A little Taste of my INdependent study project

Findings and Experiences

A Change in Taste

“Moroccan cuisine is considered to be one of the finest in the world…”

Fatema Hal, Food of Morocco

“Welcome to Morocco!” screamed my mouth as I took my first sip of insanely sweet mint tea. Not entirely what I expected, flavor wise, but maybe I can get used to this, I thought to myself as I prepared for another swig. A similar reaction occurred when I first bit into a cactus fruit, and just about everything else I’ve tasted and eaten in Morocco. One the most difficult and exciting aspects of moving to a new place, is the change in cuisine. “Tastes are not simply a reflection of our identity but work to construct our cultural identity: we may be what we eat but what we eat also produces who we are,” Bob Ashley argues in Food and Cultural Studies (59). Our taste buds are partial to where we come from; our palates are confused by the change of spices and textures of this new food and are bodies crave the flavors of home.

And, oh how my taste buds have changed over the course of my time here. Looking back at old observations of food, I can see this even more clearly. Back in September, while Ramadan was still in full swing, I could barely stand the sight and taste of Moroccan “pancakes,” or msemmen. Now I find it hard to go a day without them, and find myself constantly searching for that warm smell of oil and bread that I know will accompany a woman flipping that delicious bread on a hot griddle.

On Friday, September 17, 2010, I wrote ten reasons why I love ‘couscous Friday,’ the preparation and eating of couscous each and every Friday afternoon in homes across Morocco. Not only do I enjoy the idea that on Friday, almost every family ends the day early to gather around the table, and most likely the TV too, to share this “Moroccan” meal, but, “It doesn’t involve bread” (reason number five). Back in September a meal eaten without chobz was more than welcome. Today, almost three months later, I find it almost impossible to make it through a meal without asking for more bread.

These changes in tastes and preferences create a sense of connection to this place I’ve been living for the past four months. Each city has its own type of bread, cuisine, and food culture as does each individual. Every place I’ve been, and each person I’ve met has helped shaped my perceptions of Moroccan culture and made me feel closer to this country, and most of these connections have, somehow, been related to food.

You are what you eat

“To share food is to be of one body…. through eating the food of others, we remain as one.”

Terence McKenna, Food of the Gods

Coming to Morocco during Ramadan was somewhat of a shock. Not only did I have to “deal” with a complete change in culture and lifestyle, but also the whole eating system was rearranged, creating a chaos within itself. Instead of eating “normal” meals throughout the day, Muslims across the globe fast while the sun is up. This results in changes to people’s eating habits. They eat breakfast, or f’tour, when the sun begins to set, which in Rabat was around seven in the evening, have dinner around ten and then sometimes another meal before the sun begins to rise again. Since I was simultaneously living with practicing Muslims and going to school and spending the day with non-Muslim Americans, I was reaping the benefits of both food worlds. Each morning my host mom would prepare a large breakfast for me, most likely as her way of showing hospitality, consisting of a large pot of tea (see recipe) and multiple types of bread and cookies. During the day, I would enjoy lunch provided at the Center for Cross-Cultural Learning, away from the disproving eyes of the fasting nation. At home with my host family I broke the fast with dates, harira, plates of cookies and various breads. We would eat again late in the night around ten o’clock. This resembled dinner more or less, with a large communal dish in the center that consisted of some sort of vegetables cooked soft and eaten with bread. Sometimes individual salad-like dishes would appear and dinner would always be followed by dessert of fruit. My host mom would also eat again prior to the morning call to pray and the beginning of the next day’s fasting. Thanks to my academic schedule and the eating schedule of my host family I managed to eat approximately four or five meals a day, not including snacks that I would find in the streets. This somewhat excessive eating allowed me to not only interact with my peers at school, but also my host family, shop keepers, and waiters at cafes. I got a glimpse of Morocco during Ramadan, which made it especially interesting to compare eating habits here after it ended.

Certain staples, such as tea, fruit, and bread were always kept available in the house and every Friday M’barka, my host mother, would start preparing couscous as soon as she returned from taking my younger host sisters to school. While standing in the kitchen fluffing couscous for the second time one Friday, M’barka revealed the secret to delicious couscous:

There are two types of couscous, machine and handmade. The handmade one is better. The machine made kind isn’t good for your stomach. I buy this [couscous] from a lady who makes it at her house. It’s more expensive, but it’s better, so I buy it.

This ritual, which I helped with and discussed with her, shows the importance of this special Moroccan dish. Spending money on other items, such as new clothing, will be skipped so that a finer couscous can be prepared each and every Friday and contribute to M’barka’s identity as a Moroccan mother.

Beyond the food

“Putting a great dish on the table is our way of celebrating the wonders of form we humans can create…”

Michael Pollan, The Omnivore’s Dilemma

The preparation of food is just as important as the final dish. Food is rarely made moments before consuming it, but rather is begun much earlier and slowly prepared and cooked for many hours prior to meal time. In The Raw and the Cooked, Claude Levi-Strauss examines the relationships between food and its preparations. Through this examination he concludes that, “not only does cooking mark the transition from nature to culture, but through it and by means of it, the human state can be defined with all its attributes” (164). Food is culture because of the conscious decision of what an individual chooses to eat, Massimo Montanari similarly argues.

Food becomes culture when it is prepared… Through such pathways food takes shape as a decisive element of human identity and as one of the most effective means of expressing and communicating that identity. (xi-xii)

The care and time that anyone, regardless of their nationality or background puts into preparing food reinforces this argument. In Morocco, I’ve found this to be especially true. Changing the raw food to cooked “serves as a crucial mediating category between…nature and culture” (Ashley 30). This change allows individuals and groups to express themselves through the food that they prepare for themselves, as well as those they are sharing a meal with.

