So below is a picture of the Sahara. Sorry I haven't been updating this thing much, especially with pictures. Pictures take especially long to download so I would suggest checking out my facebook page if you'd like to see some.
Otherwise I am doing well. I'm working on my research project now. I'm researching the public perception of the homeless in Morocco and then hopefully getting some life narratives of homeless people and seeing how the two compare. Its been an interesting process.
Apart from that I have been very blessed having been able to spend some time with the Lord recently, now that school is no longer in session. I've learned alot here in Morocco, and with only a few more weeks left, it feels as though things are starting to wrap up here.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
I'm typing this in a room in Hotel Madrid in Chefchouan, an incredible city in the Rif mountains in northern Morocco. I have to say, I love this city. Walking through the market streets in the old Medina of Chefchouan, me and some others on the program came across a carpet seller who proceeded to invite us into his shop, sit us down and bring some "Berber scotch" (despite the name, its non-alcoholic tea) to enjoy while he showed us his carpets. He kept insisting that even if we didnt buy a carpet "we are still brothers". I ended up not buying a carpet, but thanking him alot for the tea and hospitality.
That was yesterday. Today me and some others on the program decided to hike up the surrounding Rif mountains and try to reach a peak called Jebal El-Kalaa. It was an absolutely beautiful hike carved out alongside the mountain. There were patches of coniferous forest, times where you were walking under sheer cliff faces, time where you were looking out over vast hill and plains of semi arid looking land.
After a couple hours of hiking like this we came across a village. As we entered the village we almost immediately drew the attention of 10-15 young kids (6-10 years old probably). So now there were four of us hiking along with our 15 new friends. The took us off the path and we started climbing straight up the mountainside. These kids were funny and entertaining, but also mischevious. I caught one of them opening my friends backpack while he was walking and taking stuff out of it without my friend knowing. The same happened with me.
We didnt reach the summit, but made it pretty high. After soaking up the view, we quickly parted with the kids and headed back to Chefchouan.
That was yesterday. Today me and some others on the program decided to hike up the surrounding Rif mountains and try to reach a peak called Jebal El-Kalaa. It was an absolutely beautiful hike carved out alongside the mountain. There were patches of coniferous forest, times where you were walking under sheer cliff faces, time where you were looking out over vast hill and plains of semi arid looking land.
After a couple hours of hiking like this we came across a village. As we entered the village we almost immediately drew the attention of 10-15 young kids (6-10 years old probably). So now there were four of us hiking along with our 15 new friends. The took us off the path and we started climbing straight up the mountainside. These kids were funny and entertaining, but also mischevious. I caught one of them opening my friends backpack while he was walking and taking stuff out of it without my friend knowing. The same happened with me.
We didnt reach the summit, but made it pretty high. After soaking up the view, we quickly parted with the kids and headed back to Chefchouan.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Catch up
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Alot has happened since I last wrote; I'll try to think of a few highlights
1)I helped put out a house fire in the neighborhood I live in. My friend David, his host brother Mehdi, and I were hanging out on the roof of David/Mehdi's house. We heard an explosion from the street below, at which Mehdi got up to see what was going on. He signaled us too look and we saw that there was a window about two houses down that had smoke and flames pouring out of it. We immediately ran down and out into the streets. People were running around, yelling, and carrying people out of the burning house. David, Mehdi, and I ran back into David's house and started to fill buckets up with water. Other people were doing the same. We would bring the buckets down and rush them to the fire where people would give them back to be refilled. We succesfully put the fire out, before the fire department got there. Noone was hurt which was good. And rumor has it that it started because of a love triangle took a turn for the worse...
2) I went to a soccer game of one of the teams of the city of Rabat (there are two teams). The name of the team is FAR. It finally made sense to me because I had been seing the word FAR spray painted on buildings all over the city. It turns out that is the handy work of the notoriously wild fan base. The game was great and I got to meet some of the fan base dubbed the UAR. I have since become a FAR fan and got my very own jersey. The jersey attracts alot of attention as I will be walking down the street and frequently recieve a "Vive Le FAR!!". Or sometimes I got a more negative comment from the fans of FAR's rival, RAJA (a team from Casablanca). I hope to catch another game.
