As promised, here is my blog post about my trip
to Morocco! It was a week long trip and most of the time we were in some sort of
transport. But it was so worth it and I would do it again, even with all the
bus travel.
Our group met around 8:00 in the
evening at the bus station, there were 26 students from my program in Madrid
and we shared a bus with 26 students from Salamanca. Or was it 28 students from each city? Hm. They had already been on
the bus for three hours when we met up with them. We spent the whole night in
the bus on our way to Gibraltar where we then had to take a ferry. The bus ride wasn't so bad for me, I’m used to long road trips (thanks mom and dad), and so
I slept pretty much the whole time. We had to stop a lot though, there’s a law
in Spain that says a bus driver has to stop for 45 minutes after driving for
three hours. Something like that, I’m not sure. Anyway, we got to the ferry
around 6:00 but it didn't leave until 8:00 so we got to have a small breakfast
and wait for the other groups. Students from other cities met up with us as
well. The ferry lasted about three hours, I think. I actually don’t know, I was
asleep the whole time.
Finally we got our first view of
Africa! And it was rainy and gray. Bummer, but still exciting! After getting
off the ferry, we got back on the bus and drove another five or six hours to
Fez. By then, we were all exhausted so after our room assignments, we all
showered, ate dinner, and went to bed. We stayed at a five-star hotel (!) with
nothing around us so even if we wanted to, we couldn't really explore.
 |
| My first picture of Africa. I'm a professional, I know. |
In the morning we had a
delicious breakfast. Let it be known that I say that sarcastically, by the time
my roommate and I got down there for breakfast, all the good stuff was gone so
I had a bunch of pastries for breakfast. Actually delicious, but probably not
good for me… oh well. After breakfast we all met in the lobby around 9:30 to
take our tour of the city. We spent the whole day walking through the Medina, a
huge market that takes up most of the city and is very easy to get lost in,
unless you know your way. Our tour guide said that Fez has about nine thousand
alleys. That’s about nine thousand too many, if you ask me.
The directors split us all up so
that we were with our city and the groups were staggered. Madrid was the last
group to leave so we got to sleep in, ha ha. Anyway, our first stop was to see
a palace with seven doors, I’m not sure of the significance because I couldn't really hear our tour guide but it was neat. There was another door that we weren't allowed to pictures of but no one knew why. If asked, the police would
just say don’t do it. With the threat of having our cameras taken, I don’t
think anyone risked it. It didn't look that special anyway, just a brown door
with some guards.
 |
| Two out of seven doors. Exciting. |
Our second mini stop was for about ten minutes, we were up on a high
hill and got a view of the whole city, it was very neat. After that we made our
actual first stop in the Medina! Our tour consisted of five shops, each with
different specialties and we got mini tours of how they make their goods. Our
first stop was a ceramics workshop. We got to see how they make the tiles,
mosaics, etc. Then we got to explore the gift shop. Since we came in a huge
group, we got a discount, twenty percent off of everything, which was nice
because some things were expensive. I was tempted to buy a LOT but I didn't want to carry it around all day and neither did I want to spend all my money in
one place. I did have my debit card, for emergencies/just in case but I didn't want to use it (although I did later…. oops). Anyway, I bought a little cup that was about
100 dirhams (Moroccan currency) so with the discount it was only 80, which is
about 8€, so not too bad! I figured I could use it for pencils or makeup
brushes or something.
 |
| Bad ass peacock mosaic table. |
After our ceramics tour we went
to a university but we just saw the outside of it. In order to get in, you have
to be able to recite the Qur'an by heart with only five mistakes allowed. I
don’t think it was a regular university. After that we went to a place where
they make and sell rugs. I wanted one but they were REALLY expensive. At least
I was able to control myself here. The rugs were really nice, handmade and
would be considered cheap in Europe but I didn't have a couple thousand Euros
lying around. At this point, we’re all tired and hungry and cranky from walking
around all day. The weather was kind of gray and I think it rained in the
morning so our feet were all muddy. We really got to experience Morocco here, I
think. There was garbage everywhere, dirty cats running around (sad face) and
you could tell that Morocco is not a very wealthy country.
