When I looked back at my last blog I saw that I had said that I would write the next day but here it is 5 days later. I will try and fill in what has happened and perhaps add some pictures if I can. My camera battery died when I was in Fes this weekend and so, since I didn't bring an adapter plug, I had to make do with looking at other's pictures.
I said that I was going to write about the staff here: there are three program people Mohamed (ofcourse), Khadija and Abdellah. All three of them worked with the Peace Corps for many years before coming to work for Cross Cultural Solutions. Both Mohamed and Abdellah are in their 40s and both are fairly religious Muslims. They even have marks on their foreheads (I thought that they were smudges) from praying 5 times a day.....a guess hitting their heads on the ground maybe? Women don't have these marks (and some men) because I guess they use rugs. Anyway, Mohamed is the Director of the program and Abdellah is the program manager so he arranged all of our work placements and keeps up with how things are doing. Abdellah in particular is very easy going and funny. He has given us classes in writing Arabic which is incredibly difficult but beautiful. Mohamed has given us classes in Islam and helped us with our arrangements for weekend trips. Khadija is a wonderful, funny, bright and independent woman. She is in her 30s and isn't married. She manages the house and the house staff and also gives us cooking lessons and Arabic classes. She is the wonderful mix of religion and tradition that you find here, particularly in the cities. She wears a hijab (beautifully coordinated with all her outfits) but is also in no hurry to be married and "have some man tell her what to do". What I like the most about her is that she doesn't take herself seriously and is always fun to have around. I will take some pictures tomorrow and try and post them when I post the pictures of Fes. Other members of the staff are Aisha the cook ( Khadija was the first wife of Mohammed the Prophet and Aisha was the 2nd.....so we have Mohammed and both of his wives staying in the house :-).
Fes:
Went to Fes last weekend and Gwen and I arrived on Saturday to meet Mary who had gone the day before. When we arrived at our cheap hotel outside the medina, Mary was hysterical because the hotel had no hot water or heat....she was really yelling at the desk clerk as if he could understand her English better if she yelled. Gwen and I were a bit more pragmatic about the situation....it was a cheap hotel and we only had one night and at least there were no bed bugs and we had our own bathroom.
We then settled into our little triple room and the three of us set off with our guide, Saida through the medina. One cannot possibly negotiate the Fes medina without a guide unless you want to never be seen from again. Saida was great and it was a nice change to have a woman as a guide. Although I had been through the medina before (hence my carpet story from last year), there were still things I hadn't seen. We saw several medrasas (Koranic schools) which are no longer functioning so we could view them. In Morocco there are only two mosques that non Muslims can visit....one is in the town of Agadir I believe and the other is the new incredibly over the top Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. Otherwise, unless you can "pass" you stay out!! Same goes for Koranic schools....can't go into functioning ones if you are not Muslim. Saw the vats of leather dye which smelled as bad as last year (they use pidgeon shit to soften the leather) and I bought a beautiful leather jacket for which I thought I negotiated well and I love.
After a wonderful meal of brochettes (skewers) of lamb, beef and chicken and a gorgeous assortment of other Moroccan delicacies at a little tiny restaurant that Saida took us too, we headed out of the medina. Saida's husband picked us up with her two daughters and we all crammed into the car for a ride to the train station to get our return tickets for the next day. At that point Mary decided that she couldn't stand it anymore and headed back to Rabat for a warm shower and heat.
Gwen and I remained in Fes and spent the next day exploring the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and saw the old synagogue which is no longer used but is a Unesco World Heritage site. Only downside of the trip through the maze of the Mellah was that our guide,a lovely old man who just appeared out of nowhere to help us with directions (this is a warning sign) gave us the "can you give me some money for my poor children at home" bit. It seems that everyone in Morocco has numerous starving children who are in need of constant food. This is NOT my favorite part of the Morocco experience. I guess I will get used to it after a while but it gets to the point that you are afraid if someone is doing you a favor that they will then always expect money....not good PR for the country. Few beggars but lots of shysters.
Gwen left in the afternoon of the next day and I moved to a different hotel in the newer section of town, right next to the McDonalds. Yes, I went in....it was packed and there were no tourists....and they had something called a McFondue!!! My hotel was much nicer than the cheap one in the medina and it had a spa so I had a massage and a hammam (traditional turkish steam bath in which water is constantly thrown over you while they rub every bit of dead skin off your body) and of course, a pedicure. So then I was all dressed up with no where to go so I went back to my room to watch arabic tv and try and figure out what they were saying. And I did have a beautiful view of the city from the balcony.