3) I've discovered that there are few things better than a fresh pomegranite on a hot day
I've reached the point now where I know what I will miss after going back home to Morocco. I'll miss the crowdedness of the narrow, busy souks. People yelling, talking, arguing, and vendors yelling off their price. I'll miss hearing Arabic music blasting out of shops as you pass. I'll miss turning down a narrow Medina road and seeing it filled with smoke, and smelling cooking meat as you pass through it. I definitly still have alot of time to enjoy these things, but I think those are the things I will miss.
Tomorrow I leave for Chefchaouen, Ouzzane, Fnideq, and Spain.
1)I helped put out a house fire in the neighborhood I live in. My friend David, his host brother Mehdi, and I were hanging out on the roof of David/Mehdi's house. We heard an explosion from the street below, at which Mehdi got up to see what was going on. He signaled us too look and we saw that there was a window about two houses down that had smoke and flames pouring out of it. We immediately ran down and out into the streets. People were running around, yelling, and carrying people out of the burning house. David, Mehdi, and I ran back into David's house and started to fill buckets up with water. Other people were doing the same. We would bring the buckets down and rush them to the fire where people would give them back to be refilled. We succesfully put the fire out, before the fire department got there. Noone was hurt which was good. And rumor has it that it started because of a love triangle took a turn for the worse...
2) I went to a soccer game of one of the teams of the city of Rabat (there are two teams). The name of the team is FAR. It finally made sense to me because I had been seing the word FAR spray painted on buildings all over the city. It turns out that is the handy work of the notoriously wild fan base. The game was great and I got to meet some of the fan base dubbed the UAR. I have since become a FAR fan and got my very own jersey. The jersey attracts alot of attention as I will be walking down the street and frequently recieve a "Vive Le FAR!!". Or sometimes I got a more negative comment from the fans of FAR's rival, RAJA (a team from Casablanca). I hope to catch another game.
3) I've discovered that there are few things better than a fresh pomegranite on a hot day
I've reached the point now where I know what I will miss after going back home to Morocco. I'll miss the crowdedness of the narrow, busy souks. People yelling, talking, arguing, and vendors yelling off their price. I'll miss hearing Arabic music blasting out of shops as you pass. I'll miss turning down a narrow Medina road and seeing it filled with smoke, and smelling cooking meat as you pass through it. I definitly still have alot of time to enjoy these things, but I think those are the things I will miss.
Tomorrow I leave for Chefchaouen, Ouzzane, Fnideq, and Spain.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Village stay
I had a chance to live in a rural Moroccan village for 3 days/4 nights. The village was a 3 1/2 hour drive into the country from Rabat. The village itself was beautiful. It was set in what seemed to be the foothills of mountains, maybe the atlas. It was very hilly higher peaks visible on the horizon. The house I was in was overlooking a sort of valley, which was beautiful. They grow olive and eucalyptus trees all over, which made the landscape beautiful.
I lived with a family consisting of a mother, father, 3 daughters, 1 son, 1 uncle, and 2 grandparents. Life was simple, very simple. I would wake up and eat breakfast, then I would go out and help (I should say "try to help) her sheep and goats. Then you would eat lunch and rest a little bit, and after that it was more herding or some other kind of work. I would eat dinner when it got dark, and then after that it was more or less time to sleep. Its the kind of lifestyle where you sleep when the sun goes down, and wake when it comes up.
As I think about what else to share about the village stay I realize that there really is just too much to blog. I'll have to share more in person when I get back.
I lived with a family consisting of a mother, father, 3 daughters, 1 son, 1 uncle, and 2 grandparents. Life was simple, very simple. I would wake up and eat breakfast, then I would go out and help (I should say "try to help) her sheep and goats. Then you would eat lunch and rest a little bit, and after that it was more herding or some other kind of work. I would eat dinner when it got dark, and then after that it was more or less time to sleep. Its the kind of lifestyle where you sleep when the sun goes down, and wake when it comes up.
As I think about what else to share about the village stay I realize that there really is just too much to blog. I'll have to share more in person when I get back.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Welcome to the Medina
In the Medina the streets are narrow and plentiful. Streets range in width from about a wingspan to wide enough to drive a car down. The building tower on each side, preventing you from seeing any distinguishable landmarks to help you navigate to wherever it is you are heading. All you see is painted walls lining each side of you up to about 4-5 ft. where it goes white all the way to the top. Its the kind of place where you leave your house and head with determination in one direction, lets say east. You take all the necessary turns and straightaways to keep going east, and after 5 minutes you end up back at your door, having approached your house from the west.
