Thanksgiving this year was different than any other year. This past summer, I signed up to travel to Morocco with IES over what would have been my Thanksgiving break had I been in the States. I had not thought much about the actual country or the trip at all, but I just knew that I really wanted to go, seeing as this is probably the closest that I will ever be living to Africa, and it was a great opportunity to see something new. IES booked our trip through another student travel agency, Morocco Exchange. Through this program, we were able to see more than just the tourist's view of the city. I witnessed the poverty in the country first hand, giving the trip a really different experience. I also had the chance to live with a Moroccan family. This was probably my favorite part of the trip because I learned why Moroccans are so famous for their hospitality. The trip was completely different than anything that I had ever experienced before, and I was definitely taken outside of my comfort zone, but it was a really great experience. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see all parts of the country, as well as meet many locals.
Anywaysssss, I met up with the other 30 or so IES students taking this trip at the airport at around 3:30 on Thanksgiving Day. Our flight left later that afternoon and we arrived in Tanger around 7:30. We then were split into two groups and took a short bus ride to our hotel in Asilah, a small town outside of Tanger. Because our plane had been delayed, we quickly dropped our bags off and headed to the restaurant for dinner. We were are pleasantly surprised that our guide had specifically requested that the chefs cook us turkey for our Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey was served as a traditional Moroccan dish called tagine, which is the name of the pot in which the dish is cooked. Its really just meat and vegetable in a little bit of broth, but the turkey was actually really good. At dinner we talked to some local students about Islam and the Moroccan culture in general.
After dinner, the students took us on a night tour of the Medina, or old town, of Asilah. It was really interesting to see how there are schools and other business in what looks like a medieval town.
The next morning began bright and early and we headed to a local cafe to get breakfast. A typical breakfast in Morocco consists of a bread very similar to corn bread and also a bread very similar to a tortilla. We also had fresh squeezed orange juice and, or course, Moroccan mint tea.
After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and began the three hour bus ride to Rabat. Just as we were about to fall asleep, the bus began to pull off the side of the road and are guide gave the impression that something was wrong. Then she said, "do any of you feel like riding camels now?" We were all really excited because this wasn't anywhere on the itinerary, but we all wanted to do it. We got out of the bus and walked down to the beach to be greeted by 3 camels. I went with the third group, and after watching others, I was a little bit nervous about falling off either getting up or down. The camel has 3 joints in each leg and stands up using its hind legs first, which can be really disorientating. However, I didn't fall off and I had an awesome time! It was really a once in a lifetime experience and I'm glad I had the chance to try it.
Once we arrived in Rabat, we were introduced to our host mothers for the evening. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't remember my host mother's name, but I had a hard time understanding or remembering any of the Arabic or Arabian names throughout the whole trip...weird, haha. Anyways, she was extremely nice and welcoming, and after setting our stuff down, we were treated to a delicious lunch of cous cous. Friday's in Morocco are actually the traditional day to eat cous cous, so we were really lucky! I also discovered that the Moroccans don't like to waste food and we were expected to finish a HUGE serving of the dish. Also, the way that cous cous is served is from a communal dish in the center of the table. Typically, everyone would be expected to eat with their hands (with their right hand only because the left hand is considered to be dirty in their culture). However, our host mom provided everyone with spoons, knowing that we weren't quite used to that yet.
After lunch, we met back with the group in another house and talked with more local students about Islamic stereotypes as well as American stereotypes. It was interesting to see how the Moroccans viewed us, and they actually have a really positive image of Americans as opposed to many countries in Europe. After this talk, we met up with yet another group of locals who showed us around Rabat's Kasbah, or old fort, and took us to the market. They were extremely helpful in the market and were able to bargain for us. They also bought us all a small key chain with our names painted in Arabic on the back, which is a really great souvenir.
After our shopping in the market, we headed back to our houses to get ready for the Hammam. Hammam are public baths and were a really interesting experience, to say the least. Before actually heading to the Hamams, we met with some Peace Corps volunteers and Fulbright scholars from the area to learn about post-college opportunities. We then headed to the Hammams. Basically, the Hammam was an open room filled with women bathing. We were all provided scrubbers and soap. These scrubbers are famous for pretty much taking off the top layer of your skin. You get really clean, but its a little painful. Its typical to pay one of the employees to scrub you to get the full experience. I chose not to do this because the line was really long and their was only one woman working. However, it was quite interesting having to bathe with just a bucket of water.
After the Hammams, I headed back to my host mother's house for a delicious dinner of pasta and chicken. We were all exhausted after our long day, however, she was really excited about dressing us up in traditional Moroccan clothes. After our photo shoot (we literally each had to try on 3 different outfits), our host sister put on a show for us dressing up as Santa Claus and singing Shakira, Michael Jackson, and Akon. It was so funny to see how big an influence American music has everywhere. Our host brother even did the moonwalk.
The next morning also began bright and early and after breakfast at our home, we said goodbye, and met up with the group once again to start our tour of the Mausoleum of King Mohammed V. This was really impressive and I loved seeing all of the Muslim architecture.
We then got back in the bus and began our drive to the Rif Mountains. On our way, we saw a shanty town, which is a village of homes made of boxes and other materials. It was really sad to see such a poor part of town after driving through the richer part of the city on the way to the Mausoleum.
In the Rif Mountains, we went to a small village to talk with and eat lunch with a family. In order to get the house, we literally had to walk up a hill of mud. No one slipped, but it was not an easy task. We had such a good time getting to know the family, eating more cous cous, and even having a dance party. I have never seen people more excited to dance...they danced for almost two hours. After our long visit with the family, we headed back down the muddy hill to our bus to begin our journey in Chefchaouen.
Once we arrived in Chefchaouen, we were able to shop in the markets. I was able to find lots of scarves and other gifts to take home to my family and it was really fun to haggle with the owners. This particular city is actually a really popular destination for Spanish tourists, so almost everyone spoke Spanish. It was such a relief to be able to once again communicate with the locals.
After our time in the markets, we met back with the group for dinner. At dinner, I tried a traditional Moroccan soup, made of tomatoes, lentils, and garbanzo beans. For our main course, I tried a chicken pastel, which was shredded chicken in phyllo dough with cinnamon and sugar on top, it was delicious! After dinner, we headed back to our hostel for some much needed rest.
The next morning, we woke early in order to walk outside of the city gates and look down on Chefchaouen. It was such a pretty view and a great end to the trip.