Choices

“Eating is one form of creative activity in which subjects are allowed to make choices about what will come to constitute their very being, both corporeally and symbolically.”

Carolyn Rouse & Janet Hoskins, Purity, Soul Food, and Sunni Islam.

Being a vegetarian in a country like Morocco, where there is some sort of infatuation with meat has proven to be difficult. The concept of vegetarianism is almost completely foreign and even when the term is recognized it is not completely understood. The social symbols and status that accompany serving and eating meat, as well as being limited economically to the luxury of choosing what one eats add to this confusion. Though M’barka would serve meat and vegetables separately, she didn’t completely grasp the concept of what it means to not eat meat and more often than not vegetables were cooked together with meat and only separated when placed on the table.

Tajinia, my host mom in Al A’tisha, struggled with the idea of not serving meat for the week that Tulsi, another SIT student, and I lived with her. For Tajinia, serving meat was a sign of hospitality, and by not serving it she was lowering herself to a social standing that was unacceptable. Despite this, or maybe as a result of this, she went out of her way to prepare vegetable based foods meals that she thought we would enjoy and served multiple pots of tea with extra sugar over the course of the day. Sitting in the “kitchen” one afternoon watching Tajinia prepare a plate of lightly fried peppers, I began asking the names of various ingredients in Arabic. Somewhere along the way, the word for eggplant entered the conversation and I shared how much I love eggplants. This, for some reason, was especially humorous to Tajinia and my sisters. That night for dinner zaalouk (see recipe) was placed on the table before us, with a special emphasis placed on the eggplant cooked into the dish.

Identity and Culture

Food is something we need to survive and it also represents a large aspect of who we are. As a result of this, we choose foods to reinforce aspects of our identity and create an image of ourselves. For the holiday of Aid Al-Adha, almost every Moroccan family slaughters at least one sheep to commemorate the sacrifice of the ram in place of Ishmael, Abraham’s son. In the days leading up to the Aid, sheep could be found being herded through the streets of every medina, carted around by men and pushed out of trucks into the open arms of every Moroccan. Mohammed, a farmer outside of Marrakech, told me that he bought two sheep for this special day and spent approximately four months wages to do so, M’barka had been saving all year to purchase the sheep that spent the night prior to its death in a corner of the small apartment. Hassan, a friend’s host dad, went three days early to pick out a ‘good’ sheep, but didn’t have enough money to buy the one he wanted. He had to try again a few days later with more money, and most likely had to settle on a smaller, less expensive sheep.

Each family buying a sheep, or in Mohammed’s case multiple sheep, to slaughter seemed excessive to me. But the rush to buy a sheep and walk it home goes beyond the religious aspect of the holiday. To not have a sheep would be a sort of social suicide. All the neighbors would talk, and question your religiosity as well as financial standing. Even if you have to save for a year, borrow money or take out a loan, like so many Moroccans do purchasing a sheep to slaughter is almost mandatory.

Food choice is also largely controlled by socioeconomic status. The luxury of being able to eat any food one wants affects the importance and opinion one has of food. Those of lower socioeconomic status have limited choice regarding food and may view it more as a tool of survival. Living with a low-income family in the Rabat medina has allowed me to experience and compare what food means within this socioeconomic class and to others as well. Despite choice being somewhat limited in terms of quality, I never found there to be a scarcity of food and my family always managed to have meat, a somewhat expensive food option.

Conclusion

“Moroccan cuisine is so much more than the ubiquitous tagines and couscous…” Tara Stevens states in the introduction of the Café Clock Cookbook. Three months ago I couldn’t have disagreed more. Everything seemed to taste the same, and none of these tastes satisfied me in the ways that I wanted them too. As I get ready to leave Morocco, I completely agree that Moroccan cuisine goes beyond tagines and couscous, but it is a way for Moroccans to express their identities, connect with one another, and allow outsiders to enter their culture.

Transitioning into a new lifestyle in completely different culture is not easy. Learning the cultural and societal norms to smoothly interact with members of a society is challenging. To be able to understand what defines the identity of this new culture can make this transition easier. However, defining identity can be difficult.

Various constructs such as gender, religion, and social class help to form and reinforce identity. These labels or identity markers influence the food one chooses to prepare and eat well food simultaneously helps to support these labels and influence identity. Food then creates a bridge from cultural norms and taboos to something tangible that can be shared within a group and with outsiders. After spending four months in Morocco, I’ve had my fair share of uncomfortable experiences trying to adjust to life here, and food has helped to reduce a lot of this discomfort. Sharing a meal or a pot of tea with someone can help to push aside negative interactions, at least momentarily.

In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan suggests that, “eating’s not a bad way to get to know a place” and I couldn’t agree more (p. 408). By eating my way across Morocco I have managed to forge friendships and relationships with diverse populations of Morocco and it’s many visitors. Walking through the streets of every city I’ve spent a significant amount of time in, I notice that the majority of the individuals who I feel a connection to on some level, are those that have provided me with some sort of food. From the man at the hanout where I buy my nuts in Rabat, to the little café where I filled myself with bissara in Tangier and to the produce shop where I bought bags of fruit in Essaouira, each proprietor has a special place in my memories of Morocco and my experience here. I can barely remember the faces of the random people I pass daily on the street, the woman at the ticket counter at the train station or the man sitting behind one of the numerous ‘tabacs,’ but those that offered me a chance to taste, smell and savor Morocco? They will forever be engrained in my mind.

and on that note I'm on to more (food advenures).....london, barcelon, florence, rome[tapas, sangria, paninis, gelato and more]....and HOME AGAIN

to share the food i love the most with the people i love the most!!!

