While I have been settling nicely into life in Rabat, I have definitely been neglecting the blog. When I first arrived it was so easy to write as everything was so new and exciting, and now I feel so comfortable in my life in Rabat that nothing seems worthy to blog about. However, anytime I log into Facebook or talk to a friend on skype, I am reminded of how different my life is from the one I left behind. Since it has been quite sometime since I have written, I will start with my adventures last week in the city of Azrou.
All (or most) of the students in the Fulbright program in Morocco got together to spend two days in the city of Azrou. Azrou means 'Great Rock' in the Berber language and is located in the center of Morocco in what is known as the Middle Atlas. It is a small Berber town, but is surrounded by beautiful pine and cedar forests. I started my adventure for Azrou at 4:30AM on Thursday, leaving my apartment and heading to the train station. I grabbed the earliest train to Fes and arrived in time to grab a quick breakfast of Moroccan bread that resembles a pancake. From Fes, all of the Fulbrighters boarded a bus and headed off to Azrou (around an hour and a half drive). The ride was absolutely beautiful, and at times, I forgot I was in Morocco. Most people (including myself) think of Morocco as a sprawling desert, however we drove through vasts cedar forests and breathtaking green and lush scenery. Upon arriving to the hotel, we had a relaxing lunch of chicken Tagine (which was delicious) and got back into the bus to travel into the forests and take a little hike.
The forest seemed to me like something out of a fairy tale, and of course the first thing that greeted us as we got off the bus was a small group of monkeys. They were used to visitors (and more used to visitors providing them with food). Of course all of us were immediately infatuated with the monkeys and immediately started taking pictures. Our excitement grew even further when our guide pulled out apples and we each were given a couple to feed the books. One student even throw the apple into the tree and the monkey, as if it was no big deal, caught it. There were of course baby monkeys, which attracted the majority of the girls attention. They were absolutely adorable to be fair.
After our great monkey adventure, we headed off on our 'hike' (and by hike, I mean walk) through the cedar forests. It was really relaxing and a great opportunity to catch up with the other Fulbrighters who still live in Fes. The fresh air and beautiful cedar forests made it so easy to forget about my life in Rabat, about the congestion, the traffic and all the people. At the same time, sometimes all of a sudden we would arrive at a major road, cross it, and within ten minutes it would be gone, you couldn't even hear the sound of traffic.
After our hike (which lasted around 3 hours) we returned to the hotel, ate some more Tagine, and I preceded to sleep like a rock. I was grateful to have a bed again, as my current bed is a Moroccan sofa that's about the size of a twin bed and about as soft as the piece of wood its built out of.
The next morning we all had a nice breakfast and then the majority of the group headed back to Fes. I decided to stay, along with two other girls, in the city of Azrou. I was eager to spend some time in a Berber city, as I have never heard one of the Berber dialects before and know very little about the culture. We checked into a resonable hotel (around 70 Dirhams or around $8.75 a night) and explored the town. My two friends were interested in buying rugs, as the region was known for their high quality wool rugs. We stumbled upon a nice shop owner who after a couple minutes of banter in Darija, begin speaking perfect English and invited us to go and see where the rugs were made. We of course agreed and followed him down a small ally and into the shop. My two friends were interested in buying rugs and I was just along for the ride (I am doing my best to keep my purchasing to a minimum as I am here until October...) The owner was extremely friendly and explained how the rugs were made, their history and even showed us pictures of his baby girl. In the end, my two friends each walked away with two beautiful and unique wool rugs for a good price. It was a very hasselle free exchange, and was another example of how friendly and welcoming Moroccans can be. We concluded our evening with a nice dinner of pizza, pasta and fish before heading back to the hotel for another good nights rest.
I awoke the next morning early to catch the bus back to Rabat. As we left the city there were only three people in the entire bus and I stroke up a conversation in Arabic with the man next to me. I was surprised at how easy the words started to come (at least with introductions and basic conversation). However, the conversation progressed further than basic introductions and I was stuck pulling words from Modern Standard Arabic and French just to be understood. He was very nice and worked with me to find the right word in Darija, but it just proved to be I have a long way to go before I can actually say I "speak" Arabic. Like all Moroccans, he of course told me that if I ever want a nice meal he was welcome to come to his house and meet his wife and daughter. This is still a custom I am getting used to, as in America if a man you met on a bus invited you over for dinner it would be very odd.
Upon arriving back in my apartment I did some work, went out to dinner and had a relaxing evening. It was only when I awoke Sunday morning and saw that it was the 31st that I realized it was Halloween, and that my normal routine in the United States would have consisted of some sort of costume, friends and a night out. As it was only one year ago that I was dressed up like a Zebra and taking part in the festivities of Baltimore.
Living in Rabat is sort of like being in the cedar forest sometime, at least with regard to American culture and connection. After only a month, it has become so easy to fall into a routine. I'm beginning to know my way around the city, use the bus system and even make sure I don't overpay anymore at the fruits and vegetable markets. It's only when I use my computer, log into Facebook, read CNN or chat with a friend on Skype that I am reminded of what my life was like only two months ago. Halloween came and went with no planning or stressing over costumes, I look forward to my vacation from class during Eid al-Adha versus Thanksgiving break (which doesn't happen here for obvious reasons). This struggle, of maintaining a healthy balance between embracing the culture without completely disregarding your own, is sort of like walking through a forest. Even when surrounded by the new and beautiful scenery its important to stay true to yourself and not get lost in the excitement. And sometimes even, when necessary, take a break and walk awhile on the paved road.
No comments:
Post a Comment