I found the directions I first wrote down to find my way from my school to my house, both in the Medina. I found them amusing. It will help give you an idea of how you mentally keep tabs of where you are in the Medina
1) Take a right out of the CCCL (School)
2)Take first right
3)Left at 4-way
4)Left at brown door
5)Right at black
6)Left at archway
7)Right at yellow-gray
8)Left at black and red door
9)Go straight...ish
10)striaightish
11)Right off of bigger street
...Completely useless directions in any other context but here. You can only pick one thing to notice about each turn or change in direction you make, mentally label it somehow, and then hope that when you take that route again it sparks your memory. Although at this point I am starting to get used to it and can get to school and back by instinct.
Peace
I found the directions I first wrote down to find my way from my school to my house, both in the Medina. I found them amusing. It will help give you an idea of how you mentally keep tabs of where you are in the Medina
1) Take a right out of the CCCL (School)
2)Take first right
3)Left at 4-way
4)Left at brown door
5)Right at black
6)Left at archway
7)Right at yellow-gray
8)Left at black and red door
9)Go straight...ish
10)striaightish
11)Right off of bigger street
...Completely useless directions in any other context but here. You can only pick one thing to notice about each turn or change in direction you make, mentally label it somehow, and then hope that when you take that route again it sparks your memory. Although at this point I am starting to get used to it and can get to school and back by instinct.
Peace
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
1 day in Marrakech, 1 day in Essaouira, and one day throwing up
Yesterday I got back from a trip to the famous city of Marrakech, and the not quite as famous city of Essaouira. Marrakech was wild. There is a famous part of the city called Jamaa Iffna. This is the square in the city where snake charmers, monkey handlers, story tellers, musicians, fruit stands, and acrobats set up shop and pull in the starry eyed tourists like myself. As soon as I entered the squared I was flanked by two monkey handlers who proceed to put one monkey on each arm, and then each shoulder. I was ok with it, it was one of those "what the heck I'm in Marrakech things". What I wasnt ok with though was how much he charged. They wanted 200 dirhams per monkey. Outraged, I refused and me and this guy argued for decent amount of time. After seeing he would budge, I payed him 100 dirhams angrily and left. After a few minutes he found me again, apologized, and gave me 50 dirhams back.
At night in Marrakech I sat around as Moroccans would tell stories around lantern light in the middle of the square. A crowd would gather and listen. It was in Darija, so I didnt understand but it was still entertaining to watch and guess what the story might be about. Another cool experience was sitting around a circle of musicians and just soaking in the music. It was pretty incredible.
Essaouira was a more laid back city, situated right on the Atlantic. Essaouira's clame to fame is that Jimmy Hendrix threw a concert there once. It was a nice change from hectic Marrakech. Essaouira is a cool city (temperature wise) known for its persistent wind.
As the title says, I spent a day throwing up. I'm assuming it was something I ate in Marrakech or Essaouira, but on the bus ride back to Rabat, I knew something wasn't right in my stomach. I nearly made it back before pulling over to lose my lunch. I spent a day throwing up, feverish and achy, but now I'm feeling good as knew.
At night in Marrakech I sat around as Moroccans would tell stories around lantern light in the middle of the square. A crowd would gather and listen. It was in Darija, so I didnt understand but it was still entertaining to watch and guess what the story might be about. Another cool experience was sitting around a circle of musicians and just soaking in the music. It was pretty incredible.
Essaouira was a more laid back city, situated right on the Atlantic. Essaouira's clame to fame is that Jimmy Hendrix threw a concert there once. It was a nice change from hectic Marrakech. Essaouira is a cool city (temperature wise) known for its persistent wind.