PICTURES

the long awaited PICTURES are here....the end of my homestay and eid
these are my last pictures from MOROCCO so enjoy them!

warning: they are gory sooooooooo don't eat before looking at them

( i told you i would find ways to continue this blog!)

BESLAMA

see ya maroc, its been.......fun, interesting, difficult, life changing??

soo, I'm gone. Left Rabat early yesterday morning (via train) for Fez to catch a flight to Madrid to connect to Brussles to take a train to  Gronigen, Netherlands, where I am currently sitting in Liz's apartment.  Talk about a lot of changes in 24 hours.

I can't believe my semester is already over.  I know I've been "preparing" (whatever that means) for the end for awhile, but it still feels like it snuck up on  me and sort of just happened.
saying goodbye to people was weird....to think that i wont be with people that i've been spending all day everyday with, and not only will i not be with these people the chances of me seeing them soon are slim to none. 

landing in Europe was slightly nerve wracking, such a huge change, so organized, so big, sooo foreign to me

sorry...this post is less than intersting but i'm finding it difficult to put my experiences and feelings into words (leaving morocco, starting my travels in europe, etc)

i also don't want to say goodbye to this blog! oh what an outlet it has been (and fun too) but seeing as its titled four months in Morocco, and I'm no longer there......
maybe Ill change the name, or at leeast continue it until i get home....tooo many goodbyes at once i can't handle it!

Almost LAst Night

As I sit listening to the laughter and voices next door, munching on the worlds best almond and peanut brittle i cant help but be overcome with a  feeling of extreme sadness
study abroad is over? fee el hakeka? (really??)

I can hardly believe it

oh how i will miss smells,  the flavors, THE RAIF,  the effectiveness of two 'FLag Especials', two glasses of wine

(written  wednesday night)

SPices, Tea, Writing and Wine

Great Conversation on the street today
Where are you from? Spain? NO Paradise? NO Angel?  Yes, how did you know, I am from angel...
What is angel?....you'd have to ask him

On to more SERIOUS things:
Goodbye Essaouira......tomorrow we leave, oh how i wish we could stay forever in our little house, on our little street that is always noisy.
This week has been great and despite the ever present ISP looming in the back of our minds, we've managed to enjoy ourselves quite a bit.
Honestly we've spent more time in the apartment than out, but I think thats what we all needed, a quick escape into our own little world where we could choose to interact with outsiders if and when we wanted to.
As I sit in my room surrounded by bags of spices and coffee, "writing" my paper, contemplating how I'm going to manage bringing back everything I've accumulated, wondering if I'm actually going to crank out the rest of this project, I can't help but feel sad and excited for whats to come.  My last week in Morocco, followed by three weeks in Europe and then returning home......oh so many emotions, so many thoughts (to sit in my own bed again, drink Pittsburgh water, sleep in my green room, NOT carry around backpacks full of clothing and other things....)
Excited? yes.   Freaked out that my semester abroad is coming to a close? most definitely.

Waterfalls and Power Loss

Mooshkeel (problem) one: waterfall of rainwater down from our terrace onto the second floor, down the steps to the first floor thanks to the torrential downpour we had yesterday here in windy Essouaira.  SOlution: mop up the water on our hands and knees with tiny sponges

Mooshkeel two: woke up this morning to no electricity. However are we going to entertain ourselves without our computers or the television??? Solution: make an elaborate breakfast (thank you gas stove) of french toast, yogurt, granola, scones, and fruit.

Huge mooshkeels, GREAT solutions
plus we're still in our own house so NBD (no big deal)

ANDD tonight i'm making rice and beans yippeee

Here at Last!

Essaouria HELLLO!! I thought we'd never make it!

After a stressful last few days with lots of traveling and moving around, we have finally settled down for the week in Esaouria.  Got on a bus this morning at 10:30 and arrived at 1:30 (just like the bus schedule said we would!) and were escorted to our home for the next week.
Why do I emphasize home? Because that is exactly what it is, not an apartment, or a hotel, but a HOUSE, in the middle of the medina.
Two floors and a terrace.  A kitchen, three bedrooms, three bathrooms with actual toilets and showers, and a living room.  It's beautiful and perfect.

Its so nice to know that I can unpack my stuff and NOT have to carry around my backpack for an entire week

Thanksgiving in Tangier was great, lots a friends, good food, booze, and skype time with everyone's families, mine included :)
Took a 10 hour train ride on friday to Marrakech, sprung for first class so despite the length it was a fine
Had a....interesting weekend in Marrakech, where I stayed with friends at Earth Cafe (yes the vegan restaurant) and not at a hotel.  Had some awkward exchanges with the owner, who despite being totally bizzarre is really nice
Walked around in the High Atlas mountains, at a Moroccan ski resort (which, unfortunately  hadn't opened yet for the season) and was totally in awe at the splendor of the mountains (with snow on them!)

had Thai food for dinner in Marrakech, a great grilled veggie pita sandwich today for lunch, and of course tasty food at earth cafe.
Those are my updates for the past few days and despite the cool things I've done I'm happy to be where I am, and done more or less with traveling through Morocco. 

in other news, now I have to actually start writing my 20 page research paper.....