Next day I left and return to Rabat, relaxed and ready for another week of teaching. We didn't teach last Monday because it was Mohammed (the prophet, not the one who directs the program)birthday and there were celebrations all over town although mostly people just seemed to be enjoying the day off.
By the way, the trains here are great. They are clean, run on time and go most everywhere. I've done both first class and second and although first is preferable for a long trip, second is still very nice and clean...you just aren't guaranteed a seat.
This week's teaching has been mixed. I have had the most fun with the group that I have had since I started. We laughed over pronunciation efforts and tried to learn the present perfect tense. Tomorrow I am meeting with several students at a cafe to discuss music....both the effect of westernized music on Moroccan culture and to just have fun with songs....they gave me a list of the songs that they wanted the lyrics to and we are going to read them tomorrow: We are the World; Hotel California, Let it Be and a Mariah Carey song that I can't remember. No satanic music although a bunch of the guys are really into hip hop and some mild rap. And they LOVE Cat Stevens here since he used to live in Essouria for many years and because he became a Muslim.....they definately love it if you become a Muslim. I am really going to miss this group...and we have become e-mail and facebook friends already.
This weekend is Chefchoan and then I go to Marrakesh and mountains on Monday. Gwen, Alana and I are going to take the bus tomorrow (5 hour drive) to the north. Chefchoan is supposed to be very beautiful with its blue buildings and Mediterranean feel. The people there speak more Spanish than French so we will see how we do with our little bit of Arabic lessons and Alana knows some Spanish. Chefchoan is also in the Rif mountains....an area well know for its main agricultural product.....kif...otherwise known as hashish. We have been warned not to purchase any so I think that I will stay clear headed for the weekend. My camera is now working so I should have some nice pictures and Gwen and I are going to go for a long hike.
Wow. This is long and I haven't even added the pictures. Will try and do that tomorrow since I am exhausted tonight.
Bought a 3G modem today so that I can access the web in my room in Asni but I think I will bring my computer with me tomorrow and allow myself some blog time during the 5 hour ride.
I said that I was going to write about the staff here: there are three program people Mohamed (ofcourse), Khadija and Abdellah. All three of them worked with the Peace Corps for many years before coming to work for Cross Cultural Solutions. Both Mohamed and Abdellah are in their 40s and both are fairly religious Muslims. They even have marks on their foreheads (I thought that they were smudges) from praying 5 times a day.....a guess hitting their heads on the ground maybe? Women don't have these marks (and some men) because I guess they use rugs. Anyway, Mohamed is the Director of the program and Abdellah is the program manager so he arranged all of our work placements and keeps up with how things are doing. Abdellah in particular is very easy going and funny. He has given us classes in writing Arabic which is incredibly difficult but beautiful. Mohamed has given us classes in Islam and helped us with our arrangements for weekend trips. Khadija is a wonderful, funny, bright and independent woman. She is in her 30s and isn't married. She manages the house and the house staff and also gives us cooking lessons and Arabic classes. She is the wonderful mix of religion and tradition that you find here, particularly in the cities. She wears a hijab (beautifully coordinated with all her outfits) but is also in no hurry to be married and "have some man tell her what to do". What I like the most about her is that she doesn't take herself seriously and is always fun to have around. I will take some pictures tomorrow and try and post them when I post the pictures of Fes. Other members of the staff are Aisha the cook ( Khadija was the first wife of Mohammed the Prophet and Aisha was the 2nd.....so we have Mohammed and both of his wives staying in the house :-).
 |
| Abdellah |
 |
| Khadija |
 |
| Mohamed |
Fes:
Went to Fes last weekend and Gwen and I arrived on Saturday to meet Mary who had gone the day before. When we arrived at our cheap hotel outside the medina, Mary was hysterical because the hotel had no hot water or heat....she was really yelling at the desk clerk as if he could understand her English better if she yelled. Gwen and I were a bit more pragmatic about the situation....it was a cheap hotel and we only had one night and at least there were no bed bugs and we had our own bathroom.
