Final Project

My final project for WPI and this study abroad experience can be viewed here: http://mollymeandersmorocco.wordpress.com/

Ifrane

 

Ifrane, Morocco

I have been living in Ifrane, Morocco for two months now - so I figured it was about time I write about where I live and not just where I travel. Ifrane is sometimes referred to as "little Switzerland". The temperature here can vary greatly being hot enough in the day for shorts to cold enough at night to require a hoodie and blankets! Pretty much reminds me of being home in Erie, except Ifrane actually has an excuse for this weather - being up in the Atlas Mountains. The town is quite small and when viewed from outside the town - all the buildings look exactly the same. I love the marche where I would go get food. Everyone was very welcoming and loved when you tried to speak even the smallest bit of Arabic. One of the meat guys got to know me and would almost have chicken cut up and ready for me by the time I had walked down, picking up vegetables along the way. I appreciated having "home base" in this small town where people were very friendly and at least during the day I felt perfectly fine going out on my own. It was also nice that home base was much cooler than the weekend trips - down out of the mountains it could be scorching in the sunlight, but in Ifrane it was comfortable.

After moving on campus it was interesting to see how the campus dynamics differ here as compared to in the United States. The standard food at the grill at WPI consists of chicken, hamburgers, and hot dogs. Here that list also contains Shawarma a slow roasted lamb meat served in a pita type of bread with lettuce and tomatoes. Also, as I have discussed in other entries, the times of meals differ greatly here and the afternoon snack is a much more 'structured' item of the day. In the US, we may snack, but in Morocco the afternoon snack is a daily event that happens between 5 and 7. It is amazing how the cafe at school suddenly has a huge line at 5PM. Additionally, this snack usually consists of a corn bread type item, msmen, or tarts/cakes. Other than that, the afternoon snack does not differ much - a very different concept than in the US. The cafeterias here open 2 hours later than they do at WPI - a cultural difference I hadn't though of until I tried to get dinner at 6:30 and they still weren't open! I am currently sitting in the cafe here at 11:30 at night and yet again it is bustling with people getting coffee or a snack. I am fairly sure that if I was sitting in the campus center at WPI right now instead it would be nearly deserted. In class, I feel like the students are much more actively engaged - possibly because college here is far from what it is considered in the US and for most families here much more difficult to obtain the finances. Also, there is a curfew on campus and gender separated dorms. Entering an opposite gender dorm is strictly forbidden. Campus security has drug dogs and search a random building every night. Rules are much more strict here, but conform with the social norms of the Moroccan people. Another thing I never would have thought of, but we were told when we got here, is the idea of eating food in class. I guarantee if you walk into a big lecture hall in the US there will be at least a handful of students snacking on something during the lecture. In Morocco, food is meant to be shared, which is exactly why meals are served in a central plate. The idea of taking food to class here is absurd, just like the idea of having food just for yourself. 

I greatly enjoyed my time here in Ifrane and will certainly miss it from time to time. I am so grateful for this opportunity to study in Morocco for 2 months. It is an experience from which I have grown and will forever be a part of me.

Erfoud and Tafilalt Oasis

Merzouga, part of the Sahara desert, was the backdrop of a wonderful sunrise camel tour. After getting up at 4AM, we drove into the desert on incredibly hard packed ground. Arriving at our location, the stars were still visible in the sky above. We got on our camels and rode off into the sunrise, which was a spectacular view. Our tour guide showed us the beetles that live in the sand and eat the camel poop - or as he liked to call it "the chocolate of the desert".

This weekend we stayed in Erfoud, a town in the Meknes -Tafilalt Oasis  An oasis is a completely man made location, not a natural phenomenon like most people believe. The Tafilalt Oasis is one of the largest in the world and when viewed from above looks like a river of palm trees through the gorge. To much surprise, sometimes within the oasis, it is possible to forget that you are in one; not everything in this area is green - in fact there are many places that look almost like the desert. What makes this location an oasis is the fact that there is growth here where without human intervention there would be none. Khettara feed much of the oasis with water; khettara is an system of subsurface channels which bring water from aquifers at the base of the Atlas Mountains and from shallow water tables. 

