First of all, the overlook that we went to at the start of the tour was absolutely stunning. It overlooked the old city, which used to be the capital of the country. The Medina of Fes is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and parts of it are being restored so they can be preserved because of it. It is home to the world’s first university, which we got to see. But before we went to the Medina we hit a pottery place that was unreal. They took us through different rooms so we could see the different steps and processes into how the different types of pottery and mosaics are made. In one room the man who was painting small tajine pots painted a design and my name in Arabic on my hand, and did the same for some of the other girls as well. I had never seen my name written out in Arabic before so I was impressed. I couldn’t stop taking photos the entire time because I didn’t know what else to do since everything was so beautiful I wanted to buy it all. At the end he took us to a room filled in every nook and cranny with finished pieces for sale, and I couldn’t resist.
We then explored the many twists and turns of Fes’s Medina, and I felt as though I were in an Indiana Jones movie. Everything looked so incredibly ancients, and some pathways were narrow enough that only one person could pass at a time. My least favorite part of the day was when we visited the tannery. I didn’t even know what I tannery was until that day, I had never heard the term before so when I had been looking over the trip itinerary I didn’t realize that this was something we’d be doing. Anyway, the tannery is the place where they turn the animal skin into leather. The smell of leather was so overpowering when you first stepped into the store that they handed out fresh mint to hold under your nose, which I was very thankful for. Outside you could see them with the skins, which was a sight I wasn’t prepared for. However, to make things better, after we left the tannery we visited the scarf shop. They taught us how to properly make turbans and showed us the machine they use to make the scarves.
Today was also Imari’s 22nd birthday as well as the day Sarah was to be reunited with her boyfriend after three years. So this evening all of us girls went with Sarah’s boyfriend Soufien and his friend out to ice-cream, and sang for Imari.
When we had class in Marrakech, which turned out to also be amazing discussion, we talked a lot about identity. As I reflect on the trip thus far I realize that I have been thinking a lot about my personal identity. I have reflected on my ascribed identity and how I believe others view me versus how I would like them to view me and how that is different from the way I view myself (avowed identity), but in an ideal world all three would be the same I think. I’ve been digging deep into who I am and what I want, and I think this is the perfect environment for me to do that. I’m mostly thankful for the opportunity to see if I love other parts of Africa, and so far it’s looking up.
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