We then settled into our little triple room and the three of us set off with our guide, Saida through the medina. One cannot possibly negotiate the Fes medina without a guide unless you want to never be seen from again. Saida was great and it was a nice change to have a woman as a guide. Although I had been through the medina before (hence my carpet story from last year), there were still things I hadn't seen. We saw several medrasas (Koranic schools) which are no longer functioning so we could view them. In Morocco there are only two mosques that non Muslims can visit....one is in the town of Agadir I believe and the other is the new incredibly over the top Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. Otherwise, unless you can "pass" you stay out!! Same goes for Koranic schools....can't go into functioning ones if you are not Muslim. Saw the vats of leather dye which smelled as bad as last year (they use pidgeon shit to soften the leather) and I bought a beautiful leather jacket for which I thought I negotiated well and I love.
After a wonderful meal of brochettes (skewers) of lamb, beef and chicken and a gorgeous assortment of other Moroccan delicacies at a little tiny restaurant that Saida took us too, we headed out of the medina. Saida's husband picked us up with her two daughters and we all crammed into the car for a ride to the train station to get our return tickets for the next day. At that point Mary decided that she couldn't stand it anymore and headed back to Rabat for a warm shower and heat.
 |
| Our first hotel lobby |
Gwen and I remained in Fes and spent the next day exploring the Mellah (Jewish quarter) and saw the old synagogue which is no longer used but is a Unesco World Heritage site. Only downside of the trip through the maze of the Mellah was that our guide,a lovely old man who just appeared out of nowhere to help us with directions (this is a warning sign) gave us the "can you give me some money for my poor children at home" bit. It seems that everyone in Morocco has numerous starving children who are in need of constant food. This is NOT my favorite part of the Morocco experience. I guess I will get used to it after a while but it gets to the point that you are afraid if someone is doing you a favor that they will then always expect money....not good PR for the country. Few beggars but lots of shysters.
Gwen left in the afternoon of the next day and I moved to a different hotel in the newer section of town, right next to the McDonalds. Yes, I went in....it was packed and there were no tourists....and they had something called a McFondue!!! My hotel was much nicer than the cheap one in the medina and it had a spa so I had a massage and a hammam (traditional turkish steam bath in which water is constantly thrown over you while they rub every bit of dead skin off your body) and of course, a pedicure. So then I was all dressed up with no where to go so I went back to my room to watch arabic tv and try and figure out what they were saying. And I did have a beautiful view of the city from the balcony.
 |
| view of the city from second hotel |
Next day I left and return to Rabat, relaxed and ready for another week of teaching. We didn't teach last Monday because it was Mohammed (the prophet, not the one who directs the program)birthday and there were celebrations all over town although mostly people just seemed to be enjoying the day off.
By the way, the trains here are great. They are clean, run on time and go most everywhere. I've done both first class and second and although first is preferable for a long trip, second is still very nice and clean...you just aren't guaranteed a seat.
This week's teaching has been mixed. I have had the most fun with the group that I have had since I started. We laughed over pronunciation efforts and tried to learn the present perfect tense. Tomorrow I am meeting with several students at a cafe to discuss music....both the effect of westernized music on Moroccan culture and to just have fun with songs....they gave me a list of the songs that they wanted the lyrics to and we are going to read them tomorrow: We are the World; Hotel California, Let it Be and a Mariah Carey song that I can't remember. No satanic music although a bunch of the guys are really into hip hop and some mild rap. And they LOVE Cat Stevens here since he used to live in Essouria for many years and because he became a Muslim.....they definately love it if you become a Muslim. I am really going to miss this group...and we have become e-mail and facebook friends already.
This weekend is Chefchoan and then I go to Marrakesh and mountains on Monday. Gwen, Alana and I are going to take the bus tomorrow (5 hour drive) to the north. Chefchoan is supposed to be very beautiful with its blue buildings and Mediterranean feel. The people there speak more Spanish than French so we will see how we do with our little bit of Arabic lessons and Alana knows some Spanish. Chefchoan is also in the Rif mountains....an area well know for its main agricultural product.....kif...otherwise known as hashish. We have been warned not to purchase any so I think that I will stay clear headed for the weekend. My camera is now working so I should have some nice pictures and Gwen and I are going to go for a long hike.
Wow. This is long and I haven't even added the pictures. Will try and do that tomorrow since I am exhausted tonight.
Bought a 3G modem today so that I can access the web in my room in Asni but I think I will bring my computer with me tomorrow and allow myself some blog time during the 5 hour ride.
Yay! I am so hungry for your updates! I hope you have/had a wonderful time in Chefchaoun. I loved it there - so beautiful, almost magical. Don't forget the photos!!
ReplyDeletePigeon shit softened leather and McFondue . ..who would have thought . . .
ReplyDelete