Africa

Holy Moly. I went to Africa. For the weekend. Like it was no big deal.
WHAT?!
I'm still not used to talking to classmates on a regular Thursday morning about weekend plans to visit Morocco.. or really anywhere in Europe. It still blows my mind. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity.

So Kelsey and I went with a program called Discover Sevilla to northern Morocco. Specifically the cities Chefchaouen, Assilah, and Tangiers. It was so awesome! This is going to be mostly pictures, but it was probably one of the coolest trips I've done so far.
Just so all of you worriers out there know, we had an escort and guides the whole time. We had armed guards bring us to the hotel and in and out of Tangiers too, so it was a very safe trip. There wasn't a single moment where I felt unsafe. I did feel a little uncomfortable with all of the "machismo" from the men- it's when they cat call or whistle or say creepy stuff as you walk by- but there was really nothing we could do about that. I ended up just walking away.

A little bit about Morocco (most of this came from our guide)-

As world politics grow even more strained, Morocco has been marginalized as yet another Islamic nation.  The truth is Morocco is a place with a rich culture thousands of years old, people famous for their hospitality, and natural landscapes ranging from beautiful Atlantic beaches to the Sahara desert.  The people of Morocco value their families above all else and as a community they take care of the elderly, the homeless, and the handicapped.  

Morocco is a large developing nation home to more than 29 million people.  More than half of the population currently lives in cities where western values coexist with an Islamic tradition and as much as 40% of the possible workforce is unemployed.  Poverty is a problem and street hustlers and beggars are realities here.  This contrast between modern difficulties and traditional values is commonplace in Morocco.  There are many different cultural norms, but Islam is the driving cultural force in Morocco and is not always separated completely from secular life.

We started on Friday afternoon from Sevilla and drove to Tarifa where we took a ferry across to Africa and then a bus again to Tangiers. The hotel had a small mountain of cous cous with vegetables and chicken waiting for us. It was a great way to start the trip!

Saturday was the big day- we got going early and headed to Chefchaouen (Shef-shou-wen). Our Moroccan guide was telling us all about the cultural norms. Women still don't have the same rights or social expectations as men, but Morocco is ahead of the norm in that women aren't circumcised anymore (I didn't realize they ever were or could be), however single mothers are below beggars on the social totem pole. Young women who get pregnant out of wedlock are sent away from home into exile while the baby daddy gets to brag to his friends. It was tough stuff to listen to. But there are many women's shelters that are being created, which has helped a lot!

We get to Chefchaouen and they take us on a tour of the city. It's known as the Blue City because all of the streets are blue! It was just beautiful! The houses were pretty simple, but decorated with bright white walls, while the doors are painted bright blue. The streets were actually really clean, but the rivers and ditches were full of garbage. The city of Chefchouen is set between two mountains, climbing up the valley between the two and only ending at the water source which provides some of the freshest water in the country.

Then they released us to do some shopping and bartering. I can only put so many pictures on, so notice how all of the walls are blue behind the stuff they're selling.
I bought some lipstick that adjusts to the pigment in your skin tone. It's sweet! I'll show it off when I get back.. I may have bought quite a few :)

Some of the leather bags and shoes for sale.

They just pile everything they have on a display. This is also the city known for its textiles and ceramics so all of the clothing and dishes that you see are hand made and decorated!

The fruit displays were awesome... and mouth watering!

Some of the jewelry- most of it is also hand made. Kelsey bought real silver earrings and an animal bone necklace. 

This is what some "stores" looked like- some had a building, some had awnings, other were just out in the open.

While we were there, I got a henna tattoo! The lady did it free hand and it's so pretty. I still have it actually, it's supposed to last for about a week.

Then we headed back to the hotel for the night. Our hotel was in Tangiers. We could see where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic Ocean, and Tangiers has crazy green land around it. It's called the crossroads of two civilizations, Tangiers (gateway to the African continent) looks across at Europe from the shores of Atlantic and Mediterranean. Tangiers has been marked throughout History - Phoenicians, Berbers, Portuguese and Spaniards had all left their mark on the city before it passed into Moroccan hands.

It was a long but fun day! We had dinner and then headed out to the patio to get to know the group. Amazingly enough, Sam Matheson, a guy I graduated with is studying in Alicante, Spain and came on this trip too! I haven't seen Sam since senior year when we were in Mr. Lange's Humanities English class.

I honestly never thought I'd be saying "See you later.. in Africa!" So crazy.

Sunday- we head to Assilah. On the way we took a camel ride! (I love how I can say "on the way to our next designation there were camels" WHAT?)

This has to be the coolest thing I've done. I know I keep saying that but it's all so cool!
I rode a camel in Africa. No big deal. Just a weekend trip to ride some camels.
I'm still processing this. So blessed.

I gotta say, my camel definitely needed an attitude adjustment. He was a little angry. Maybe because I kept screaming, but it was kinda scary at first!

I also celebrated St. Patrick's day with the camels! It was hilarious. My Aunt Kim has definitely made an impact on the way we celebrate this holiday.

Then we went to the Cave of Hercules. The rumor is Hercules slept here. I don't know enough about Greek mythology to follow all of this but the Greeks named Tangier for a Greek giant and so naturally Hercules HAS to come in somewhere!

The neat thing about the cave is that the rocks form the shape of Africa, kinda. We got to explore a little bit, and we found guys that had set up shops in the cave to sell post cards and trinkets to tourists!

We finished the afternoon in Assilah, which is a beach city. It was sunny and beautiful! Assilah is considered the jewel of the northern coastline of Africa. The Moroccan beach town has a Medina lined with galleries and white-washed houses, filled with vendors, spices, music, and artistic vibes. The shopping here was pretty extensive too. For me, the city seemed more contemporary than Chefchaouen.

I don't know what this says, I hope it's not something bad, but the graffiti and murals in this town were so awesome!

I tried to keep this short and sweet, but there was so much more to tell! It was a great trip. I assumed all of Africa was desert but the northern areas we were in were green! There was grass! I had a ball.

Back on the ferry headed home.

We learned some Arabic too! I didn't actually use it because the Moroccans can switch from Spanish to French to (poor) English without batting an eye so we used Spanish the whole time. I have never met a culture so rich in languages and the ability to learn them so quickly!

Na’am – yes   ●   La – no   ●   Waha – ok   ●   Afak – Please   ●   Yalah – Lets go

Salam – Hello    ●   Salam walaykoom – Hello (formal when addressing a group)            

Shukran (bezzef) – Thank you (very much)   ●   La shukran – No, thank you     Labas? – How are you   ●   M’a ssalama – Goodbye

Labas, hamdulah – Fine, praise God (This is the standard response to, “How are you?”)    

Stay tuned, because on Friday I head on a whirlwind tour of Amsterdam, Poland, and Barcelona (Kelsey hasn't been there and it's on the way!).
5 days, 4 nights, 2 more countries checked off the list!