Fresh CHobz

Today started with a stop at the bread oven next to my hotel, where Drew and I got chobz to order fresh off the oven.  The first three chobz to be made of the day actually.  Well actually it started when I crawled out of bed this morning to walk through the rain to wire money to a friend that had lost her wallet.  On the walk back Drew and I decided to pick up some breakfast things since we were already out.  The final purchases were peanut butter (of course), yogurt, eggs (which I scrambled for my pals), random cracker like things, and FRESH chobz, wrapped in my scarf to keep them warm.


To  back track a little....after escaping to Fes from the massacre that was Rabat, I headed north to meet up with friends.  Our route for the past few days: Tangier, Tetouan, Chefchaouen, and back again.
Short description:  BLUE, green and Cold (at least Tetouan and Chefchaouen)

So hung around in Tangier for a two days....saw Elizabeth Stocksdale which was just woooonderfuul.
What a funky, sketchy town Tangier is.  Totally can see the remnants of groovy glamor that attracted the Beats, but now it is kinda gray, cold for us, and a little sketchy and scary (Adelaide got pick pocketed)
We moved on from there on Sunday via grand taxi to Tetouan, which was GREEN and COLD.
A very cute, European looking town in the valley of two huge mountain ranges.  We wandered around and saw a Bollywood gangster movie at the local theater.  I really liked it there but our hotel was SUPER funky (weird scents from the bathroom) so it was nice to leave.

On to Chefchaouen on Monday.  Somehow managed to secure ourselves a personal tour guide who took us to a very nice hotel (laundry machine, kitchen, beautiful garden, HOT SHOWER) where we were the ONLLY people staying.  After getting situated, our "guide" took us to this huge blanket and carpet store where we had a VEERRY  long, streesful, and trying experience but managed to escape only a few thousand dirham poorer. Got beautiful things though.


Instead of giving you a play by play on the rest of our stay in Chaouen, I'll sum it up.  We shopped, ate, and tried to stay warm and dry in our hotel.  Did our laundry (which got rained on), made ourselves a real breakfast, and spent tons of money. 
It was a beautiful two days.  The Rif mountains are probably my favorite thing in Morocco.  They are so green and magnificent, the people are so mountainous and rugged looking.  Spanish is everywhere, which always makes me feel comfortable, and the food is wonderful too.

Took the bus back to Tangier today for Thanksgiving tomorrow at our friends apartment.  Were all very excited for that and the fact that we are THAT much closer to arriving in Essaouria where WE will have our OWN apartment for a WHOLE WEEK! our own space, not having to lug around luggage, sleep in grimy hotels, or eat out every meal ooooohhhh i can't wait!

The Massacre....and days leading up to it

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)

Dreaming of Zaalouk

As my time in Rabat's Medina, and with my host family comes to a close, I've begun reflecting on this whole experience.
The other day my host mom made zaalouk, which is a eggplant, pepper, and tomato pate-like dish.  It was delicious and I can't stop thinking about it.  Last night she made beans, which are (of course) also on my mind.

Things that I previously disliked, or that bothered, I am now looking back on with fondness such as M'barka, my host mom, making me breakfast every morning....whatever will I do when I have to make my own pot of tea every morning??

It's been nice being so settled into Rabat, and it's going to be weird to change my lifestyle again but I am SO excited to travel, and be on my own and not have to go through all of the mental stress of when to go home, how to ask for a shower, how to tell them I'm going out etc.

I'll apologize now for the negative things I've posted.  Writing is a wonderful outlet, and when I can't express my frustrations to friends here, I use this as a source of letting loose.  So despite the not so positive things I've written, I've enjoyed my time here....immensely.  Even though it hasn't always been easy, and a lot frustrates me I wouldn't change any of it.


So that's my update for the day....and a few pictures from the olive picking/pressing we did this past Saturday:

Why I Love Couscous Friday Part TWO

COUS COUS

My "zone"

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF:

Got my hair did

Sister and hairdresser Oumaima (and I'm wearing the fancy new shirt my host mom made for me!)

Potential Titles

I am constantly thinking of ways to describe my experiences here and usually I only get as far as a title.  Everything interesting has turned into such ordinary things for me that I don't know how to write it out, so this blog is the collection of titles that have been sitting in my draft folder (I have to give credit to Adelaide who suggested the idea to me). Hopefully they can shed some light on everyday things here

Peanut Butter I have become addicted
Feign Snack Bag? (where is the snack bag?) a snack bag is CONSTANTLY with us
Raif, let me count the ways I can eat you I am/we are constantly coming up with ways to eat Raif

The Search for Red Raif the only thing better than regular raif....red raif (onions, chili oil and sometimes olives cooked into raif)
Anna Taliba (I am a student) one of the few phrases I can say in Arabic...shopkeepers love it
La Shukran (no thank you) another Arabic phrase....verrry useful
Snails are constantly being stewed in the streets...NOT a pleasant smell
Popcorn Man makes fresh popcorn on the street in the medina and he is wonderful
"Heey Spice Girls" my favorite cat call
Street Harassment: I Surrender no explanation needed
Nighttime Yoga what would I do without it?!?
THe ants are BAACK in my house....they are EVERYWHERE, always....I can't escape them

AP's Best Week Ever

Disclaimer: I'm no bragging, but this past week has been one of the best of my life, tiring but wonderful....the food, the smells, the sights, everything.

