Thank you very Marrakesh

Greetings from Africa!  I have just arrived back on the ship from what was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever been apart of. Do not get me wrong Spain was an amazing country, but Morocco has made such a greater impact on me. I am so grateful for every minute of this journey, whether it was a high or one of the very few minor glitches.
We were cleared for docking a day early so there was only 16 hours between Spain and Morocco. This transition was rather a little stressful; I felt as if I had very little time to process what I had seen and Spain and was attempting to prepare for the lack of familiarities of Morocco.  We have a ship wide meeting, a logistical pre-port, the night before we get to a country. Here they try to prepare us for some of the various issues we may run into while in that country, but I have come to realize that nothing can truly prepare you for what you will witness walking off the gangway of the ship in a port for the 1st time.
. We came into Morocco at a very interesting time. Our first day in port was the last day of Ramadan. During this month many activities shut down or close early so that individuals can spend time with family and focus on their religion. Also, the 2nd day in port was the feast acknowledging the end of Ramadan. The holiday is called Eid al-Fitr, it is the equivalent of the American Thanksgiving. On this day almost everything shuts down so that people can spend time with their families and celebrate the occasion. This day was also September 11th. It was very interesting being an American in an Islamic country on this day, especially due to the threats of Qurans being burnt in America. The ship sent out an exclusive warning for all students to be extremely careful while traveling and exploring. I am very happy to report that I did not feel great side effects of being American on this day.
So on the 1st day once the ship had been cleared and all passports stamped I went and wondered around Casablanca with a group of friend. We headed towards the medina, or city center. Located here are tons of individual shops and street vendors. In Morocco there is a lot of pottery, leather goods, and rugs for sale. Our experience turned out to be rather stressful and after 2 hours all of were ready to head back to the ship and get dinner in some place that we knew and were familiar with. While in the medina, many of the girls in our group felt rather uncomfortable. There was not a minute in which you could take your eyes off your possessions, making it difficult to look at all of the beautiful works of art. Also, a man tried to lead the group through very sketchy alleyways and when we became uncomfortable and tried to leave he demanded a ridiculous amount of money.  Also, it became very apparent the status of women in this country. When I would try to barter, they treated me as a second-class citizen. I always had to have my guy friends do it for me so I could get the best price. I became very frustrated but now am so much more grateful for my freedom to express myself as a woman. This day ended up to be rather short but was an eye-opening experience without a doubt.
I awoke with the sun the next morning to catch a train to Marrakesh for an independent camel trek with 11 other students.  I randomly was sitting at the pool one afternoon and started talking to the girl next to me and said that they needed more people for their trip and asked me if I wanted to join. That is the great part of SAS, you meet so many people and are able to make travel arrangements so easily. I knew a few of the people on my trip, but not very well so I was excited to be able to hang out with a new group and be able to expand my circle even further. We arrived at the station with only 10 minutes to spare, to learn that the train had been delayed for 45 minutes. When the train finally showed, the station became a mad house. The trains do not sale out, they pack as many people on it as they can. Our group had to split up to all make it on the train. We became crammed into a corner of the car. Comfort during travel outside the United States is a luxury not an expectation. We stood like sardines for the 1st hour and half of the train ride. Luckily my friend and I stood by a local that spoke a decent amount of English. We discussed many aspects of Morocco with him ranging from lifestyle and family to politics and religion. He was a great wealth of knowledge but also so hospitable. He even invited our whole group and tour guide over for couscous on Saturday morning. This is a dish that Moroccans only eat on Friday for dinner, but wanted to treat us. This train ride was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed. It started as something I saw as miserable, a 3-hour ride while standing and no air conditioning, and ended up be something amazing, After getting off the train we made our way to the street and a police officer ended up helping us line up four taxis so that none of us got left behind or ripped off. This was another warm welcoming we received from the locals. We finally made it to the medina in Marrakesh and headed to our riad, an old palace that has been converted into a bed and breakfast. While the streets of Marrakesh did not look that attractive, what was behind closed doors was a completely different story.  We stayed at the Riad Lila and were greeted with warm glasses of mint tea. This tea was out of this world, and the locals use it as a time to welcome and catch up with their guest. After dropping our stuff off we were starving, so the man at the riad walked us to his favorite local restaurant. In Morocco they start every meal with green and black olives and bread. I really liked the green ones, they were pickled in some spice and tasted like nothing I have had in the states, the black ones on the other hand I am not a fan of at all! For our main course we split 3 large couscous dishes and they were out of this world. They had cooked veggies, chicken and meat. I am in love with Moroccan food and think I could eat it all the time, I found it much more appetizing than Spanish food. For desert the always serve grapes and melon! It was so fresh and delicious. After dinner our group decided to split and head into the medina and do some shopping. I was able to score some awesome deals, my favorite being a pair of pants that were perfect for the desert. Also, the medina has a ton of stands that sale fresh orange juice, and it is unlike any other orange juice I have ever had. It was so fresh and still had the seeds of the oranges in it! After our group met back up we headed back to the riad and hung out by the pool. No one realized we would have a pool so we didn’t bring suits. So while the guys got in the girls set with their feet in the water. The best part about it all, the guys took turns rotating and giving all the girls foot massages. It was fantastic and a great time just hanging out and relaxing in a beautiful city.
