Goodbye Rabat

Our time in Morocco has been majestical, especially the last week in Essaouira where I had the amazing opportunity to ride camels, barter with shopkeepers, and most importantly, spend time with our Arabic speaking partners.  The week started off with wishing farewell to our homestay families and meeting students from the Marrakech group in Essaouira. In Essaouira, there is a multitude of places where one can find camels, especially along the beach.  Our group bartered with the camel herder for a better price to ride the camels.  Riding the camels along the sea with the harsh wind on our backs was amazing and a once in a lifetime experience. Their fur  was extremely soft and they almost purred in satisfaction when we petted them.  I am glad that I was able to ride a camel in Morocco since I had never ridden a camel before in my life.

The Medina of Essaouira (formerly “Mogador“) is a UNESCO World Heritage listed city, an example of a late 18th-century fortified town. Morocco is often called Africa’s little Hollywood and no city exemplifies this epithet more than Essaouira. Besides being the shooting location for blockbuster films such as Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia, all the scenes of the city of Astapor in Game of Thrones were shot in the city’s Medina. I had a rendezvous of my own – the Bollywood movie ‘Tiger Zinda Hai‘, featuring superstars Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif was being filmed during our visit, and we had an opportunity to watch the stars in action. 

Bartering with the shopkeepers was also an exciting and fun experience because it forced us to speak the Arabic we learned in our school.   Since Essouria is famous for its wooden-made products, I bought a  chessboard made out of wood and some other wooden products to give as gifts to my family and friends.  These experiences were so critical to my Arabic learning experience, because I was actually able to apply my language skills in real-world situations.

Lastly, conversing with our Moroccan partners in Arabic was very helpful because we were able to learn more Arabic and English from each other.  In addition, I was able to connect with these Moroccan friends and learn more about their culture and how religion influenced their lives.  I shared my opinion about Morocco’s beauty and how the people are extremely nice and hospitable.  But, I also pointed to my speaking partners about how sexual harassment seemed to be a real problem in the country.  They replied that in order to avoid sexual harassment in Morocco, women wear the hijab and avoid wearing “revealing” clothing.  In fact, my speaking partner did not even enjoy wearing the hijab, but only wore it because she did not want to get harassed.

In conclusion, Morocco has been an amazing place where I have been able to not only learn an extensive amount of Arabic, but also get a deep appreciation and understanding for Moroccan culture.  I would like to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for their generosity and hospitality on my trip.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Final Thoughts

Famous writer Cecelia Ahern once said, “Home is not a place. it’s a feeling”.  I find this quote especially relevant and applicable to my journey and adventure in Morocco.  When I was in Morocco, the people were hospitable and welcomed me like I was part of their family.  This type of generosity and kindness are qualities that were unique in every way.

In addition, the time I spent studying Arabic was truly wonderful as I was able to apply the material I learned in class to communicate with my host family, have meaningful conversations with the Moroccan people, and even bargain with the shopkeepers. It was also fun to surprise Moroccan civilians by speaking Arabic with them.  By becoming fully immersed in the Arab culture, I was able to fully appreciate and understand the Arabic language and culture.

Overall, the experience and knowledge I gained on this trip has been truly exceptional and I will never forget the friends I made on this trip, The knowledge I gained, and the epiphanies I acquired are truly priceless.  I thank everyone, here in America and Morocco, who made this experience possible.

This week, we were invited to visit the compound of the United States Peace Corps in Morocco. We met with the Country Director for Peace Corps Morocco and the former Country Director of Peace Corps Cambodia. We asked questions about her career with the U.S. Government, and we were able to take a tour of the compound before returning to the Bridges cultural center for classes.

We also had the opportunity to enjoy a special session on music styles of the Sahara Desert. Thomas Duncan, the manager and producer of Saharan music band Daraa Tribes, introduced the students to different music style of southern Morocco. He also discussed the importance of preserving music traditions in North Africa. I learned that the unique style of Saharan music stems from the mixing of cultures and traditions over hundreds of years along the ancient trading routes between Timbaktu and Marrakech. The cities and towns along this route have different tribes and cultures trace their routes to places all over Africa and the Middle East. As a result, the musical traditions of these communities are an amalgamation of different sounds and techniques from all over the continent.

Tomorrow, we will be spending the day with our host families and next week, we will ne traveling to Essaouira to complete our amazing journey. Essaouira, formerly known as Mogador, is an ancient trading city known for its high ramparts and ancient city walls. Can’t wait to see it!