One interesting story from this location was about a US Army Corps of Engineers project which implemented new canals in the area, but caused massive social implications. In one village in Erfoud, a canal system was put in place to bring water closer to the village, but the canal did not enter the walled boundary of the village. In a very conservative village such as parts of Erfoud where almost every woman wears a burqa, the job of collecting water had to be passed from the women to the young girls, because the women could not leave the confines of the walled village. Because the young girls had to spend so much time walking back and forth to get water, even with the new system, many had to leave school in order to ensure their family obtained water. Erfoud and the Sahara region in general is a well known location for fossils. I got the chance to see some of them being cleaned in order to be sold. The fossils that come from this region were incredibly neat to see. 

Marrakech

Marrakech

Saddian Tombs

Fig trees outside tomb

Inside mausoleum 

Outside, tombs of servants and soldiers

Inside mausoleum 

The Saddian tombs are from the Ahmad al-Mansur era around 1600. There are approximately sixty members of the Saadi Dynasty here. Outside of the mausoleum, soldiers and servants are buried. Much of the architecture here is reminiscent of the Alhamra in Spain as much influence came from this area as refugees moved from Spain to Morocco.

El Badi Palace

Sunken gardens

Where the King would have sat

Pool and sunken gardens

Atlas mountains in distance

Citrus trees

The El Badi Palace was commissioned by the Saadian Sultan Ahmad al-Mansur in 1578. The courtyard consists of pools of water and sunken gardens, so that the fruit was at the height of the people. The king often sat in his throne in the room seen across the pools of water. He would be surrounded by fountains and water. The "plumbing" of this which was under ground can be seen in the picture above. This was to symbolize his power over water in this arid climate. 

Ben Youssef Madrasa

Wall decorations

Where students sat for teaching

View from room to main courtyard

Being the largest in Marrakech, this is the largest Islamic college in Morocco. The college was founded in the 14th century and was closed in 1960. Students could be housed here if necessary. Students would sit and listen to the books of law from teachers which must be memorized. Much of this decoration was also highly influenced by Andalusian art.

Royal Palace Agdal

Carp and gardens in distance

Irrigation system in the gardens

Olive and citrus trees

Carp in the holding tank

Holding tank and gardens

The palace is home to the oldest gardens in Marrakech. The holding tank for water, which lies above ground, is fed from khettaras, a system which enables water to be brought down from the high Atlas Mountains. The holding tanks are above ground, so that the gardens may be irrigated through natural gravity. The citrus trees are located closest to the holding tanks since they require the most water, then olive trees follow. Next, the palace gets fed water, and if anything remains, it travels further to the residents of the city. Carp occupy the holding tank which makes for an exciting visit to the gardens - and reminded me of home.

Home-Stay Day 3 - Final Day and Observations

Home-Stay Day 3

The Home on Day 3

We woke up to breakfast on our last day to our final traditional meal of bread and assorted jams, olives, and butter. After, we took a walk down to the river, which you can read more about below as I have separated it out. When we arrived back at home to pack our things to leave, we had to go through much convincing that we needed to leave as an invitation for lunch at a Moroccan home is very hard to turn down, though we were grateful for the offer. Upon leaving, the mother got one last photo with us, and both wives (the two brother's families live together) gave the traditional kiss on each cheek. Saying goodbye to an unforgettable weekend was difficult. 

Walk to the River

Our walk to the river was filled with people on their way to and returning from the Sunday Souk; in fact this village's nickname literally means Souk on Sunday. Most souks are all weekend, but this village has such a small souk that it only occurs on Sunday. The streets were bustling with people on this day; the streets came alive. Along the side of the river, donkeys could be seen everywhere. People riding donkeys across the small river was a common site. A man made money off of us by telling us to take a picture and then insisting upon money. Not the first time this has happened here. The area around the river was bustling. Cafes were busy for lunch time. People set up shop to sell on the streets to sell anything from live turkeys to Converse shoes. A man washed clothes in the river, while others crossed the river on their donkeys. Some children played in the water while others washed items. Downstream, a herd of cows crossed the river near where some excavation was happening. Standing in the river-bed, no matter which way you turned there was a site to be seen. We met a young boy who spoke almost perfect English - in a small Berber village such as this it was amazing to find someone who spoke any English. He said that he learned it all from watching American movies. I have to admit this was impressive - if learning a language was as easy as watching a lot of foreign films, by now I would know Spanish! Unfortunately, language skills do not come as easily for some of us. 

