it's been awhile, and oh so much has happened. I'm not even sure where to begin.
So I am officially done with classes here, we finished Arabic last Thursday (I got a B on our final woohoo!)
My official stay with my host family ended when I left them Saturday for Marrakech. It was sad (ish) but not really. My host mom told me that she would be "waiting for Tuesday" which is when I told her I was going to be back in Rabat for Aid Al-Fadhr (information to come)
So from Marrakech friends (adelaide, anna and drew) and I took a day trip to the Cascades Ouezaane, ate at Earth cafe again, made delicious guacamole, relaxed and went to the owner of Earth Cafe's organic farm. It was a lovely trip. Monday morning (after visiting the farm) we got back on the train. Drew and Anna got off in Rabat and Adelaide and I continued on to Fes.....our final destination. After 9 hours on the train we finally got to Fes and after a short struggle to get a taxi made it easily to Hotel Cascade, our humble sleeping quarters for the night. Organized our stuff and then off to Cafe Clock one of the coolest places I've been and the only reason I went to Fes.
To start, we got iced mint tea and iced coffee, neither of which exist here.
Adelaide got the Camel Burger, which is what Cafe Clock is "famous" for. I got a preserved lemon and chickpea veggie burger.....it was incredibly delicious (pictures will come)
both of our dishes came with homemade french fries and normal salads, with ACTUAL lettuce
despite the satisfaction in our stomachs, we opted for dessert. we got two, sticky date pudding and chocolate fudge cake. YUM.
REturned the next morning for breakfast: fresh fruit with homemade granola and yogurt and riccotta pancakes with caramelized bananas..... i could go on for daays about the tasty flavors and warm feelings this food gave me BUUTT instead ill tell you about the TERRIBLE flavors and feelings wednesday left me with.....
The slaughtering of the sheep (pictures WILL be posted)
so i got to my host family tuesday and was greeted with a little sheep staring up at me, tomorrow was THE DAY
woke up wedensday morning around 830 to have breakfast, aka various breads and sweets
while we waited for the butchers to come
they came. took our sheep up to the roof terrace (where our neighbor already was with their sheep) and slit its throat, skinned it and took out all its insides.
then my neighbor killed their sheep.
then my host mom took me back down stairs to our other neighbor's and had me film and take pictures of two other sheep get killed.
the intial slitting of the throat wasn't that bad, in comparison to the minute or so after when the sheep is dying and twitching and sort of running in place while its head is slopped back with blood steaming out of its throat.
after enjoying that wonderful sight four times I went back to my house where I helped my host mom clean and prepare all of the insides for eating.
Lunch consisted of Lung and Liver wrapped in fat and served kebob style, AND a stew of stomach, bladder, windpipe and many other unidentifiable organs
I have never craved bread so badly while eating a meal here....usually i try to figure out ways to avoid the bread thats served, not wednesday, i WANTED that bread and LOOOTS of it!
wandered the streets and watched heads and hooves being roasted and sheep skins EEVERYWHERE
dinner: heart and leg cous cous.....worst cous cous i've ever had
By the end of the day I was so worn out form having to constantly give myself mental pep talks and pretending the things that were happening weren't actually happening.
what an experience, and one i hope i won't have again.....though my host mom wants me to come back again next year JUST for it.
there is still an entire sheep hanging in the tiny space that is my hallway....thank god I left today and escaped the scent that had begun permeating everything I own.
and tried erasing the flavors with the wonderfulness that is Cafe Clock (yes I went back to Fes to experience it again)
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