Host Family, Marrakech, Lost Wallet and a Wedding

Ok, here goes again! I am experiencing life to its fullest here in Northern Africa. Thus, I have not posted much. However I have written a bit and I have posted it below with the dates they were written. I hope you enjoy! Thanks guys! :)


2.19.2009
Salam everyone!
I figured it was about time that I updated my blog! I have been having such a great time that I have not found much time to sit in front of a computer. The weather here is finally improving and I have been enjoying sitting outside en plein-aire and sipping a freshly made juice at my friend Chiara’s favorite juice joint, Top Batido. My personal favorite is the “Fruit Sec” Which has dates, prunes, raisins and figs mixed in it. For those of you who know me well, you will know that I much prefer dried fruits so this is the perfect drink for me! 
Anyhow, as I promised, I am going to write about my family d’aceuil. (Host family) There are four people who live in the same apartment as me, but much of the family visits on a daily basis. (Also we have a small yellow bird, I call him Hank but my family insists he has no name.) My host mother is named Khadija. She is retired, but that does not mean she does not work; she keeps the place very tidy. She makes couscous to die for! I am going to ask her to teach me how to make it soon. My host father is Abdelsalam, but everyone calls him Hadj. (A name one receives after making the pilgrimage. My host mother has also made the pilgrimage, but everyone still calls her Kadija.) He is retired as well, but he helps around the house, especially with Ashraf the little baby who lives with us. Ashraf is a very happy baby, and whimpers when he is sleepy or hungry. If you pat his butt he falls asleep in 2 seconds flat! He is the son of my host sister, Sihame who speaks a bit of English. She lives with her husband across town. They visit every night, but their son does not live with them because their apartment is small and they both work. (It is pretty fun for me. Since I am an only child, I have not had to live with a baby before.) My younger sister Shaima is beginning to learn English so it is fun to teach her things. We help each other learn Arabic or English, via French! I never thought I would find myself learning Arabic through French. Ha! As far as the extended family, I really do not know everyone’s’ names yet. The concept of family here appears to be much greater. In the U.S., one thinks of family as being the nuclear, immediate family. Coming from such a small family, it is very strange to come home to some host uncles, a few aunts and a cousin or two hanging out in the apartment. (Not to mention the immediate family!)