Community and Family Observations

There was a lot that I learned on this trip. I am going to attempt to concisely summarize some of the most important here as my blog on the home-stay comes to an end. 

Meals

I feel as if meals are part of what brings these village families together, as well as much of Morocco. The traditional seating that is much more like long couches around a room and eating around one table with one large plate of food brings a sense of togetherness that I don't feel in the US. We are accustomed to sitting in a single chair, eating off of our own plate. In Morocco, this is much different and I think it is part of what makes the families strong - the sense of togetherness around meals. Also, at least for me, the structure of the day around meals is much more prominent in Morocco. This family in particular worked like clockwork. 9AM breakfast, 2PM lunch, 6PM Kaskra, 10PM dinner. I don't think I've ever met a family in the US that all eats together at specific times in the day. Here, much of daily life focuses around eating and this schedule. Also, eating from the same dish, though from your wedge in front of you, I believe also helps bring people together. Even from an observational standpoint, I believe this family looks more engaged during their meals, talking about their day or whatever it may be, than families in the US who all eat from separate plates. It may be completely unrelated, but I honestly believe that the style of seating and eating is truly part of what draws these families together.  

The Village at Night

One of the observations I made very quickly is how much women sit around outside their homes and talk with one another. One night we sat watching the one mother weaving a rug on her loom. Children played in the streets with one another at night. No one was worried about their children being kidnapped - they all looked after the children like one of their own. I loved the sense of community in the village - how everyone came out to talk to one another and let the children play. As time went on in the village, I also began thinking about the other side of this. The women came out because they did not have anything else to do. The house work was done and the food was cooking. In the village, there was not much else to do than talk with one another or weave on the loom. What at first I loved became darker as I realized why it occurred. They didn't know much about what else was in the world, nor would they most likely ever have the opportunity to explore it.  For the most part they were uneducated; the ones who were considered educated for the most part had only gone to school until 6th grade - or possibly high school. I also got this sense from the hammam (which you can read about in my last post). The women could sit there for hours socializing - my shower? Usually lasts about 5 minutes. I wish that communities in the US could have the same sense of community as this village had, but I realize that we don't have this feeling because we have busy lives full of opportunities, unlike most of this village. 

Greetings

Walking around the village at night with all the children out may be a slower process than you think. Why? Because the traditional greeting between women is the kiss on each cheek. When walking around the village at night, it is almost guaranteed that every child will come up to you at least once to greet you in this manner. It wasn't even uncommon for children to get back in line to greet us again when there were so many children waiting to greet us that they formed lines. For the most part, this was amusing, except when the little boy that always had boogers all over his face kept getting in line!

From Edge to Edge 

One of the first things I noticed when arriving in the village was how you could actually see the edge of town all around. I don't think I've ever been in a place where I can stand at one edge of town and distinctly see where it ends on the other end. This should be apparent in some pictures I took from the roof of one home on the edge of the village. There is a distinct line where the desert turns to established buildings, and it is visible from one edge to the other. It makes me wonder what it's like to live a life confined to such small borders. They don't have transportation to the next village for the most part so most of these lives are lived within the village itself, with exception of course. It was one thing to spend a couple days here, but I wonder what it would be like to live your entire life here. To me, I think I would go crazy. But, if I didn't know any different would I be okay with it? If I thought that was all there was to life, would I be happy with it? 

Conclusion

As simple as that. In just 48 hours, your perception on so much of life can change. You learn a lot about others and in the process about yourself too. This is an experience I would not trade for much else. More from Morocco soon!

Home-Stay Day 2 - The Hammam and more

Home-Stay Day 2 - The Hammam and More

A full day with my host family. So so much food and wonderful cultural experiences.

Morning

The day starts later than our typical day in the US. Though, I must admit, it probably fits most college students better. Breakfast was served between 9 and 10 AM. Per usual, this was the traditional bread and baguettes served with an assortment of jams, butter, and olives.