Oh the places I've been, the things I've seen....how do I even begin to describe them to you
I guess I'll just have to start from the beginning

The Route: Ifrane, Azrou, Midelt, Erfoud, Merzouga, Erb Cheggi Dunes,  Rissani, Nekob, Ouarzazate, Atlas Mountains, Marrakech, Essaouria

Left Rabat early Saturday morning for Ifrane, a small resort town in the Middle Atlas mountains that is home to the Al Akhawayn University, which is modeled after the American system and everything is in English.  Being in the mountains, it felt like Fall.  It was windy, gray, and chilly and it basically felt like I was back on a small college campus in the US.  What a drastic change from Rabat, and everywhere else I've been these past months.
We got a tour there, and had lunch there (which was not so tasty) and then got back onto the bus to stop in Azrou, which is apparently the oldest town in the Middle Atlas Mountains.  It was cute and funky, we got some tea to warm us up and prepare us for another bus ride and the Cedar Forest, which was absolutely stunning....i love trees (and i showed them my love by hugging them, yes i hugged some trees)
Also saw the famous Barbary apes there, which was pretty cool.
Stayed the night in Midelt at a BEAUTIFUL hotel where I shared a HUGE room with Drew.  First night away from Rabat/of the excursion so we all enjoyed ourselves with wine during and after dinner. I don't think I've laughed so much here yet.

Breakfast the next morning was a sight to be seen.....eggs, so much chobz, raif, dates, fruit, cookies, donuts, stuffed raif that tasted like indian food and MORE.
Ate and boarded the bus for a LOONNNG  and windy bus ride through the mountains.  the mountains, i cannot even begin to describe.  So big, so vast, stretching in every direction.  Lunch in Rissani before getting into land rovers to go to the desert for the night. Lunch was great....well the salad appetizers were great.  Lentils, beans, pepper-tomato dip, squash dip and hearty chobz yumm.  "Moroccan Pizza" for the main course which was weird but good, just chobz stuffed with mashed up veggies
Land Rover ride not so fun since I didnt enjoy the people I was sharing it with but I was too giddy to be completely miserable.  Got to our hotel in the dunes and rode camels to the top to watch the sunset.  Words honestly cannot describe what I saw and how I felt the entire time, it was just too spectacular.  The whole time I was  thinking "this is not real, am I really in the African desert right now??!?!"

Dinner that night was......absolutely incredible, i love the south....so much flavor!!!
So after getting back from the camel trek, my friends and I went out under the stars and had a little fun with my sipsi before going to dinner.  At dinner we enjoyed a gnawa (type of music) musical performance and the exact types of food my fresh vegetable deprived body has been craving.  So many types of salads, beets, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, lentils and so much more.  I had maybe three heaping plates full, it was AWESOME

the next morning I woke up at 4:30 to climb to the highest dune and watch the sun rise.  it was so cold and dark when we woke up (i was miserable) climbing to the top was not an easy trek (especially after all this chobz eating)  but I managed it and i am so glad i did.  literally there was no sun and then it was just there, a huge ball of fire.  watching the sun come over the horizon and begin to warm the cold sand (and my body) reaffirmed my choice in coming to this place.
Climbing (or sliding) back down was fun and we were rewarded with warm backs and a breakfast feast once we made it to the hotel (raif, dates, olive oil, honey, jams, etc)

Packed up and took the land rovers back to Rissani...this time my car was full of people I liked so all was well.  Walked around there for a little (bought some things) and then loaded onto the bus to travel to Nekob, which is somewhere in the Draa Valley I believe.  Everything was beautifully styled after Kasbahs and the hotel/organization we ate at was so peaceful and pretty.  Not hungry but the food we had was wonderful....a communal appetizer plate that included rice, eggplant, onions, peppers and squash.  Then a special veggie tagine for me, but it actually had lots of flavor so that was a great change. 
Climbed BACK onto the bus and wound through the mountains for a few more hours until we reached Ouarzazate, which is called the "Hollywood of Morocco" on account of a zillion movies (Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, etc) being filmed there.  We stayed the night at a dorm for girls who come from villages in the Atlas mountains to attend school.  We put our stuff down there and then walked aound and explored the city a little before coming back for dinner.  Typical Moroccan dinner: Harira (soup) and cous cous, which we enjoyed with the girls.  At this point I could barely keep my eyes open so dinner was a little painful but cool that we tried, and somewhat managed to communicate with the girls.  After presentations, dinner, and a little music I climbed into my bunk bed and went to SLEEP.

Left the next morning around 8.  Longest bus ride ever through the mountains.  I slept alot but managed to stay awake for some of the more spectacular parts, such as the highest point in the Middle Atlas where you can see the Snow of the High Atlas off in the distance. 
After what seemed like forever we made it out of the mountains onto flat land aka SO CLOSE TO MARRAKECH
First impressions: flat, clean, wide streets, deserty feeling but still GREEN....big city, verrry organized

Got to our hotel, put our stuff down and had lunch (more salad like stuffs!) showered (finally) relaxed a little and then out to explore!  Walked to the main square (Jeema El Fna) where we enjoyed fresh squeezed orange-grapefruit juice from one of the many carts and watched the scene. And what a scene it was....so many nuts and dried fruit stands, orange juice stands, musicians, magicians, snake charmers, ladies doing henna.....it was like walking into a carnival.
We wandered around the souks for a little in search of a cafe we had read about in a guidebook, foound it in the spice souk....got spiced tea (others got spice coffee, cinnamon tea...yum)
managed to find our way back to the main square where, with the setting of the sun, everything had totally changed.  Now food stalls created little streets and smoke and scents of food cooking poured through the air.  As we walked through the rows, men tried in everyway to make us eat at their booths.  We chose number 97 after much debate, and we were NOT dissapointed.  salsa-like dip, olive/chili dip, olives, and chobz greeted us as we sat down.  After chowing down we ordered kebobs, and various salads...i ate the salads which were very tasty.  Got this special tea (made of soo many spices) after dinner at another stand, which though slightly spicy i really enjoyed.

