July 18, 2015

This morning we had our first class. I wasn’t sure what exactly what to expect, but it ended up just being a couple hours of awesome and informative and intellectual conversation. We had a really good discussion going on and I heard a lot of interesting opinions that challenged my own and kept me thinking the whole time. Even though this class doesn’t count for any of my degree requirements, and is just an elective that I don’t even need, I’m excited for this experience and the opportunity to take a communications class for the first time and learn about Islam along the way. I personally feel as though this class is just as relevant to my major as it is to a communications or political science major as well, even if it doesn’t technically count for it.

We had to do out to lunch at Pizza Hut because it is the last day of Ramadan, which means the last day of fasting and then celebrating once the sun goes down so basically no food places were open during the day for anything other than drinks so that was the only place we could go. Even though none of us really wanted to go there, I think it is such a cool experience to be here for the end of Ramadan and see how much the religion influences the daily culture. Because basically everyone follows the Islamic faith, there’s no reason for restaurants to be open when everyone is fasting, and their religion is more important to them than making business for those who aren’t also fasting, which I respect.

After lunch we took a walk to see the Hassan II Mosque in the daylight, led by a local professor. He answered some questions for us while we walked and got to experience the same trip from the night before in the daylight. Along the walk we spotted the recreation of Rick’s Café from the movie Casablanca, and stopped to snap a pic.

I wasn’t aware until we got to the Mosque how beautiful it had actually been, because we hadn’t been able to really see the detailing in the dark. Once again I was left breathless by the immense beauty of the structure, as well as the culture around it. The Mosque is right along the Atlantic shoreline, and part of it is literally in the water. Many people were swimming along the edge close by, playing and jumping in the water. We stopped to chat with a few of the smaller boys for a moment, who were nothing but giggly and smiley. I always think the best part of any country is their children, as they tend to show the character of the people and their truest potential as loving and happy people.

In the courtyard to the Mosque, there were people everywhere, waiting together for the celebration to come, and enjoying each other’s company to distract them from the fast. It’s been so interesting to learn more about the practices during Ramadan. I always knew that they didn’t eat from sun up until sun down, but I wasn’t aware that extended to all drinks, including water, especially because a lot of the Islamic nations live in extreme heat. It also extends to anything in the mouth, such as gum, another person’s mouth (kissing), and even the act of swearing and things like catcalling. Ramadan is all about making your most loving, conscious decisions with a clear mind as you fast from your pleasures and focus on God.

July 17, 2015

My first challenge of the trip took place upon landing at the airport in Casablanca, and for some of the other girls, in the airport in the States. I had an overnight flight that I had been unable to sleep on, causing me to be extremely exhausted by the time we reached Morocco. I was basically the first person in line to go through customs, but they didn’t give me a paper so I had to exit the line when I got to the front and then get in the back of what had become a much longer line by the time. When I finally reached the front again, they wouldn’t let me through because I didn’t know my address in Morocco. Of course this was my fault because I should’ve at least wrote down the name of the airport before the trip, but even when I insisted I had no idea and I was meeting someone at the airport which is why I didn’t know, they made me go to an office to meet some kind of manager. After interrogating me for another ten minutes even though the answer to all of his questions was “I don’t know,” I was feeling like I was never going to get out of the airport. Then finally I think he gave up on me because he wrote something on my customs paper and sent me back in line, which I was finally able to get through.

Waiting at the baggage area, I found Alicia and Imari. Imari got her bags right away but Alicia and I seemed to wait forever. At this point I could barely stand up and I sat waiting to spot my bags. After what seemed like ages I spotted mine, but Alicia’s never came. Somehow her trying to claim her baggage turned into well over an hour long process, at which point Kristen and Whitney were waiting with us also. I was about out of patience at this point and when the whole process was finally over, we found out that our driver had been waiting so long that he had left the airport. Thankfully though, he was able to come back rather quickly.

Because of all of this, I was way too tired to even enjoy the ride from the airport into the city, and just being there felt so surreal. Although I had previously been to Africa eight times, all eight trips were to Rwanda with one week in Burundi, which is right below Rwanda and similar in many ways. Even though I had never previously been outside of this little corner of east Africa, this continent has been such a huge part of my life for many years, and so the opportunity to see another part of a place that has meant so much to me and that I’ve dedicated my studies to is something I waited a long time for. The reason I wanted to go on this trip, which I’ve said many times, is because even though I’m an African studies major, my studies are basically entirely focused on sub-Saharan Africa since North Africa is far too different for the both to be studied simultaneously. Therefore, coming to Morocco will provide me with the invaluable experience of seeing a completely different side of Africa, and complimenting my studies perfectly. I’m excited to learn about Moroccan culture, North African culture, and Islamic culture during this trip, as I am coming into this with very little knowledge of the three.

Later that day we got to walk through the souk together which was a good introduction to Morocco. It was much different than the markets in Rwanda. Some people were aggressive verbally with us, but others were very sweet and helpful. I was surprised by the number of people that said things like, “Welcome to Morocco.” They seem to be a very friendly people in general.

We had our first Moroccan meal at a restaurant near the hotel, and I got vegetable tajine, which I loved. I’m probably going to be eating a lot of it these two weeks, and I’m excited to try the couscous too because I love couscous at home and I’m sure it’s much better here.

In the evening the girls and I tried to walk to the beach and ended up stumbling upon the Hassan II mosque, which was absolutely incredible, especially lit up at night. We couldn’t get go onto the grounds of the mosque however, because it was time for prayer, and the place was flooded with people going to pray. The police stopped us because we weren’t covered, but they were surprisingly very nice about it and said they were sorry.

All in all I feel like we’ve had so many intercultural encounters already, and I look forward to discovering more of this country and having more interactions with its people.