The Land of Olives and Agave

Just got back from my first hammam trip.  What an interesting experience.  I went with three of my friends (Drew, Anna, Adelaide) and Drew's host mom, host little sisters, and the mom's friend.  We bought supplies before we went.  These included a mat to sit on, a little bucket for water, a loufa esque scrubber that you can put on your hand like a mitten, mushy brown soap, and henna powder that you mix with water and scrub on you.  We got there around four and didn't leave until seven. The dark, cavernous like rooms made the whole experience extra mysterious.  It was like bath time for adults. Interesting to see so many naked ladies, who are normally so covered.   We all had a lady scrub us, and the amount of dead skin that came off my body was absolutely disgusting yet awesome all at the same time.  I've never felt so clean and exfoliated in my life....I hope this lasts awhile, though it only costs about four dollars for entrance and a scrub down.
You (yes you, my faithful readers) should definitely consider not only going to one, but installing one in your own homes.

In other news.  Got to be a tourist this weekend, exciting stuff.  Took a tour bus to Meknes, Moulay Idriss, Volubilis and Fes.  We zoomed through Meknes and Moulay Idriss pretty quickly but they each were interesting in their own right.  Moulay Idriss was especially beautiful and I wish we could have explored this brillantly white old city tucked into the surrounding brown mountains.  From there we continued on to Volubilis, ancient Roman ruins (don't worry I took lotsof boring pictures of the rumble) This city was once massive and the rocks contrasted so nicely with the BLUE sky.
Riding the bus for so long we got to see a lot of the countryside.  Cacti with prickly pear fruit, olive trees, and agave plants were plentiful.  (I later found out in Fes that the agave is used to make silk....what a versatile plant)

We got to Fes around 6 and checked into our hotel.  I went with Drew and Grace to search for alcohol....probably one of the sketchier things I've done here but successful nonetheless.  We had to take a taxi to a big grocery store where the alcohol was tucked away in a separate room.  We were the only girls there and had to pay in that room and leave from a back entrance.  Trying to catch a taxi back was a little difficult, nerve racking and frustrating but we made it back to the hotel in time to shower and drink before dinner.
Dinner was quite the experience.  We went to a restaurant that was so clearly for tourists, there were constant performances (including musicians, belly dancers, a magician, and more dancers), alcohol, and couscous (for me, meat tagine for everyone else)
Then back to the hotel, drank some more and went to a somewhat seedy hotel bar/club where we drank expensive alcohol and danced.
The next day we took a tour of  Fes and its Medina, which is the largest in all of Africa.  It made Rabat seem so puny in comparison.  Had lunch in the medina and it was absolutely delicious.  Appetizers = olives and a bunch of various tapenades.  My meal was couscous again, but it had flavor so it was great.  After lunch we went to a shop that sold traditional clothing.  We all tried various things on and most of the girls eventually bought "modern jellahbas" (we all wore them to dinner that night) They are just one piece of fabric and tie in the back then wrap under the legs to create a jacket like effect, so comfortable and you feel like royalty in it.

Drank again before dinner just because we could, dinner was awful at the hotel, bad food, bad experience but lunch was so great that I didn't care.
Back to Rabat this morning, hammam and homework.  School tomorrow morning, Casablanca tomorrow night and Wednesday!

Why I Love Couscous Friday

1.  I found a clean shirt in my drawer and I'm wearing it
2.   I only had fruit and tea for breakfast
3.  My host mom only put 1sugar brick in my tea this morning instead of the 5 that she normally uses
4.  Couscous is delicious
5.  It doesn't involve bread
6.  The vegetables didn't taste like oil
7.  I made my own mint tea after lunch
8.  The tea I made only had half of a sugar brick instead of the 5 that my mom normally puts in the tea
9.  Had more fruit at lunch
10.  I got to watch my host sister eat almost half of the tagine/platter plus a lot of fruit and then pass out  on the couch

and because I'm in such a great mood:
11.  It's friday
12.  I'm going to a syrian restaurant for dinner with friends, and tomorrow we are escaping Rabat!