As the title says, I spent a day throwing up. I'm assuming it was something I ate in Marrakech or Essaouira, but on the bus ride back to Rabat, I knew something wasn't right in my stomach. I nearly made it back before pulling over to lose my lunch. I spent a day throwing up, feverish and achy, but now I'm feeling good as knew.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Food
This is the description of food that I promised earlier. During Ramadan, everyday at sunset (around 6:45 here) the call to prayer goes out and everyone can break their fast. You break the fast with a traditional meal called the ftur. Typical of a Moroccan ftur is a bowl of dates. I discovered that I love dates and will eat lots of them back in the states. By the bowl of dates, you'll find a bowl of shbakia. This is a fried thin pastry that is folded around itself many times. It's coated in honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Then you move on to the eggs. The eggs are hard boiled and you take one, dip it in salt, then in cumin, and eat it plain. After the eggs you make your way to the bread. There is bread with leaven and bread without. The bread with leaven you use to dip in your soup and as a spoon to pick up other food. You do this with three fingers on your right hand only (dont use the left). You pinch the bread between your thumb and 1st and 2nd finger and scoop things up with the bread. The unleavened bread you pick up, fold in on itself, and eat it plain, or you can take a wedge of a pretty mild cheese and spread it accross. In front of you, during the ftur, you will find a soup, harira. It has a little spice to it. Its a kinda thick broth with chicken and chick peas and other things I havent identified. You eat this with a spoon, but you hold the spoon a specific way.
After the ftur tea, coffee, and pastries will be brought out. The mint tea is delicious, and a staple of Moroccan culture. It is always mint tea. It is served in smallish tea glasses with alot of sugar. It is a sweet drink and doesnt taste much like the tea I am used to in America. The coffee is similar, lost of tea and milk. As you sip your tea or coffee often pastries will be brought out. These are fluffy pastries, with a sweet dough, and with a little bit of chococalte lining the bottom of the pastry to add a little sweetness. Either this our you will find pastries with a little bit of lemon jelly running through the middle.
After they eat the ftur at 6:45ish and then the tea and pastries. Then around midnight you eat another meal. This meal isnt like the ftur. It will be something like chicken and potatoes which you communally eat with your right hand off the center of the table. Then after that they eat another meal around 3:00 am, right before dawn when they have to fast again. This is another meal like the midnight meal. Then when I wake up at 8:00, Mama makes me another breakfast! So basically I dont remember what hunger feels like. Since they eat during the night during Ramadan, they sleep throughout the day until late afternoon. This has been hard for me to sustain because I have school early. No complaints though. The food is great.
Peace
After the ftur tea, coffee, and pastries will be brought out. The mint tea is delicious, and a staple of Moroccan culture. It is always mint tea. It is served in smallish tea glasses with alot of sugar. It is a sweet drink and doesnt taste much like the tea I am used to in America. The coffee is similar, lost of tea and milk. As you sip your tea or coffee often pastries will be brought out. These are fluffy pastries, with a sweet dough, and with a little bit of chococalte lining the bottom of the pastry to add a little sweetness. Either this our you will find pastries with a little bit of lemon jelly running through the middle.
After they eat the ftur at 6:45ish and then the tea and pastries. Then around midnight you eat another meal. This meal isnt like the ftur. It will be something like chicken and potatoes which you communally eat with your right hand off the center of the table. Then after that they eat another meal around 3:00 am, right before dawn when they have to fast again. This is another meal like the midnight meal. Then when I wake up at 8:00, Mama makes me another breakfast! So basically I dont remember what hunger feels like. Since they eat during the night during Ramadan, they sleep throughout the day until late afternoon. This has been hard for me to sustain because I have school early. No complaints though. The food is great.
Peace
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Greetings from Morocco
So I’m on my third day now in Morocco. Its hard to figure out what to describe to you. There is so much to describe. Lets start with my hotel room. My hotel room, which I share with two other people from my trip, looks out on the Medina, the old, pre-colonial, neighborhood of the town. The Medina is surrounded by a giant, fortress-like, sand-orange wall. There are arched doorways in the wall that lead you into a market, or, suq. There, street vendors line the already small street on either side. They sell all kinds of things: shoes, DVDs, fruit, bread, fish, instruments, clothes, everything… You will constantly run into the smell of cooking tajines and Moroccan spice. Music rising out of the Medina can be heard through my bedroom doors until the early hours of the morning.
The place where I will be taking classes, starting Monday, is inside the Medina. It is called the CCCL. You walk down narrow alley ways with white-washed buildings on your right and left, take a couple turns and you are there. The building the CCCL is in is phenomenal. There are so many intricate mosaic designs on the floors, walls, lining stairwells, basically everywhere. The roof of the building gives you a panoramic view of the city, which is huge. Its basically buildings in some shade of white, seemingly stacked on top of each other as far as the eye can see. Its really beautiful.