Early the next morning we woke up for breakfast from the riad. The local breakfast is orange juice and tea with these pastries that are like Swedish pancakes with jelly. They are so delicious and I could eat them every day. We then grabbed our stuffed and headed back into the medina to meet our driver.  It ended up to be quite hysterical because we were supposed to meet our driver at the Café de France and we were sitting at the Café de Fran and we did not even realize for the longest time that we were even at the wrong place. So after finally meeting up with our driver we were on our way to the Sahara. We knew that we had a long day ahead of us, but I would have never would have expected that it would have been a 12 hour drive. Although it seems like forever, it was one of the shortest drives I have ever been on. Around every bend in the Atlas Mountains there was something new to see. Berber villages were everywhere; they were built in the side of the mountain and all so different. On the side of the road there were so many locals selling various crafts and collectibles. The driving is absolutely ridiculous, a few times I feared my life. The roads are so windy and people pass without any care. There are also nomads walking on the side of the cliffs and goats roaming in the middle. After about 4 hours we stopped in a town for lunch and met our guides, Habib and Braham. There we had another local dish called tagine, I ordered citrus chicken. It is so cool how they make it in these clay pots over an open flame, it makes the meat so tender.  We continued on our way and made several stops along the way to take pictures of various areas of Morocco and also visited the studio cinema, where movies such as Gladiator and Babel were shot. I also spent a great deal of time talking with Braham about their culture and his life. We mainly discussed their medical practices and natural and holistic healing processes. I found this so intriguing and probably asked a million and one questions.  I was so impressed with him, he has never been to school a day in his life and can speak 6 different languages. He continually said that life is his school and he would have it no other way. He loves the slowness of the desert life and the simplicity of it. I really learned so much from Braham in those two short days, I don’t ever want to forget the lessons he taught me. The last 8 hours seemed to go by so quickly due to conversations, the gorgeous sunset and the pure beauty of the dunes. Our final destination was Mohammad, our guides’ village. Here they have created this resort for tourist, it was fantastic. Upon arrival the served us tea and showed us our options for the night. They have very nice rooms to stay in, but there is also the option to stay in tents or on the dunes. All of us choose to stay in the air-conditioned rooms that night. While they prepared dinner we all swam in the pool. We turned off all the outside lights and just gazed at the stars, I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it. In just a few hours I saw 7 shooting stars! Dinner was a feast, we had salad, couscous, meat skewers, french fries and soup. After that we were all exhausted and I went right to sleep.
The next morning we woke up and hoped up on camels. It was so much fun to ride the camels, but let me tell you I am paying for it today! We trekked through the desert for 2 hours to the Kasbah, or the villages were nomads go in the winter purchased some jewelry from the people of Mohammad.  Here we were really able to talk to Habib and Braham. For a friends class she has to do field interviews and ask locals if they had 3 wishes what they would be and Braham answered that he wants nothing he is so content and would not change a thing. I thought that this spoke volumes for the man he was and the lifestyle these people live. Habib said all he wants his for his workers to be happy and a personal camel. Neither one replied frivolous responses, and both caught me off guard and really made me think about the necessities of life in a new light. We then went back to the resort and had tagine for lunch and packed up the ATV’s and headed out to the dunes. One of the coolest parts of the trips was in the middle of the Sahara we stopped and had a dance party with no one around, but it was AMAZING!  It showed a common thread in us all. Upon arrival we climbed a 350-meter dune and sat and watched the sun set it was breathtaking. Once the sun set it got really dark really fast. We sat around a fire and listened to the guys play tribe music on their guitars and drums and had a wonderful dinner. We then decided that we all wanted to sleep together so we pulled the mattresses out of the huts and placed them in a huge square under the stars. There Braham told jokes and the history of the Sahara, we joked and laughed and laid in amazement of the stars. I cannot explain the magic in that day. It was so peaceful and calming, exactly what I needed as a reminder of all the glory in the smallest things on Earth.
The next morning we packed up as the sun came up and headed back for Casablanca. This leg of the trip was 14 hours. It was a long day but also a great day for reflection and spending time with those that I had the opportunity to share this experience with. I wish I had better words to describe these moments and feelings because I know that I am not doing them justice.
Today we hung out in Casablanca and went to visit the Hassan II mosque the world’s 3rd largest mosque. It was gorgeous and overlooked the Atlantic Ocean. One thing that I have noticed in all of these quaint and modest towns the mosque are always very ornate and beautiful. We also went and got a hamman, a Moroccan scrub and massage. It was a very interesting experience but also very cultural. Overall, Morocco has been a step outside of my comfort zone, but also put me back into perspective in so many ways.
Sorry for the long blog but there was so much to say and I had no way to summarize. Hope all is well back in the states. I love and miss you all very much and can’t tell you how much I appreciate all the kind words you have sent.
Love always,
Jordan