Walked back to the hotel, put our new purchases down and went to a a seedy local bar Point Rouge.  Cheap beers, drunk locals, band + singer....very entertaining.  When it started closing for the night we hopped into a taxi and went to Le Theatro (a night club) where it happened to be ladies night aka no cover for me or my girls and a free drink.  It was so much fun, we drank, danced, and went wild.  At one point there was a little cirque du Soleil esque act that went on, the bar was lit on fire, and every time a VIP guest ordered a drink they had sparklers. 
Haggled intensely with the taxi drivers (and not for the last time on this trip) and finally got the price down enough that we were satisfied with our bargaining skills.  Oh to be drunk in Morocco.

The next day...still in Marrakech.  We left the hotel around 11, picked up snacks/breakfast and walked to les Jardins Majorelle, where we snuck a picnic and wandered through the beautiful pathways with what felt like a million other tourists. 
After leaving there we walked through a junk yard/flea market, various souks and the streets of the medina before visting various museums.  LOTS of walking today.
Back to the main square for a quick snack (of course) of nuts and juice before beginning our search for the Earth Cafe, a vegan restaurant in the medina......

SUCCESS. 

Signs leading up to the turn began the excitement.  The warm smell of cooking garlic that wafted up my nose as I stepped through the little blue door made my heart pound.  "Veggie burger, spring rolls, rice and lentils...." Reading the words on the menu made my mouth water.  My eyes lit up when my veggie burger was set in front of me....essentially a potato patty resting gently onto of a mountain of lightly sauteed veggies.  I took a tentative first bite, and then dug in....only slowing down to take forkfuls of my friends dishes.
Talk about satisfying your soul.

Returned to Point Rouge again, then hit up ClUb Silver, which was a total bust, and then Pacha, the biggest club in Africa with the best sound system.....that was COMPLETELY EMPTY.....which was fine, we danced alone. 
Bargained like it was our job to get a taxi back to the hotel where I layed down and immediately fell asleep.

Up at 7:30 to take the bus to Essaouria, with a quick stop at a Women's Argan Cooperative's Shop to listen to a presentation and sample some goods (very tasty)

Lunch at Chez Sam on the port in Essaouria, not good and went on entirely too long.  Drama with our hotel so we had to move but I finally managed to make it to the beach where I read my book and relaxed all alone....ahh peace and quiet.
Met back up with friends and watched the sunset from a rooftop terrace, then went to meet our group for dinner which was also not so great BUUUT it was in a square that was also home to 3 veggie restaurants....where we were patrons the following evening (keep reading for more info on THAT amazing meal)

SIT left the next morning but I stayed with six friends.  Moved our stuff to a different hotel (in the medina) and went to lounge on the beach.  After being hassled there quite a bit we went on a very successful search for a Mexican restaurant Max had stumbled upon the day before.
Owned by a British couple, the restaurant wasn't all it's name said it was, but DELICIOUS none the less.  Got chili which was not soup but rather beans and veggies cooked in tomato, chili flavors and served with rice and salad.  Finished up lunch with delicious homemade deserts....banana bread, scones, chocolate torte yuuuuum I was in food heaven
Got the owners info in case we come back during ISP and want to rent an apartment
Walked around a little shopping (had tea with a shoe salesmen who I bought a pair of sandals from) before stopping briefly at the hotel, changing, and heading out again to search for a place that served alcohol.  You are probably thinking SOO MUCH DRINKING AMIEL! and in a Muslim Country too....but hey we were on vacation and wanted to treat ourselves.
Got some bottles of wine at a bar like place, which we drank fairly quickly to make it to dinner at the veggie restaurants we had seen the night before

What an experience.  Somehow asked the waiter if they had wine, which because they were not licenseed they did not but he said he could get someone to bring some if we kept it covered up under the table...we agreed. 

The food, oh man the food....absolutely incredible.  Shared a salad, veggie burger, and spring rolls with Drew and Adelaide and we all CLEANED our plates.

After stuffing ourselves with delicious food and mediocre wine we proceeded to have a drum circle with our waiter and other restaurant staff and share a lovely pot of tea with them. 
Group Consensus: We love Essauria, most definitly coming back during ISP

Woke up early the next morning to try to catch the bus back to Marrakech so I could meet up with Lindsey (known form here on out as LSR).  First bus we tried was full, so we started to leave to try another station when a lady called us back and suggested we take a mini bus that would be 60 dh instead of the 70 we were orignially going to pay....of course we agreed. The driver got there and told us NO it was actualy 100 dh. we said no and started to leave again, he said okay okay fine 70....we agreed. 
By this point I was NOT a happy camper.  Had totally hit my wall, exhausted, anxious to see LSR and just not in a good mood. 
THe driver sucked, it took us so long to get there and when we did we paid him the 500 dh agreed upon.  He FREAKED out, threw Grace's backpack back into the van and started saying we owed him 700 dh (100 each) and yelling stuff about the police, who WE went and got and they told us that the driver was right, a mini bus ALWAYS is 100 dh per person (its the law).  FUcking snake of a driver, we were PISSED.

oh well, at least we were in Marrakech and that much closer to finally seeing LSR.
Found a hotel, wine (to drown our frustrations away) and made it to the Earth Cafe for round two.  These three things may seem easy but they were not...I won't go into the little frustrations that make Moroccans drive me nuts.

wonderful lunch/5 pm meal, sunset on the roof of the hotel and LSR in the square!!!!!!!!!!
what a wonderful reunion....

walked around shopping and catching up etc until we got hungry again and chose a food booth to eat at.
Finished the last bottle of wine at her hostel before saying goodbye heading back to ours.  A wonderful afternoon and evening to counter the terrible morning....typical Morocco

 Train the next day back to Rabat where I spent the late afternoon into the evening at the train station attempting to catch up on internet responsibilities.

