Oh Morocco! No amount of words can describe what we have
all experienced the past 48 hours. Where
should I even start?
After 2 bus rides, a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 10 hours of traveling, we arrived in Fez, Morocco. I can now say that I have been to Africa. We got to our hotel around 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 8th and were greeted by the hotel staff with a welcome tea. They all seemed very excited to see us and serve. They even unloaded our luggage and took it up to our rooms. Shortly after we arrived, dinner was provided in the hotel for us. Our guide Mohammad, nicknamed Momo, strongly encouraged us not to be out of our hotel after dark, and if we were to be in groups of at least 6 people. Rod took advantage of this and assigned us our first paper on initial studio design ideas for our hometown project, so we were kept busy for the rest of the night.
The next day began with an early start exploring Fes. Momo took us around the city on a bus tour where we stopped occasionally to take photos. We spent the majority of the day inside the Medina, Fes’ oldest part of the city, dating back to the year 808 A.D. The smell of the place alone suggested that the city was old. It also looked very run-down. It was so different that anything I have experienced. The streets really weren’t even streets, more like narrow alleyways, because they were so small. The culture of the Muslim religion is that beauty lies in the heart, not in the appearance. Because of this, buildings are very plain on the outside and ornamental on the inside. It was so dirty on the outside though, that I never really had any desire to explore and further. Trash was piled up in corners so much so that I had to watch the ground constantly when I walked. The alleyways were extremely narrow and closed in. Houses and other buildings were sometimes so close together that the roofs overlapped hiding the sky. Despite all of this, the culture that we got to experience was awesome.
We visited several different “factories” that allowed us a look into the main trades of Morocco. Momo escorted us to several factories including ceramic, weaving, leather tannery, rugs, metals, and a traditional pharmacy. It was all pretty cool to see the processes of the products, but it just got annoying after a while. It became more of a sales pitch because all they wanted was our money. At the ceramics place I bought a set of bowls for myself that have an awesome black pattern printed on them. It is unfortunate though because I have to carry it with me for the next 95 days! I just couldn’t pass it up though. I saw it and instantly fell in love. I believe it will be a good addition to my future house one day. I was very close to getting my mom a vase there as well, but decided the bowls were enough to carry with me. Sorry Mom! When we visited the weaving factory the workers taught us the proper way that Muslims tied their scarfs, and needless to say they ended up selling a lot of things to us. I bought two of them, but I can’t decide if I want to gift them or keep them for myself.
Momo had so many connections throughout the city; it was a little scary! He led us through the city and his nephew stayed in the back to make sure we did not get split up. He said once he lost a person in his group in the Medina and they were found a couple months later married. We pretty much went everywhere we wanted to with him, and I felt fairly safe too. If the street vendors or homeless started to give us trouble, they stepped in and quickly took control. I learned very quickly how to ignore people when they are trying to sell me something. This will be a useful skill for the rest of the trip I am sure. Another thing, it seemed like Momo knew everyone and everything. We all came up with a theory that Momo owns the whole place and is in a secret Mafia so he controls it all too. It honestly would not surprise me.
Here are just some random interesting experiences of my time in Morocco:
Morocco is famous for their olive trees, so naturally olives were served with every meal we ate. If you know me well, you know I could eat a whole jar of olives in one sitting. I tried several different kinds and flavorings, and I enjoyed every single one of them!
Bathrooms can be very different in Morocco. I had my first experience with one as we stopped for lunch on our way to Fes. I do not know what they are really called, but I will refer to them as “squatting stalls.” Let’s just say once I saw it, I decided I didn’t have to go that bad and walked out. Apparently, this culture sees toilets as unsanitary. I think I could argue against that.
We were warned before we entered the Medina that we should be careful taking pictures because some people believed that if they got their picture taken their soul would be lost. So, I didn’t get as many pictures of the city as I wanted.
After a long day in the Medina, we were walking to the bus when several children began to gather around us and even tried to follow. All Momo’s nephew had to do was yell at the children and walk towards them and they scattered. There were several other instances where children came up begging for money. It was a little sad at first, but then it just got really frustrating. It happened a few times with street vendors too!
While walking through the market in Medina, it occurred to me that there must be no sanitation there at all. The vendors display their goods out in the open for bugs to swarm. Raw meat was just lying on a countertop all day, the same countertop that I saw the butcher standing on to hang a cow leg, and not to mention how dirty the city is anyway. There are community fountains, water closets, and bathhouses. I cannot fathom growing up there and calling that place my home.
I experienced so many things first hand that most people only hear about. It was crazy! We are now driving back to Tangier to catch a ferry back to Spain. A long night of travel is ahead. We are on some country road between Fez and Tangier. It is pretty cool to see all the little towns and their agricultural farms. You see people out herding livestock, while at the same time working in their fields by hand, and then out of nowhere a really expensive tractor or vehicle pops up. We even drove by a very populated market. We were so out of place; people were stopping and just staring at the bus. Fes has been a-once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I am very glad to be heading back to Spain. I feel a little more secure there at least.
I am very grateful for this trip in that it gives me a way to find myself, away from home and everything I know. It has forced me out of my comfort zone so that I have had to rely on more than just me. The stuff I have experienced in just a week has already been life-changing, but I miss everyone at home. So far it has been a difficult getting comfortable with everyone. I hope that will change soon as the trip progresses because it is a little bit lonely here.
Well sorry for the long saga of events. I have had several hours of travel time to write. Spain here I come… again!