3.2.2009
Two weekends ago we went to Marrakech. Though it rained almost the whole weekend and a few people got really sick, we still had a really great time. On our way, we stopped in Casablanca to see the Hassan II Mosque. That was stunningly beautiful and overwhelmingly large to say the least. We got a whole tour of the building and in the basement were these really neat Frank Lloyd Wright-esque flowers. We were told that they are used for ablutions. I will have to show you some photos, but they were large (probably marble) white flowers that trapped the rain water that flows from tiny holes in the ceiling. I didn’t really understand how it all worked, but it was pretty neat to see! We walked through the Hamem, or bath house area. There was a lovely quiet pool there that apparently has never been used. A lot of money went into creating this mosque, but I got the impression that it is used for tourism just as much as for prayer. Normally we would not be allowed inside mosques.
We then continued our journey down to Marrakech. When we arrived we stopped at a garden that had a small museum inside. The garden was created by an artist who was inspired by Moroccan culture. (I will post the name of it once I find my brochure!) The garden reminded me exactly of the Domes in Milwaukee, but the museum was really nice. It was quaint, but there were lots of tapestries hanging from the walls, Berber jewelry, and furniture all around the three rooms.
After checking into the hotel some of us went out to eat at the Jamal el-fna (sp?)square. This was similar to the experiences in the souk in Rabat, but the vendors were much more forceful and they spoke English! The square is filled with restaurants under huge white tents. As I walked by, someone crammed a menu in my hand and yelled to me, “We have the best tajine!, come to number 27!” Each stall has a number, so once you are done perusing the different restaurant menus you can choose what you like. One of my friends got Pastilla, which is a flaky pastry that has cinnamon, sugar and pigeon in it. That’s right, I said pigeon, and it’s delicious!
The next day we stopped by a Mosque in Marrakech. Nearby the oldest wall in Marrakech is crumbling to dust, but I took a photo of me next to it. We then saw the reservoir that is a popular attraction during the summer heat. It was in the middle of an orchard and right next to the airport. When we were there the wind was blowing through the fruit trees as planes flew through the mist above us. There are fish in the huge rectangular reservoir and one of the guides tossed some bread in the water. My umbrella kept popping inside-out, but it was alright, we had fun anyhow.
Our day continued to a palace which was of a former Grand Vizier. We got to walk around his wives quarters and see the courtyards. The mosaics were so intricate and consisted of many different colors. One of the doorways was so large that a smaller door was cut out of it for more practical, everyday use. Each area was slightly different, with different colors and mosaic designs. Calligraphy encircles the ceilings. The fireplaces were all added by the French, as traditional Moroccan buildings have none. Those were grandiose as well.
After this we walked around the souk (covered market) for a bit and stopped by some saints’ tombs. It was an area that had fallen to disrepair, and the community had forgotten about it. It was discovered again by the French years later. (Possibly more than a hundred years?) The tombs were beautiful, and one room was almost completely gilt. However, we were all very cold and tired and annoyed with the cold weather. So we decided a quick trip to the Berber apothecary was in order, and then a break at the hotel. At the apothecary, the owner gave us a brief break-down of all sorts of beauty and health care products they offered. She had us smell a sachet of some herbs that really cleared out your sinuses! All sorts of products I had heard of before, but never seen you can buy inexpensively here! Black soap, aragon oil, anything you can imagine this woman had in huge glass jars, surrounding the two story shop.
When everyone had rested fully, a bunch of us went to a “spectacle” called Chez Ali. It was described to me as somewhere in between Disney World and a Renaissance fair, with dinner served. That is pretty much exactly what it was. When you walk in the faux Medina walls you are overwhelmed with “Aladdin” kitsch. A huge cobra head is carved into the wall, and looks down on you as you enter the cave entrance to Chez Ali. Fake pots loom up in corners as a mannequin is dressed like someone out of 101 Arabian nights are frozen behind glass windows. A man is playing a clarinet of sorts in a window far above you as people dressed in various types of festive dress welcome you with a bored indifference as they are playing music for your processional. When you finally enter, you see the main attraction is a giant rectangular field of dirt with bleachers surrounding it. Further outside of that there are huge colorful tents all around. You are seated in a tent with about eight other tables full of other guests. We were served some hubz, (bread) harira, (soup) some sort of roast-beast and finally couscous. The food was alright. The beast course was served as half a creature on a platter. I say creature because I think it was lamb, but we weren’t quite sure. :D My friend stuck her fork in and pulled out a little surprise, a kidney! It reminded me of little Georgy Porgey! Three of us decided to take a bite, while another one of us filmed it. The video should be somewhere on facebook. During dinner about 10 different bands of traditional musicians and dancers came around to perform for each table. They all looked like they were being tortured! Though the music was really neat, I felt bad for these actors because clearly they were sick of their jobs. After dinner we went outside to the arena. The fantasia part of the show was really fun. Seeing these really well trained horses performing was so cool, but I was unsure how well the animals get treated on a regular basis. There was a belly-dancer on a platform, fireworks, a flying carpet, and finally some flaming words that spelled out Shokran Ma’salama! (Thank you, Goodbye!) All in all it was an entertaining show, but we all felt the culture of Morocco deserved a much better representation than such trite spoon-fed tourism.
Finally, on the last day we woke up to beautiful sunshine. We went shopping for a while in the Souk just near the square. Because the weather was nicer, the snake charmers were out, henna artists were roaming and people were trying to get you to hold monkeys for photo-ops. I bought a few little trinkets, including a pearl ring that I love. Finally it was time to go home, and we were all glad to come back to our host families.

