The last few days have been a bit crazy. I will try and summarize:
Landslide: Sunday Latifa and I got in our grand 6 person taxi with my luggage and I am installed in an imam's apartment in an area of Marrakesh called Mohammed (what else). I stayed here last night with my friend Latifa and it is her sister's house. It is a very simple apartment but probably one that is very fancy by Moroccan standards: 2 bedrooms, a salon (where I slept...pictures to follow), a living/dining area and kitchen and two bathrooms (no western toilet though!). Everyone has been very nice but not only does her sister and husband not speak English, they don't speak french either. Her adorable 4 year old niece is smart as a whip and speaks a little french and mimics my English. She is so smart that she figured out how to turn all my electronic devices on and what to do with them. Then she found my makeup bag and promptly put makeup all over me. I was a little concerned about wearing makeup since I know that wearing makeup for women (particularly fundamentalist women) is haraam (forbidden) but her father is OK with her playing with makeup for herself, just not older women. He said that at her age it is just for fun and not to entice a man (although considering the age that some of the girls get married here.....who knows).
One of her sister's friends came over and showed her wedding pictures (she looks like she is about 15 but I haven't gotten a chance to ask) which were incredible. Even the poorest families put on big weddings and since she is also married to an imam, it is a great honor that she married him. To get married they have about 4 caftans or jelabas made for them and then they rent others. In the course of the marriage day or two a woman can wear 10 different elaborate gowns, ending in a western white (always appropriate here of course) gown. I will post pictures of me in the different outfits once Latifa sends me the pictures.
Her sister is making me two new outfits which should be ready when I come back. We went into the city center (more to follow) and picked out the material and then we came back and she measured me. I am getting a simple lime green jellaba for the Open Day even here and then a dressier caftan and pants for whatever (hope I will wear this at home, we will see). It is coral.
Jama El Fanaa: At any time this square is quintessential Marrakesh.....a bizarre blend of tourists in tank tops and women in full burkas and everything in between. Last night, with the school holidays beginning, it was even crazier than usual. There were easily thousands of people crowded into the square and the adjoining souk. We went to buy the material and then went to a park next to the Koutubia mosque for what I thought was an hour and turned out to be 3 hours (good old Moroccan time) while Latifa talked to her friend Saida and I looked around and observed the families etc. Then, I thought, Oh good we are going to leave but we went back into the middle of the square, moved around the Gnouan dancers, snake charmers, orange juice stands, henna artists etc and Latifa and Saida announced that they were going to go and pray....and they left me in the middle of the square with no idea when they were coming back, how I could get back to Latifa's sister's house or anything. Luckily I did at least know where I was and how I could get to a hotel but all my luggage was in Mohammed (see location above). Latifa is great at either (1) not having her cell phone on, or (2) not having enough minutes in her cell phone to retrieve her calls. But all worked out....they found me about 45an hour after they left
Tomorrow I am off to the US via Paris.
Landslide: Sunday Latifa and I got in our grand 6 person taxi with my luggage and I am installed in an imam's apartment in an area of Marrakesh called Mohammed (what else). I stayed here last night with my friend Latifa and it is her sister's house. It is a very simple apartment but probably one that is very fancy by Moroccan standards: 2 bedrooms, a salon (where I slept...pictures to follow), a living/dining area and kitchen and two bathrooms (no western toilet though!). Everyone has been very nice but not only does her sister and husband not speak English, they don't speak french either. Her adorable 4 year old niece is smart as a whip and speaks a little french and mimics my English. She is so smart that she figured out how to turn all my electronic devices on and what to do with them. Then she found my makeup bag and promptly put makeup all over me. I was a little concerned about wearing makeup since I know that wearing makeup for women (particularly fundamentalist women) is haraam (forbidden) but her father is OK with her playing with makeup for herself, just not older women. He said that at her age it is just for fun and not to entice a man (although considering the age that some of the girls get married here.....who knows).
One of her sister's friends came over and showed her wedding pictures (she looks like she is about 15 but I haven't gotten a chance to ask) which were incredible. Even the poorest families put on big weddings and since she is also married to an imam, it is a great honor that she married him. To get married they have about 4 caftans or jelabas made for them and then they rent others. In the course of the marriage day or two a woman can wear 10 different elaborate gowns, ending in a western white (always appropriate here of course) gown. I will post pictures of me in the different outfits once Latifa sends me the pictures.
Her sister is making me two new outfits which should be ready when I come back. We went into the city center (more to follow) and picked out the material and then we came back and she measured me. I am getting a simple lime green jellaba for the Open Day even here and then a dressier caftan and pants for whatever (hope I will wear this at home, we will see). It is coral.
Jama El Fanaa: At any time this square is quintessential Marrakesh.....a bizarre blend of tourists in tank tops and women in full burkas and everything in between. Last night, with the school holidays beginning, it was even crazier than usual. There were easily thousands of people crowded into the square and the adjoining souk. We went to buy the material and then went to a park next to the Koutubia mosque for what I thought was an hour and turned out to be 3 hours (good old Moroccan time) while Latifa talked to her friend Saida and I looked around and observed the families etc. Then, I thought, Oh good we are going to leave but we went back into the middle of the square, moved around the Gnouan dancers, snake charmers, orange juice stands, henna artists etc and Latifa and Saida announced that they were going to go and pray....and they left me in the middle of the square with no idea when they were coming back, how I could get back to Latifa's sister's house or anything. Luckily I did at least know where I was and how I could get to a hotel but all my luggage was in Mohammed (see location above). Latifa is great at either (1) not having her cell phone on, or (2) not having enough minutes in her cell phone to retrieve her calls. But all worked out....they found me about 45an hour after they left
Tomorrow I am off to the US via Paris.
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