Some news worth mentioning is that I switched placements out of Sale and into Rabat. The change has worked out great and will be way better for me in the long run! Now that I am in the city I can be more mobile and have a life outside of the work and being at home. I couldn't really walk around alone where I was before, nor could I easily get into Rabat. So, now I have a much more independent lifestyle here. The apartment is located in the Medina (old city) which is walled, mostly pedestrian, and very bustling.  

Here are some pictures from my last week at the old homestay: 

I helped cook this meal :)

Getting henna on the patio

Now I live off a street where snails are sold á la carte, alongside knock-off Nike and Zara. There are also many stands of fruits, vegetables, and meats galore! Oh and pastries too. Moroccans know how to make some high quality desserts (thank you to the French for that one). 

Its been a while so I'll just use some pictures to catch up on my travels in Morocco :)

Marrakech 

Spice Market shop, near the riad we stayed in.

This blurry photo captures the chaos of the Djemma el Fna Square at night.

Art being sold in the souq

A woman takes a sip of water on a hot day

Essaouira

View of the walled white city from the ramparts.

Assilah

Absolutely loved this city. I hope to go back again and take more pictures.

Still don't totally understand the number situation but a nice mural nonetheless. PS-this is Kira

Went by horse cart to the beautiful Paradise Beach! Where we relaxed for hours, got a little sun burned, and Kira ran away from the camels

Chefchauen

“No water, no life. No blue, no green” –Sylvia Earle

Chauen, as locals call it, is a beautiful blue city nestled into the Rif mountains. My travel companions for the weekend were an awesomely international and eclectic group of volunteers. Between the 10 of us we represented the US, Singapore, the UK, France, Sudan, Spain, and Mexico. We all spoke English with each other, but the mix of languages was quite helpful in getting around because the people in Chauen spoke not only Arabic and French, but also Spanish! Not to mention… most are pretty good at English too. I was really amazed by the multicultural atmosphere of this small town in the Moroccan mountains. 

If you ever find yourself in Chefchauen the hostel we stayed in, Dar Dadicilef, is an inexpensive, beautiful, special place.

Here are some photos of the medina (old city) that speak for themselves:

 

On our second day there we went on an adventure to find the Cascades d’Akchour. We hiked over two hours (I mean really hiked) to reach it. Not going to lie amongst us there was definitely some blood, sweat, and tears. Specifically sweat, as it was 100 degrees out. It was all worth it in the end…

My multitalented host mother, is not only the director of the community center I am working at but also an Aerobics teacher at the nearby community sports center. On Wednesday I got to find out what that entailed. Women came into the room in skirts and scarfs. They quickly removed them as the music was turned up and the spandex came out. I was suddenly in a Moroccan Jane Fonda video. It was a different but still decent workout overall. Wouldn’t not do it again. Pic below for proof. Not without covered clothing though…

Another night we went to the beach after Isha, the nightly prayer, around 10pm. Here we sat and ate snacks at café tables in the sand. Then, I went on a midnight horse ride!!

The teaching part of my day is definitely the most difficult. Although we have managed to split the classes up more evenly by level (ever so slightly). The only materials provided are a marker and white board. So, I've been trying to get creative with songs and games. Hopefully I'll be able to buy some resources in Rabat soon. (Still looking for suggestions)

The food at my homestay has been pretty amazing…pictures below. PS: she made the best calamari I have ever had. Large rings, lightly battered, deliciously salted/peppered. I am no calamari expert but I have been ordering it regularly since ’98, so I think I have some authority.

I made it to Morocco! 

I’ll try my best to give a quick overview...

Sunday:

I arrived at my host family after hours of sleepless travel. There is a host mother, Houda, and father, Aziz. They have three children (one son Amine, 19. And two girls Sarah, 13. Fardous, 7). They were all kind and greeted me well. There is another volunteer staying here, Dan, who is from London.

Even though it is Ramadan they do not expect me to observe it as a foreigner and brought me mint tea, dates, and sweets as a sign of hospitality. Their apartment/home is within a community between Salé and Salé el Jadida (New Sale). It is about 30 minutes drive outside Rabat, Morocco’s capital. Sale and Rabat are considered “twin cities” bridging a river that for hundreds of years was an accessible port from the Atlantic (Thousands of years for Salé actually, as it was founded in antiquity by the Phoenicians).  

After arriving I went to the market with my host mom and Dan. First we entered what looked a supermarket that could be found in the US, or more likely the UK, because its options were more reasonably limited. But then we headed to the souk in Salé el Jadida. This definitely had more interesting sights...and smells.  The upper level had clothing, rugs, and books. While the downstairs had many bread-making booths, fish stalls, fruit, hanging carcasses at the butchers, and bins of olives. Just to name a few.

Houda picked up some bread and pastries from a stall and told the woman in Arabic who Dan and I were and why we were here. Then she smiled at me and handed me a hard sugary pastry. I accepted and thanked her but slightly hesitated before taking a bite, as I read it was looked down upon for foreigners to eat in public during Ramadan. I bit down and turned away from the booth back into the center of the narrow market aisle. Here I was met with what I can only assume was a lamb carcass, its testicles at eye level. Needless to say, it was quite difficult to finish the sweet given to me out of kindness. In fact, I didn’t. I dropped it on the ground as stealthfully as possible.  In the souk, the adhan, or call to prayer, could be heard. We were in center of the market, when I looked through a door opening and saw at least 60 men kneeled on their prayer mats. In the souk if really hit me that I was going to be living in a completely different culture.

We ate a lovely Moroccan dinner after sundown and I thought my long travel day was coming to an end.  Then, Dan asks our host parents if Rabat is bustling at night. They said, "Yes of course, lets go look!" So, surviving on fumes, I leave for Rabat at 10:30pm with the whole family. During Ramadan everyone here stays up late to eat and socialize long after sundown (you can hear children playing in the streets past 1am) and kind of nap during the day (For those who have lived with or near me, you know that this part will not be difficult for me to transition to haha). In Rabat, we went to a Moroccan Arts Association festival which had booths of beautiful craftsmanship. Here we also listened (and took pictures--they gave me the mic and a hat!) with a traditional Moroccan band. And, of course, drank more mint tea.

Monday:

Less exciting so I promise this Monday will actually be a quick overview. I had orientation in Rabat. The other volunteers were nice. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of them in Rabat and traveling around Morocco! 

Tuesday:

My first day working at Association Alghad in Salé el Jadida, right across from the souk I visited on Sunday.  There are three small rooms, one is a nursery and then two classrooms. Here Dan and I were really thrown into it. I had a class of 8 to 20 year olds, with two mothers who stayed to learn English as well. Dan had a class with smaller kids. My group of over 20 people all were at different proficiency levels and I had no real lesson plan, because I didn’t know I would need one. Classic. Yet, surprisingly I got along ok for the first day. But, left feeling a little overwhelmed knowing I will have to create lesson plans for such a diverse group of students everyday. If anyone has any suggestions, PLEASE let me know. Thanks!

Here's a blurry picture of the class room with my students and some of Dan's

Then, to relieve the stress of the day Dan and my host brother, Amine, and I went into Rabat to walk around. Amine took us around to some beautiful places that probably would have taken Dan and I a full day to figure out the location of. Below is the walled old city section of Rabat called Oudayas. 

Lastly, I just finished a really delicious and balanced home-cooked meal (but not so balanced dessert) to break the fast pictured below! 

Missing everyone at home already! Please feel free to text, email, or facebook message me because I have wifi in my homestay :)

Erica