Sorry for the long absence, but midterms finally ended and I really didn't think it was worth it to keep you all in the loop about what time I woke up, had breakfast, went to class, etc. Because that's really all I have done for the past two weeks.
Until now.
As I was explaining to my lovely friend Sarah during one of our drives through the African countryside, "If I could compose and dedicate a love song to Morocco, I would" but lacking the musical and artistic abilities, I'll just have to blog about it.
Basically, I had the pleasure of being a Colombian-Canadian studying in Spain vacationing in Morocco. This hypothetical song has the potential of being a rap instead.
On Friday afternoon (which by the way has been the only day its rained in Sevilla since I've been here) 4 out of the 7 Calgary girls left with a group of 70 for Tangier, Morocco. The first impression we got as we stepped off the ferry, was the police catching a couple of guys attempting to stow away on the boat back to Spain. The second impression: there were no women out on the streets, only men. It was a little unnerving to think that all of a sudden I was in a place where women were not really considered equal to men.
The hotel arranged for us was definitely a nice upgrade from the hostels I had been getting "used" to. In fact, this hotel was really nice by any standards in general. All of our breakfasts and dinners were provided, and the meals were beautiful! Fresh vegetables, couscous... we were definitely spoiled. Obviously the only thing we had to be aware of was NOT drinking their water, everybody was constantly buying 1.5L water bottles. I kind of got lazy near the end and brushed my teeth with the tap water, but so far so good (knock on wood).
Saturday morning we were up bright and early for Tetouan. This was definitely a big reality check and culture shock. Certainly not a place where I would visit and explore on my own. We had a guide assigned to us (Muhammad) who we all fell in love with. This man has been giving tours for 42 years, and speaks 5 languages (Arabic, French, Spanish, English and German). In fact, the majority of people speak Arabic, French, Spanish and English. Kind of puts us North Americans to shame. Muhammad took us to the Medina (old city) and bombarded us with religious, political and cultural knowledge of his city. For a couple of hours we wondered through the markets, taking in all the sights and smells, we were seriously on sensory overload. Merchants trying to sell you things, people hustling and bustling on their daily errands, children running back and forth. If I had gotten separated from the group... I don't even want to think about it. Muhammad knew everything and everybody, he was just such a commanding and knowledgeable person. After lunch, we said goodbye to Tetouan and headed towards the ocean.
And by the ocean I mean the exact point where the Mediterranean and Atlantic meet.
Add some camels and a camel ride to that.
To be perfectly honest it was a little sad to see how they treat the animals, it just served as another example in not only the cultural differences but the economic and developmental differences. These people need to make a livelihood out of something... whether it is exploiting some camels, selling stolen goods in the markets, or kids selling roses in the streets. It was a humbling experience. What good does and International Relations degree do without some actual international experiences?
That evening we all got together and bonded over some vino (wine) and music, our group had a great mix of Spaniards, Brits, Americans, and another Canadian!
Sunday was another early day, but definitely worth every little bit of sleep deprivation that I currently have (which is a LOT). The Moroccan geography is absolutely beautiful, with cliffs and mountains and donkeys and sheep everywhere. Obviously these mountains have nothing on the Rockies, but it was so good to see some type of mountain. Our destination that day was to Chefchaouen. Which is now probably on my top ten favourite places on earth.
Chefchaouen is one of the cleanest, most peaceful, friendliest and beautiful places I have visited so far. Completely different than Tangers or Tetouan. I felt completely comfortable and safe walking and exploring by myself (which I did). The markets were clean, with vendors who were not imposing at all. We even got to hear the calls to prayer! This city is all blue, apparently because it keeps the mosquitoes away. We all got a couple of hours to wander by ourselves around the marketplace and barter with the locals. Its unbelievable how much you can buy for a relatively small amount. I am definitely coming back to this city at some future point in my life.
The journey back to Sevilla was so long, and draining. Bus, ferry, bus, Sevilla at 3.30am, sleep at the girls' apartment, metro home at 11, econ presentation at 1.30, then 3 hour film class. I would change absolutely nothing about it.
Ps. We had a couple of kids try and latch themselves to our bus so they could sneak into Spain. Apparently this happens all the time.
Pps. Chefchaouen produces 90% of the hash in Morocco, and Morocco exports about 70% of the total hash worldwide.
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