Next we stopped for lunch! We
all sat at tables for eight and shared the food in the middle; no one had their
own meal. There were about seven little plates and one big one. The big one was
couscous with chicken and cooked vegetables. We weren't allowed to eat raw
vegetables because we couldn't drink the water and they were probably washed
with water. Almost everything we ate the entire time was the same, rice/couscous with chicken or lamb, cooked vegetables, potatoes and bread. By the end I
was sick of it and really missing Spanish food!
 |
| Food. No other description needed. |
After lunch we went to a leather
shop and they showed us where they make the leather. Walking in, we were handed
sprigs of mint and thank goodness we had them because it smelled outside. They
use pigeon poop to make the leather! It has lots of ammonia, apparently, and
that’s needed in the process. After, we were shown some leather jackets and the
guide showed us how superior real leather is to the fake stuff. He tried to set
it on fire, it didn't work nor did it smell. He poured water on it and it just
slid right off. We got to feel how soft it was. Ugh, at this point I was very
curious. After the demonstration, we got to look at all the goods so I went and
asked how much the jackets were. Instead of getting a straight answer, I was
told to pick which one I liked the best and try it on. Okay, these salesmen
were good. After putting it on, I was told how awesome it looked and how I couldn't buy this in the US for under $700 and how amazing it was and how it’s
only $250 in Morocco!
What! ONLY $250!? I don’t know
about you, but to me that’s quite a bit for a leather jacket. I don’t know how
this happened but I said I’d take it, that I probably had enough on my debit
card (which I had for emergencies, not indulgences, ugh!) and then the price
was lowered to $200. So I bought a leather jacket… later I found out that the
leather came from baby goats. That is something that I did NOT need to know.
Also, turns out that baby animals make better leather because their skin isn't used as much and ugh, hopefully they were sick and dying anyway because that’s
kind of horrifying to hear. But it’s really soft and cool looking so I guess it
was worth it? It’s this really nice chocolate brown, it almost looks black.
Anyway, if push comes to shove I can always sell it in the US for a profit! And apparently I got a good deal, as in, I wasn't ripped off. One of the ISA directors was with me when I was trying it on and she said it looked good. I told her I was concerned that I paid too much. Later, she said that when she called Madrid to check in, she was told that $200 was a good price. Okay, well at least there's that.
 |
| A literal poop factory. Ha ha, I'm so funny. |
Anyway, this really goes to show how
good the salesmen in Morocco were. I knew that I shouldn't spend that much
money on a leather jacket, but somehow it happened. A couple students bought
rugs at the rug shop and they said the same thing. They had no idea how they
wound up buying these expensive (but really nice) rugs. Oh well, I guess now I
get to say that I own a leather jacket from Morocco! And it should last me
forever so, that’s cool.
Our next stop was a spice shop
where they sell spices (duh!) and medicines. We were shown some products and
got to sample them. It was a cool demonstration, and the goods were cheap! And
by cheap I mean not so expensive that I would regret buying it. I bought some
mint tea (we were served some at the rug shop, hospitality, and it was really
good), some traditional kohl they wear in the desert and a gift for a friend.
After making friends with a stray cat (of course I would), we went to our next
and final destination.
Our final stop was a fabric
store! There they sold scarves, traditional dresses worn by Moroccans and other
fabric wares. I only bought one scarf (for myself); I would have purchased more
as gifts but they were also so expensive! I thought Morocco was supposed to be
cheap… I could have used my debit card here but it was close to catching fire so I
stayed my hand. At this point I think we were all cranky and ready to go, a lot
of disgruntled students due to the expensive prices and walking.
 |
| Not so cranky that I couldn't goof off. |
After this we all went back to the hotel,
had free time for showering or whatever, and then it was dinner time. After
dinner, there was an optional show, a traditional Moroccan show with dancing
and everything. I think most everyone went but I’m not sure if it was truly
enjoyed by everyone, to be honest. We were all tired, almost out of money on
the first day, and some people (like me) didn't have good seats and couldn't see as well. It may not have been worth it, but I’m glad I went and got to experience
some Moroccan culture. At least some more mint tea was provided!
The next morning we finally made
our way to the desert! And by that I mean that we had a ten hour commute to the
Sahara. This was also day one of using the bathroom outside or in little holes
in the ground. Our first bathroom break was the forest, so we all scattered. I
guess now I understand why we were told to pack toilet paper in our luggage.
Actually, I knew from the beginning but whatever. We stopped for lunch for
about two hours on the way (same food, boring) and then finally arrived to the
4x4s that were going to take us to our camp. The jeep ride was about an hour long
and probably the best part of that day! Our driver was awesome, he went fast so
we were airborne a bit and we couldn't see anything because it was so dusty and
basically it was a good time. Lots of cheers and whoops from our jeep!