This week was wonderful (how many times have I used that in this post? WAAAy too many, but i'm at a loss for other adjectives)
groovy people, incredible sights and activities, loooong bus rides, trying experiences, travel woes, friends from home.....and sunshine, good food, and wine (among other substances) to go along with iit

Activity packed week, I'm exhausted and have been up since 7:30 am (back to Arabic three hours a day woohoo) but I'm not planning on going anywhere this weekend so hopefully I'll get some rest then before starting my ISP traveling, researching and paper writing!

GREat Day

Today was a great day.  Everything was just so wonderful.  I actually got up (though very reluctantly) with enough time o slowly get ready and eat breakfast (fruit salad) and drink my morning tea.  Arabic was long but not unbearable.  I stopped with Adelaide to get food after class at two of the multiple sandwich stands all along the main street in the medina.  We got eggplant and green peppers at one and beets, carrots, rice, and a salad salsa sandwich at the other to make our ideal sandwiches for lunch.  We took them to school where we eat lunch and made them with a few additions from the lunch that was being served that day.  They were tasty and delicious and just what I have been wanting to make.

NO CLASS after lunch...but an optional movie, which I stayed for and watched part of.  Then I walked with some friends to explore parts of Rabat we haven't seen yet.  We walked for awhile, which was nice since I've been feeling very lethargic, and we saw some pretty cool things and stumbled upon a beautiful medrasa (school) that we peaked around in for a little.  Since we were walking around I didn't spend the entire afternoon snacking, though of course I did manage to have a prickly pear and some almonds.
Then we went to my friend, Max's house to smoke hookah with his brother and his friend.  We sat on the roof of his house which had a crazy view of the medina and stars.  His brother kept telling us jokes in broken English that were basically all about penises and sex.  So got to experience an interesting side of Moroccan humor...it was a very interesting evening to say the least.

Dinner: BEANS! yummmm. actually so tasty. and my host mom bought pomegranates just for me which was really sweet.  Watched Slackers during dinner (in English), showered after dinner (FINALLY) and had really great, non awkward interactions with each member of my family....guess Wednesdays are pretty good, I wonder what Thursday has in store for me

Raif: I Surrender

....i'm addicted.  it's the perfect combination of sweet and salty....can have it with peanut butter, jam, chocolate, hummus, cheese, you name it.

other delicious treats: pomegranates, mandarin oranges, freshly roasted nuts at every little store (almonds, peanuts, cashews, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, and more), tea WITHOUT sugar, cafe noir WITH sugar when i'm in the mood, prickly pears cuts to order, popcorn from popcorn man, hummus at the train station, fresh orange juice
.....its ALWAYS snack time, literally I don't stop eating all day.  and if I'm not eating I just finished or am on my way to get food.

got to cook for my family last thursday and it was awesome. I, with the help of the older of my two little sisters (who I secretly like better),  made veggies with cashews and rice (surprise surprise) and found tortilla chips, avocado, tasty olives and a MANGO it was so good i think my family liked it too and I told my host mom to tell me whenever she is tired and I will make dinner WHENEVER.....we'll see about that though

Last week was loooong, the weekend was short BUT this Saturday I am going with SIT (the program I'm on) for a week to the south and I'm REALLY excited.  I haven't been there yet and I can't wait to experience it!

Wanted to share this

my friend here is a wonderful writer and i wanted to share his outlook on things we experienced during the week in the village so without further ado......another perspective of the village homestay

ALSO quick update on life in Rabat
it hasn't stopped raining since last friday, the medina is full of black sludge and everything is damp.  I have a head cold and my nose won't stop running.  Besides that everything is just groovy.  While my arabic is still minimal it's pretty cool to be able to read and write it now.  My french is definitely NOT improving BUT I think I can understand what people say more now, so that's also really nice.
The seminar class that I'm taking this week is on public health and the environment and it's really interesting.
I asked my host mom if I could make dinner this week....she said yes, we'll see what happens with that

I peeded in Spain, then jumped back into Morocco

How? Where? Why?
let me tell you from the beginning, because it was quite a journey

Took a train from Rabat Thursday night at 11:45, to the city of Taza, where we arrived a little after 5 am.  From there, myself and five friends took a three hour grand taxi ride (which holds six people plus the driver....two in the front seat and four in the back) through the Rif mountains along a veeeeeerryy windy road.  Around 9 am Friday morning we arrived at our final destination, the wonderful city of Al Hoceima that is surrounded by the mountains and is on the Mediterranean Sea.  Checked into our suite at the Villa Florido, our hotel in the middle of the centre ville.  The owner of the hotel, Mike, spoke excellent English and set up a boat tour along the coast for us.  After a slight issue with the taxi we managed to arrive at the port where our boat captain, Mourad, met us and led the six of us onto his boat where we met his helper/first mate, Jawed.
After driving around on the water we stopped next to one of the three islands that are still technically Spanish territory to swim.  Our driver had us swim to the island, scale the cliff and JUMP OFF INTO THE SEA.  It was terrifying, exhilarating and SO MUCH FUN all at the same time.  I, of course, was last so as I waited for my friends to jump and tried to gather enough nerve to do it myself I squatted and had myself a nice little illegal pee on a small deserted Spanish Island before free falling through the air into the beautiful deep blue water below.