So a little bit about my everyday life here: A few of you know this already but I lost my wallet a little while ago. I was so angry at myself because I dropped it in the taxi. I almost would rather it have been stolen so at least it wouldn’t have been my fault! I lost all the money in it, but at least the driver was nice enough to bring it back to Amideast for me. (I had my emergency contact card in the wallet).
I also talked to a few people about teaching. We were offered the opportunity to teach English as a foreign language here. That sounded great and I was really excited. However, when the orientation day arrived, I found out that they wanted me to teach French! I wrestled with the decision for about a week. Though I know it is a wonderful opportunity for me (and all of my would-be students) I decided that I couldn’t afford the time needed to dedicate to the organization. I am falling behind on my homework as it is already. The organization is in Salle, which is two bus rides away. Too much for a busy girl like me!

3.9.2009
Another wonderful experience I got to have was going to a Moroccan wedding! One of the other girls in my program is staying with a family related to mine. We got to go shopping for beautiful Takshitas which is a traditional dress, similar to a Kaftan. I rented a lovely bright blue one, while my friend got a deep burgundy one. I spent the wedding day preparing, putting on make-up and generally tended to beauty issues of all the women in my household. There was a bit of down-time, but it was all sooo worth it because when we arrived, the festivities were an explosion of color and noise. As we proceeded down the street a band of musicians beat their drums and sounded their trumpets. They sang loud songs and a few men carried large decorative tajine shaped cases. There were a covered in a gold embroidery and red velvet. Later when we arrived at the house, the men separated and went to a different place. I do not know where, as I stayed with only the women. The tajine shaped cases were opened to reveal gifts to the marrying couple. Beautiful chocolates, cookies and all assortments of sweets lay in pristine plastic wrapping with plenty of ribbon. All of us sat in a very lavish home, and with all of us there, we took up the whole ground floor! We were served plenty of small finger food, my favorite being a tiny triangle pastry that had some sort of salty meat inside. There were LOTS of sweets, and I would have expected no less of a Moroccan wedding!  There was a variety of delicious juices served, and at the last a glass of milk. This was no ordinary milk; it was perfumed with jasmine. It was a heavenly taste. One of my favorite treats here are the dates, and the one of the best dates I have ever had was served at that wedding. It was split in half and stuffed with a walnut. Delicious! Somehow, all the women knew when the food was done being served, because everyone started wrapping cookies and treats in napkins and putting them in their purses!
My camera ran out of battery power that night, and I was so upset because I have never seen so many Moroccan women dressed so finely. My host mother was the second most beautiful there. (Second only to the bride!) She wore a Takshita of peacock blue with royal purple lining and gold embroidery. When she got up to dance, I was mesmerized! I am told that a bride traditionally changes her dress and accessories 7 times during the festivities, but this wedding was not as formal. The bride changed only twice, but every outfit was just as stunning as the last. She wore plenty of gold embroidery and heavy silk. The jewelry was incredible. My host mother told me that traditionally the bride wears massive earrings, a huge necklace, two giant broaches on her shoulders, a fancy belt and a tiara to boot! All of these must match perfectly with the color and style of the dress. She was like a celebrity, and walked around and posed for photos with everyone. Unlike American weddings where the photographer runs around taking pictures, everyone floods the poor couple with flashing photography, such that they are like two deer in headlights! I wish I had seen the henna part, where her hands and feet are covered in intricate designs of reddish brown flowers and lines. However, I am very glad to have witnessed the ceremony.
The most exciting parts were when the live band came into the room to play their loud exciting music. We couldn’t help but get up and dance! There was the most celebrating after they signed the contract and then later after they fed each other the dates, and perfumed milk. At long last we were escorted out the door and we were given decorative faux flowers that were covered in gold glitter. The night didn’t last as long as I thought, since I had been told that Moroccan weddings last all night. But it was such a magical experience for me, that I was incredibly satisfied even though it was shorter than usual.