After arriving at camp, we were shown
to our haima (tent) that we would sleep in. It was basically a row of
mattresses in the sand, about 50 to one haima… not what I was expecting. The directors
made it seem like it would be six beds to a haima but oh well, it wasn't so
bad. So we claimed our beds, had some tea, and gazed at the stars while we
waited for dinner. You could see everything out there and it got better the
further you got from camp. We didn't go too far, too dark for that! The sky
really did feel like a blanket, it was very cozy and relaxing, lying down in
the sand and looking at the stars.
 |
| More goofing off in turbans. I'm sensing a theme. A theme of gratuitous pictures of moi. |
Eventually everyone made it
safely and it was time for dinner… which, you guessed it, was the same food we
had been served everywhere else. I think the food and so much travel were the
only disappointing parts of the trip though. After dinner there was some music
and a bonfire but I was exhausted and went to bed but I could hear the music right
outside so don’t judge me for not participating! My bed was at the far end so I had the haima wall to my left and only one person to my right, perfect for me.
At about 5:30, everyone was
woken to go see the sunrise. I took a quick little potty break in the sand and
joined my friends. There were desert people who acted as guides; they led us to
good spots to see the sun. I think we sat in silence for about 45 minutes, just
enjoying the view. I think that was my favorite part of the whole trip, just
reveling in the fact that I was watching the sunrise in Africa. After the sun
rose, our guide led us back and then started showing us little trinkets to sell…
Oops. Apparently the guides weren’t free and they at least wanted some kind of
tip for leading us to a good spot. Ugh, I told you they were good. I bought a
little soap dish for about five Euros, so not too bad, but still kind of
frustrating because he made us believe
that they were a LOT cheaper than that at first.
 |
| Worth it. |
 |
| So worth it that you get two pictures. |
Anyway, after being bullied (not
really) into buying something, I went back to bed for a bit. Around 9:00 it was
time for breakfast, nothing special. Bread, yogurt, jams… same old same old.
After chilling for a bit, it was finally CAMEL TIME! A huge caravan of camels
was waiting for us; all we had to do was group up and hop on! In my group of six,
I was the first to get on but my camel was in the back. He was dark brown and
gorgeous and I loved him, we really bonded. I named him Brutus (Buckeye) but
later found out that he had already been named Jimi Hendrix. What a stupid name
for a camel. But as it turns out, other camels with named Jimi Hendrix so
really, the desert people were just being lazy. Brutus was awesome, but a
little bumpy. You first get on the camel when they’re sitting and then they
stand and I was really unprepared for that, I think I may have shrieked about.
Not because I was scared, just shocked.
 |
| Can you see the fear in my eyes? No, you can't. There wasn't any. |
So we rode the camels for a
while until we came upon this really tall dune. Time to dismount and climb that
dune! I gave Brutus some pet pets before I left him and I think he liked it. I
told you, we bonded! Next, time to trek that dune. I did it, but it was hard. I
got so much sand in my shoes, I was sweating and breathing hard and chugging
water but I did it. Okay, it wasn't that bad, not even that tall but I’m still
proud of my accomplishment. I didn't stay up long though; I was really shaky
and felt like I needed to sit so I went back down with a friend, who wasn't feeling well. Turns out on top of the hill you could see the Algerian border.
Oops, I didn't see it but I got a 360 degree view so even though I don’t know
exactly when I saw the border, I still saw it. And that’s good enough for me.
 |
| What a monstrous dune! Marvel at the sheer size of the beast! |
After everyone climbed back
down, we got back on our camels and rode to a little town. Time to say goodbye
to our camels, for good. I still miss you, Brutus! We went to a house or
something, I have no idea where we were, but there was a pool and you could buy
drinks so I think we stopped just to relax. We all circled the pool, put our
feet in, and had a nice little break. Then it was time to move on and go to
another shop to see… RUGS. Again… but they had mint tea! We poked around there
for a while then walked back to camp. Then it was lunch time, nothing to really
say about that.
 |
| We'll always have Paris. I mean, Morocco. |
I would have like to take a nap
after lunch, but it was too hot in the haimas. It was cooler outside the tents!
Some guys had cards so we played cards for a while. Desert people (I don't know what else to call them?), or desert women, I guess, came to do henna tattoos. They kept asking me if I wanted one but I didn't have much money and I don't like writing or drawings on my arms, I don't know, it's weird. I don’t know what else to
say about this part… the time between lunch and dinner was kind of uneventful.
Oh! Except the sunset! I watched the sunset too, it was pretty neat. Not as
cool as the sunrise, but still, pretty cool. Well, I guess it was just as neat? It's basically the same thing, just the opposite. No, the sunrise was definitely better. A lot more peaceful and relaxing. But I digress. Then it was dinner time where a
live band was playing. They took up so much electricity that our haimas weren't lit! After dinner, I watched the stars for a bit and then went to bed, I was
very tired again. Heat and sun and socializing make me sleepy, I guess.