The fall was long, the landing rough, but was worth every second of it.
After climbing back on board the Vedette Rif, our boat, we made ourselves various sandwiches with fresh bread, olives, avocado, cucumber and tomato as the police (Moroccan, or Spanish we are still unsure) "pulled us over" Why? We have absolutely no idea.
We made it back to the hotel in one piece, with plans to call our captain for tea later that day or Saturday.

Exhausted from our loooonng day/night so showered, in an actual shower with actual water pressure, got dinner and BED.
Saturday: Breakfast, bought snacks and squeezed into a grand taxi to drive to Calla Iris, a little port town in the Al Hoceima National Park where we hiked along the coast up monstrous mountains, put my sipsi to good use again and saw BEAUTIFUL sights.

Started to rain during our treacherous climb back down via a dried up river bed to the road where we were meeting our taxi driver.
Back at the hotel we made guacamole, drank wine, and called our boat captain and made plans to have him meet us in the lobby.  We walked with him and Jawed to his house which was a feww blocks away.  We brought wine and my sispi, he provided us with more wine, and other drugs.  Jawed made us a tajine, berber style, of potatoes, tomatoes and onions like his mom had taught him and was absolutely delicious
Traveling back today was a LOOOOONG journey....taxi, two trains, the second of which was so crowded we couldn't find seats  and was stuffy and smelly and we were all thoroughly exhausted when we finally got back to Rabat

Moral of this weekend: everything was a journey and a production but in the end it was all worth it

Somewhere in rural Africa

family portra

oh where to begin.
Left Rabat last Thursday, and just got back yesterday (Wednesday October 6)......so much, yet so little has happened between then. it's indescribable
So the village where I was for the past week was near the town of Bejaad, not far from the middle atlas mountains, named Loutichaina, also known as  dry land.
I was lucky and got placed in a host family with another student on my program, who just happened to be one of my roommates from the first week here aka we get along and can live together.
Our host family: Mom, Tajinia, and two girls, Rabia and Nabila ages 17 and 16 we think.

our house

chobs

So the short version of our stay is chobs, also known as bread, the sugariest tea you will ever drink, sitting around, A LOT, and trying to communicate in Durija, the only language our host family spoke.

making chobs

To elaborate on the short version:
 Our mom was also a migrant worker in SPain for three years so she had random spanish words in her vocabulary which helped a little.
They were very poor (in terms of money and material goods) no electricity, at all, a very small herd of goats, and a small house/complexy living space.  The day basically started when the sun rose and ended when it set, we had dinner around 7 and went to bed around nine.  the time in between was lit by a single candle.
it got SO dark there, Tulsi (my roomie) and I stood outside every night before bedtime just staring at the stars. It was so cleer we could see the milky way, Venus, and more stars than I've ever seen before....including shooting ones!
The world was our bathroom....we could go anywhere and everywhere our heart desired, it was great.
The food was delicious....so flavorful and on such smaller scales....minus the chob, which was never in short supply.

rabia with egglplan tagine

with the program we went on a hike around  the area, and learned about soil erosion and deforestation, had tea and chobs soaked in buttery honey at the chief of a neighboring village's house, played at the school (which goes up to the sixth grade) and helped clean up and paint there, as well as watch women weave.
So basically we had quite a bit of free time, though most of that time was spent in the dark so only a few hours of daylight to explore which was NOT an easy fete.
While our host mom was lovely, trying to get out of the house was a painfully awkward experience.  THe two times we did manage to though, with the help of other students and Badrdine, my arabic teacher and a chaperon for the week, as well as a teacher from the village translating we, along with our rebellious compatriots put my new sipsi to good use.

I didn't shower the entire time I was there, and not because I didn't want to. By the time we left my hair couldn't move on it's own and the amount of dead skin and grim that came off of me yesterday when I went to the hammam was actually slightly repulsive.  The ladies that scrubbed my friends and I thought we were nuts and dirrttty.

Coming back to Rabat was terrible.  It was so fresh and open in the village.  The people were so friendly and happy, the language barrier was not as much of a hindrance, and it was relaxing and beautiful.  Yesterday was rough, I think I suffered from slight culture shock but I'm readjusting and leaving tonight again to hopefully go up to the Mediterranean with friends to be with nature again!

Lentils Lentils Lentils....and beets

FINALLLY! lentils woohoo
and beets too
yeah for ruffage
 (^^^thoughts from tuesday)


I'm off to the rural village tomorrow......I'm so glad this week is over
(thoughts from today^^^)

Really Tired

It's been a long week. and it's only Tuesday.
8:30 am Arabic class, until 12.  Lunch, then class from 1 to 3.  Then orientation to our village homestay, which we are leaving for on Thursday afternoon.  After that we listened to a film producer discuss her movie on divorce in Iran, then I went to the train station with friends to use the internet and didn't get home until 9:30.....and that was only monday.
Today it's five pm here now and I've been in class since 8:30 this morning, with only an hour break for lunch.
I wish I could say I will be going home to bed, but alas belly dancing class tonight and then lots of homework for arabic.

On a brighter note, last night my dinner table looked much more appealing to me.  Big serving of beet, carrot, potato salad with some of my basil plant sprinkled on it, as well as olives, walnuts and apricots that I bought for the family.  However, the meal would not be complete without a big center dish of oily mushy vegetable and hobs (bread).

Tomorrow is going to be just as long, but I think the fact that we leave Thursday afternoon for the rural village will help me get through.....and the thought of Syrian food for dinner

PS UPDATED PICTURES.....photos, photos, photos