old daughter (Imane). Habib and Fatima also have a twenty-three year old son (Hatim) and a fifteen year old daughter (Ishraaq), but Hatim lives on his own and Ishraaq takes care of her grandmother. They are the loveliest people. They welcomed me with open arms (and of course a kiss on each cheek) and told me that I'm "exactly like Imane." I'm also living with a roommate from America. Her name is Jasmine and she's in a masters program at Georgetown. We tucked into a delicious and enormous meal before passing out.