The Little Things

Class ended early today
Got raw walnuts and dried apricots for an afternoon snack
Went to Rabat's "park"
Laughed, and complained (of course), with my friends
Went to belly dancing class, and showered (barefoot) at the "gym"
Missed dinner at my house and instead watched Remember Me at a friend's
Did my yoga, nice and sloooww, without worrying about the time
Went on a loooooong walk yesterday
Bought colored pencils
My host mom took my measurements to make me a traditional Moroccan outfit (she is a seamstress)
Elisa got my postcard
Almost made it through my first real week of classes!
I think tomorrow is couscous day, regardless it's Friday which means last day in Rabat until Monday

"Where the Sun Sets"

That's where I am.  Al Magrehb, Morocco in Arabic translates to where the sun sets.....slightly reassuring when I question the beauty of this place, or my being here.

So yesterday.
Went to hang out the train station.  It's so funny how my concept of clean and nice has changed since being here.  Never in real life would I choose to go sit at a train station or airport to hang out.  Word on the street was that they had fast internet connection, actual toilets and air conditioning....so we went.
WiFi didn't work but our internet sticks did, we got hummus and used the bathroom (though there wasn't any toilet paper, good thing I carry around tissues).
Stopped at home briefly, and had dessert/snack of cookies and tea. Then left to meet up with friends to go OUT OUT for birthday celebrations.  We went to Agdal, a less conservative suburb and managed to find a Tapas bar that served alcohol.  I didn't eat but I did get beer and got to watch a soccer game.  One of the birthday boys bought everyone a shot of tequila (it was his 21st) so that was pretty awesome.
Sucked knowing that I had to return to my Muslim family. Of course when I did get home (around 1130) they were just finishing dinner and they made me eat....spaghetti with marinara sauce suuuuuper exciting NOT
Then the family went to bed and I stayed up and wrote in my journal and read....ya for quiet time

Today my youngest sister started school at 8, so only the older one was there to watch me eat breakfast...I managed to sneak some almond butter on my Raif and put banana on it....almost healthy
I've been getting nuts, freshly roasted on the street.  The healthiest thing I've been eating I think....yea for natural protein!
Today at lunch we had  lentils and cauliflower (among other things)...it was awesome and delicious (ya for brahim our chef here at the center)

Sugar and Spice and Nothing nice

Sorry weird html stuff on last few posts.....my internet wasn't working so I saved it all in word and then it wouldn't let me post it without them

So a few days behind because of shitty internet but think I'm finally catching up.
My pictures should be updated, check them out
I think I'm slowly becoming addicted to this blog thing, I'm beginning to think about what I want to say, and these past few days without access to it have been rough, what will I do when I'm no longer traveling and blogging is not acceptable!

My midnight dinner last night consisted of a little salad made of beets (ya!) carrots and potatoes and of course LOTS OF OIL (not ya). a huge communal plate of greasy, peppery green beans and potatoes, bread and fruit.
The seasonings here are salt, pepper, sugar and oil. Sometimes honey

Today at school we performed our skits and then had a cooking class/presentation. Douha (the host family coordinator) made sweet couscous. Ingredients were oil, sugar, honey, salt, pepper, cinnamon and a little ginger. Basically tasted like everything else.  If I was not sick of sweets I probably would have enjoyed it.

Managed to resist breakfast this morning and only had some fruit and a Lara Bar. And of course mint tea
Felt kind of rude saying no to the cookies and bread, but hey you gotta do what you gotta do

SOsickofRaif

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Breakfast of cake and cookies….this is getting boring, the potential of good food is ridiculous yet I have yet to be fully satisfied with a meal (nutrition, health and taste wise).  I know I complain but I think we all know how important good food is for me.

Today was my host mom’s birthday, so when I was shopping I bought her a cute little scarf to wear on her head, and I found some soap in my luggage that I forgot to give her originally.

I was gone all day, walking around, shopping but when I got home tonight I gave it to her and she was super happy.