We arrived in Rabat in the middle of the month of Ramadan. During Ramadan Muslims fast from almost everything (drinking, eating, and smoking) during the daylight hours. Things are relatively calm during the day, as people are in a more restful state. You wont find anyone eating or drinking on the streets during the day, so when we eat or drink, I do so inside somewhere. But when the sun sets and the call to prayer is sounded, everyone eats. Restauarants set food out on tables, and people will come and sit by the food for 20 minutes or so before the fast is broken. Then when the call to prayer goes out, they all start eating what is infront of them. So during the night hours here, the city is alive with people until the wee hours of the morning. They then wake up around 4:30 am and have a big meal before the sun rises. To give you an idea of how much food is eaten, one of my academic directors said that in the month of Ramadan, Moroccans consume 1/3 of the amount of food they eat for the whole year. 1/3 in one month!
Being in Morocco is very different than anything I have experienced before. Adjusting will definitely take some time, and may be hard at times, but will be well worth it.
Masalaama
The place where I will be taking classes, starting Monday, is inside the Medina. It is called the CCCL. You walk down narrow alley ways with white-washed buildings on your right and left, take a couple turns and you are there. The building the CCCL is in is phenomenal. There are so many intricate mosaic designs on the floors, walls, lining stairwells, basically everywhere. The roof of the building gives you a panoramic view of the city, which is huge. Its basically buildings in some shade of white, seemingly stacked on top of each other as far as the eye can see. Its really beautiful.
We arrived in Rabat in the middle of the month of Ramadan. During Ramadan Muslims fast from almost everything (drinking, eating, and smoking) during the daylight hours. Things are relatively calm during the day, as people are in a more restful state. You wont find anyone eating or drinking on the streets during the day, so when we eat or drink, I do so inside somewhere. But when the sun sets and the call to prayer is sounded, everyone eats. Restauarants set food out on tables, and people will come and sit by the food for 20 minutes or so before the fast is broken. Then when the call to prayer goes out, they all start eating what is infront of them. So during the night hours here, the city is alive with people until the wee hours of the morning. They then wake up around 4:30 am and have a big meal before the sun rises. To give you an idea of how much food is eaten, one of my academic directors said that in the month of Ramadan, Moroccans consume 1/3 of the amount of food they eat for the whole year. 1/3 in one month!
Being in Morocco is very different than anything I have experienced before. Adjusting will definitely take some time, and may be hard at times, but will be well worth it.
Masalaama
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Its about that time
Well its the night before. I'm a little excited, a little nervous, and have a little bit more packing to go. I leave early tomorrow morning; early like 6:30 am. I fly to JFK airport in New York where I wait 7 hours until I leave on Royal Air Maroc airlines to Morocco. I was told to meet my group in terminal 2 of the Casablanca airport between 8 am and 10 am. Our first day is already lined up for us, complete with hotel check-ins, tours of facilities, meeting people, and eating at a Moroccan restaurant called "El-Bahia".
I really should finish packing.
Peace
I really should finish packing.
Peace
Friday, August 14, 2009
As the Arabic title of this blog says ("Marcus in Morocco") I will be living in Morocco as a student, in the capital city of Rabat, on a tourist visa from September 1-December 14. I will be staying with a host family, whom I have yet to meet or learn anything about, for a few months.
I'm excited and a little nervous, although mostly excited at this point. I've wanted to travel across the ocean for such a long time, and now I am blessed with the opportunity. I'm excited to experience something new.
I really dont know what to expect about my time in Morocco at this point. I have an idea of what it will be like, but it is sure to change. I hope to stay on top of this blog with lots of pictures, descriptions of food I eat, and ways I have embarassed myself in a new culture, although I dont know how much time I will have on the internet out there.
Peace
I'm excited and a little nervous, although mostly excited at this point. I've wanted to travel across the ocean for such a long time, and now I am blessed with the opportunity. I'm excited to experience something new.
I really dont know what to expect about my time in Morocco at this point. I have an idea of what it will be like, but it is sure to change. I hope to stay on top of this blog with lots of pictures, descriptions of food I eat, and ways I have embarassed myself in a new culture, although I dont know how much time I will have on the internet out there.
Peace
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