After 2 bus rides, a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar, and about 10 hours of traveling, we arrived in Fez, Morocco. I can now say that I have been to Africa. We got to our hotel around 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 8th and were greeted by the hotel staff with a welcome tea. They all seemed very excited to see us and serve. They even unloaded our luggage and took it up to our rooms. Shortly after we arrived, dinner was provided in the hotel for us. Our guide Mohammad, nicknamed Momo, strongly encouraged us not to be out of our hotel after dark, and if we were to be in groups of at least 6 people. Rod took advantage of this and assigned us our first paper on initial studio design ideas for our hometown project, so we were kept busy for the rest of the night.
The next day began with an early start exploring Fes. Momo took us around the city on a bus tour where we stopped occasionally to take photos. We spent the majority of the day inside the Medina, Fes’ oldest part of the city, dating back to the year 808 A.D. The smell of the place alone suggested that the city was old. It also looked very run-down. It was so different that anything I have experienced. The streets really weren’t even streets, more like narrow alleyways, because they were so small. The culture of the Muslim religion is that beauty lies in the heart, not in the appearance. Because of this, buildings are very plain on the outside and ornamental on the inside. It was so dirty on the outside though, that I never really had any desire to explore and further. Trash was piled up in corners so much so that I had to watch the ground constantly when I walked. The alleyways were extremely narrow and closed in. Houses and other buildings were sometimes so close together that the roofs overlapped hiding the sky. Despite all of this, the culture that we got to experience was awesome.
We visited several different “factories” that allowed us a look into the main trades of Morocco. Momo escorted us to several factories including ceramic, weaving, leather tannery, rugs, metals, and a traditional pharmacy. It was all pretty cool to see the processes of the products, but it just got annoying after a while. It became more of a sales pitch because all they wanted was our money. At the ceramics place I bought a set of bowls for myself that have an awesome black pattern printed on them. It is unfortunate though because I have to carry it with me for the next 95 days! I just couldn’t pass it up though. I saw it and instantly fell in love. I believe it will be a good addition to my future house one day. I was very close to getting my mom a vase there as well, but decided the bowls were enough to carry with me. Sorry Mom! When we visited the weaving factory the workers taught us the proper way that Muslims tied their scarfs, and needless to say they ended up selling a lot of things to us. I bought two of them, but I can’t decide if I want to gift them or keep them for myself.
Momo had so many connections throughout the city; it was a little scary! He led us through the city and his nephew stayed in the back to make sure we did not get split up. He said once he lost a person in his group in the Medina and they were found a couple months later married. We pretty much went everywhere we wanted to with him, and I felt fairly safe too. If the street vendors or homeless started to give us trouble, they stepped in and quickly took control. I learned very quickly how to ignore people when they are trying to sell me something. This will be a useful skill for the rest of the trip I am sure. Another thing, it seemed like Momo knew everyone and everything. We all came up with a theory that Momo owns the whole place and is in a secret Mafia so he controls it all too. It honestly would not surprise me.
Here are just some random interesting experiences of my time in Morocco:
Morocco is famous for their olive trees, so naturally olives were served with every meal we ate. If you know me well, you know I could eat a whole jar of olives in one sitting. I tried several different kinds and flavorings, and I enjoyed every single one of them!
Bathrooms can be very different in Morocco. I had my first experience with one as we stopped for lunch on our way to Fes. I do not know what they are really called, but I will refer to them as “squatting stalls.” Let’s just say once I saw it, I decided I didn’t have to go that bad and walked out. Apparently, this culture sees toilets as unsanitary. I think I could argue against that.
We were warned before we entered the Medina that we should be careful taking pictures because some people believed that if they got their picture taken their soul would be lost. So, I didn’t get as many pictures of the city as I wanted.
After a long day in the Medina, we were walking to the bus when several children began to gather around us and even tried to follow. All Momo’s nephew had to do was yell at the children and walk towards them and they scattered. There were several other instances where children came up begging for money. It was a little sad at first, but then it just got really frustrating. It happened a few times with street vendors too!
While walking through the market in Medina, it occurred to me that there must be no sanitation there at all. The vendors display their goods out in the open for bugs to swarm. Raw meat was just lying on a countertop all day, the same countertop that I saw the butcher standing on to hang a cow leg, and not to mention how dirty the city is anyway. There are community fountains, water closets, and bathhouses. I cannot fathom growing up there and calling that place my home.
I experienced so many things first hand that most people only hear about. It was crazy! We are now driving back to Tangier to catch a ferry back to Spain. A long night of travel is ahead. We are on some country road between Fez and Tangier. It is pretty cool to see all the little towns and their agricultural farms. You see people out herding livestock, while at the same time working in their fields by hand, and then out of nowhere a really expensive tractor or vehicle pops up. We even drove by a very populated market. We were so out of place; people were stopping and just staring at the bus. Fes has been a-once-in-a-lifetime experience, but I am very glad to be heading back to Spain. I feel a little more secure there at least.
I am very grateful for this trip in that it gives me a way to find myself, away from home and everything I know. It has forced me out of my comfort zone so that I have had to rely on more than just me. The stuff I have experienced in just a week has already been life-changing, but I miss everyone at home. So far it has been a difficult getting comfortable with everyone. I hope that will change soon as the trip progresses because it is a little bit lonely here.
Well sorry for the long saga of events. I have had several hours of travel time to write. Spain here I come… again!
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