Bought a basil plant today to put on the roof terrace of my house, but when I asked if I could I was told no, so now it’s sitting in our tiny hallway…..at least its pretty and smells good.

Went to the beach today, on the way there we ran into this guy who we see all the time with beautiful dreads.  Started ttalking to him, he came and sat with us and we chatted some more.  I told him I liked his dreads, and he told me he was a hairdresser and would give me one.  So now I have one dread, its cute, I like it.

Made a little skit with other girls in my class for Arabic tomorrow, that will be interesting. We tried to be funny, but I don’t think we are advanced enough to joke in a foreign language.

Talked to other people in my group, it seems we all have similar sentiments about the food, so much potential yet….nothing.  Limited spice, variety etc.

I hear things happening in the kitchen, it’s midnight….please no more food!

But wait……I’m being served and FRUIT IS APPEARING!!! AND UNCOOKED VEGETABLES oh emm geee, there may be light at the end of this tunnel!

Aid Al Fitr (The First day after Ramadan)

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This day (slash weekend) deserves it’s own post. So much to say! (pictures to follow…hopefully)

So Thursday was the last day of Ramadan, but no one knows until the night when they look for the moon.  If the cresent is seen that means Ramadan is over.  During ftour on thrusday night an announcement came on the TV, which is essentially never off, saying that Ramadan was over! 

For ftour that night we had typical ftour food AND dinner all at once, because, accordning to my host mom, I don’t eat anything and I’m never there for dinner, So basically a lot of food was eaten.

Some friends came over after ftour/diinner (mine not theirs) and we all went to get henna done. 

Got it on one foot, and one hand.  It was an all night affair since six of us got it.  It was expensive (according to my host family) but worth it.

Then walked around with my friends, barefoot at first so as not to mess up our henna….so grimy.

Went to hear live music at McDonalds, yes that’s right, live music at McDonalds.

Friday morning, woke up to a breakfast of multiple types of cookies, bread, jam, honey, and tea.  After my mom made me drink an entire teapot of the sweetest mint tea I have ever had I walked around with my littlest host sister.  She took me on a “tour” of Rabat, I bought her a $6 ice cream (which is REALLY expensive here) and we ran through the streets.  Back home where of course MORE food was waiting for us (this time couscous with vegetables, which I keenly observed were not cooked with meat YAHOO).

Then I packed up my stuff and went to meet friends for our evening getaway to a town called Haroura, where a girl in my program had booked a house for us to spend the night.

Unfortunately the house was only for 16 people and thirty people came so there was a little drama and a lot of uncomfortableness but luckily people found another house and everyone got to stay.

The house overlooked the water and it was so nice to be in a place and only speak in English.  Unfortunately since it was a holiday almost everything was closed and it was really difficult to get food and impossible to get alcohol, which was a part of the point of going away (and there were real showers).

We did manage to get hash though and I smoked my first joint of hasish in Morocco! It was awesome.

We all watched Titanic 2 on someone’s computer (which I suggest NEVER watching) and then to bed.  Woke up this morning and explored the rocks a little, then took a bus back to Rabat.  From Rabat we took a taxi to Agdal, a more modern part/suburb of Rabat,  to try to a place to eat…..got a “salad” that would have been good had it not been covered in a weird milky dressing and actually consisted of lettuce.

Then I went to the Hassan Tour, which is an old Mosque that was never finished and is beautiful in it’s incompleteness.  We (Anna, Drew, Adelaide, Jonah and I) then decided that it was time for an afternoon cocktail so we went to a ritzy hotel, sat on the rooftop terrace by the pool and ordered our first alcoholic beverages in Morocco, which went straight to our heads….success.

After finishing our drinks we grudgingly walked slowly to our respective homes where English is not spoken, and alcohol is not okay.

I, of course, was met with a table of cookies, bread and tea……I really hope that was diinner and not just an early evening snack.

Tonight I’m going to see a jet ski competition (which is apparently a really big deal here)