The Hammam

After breakfast, I took a visit to the local hammam with my host mother and her youngest daughter. The hammam is the public bath house. Locals go to the hammam typically once per week and spend two to three hours (sometimes more) washing and socializing. During my home-stay was the perfect time to go to the hammam, since I had the host mother to go along with and show me the hammam she uses instead of ending up at one of the many touristy hammams that do not give you the true hammam. Arriving at the hammam, I did not even recognize it. It looked like any other door in the long buildings were people live in more apartment type living spaces within a larger building. The first room you walk into, after paying approximately 1 US dollar to enter, has spaces to leave your belongings - considering this is the last time you will see any clothing on bodies in the hammam. Though, many women in this particular village did leave underwear on - as I chose to follow after! From there you proceed through the cool room into the hot room. The rooms are steamy with water in the air and women lounge around on the floor on mats and stools. We filled our buckets with water from the taps and found a place along the wall to sit. We began to wash and I took in the images of the hammam, being discrete of course. Women sat and caught up on their lives, often while helping to scrub each other's backs and arms. The women here bring soap and a scrubby type glove to scrub down with and typically a black type soap. They spend much time scrubbing old skin off, which starts coming off fairly easily in the hot steam room, all while socializing. The hammam is just as much about socialization as it is hygiene. Soon, we became too hot for the hot room and moved to the cool room to finish bathing. The hammam was an amazing cultural experience - it was a great opportunity to see an aspect of Moroccan life that is central to their unique culture. I was surprised how acceptable it was for all of the women to bathe together, naked, when out in public they are covered from head to toe. Another surprise? How okay I was with being in a public bath for almost two hours! This was something I never thought I would get myself to do - but I am so glad that I did!

Lunch, Kaskrot, and Dinner 

Yes, that's right. There were still three more opportunities to eat with this family during the rest of the day on top of breakfast! You will never go hungry staying with a Moroccan family. As soon as we got back from the hammam, lunch was served. Again, a traditional chicken tajine - delicious as always. After, the family went to take a nap as the heat of the day at this time (around 2PM - "old time") can be exhausting on the body. It did not seem like long after the nap that we were soon summoned for Kaskrot, the "afternoon" snack served around 6PM. This again was bread with the assortment of jams, olives, and butter. After kaskrot, I took a walk around the village, most of which you can read about in my next post under the  section labeled community and family observations. Dinner, around 10 PM old time (the village does not observe day-light savings time, their time is referred to as old time, which is never changing and at this time of year an hour off of those in larger cities), was a special meal. The closest thing I can relate it to is a quiche; eggs, vegetables, and chicken were cooked together and cut into squares to be served with, as always, bread. Also, roasted peppers and the traditional Moroccan salad were served. The Moroccan salad is another one of my favorites here; it is in fact more of a pico de gallo than a salad. Consisting of finely diced tomatoes and onions (and in this case also some peppers), it is eaten with a spoon or bread and sometimes served with an olive oil. To drink, was the traditional mint tea, which I can never get enough of! So delicious! 

I learned may things about village life during this day, but will combine it to the next post on my final day with my host family. Stay tuned for more!

Wad Ifrane Home Stay

Home-Stay Host Family

Wad Ifrane Home Stay - Day 1

This weekend I am staying in a village in Wad Ifrane with a Moroccan family. Upon arrival, we had a delicious afternoon snack of msemen, a type of flat-bread fried to be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Msemen is one of my favorite foods here in Morocco and the homemade version was absolutely delicious. Per usual, the bread is served with an assortment of jams, butters, olive oils, olives, and cheese spread. Drinks are coffee (mostly milk, with some coffee) and the traditional mint tea served sweet. The mint tea is absolutely delicious and I am thankful for the Moroccan hospitality that never lets my cup of tea go dry.  Also, Moroccan hospitality never lets your plate get empty either! You have to eat slow - and even then, more and more food will be pushed in front of you. The afternoon tea was delicious and after we settled into our room and visited the Peace Corps volunteer in the village.
Dinner in Morocco is very late. We sat down for dinner around 9:30PM. We had a chicken tajine that was to die for. Tajine is served, like may meals here in Morocco, on a large central plate with bread used as the utensil. You eat from the wedge in front of you using the bread to pick up the food. Tajine consists of vegetables, potatoes, and meat roasted together. As a visitor, the best chunks of meat always find their way into your wedge even if they weren't there to begin with. As a visitor in a Moroccan home, you don't have to worry about being hungry - you have to worry about having room for the next thing being offered to you! Which in the case of dinner, as delicious fresh pomegranate. I have a new love of pomegranate after dinner tonight - they truly are the Skittles of the natural world.