 |
| Sunset in the Sahara. |
The next morning we had
breakfast, packed up our stuff, and left the camp. Another fun ride in the
4x4s! Not as fun as driving at night, but still nice. Not as much whooping this
time. We were the first jeep to arrive back at our buses so we put our bags in
the bus and used a real bathroom for the first time in days. Then we waited,
and waited, and waited for the rest of the jeeps to arrive. It took about an
hour or so for us to finally depart. We were in the bus pretty much the rest of
the day. For the first time, lunch was not included but we didn't stop at a
nice place for food so our lunches consisted of Pringles and cookies. SO
healthy, I know. Back to the bus. At least this time we got to watch good
movies! On the way to the desert, we watched some but they were boring or weird
and I was not having it. Although we did watch Mamma Mia! and that is always fun. We finally arrived in Meknes and
everyone ran straight to the showers after getting their keys. It had been about
48 hours since our last shower and we were gross. Flies were swarming us at the
camp, before we left. Fun.
After a nice hot, relaxing
shower, we went down for a nice dinner, a little bit different this time but
nothing too special. Then I went straight to bed so I got about ten hours of
sleep. It was so nice to be in a real bed, in a real building. In the morning,
we had breakfast and loaded up the buses. Time to go back to Madrid! Or
Salamanca, or Barcelona… whichever city you came from. Again, nothing too
special to report. We left around 9:00 AM and arrived in Madrid around 7:00 AM.
So twenty hours of travelling straight, with little money to spend on food.
I have class at 8:30 so I was
very cranky, I couldn't afford to miss class, I had a presentation to give, and
it’s quite a commute from my home stay to school. Fortunately, I was able to
shower and pack my schoolbag and get to school with minutes to spare. I had an
essay to work on that afternoon so I didn't get to nap and I didn't go to bed
until 1:00 AM because of all the reading/essay writing I didn't do on the bus. My
bad. Wednesday and Thursday were exhausting, so after lunch I went straight to
bed and slept. I woke up at some point and got caught up on my gossip but then
went back to bed. It was a very good sleep. Then came the weekend (nothing exciting,
just roommate bonding). I guess it's worth mentioning that I didn't get sick after the trip. A lot of people did, for example, my roommate. Poor baby, she had to go to the doctor and miss school. I wasn't sick, but I didn't feel great after getting home. Lack of regular sleep, a weird diet and too much Dramamine probably led to my general malaise. My stomach didn't feel right for a bit, but it didn't interfere with my daily life so I was very fortunate, in that sense.
Because I don’t feel like making
another post, I’m going to quickly talk about my week so far. Yesterday,
Tuesday, I went to the movies with my film class. We saw Lo imposible, a Spanish movie with English actors about the Indian
Ocean tsunami the occurred the day after Christmas in 2004. It was really
stressful and emotional and I cried. A lot. My roommate came with me, even
though she’s not taking the film class, and we cried together. It was really
good though, I recommend it if movies like that don’t bother you. After the
movie, our class went to a bar to discuss the film. Our professor bought us
beers! She’s really nice and I’m really enjoying her class. Not everyone in our
class came but it was still a nice discussion (my roommate didn't stay for it
though).
Now today, Wednesday, there was
this thing called a huelga general,
which is basically a 24 hour strike. A lot of stores were closed, the
transportation wasn't running at full capacity… basically there was nothing to
do because it was sort of risky to go out and everything was closed anyway. Our
school decided to dismiss any absences or tardies today so my roommate and I didn't go. Remember, our commute is long and I have no idea how to walk to
school. If I had gone, I would have had to wake up really early, possibly wait
30 minutes for the metro, and then get packed in like a sardine with everyone
else. Not worth it, especially since I wouldn't get a penalty for not coming.
If you have more than two absences, you lose a letter grade or worse. So far I haven’t
missed any class! Except today… And for Morocco… But absences due to the
Morocco trip were also excused, which I why I went! Well, not the only reason,
but it was definitely a factor. Honestly? The main reason I got to go is that I
have amazing parents who support me and encourage my adventures. I don’t think
I’d be able to go on all these trips without their help. So, thank you, mom and
dad, for being amazing parents and great friends! I love you!
Well… that sure was a long post!
Thanks for sticking it out to the end. This weekend is our excursion the
Granada, then my dad and Aunt Jan are coming to visit and we’ll be going to
Dublin the next weekend. After that I’m going to Rome with a friend, and then I
have two more weeks in Spain. One whole weekend in Madrid, and then the next
there’s a day trip to Segovia. Then I have finals and on the 20th of
December, I finally start my way home. As much as I love it here, I cannot wait
to go home and see my family, cats, and friends. Thankfully, my dad and aunt
visiting will give me a little taste of home which will hopefully lessen my
homesickness. Or make it worse, I don’t know.
Anyway, next week look forward
to a post about Granada! I will try and write it Monday because I know that
after dad and Jan arrive, I won’t even think about computers... Only a little.
