Blogs from Morocco, Africa - page 240

I got out of town a bit today and headed over to Ben Guerir where Bart lives. He was one of the Sefrou crowd and it was nice to catch up with him and see his town. He took me to meet his host family, who were very friendly and insisted we stay for lunch. They were having turkey and potatoes, which could be very American if cooked a certain way. This was definitely not cooked American, but it’s been long enough since I’ve had tajine that it tasted delicious. I haven’t quite recovered from homestay and am still trying to cook non-Moroccan food. Last night I made an effort at my Dad’s sweet and sour pork. Of course, being in a Muslim country, there is no pork, but at least I managed to get Dad’s ... read more

Hi everyone! It's been a really long time since I posted here (over a month!). I've been in touch with many of you by email and telephone but most of you have probably been wondering what I've been doing, or maybe you've just forgotten about me ;) Frankly I can't remember every detail of the past month so I'm just going to hit you with the highlights, and there have been many! When our story left off I was still residing with the family Zahar and gorging on sheep guts. The last two weeks of homestay were filled with excitement as I prepared to move into my own house. This would be the first time I have ever lived alone and I was very excited about the prospect of having a place all to my self. ... read more

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s mind there are few.” -Shunryu Suzuki Today is the 10th day of the Islamic New Year and a very special day in the Moroccan calendar. Last night I saw young men and boys gathered around giant bonfires on the edges of town, a common tradition for this holiday. At one they were even jumping over the biggest part of the fire - I have been told this is an important part of the celebration in Iran but that it’s fairly rare here. I was also warned by several people to watch out for kids throwing water at me. I didn’t see any water guns or water throwing, though people assured me that on L’ashura kids are supposed to splash passersby. It wasn’t exactly a ... read more

“It is as hard to see one’s self as to look backwards without turning around” -Thoreau I took a little escape to Marrakech today to see some of the volunteers. My big plan for the day was to check out prices on things I needed for my future house and see if they are cheaper in the city or in my little town (cheaper in town). I came away triumphant with Tabasco (I can’t tell you how much I have craved the taste!), soy sauce and sesame oil for me and a can opener for Maryam. It was a treat to hang out with the other volunteers too. I really needed to relax and do a little venting. I have been a bit stressed out lately because finding a place to move into has not been ... read more

I must admit, I was expecting a lot more hustle. After my small enquiry among people back home and abroad. I soon had my picture ready. It was exotic, arabic, and picturesque with all the hustles that comes. Persistant salesmen, touts, con-men and the deceptive drug-dealing-alley-yongsters you find all over the world. So far the hustles are yet to come. Got spat out in the middle of the night at Mohammed VI airport. Always a bad time of the day to bargain over taxi-fares or being finicky with hotels. It's such a feeling to be out again. Out of Europe, into something a little more unexpected than 9to5 and sleep&shower. Casablanca; The city is widespread with broad avenues and narrow alleys expanding in all directions. The Medina (old town) is a jumble of buildings. Shops ... read more