Whew! It's already been two weeks since I was in Morocco. What an exciting whirlwind of a weekend. It was like a mini aftertaste of Semester at Sea, like a memory snack.
First of all, I must apologize for being such a bad blogger. I just can't ever get myself to write a post before I climb into bed at midnight. It's all the spanish reading, I assure you. But in my own defense, I did write a couple posts on my iPhone using a horrible app that just deleted everything I wrote and told me it was posted.
And now, my Morocco trip with Morocco Exchange: I started and ended my trip with an overnight trip on the bus. It was not fun either time. But my options were limited since I guess not many people go from Madrid down to the very southern tip of Spain - Algeciras. So I got on the bus on Wed night at 10 pm and arrived in Algeciras at 6 am. I had to wait around for two hours to meet up with the rest of the group for the Morocco Exchange Program. Because Semester at Sea taught me how to be patient and flexible, I was able to pull it off. I was rewarded with a two-hour ferry ride to Tangiers, Morocco.
As soon as we landed, we drove into the city to visit the DARNA women's center. We got to walk through the market on our way to the center because our group guide, Katy, had to buy some water and snacks for us. The market was one of the highlights of the trip. All the food was set out on display: fruits, vegetables, olives, bread, meat, everything. And it was all so fresh and colorful. Everything looked delicious...well, maybe not the chickens dangling in some of the windows, but they looked at least.
We went to the DARNA center to speak with Moroccan students about cultural diversity, education and women's rights in Morocco. We talked a lot about the different ways of practicing Islam while enjoying the Moroccan tea and cookies. Basically what they told us is that some people follow all the rules - don't drink, don't dance, dress modestly, wear the head scarf, etc - while it's just as common to see people living a very liberal or western lifestyle. And everyone has they're own ideas about what is right or wrong. However, the main point of this discussion was, no matter your beliefs or ways of practicing them, they and you would be respected. Everyone respects everyone else's choices and ways of life even if they don't agree with them.
Then, we got a tour of the DARNA center, where women learn how to weave, sew, read, write and use the computer. The hope is that they can learn a trade to get a better job and improve their lives.
After our lunch with the three students, we drove along the coast to Asilah to walk through old-town Medina. There was a surprise for us along the way, though. Camels!
We walked through Medina and admired the art painted on the walls of every house or building. This is where they hold an annual cultural festival and the city becomes an enormous gallery.
From Asilah we drove three hours to Rabat to meet the families we would be staying with for the weekend. I was staying with Nora and Steph. Our family was a mom, dad and three daughters. The youngest, and the only one who spoke English, was 23. The family owned a bakery, so we had lots of fresh, delicious bread at every meal. And they fed us a ton. Even saying "sbet" wouldn't stop them from refilling your plate.
Comments