Morocco

I’m not sure I’d go so far as to say it was culture shock, but it was definitely cultural awareness. We were supposed to arrive in Casablanca on Monday, but due to rough waters between Spain and Morocco, were not able to fuel up on time and missed our first day there. So we arrived Monday night and were able to be cleared and disembark early Tuesday morning.
Marisa and I had a SAS trip planned for Tuesday-Thursday, traveling to Marrakech. It was a 4-hour bus ride from Casablanca, which we started at 8 on Tuesday. Upon arrival in Marrakech, we went straight to an authentic Moroccan lunch, which was pleasantly surprising! I really enjoyed the food. And after the meal they served the most delicious oranges I have ever tasted and their national specialty, mint green tea (with overwhelming amounts of sugar). After lunch we traveled straight to the camel farm (not sure of a better term). We had 2 groups with us, so our group went to see, as our guide described, “something exotic…. like a house.” We went to a Moroccan house to enjoy more tea and crepes while we had an entertaining band and got the hook-up with our turbans! I must make note of the fact that when I went to use the restroom in this “exotic house” I was a bit taken aback to find a big dirt room, featuring 2 stalls, inside of which I found.. a hole in the ground. No toilets here my friends. Anyways, our group was able to ride the camels back to where we started and Marisa and I were eager to volunteer to ride together as you can see. Not quite what I had expected, but certainly an amusing adventure! Next we checked into our hotel (4 stars) and got our random roommate assignments… nervous!! But actually both of our roommates were such cool girls and we were able to survive two nights apart and make new friends at the same time. We just had dinner at our hotel and called it a night. Marisa and I dared to greet the dark night in the city in an attempt to find some Casablanca brewskies, but soon realized we were so not safe and ran back to our hotel. I think the hardest part of being in Morocco was the fact that we just felt unsafe the entire time. Wednesday morning started early, chilly, and rainy. It was a bit challenging to enjoy the Prime Minister’s house and the tombs we visited while it was such dreary weather, but we survived and the weather cleared up in the afternoon. We went to this huge, open square in the city where all the vendors set up shop. As I was intently viewing the tiny little cute monkeys in the square, I was horrifically surprised to feel a snake hissing near my ear as a strange man attempted to wrap him around my neck from behind.. my shrill scream of terror I think caused everyone in that square to miss a beat. I do not do snakes, word to the wise. But our funny little man in a pointy-headed cape (I could not take our guide seriously) drug us to his next stop, a small little spice shop in the very dark depths of the local shops. However, this ended up being one of the greatest places we visited and Marisa and I definitely purchased some good loot! (saffron in bulk, some appetite-suppressing Ramadan tea, some black seeds that allegedly cure hangovers, and lots of lotions with delightful scents) Oh, and also, there was a lady giving henna hand tats at the shop and I was obviously all about that. She asked my name, and after hearing ‘Dana’ proceeded to draw a squiggly line and some dots on my hand. While later walking through the “Art Square”, I kept hearing my name and Marisa’s from strange men on the street… yes, apparently that squiggly line and dots was Arabic, and we quickly regretted that decision. The tat is still on my hand and looks like I got bored in class with an orange Sharpe, but oh well. Wednesday night we had dinner again at the hotel and left Thursday morning for Casablanca to meet the ship. We’re currently on our way to Namibia!

Things I learned:
- Moroccans speak Arabic, French, and English if they’re in sales (mainly speaking numbers). I was surprised to hear that at the university level of schooling, though, French is the language taught in.
- It is disrespectful for women to look men directly in the eyes, and this was a very hard rule to follow.
- It took the Mayflower 3 months to cross the Atlantic… and I was complaining about 9 days.
- American music is prevalent in most foreign countries, however not censored.
- Toilets flush the opposite way once you cross the equator… we’ll see.

Things I’m thankful for:
- (in the US: clean water, toilets, pasteurization of dairy, paved roads, a sense of personal security)
- my parents allowing me to be here right now as I have realized it was not such a simple decision to make for many others here
- that my camel didn’t spit on me