…In Africa

This weekend we went to Morocco, Africa.  This experience was amazing, and definitely a once in a lifetime experience.  We were divided in to three groups, and my group had a saying: everything we did, we would say “…In Africa,” afterwards.  Somehow, just saying this made everything instantly cooler.  Here are some of the things we did… in Africa: 

Since Africa is only separated from Spain by 9 miles, we began our journey by taking a small boat ride from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco.  After we arrived, we went to DARNA (which means our house in Arabic), a women’s center in Tangier.  This center was intended to help women learn trades to bring themselves out of poverty.  Of course, my camera died before this visit, so we are left to our imagination.  Most of what I saw in this center consisted of looms for weaving and lots of different pieces of art, which I assume the women who go there have made, along with books and other resources.  After exploring a bit, we went downstairs to a large room, similar to a conference room, where we had tea and a discussion about Moroccan life.  After our discussion we had lunch: couscous with vegetables, beans, caramelized onions and raisins.  Although this was extremely good, practically no one in our group could finish the portion they gave us.

After that we began our trek to Rabat, where we would be staying with host families.  However, along the way we stopped for a surprise—Camel riding on the beach in Asilah.  Riding a camel has been one of my goals for a longggg time, and finally I was able to ride a camel… in Africa!  I think I may even have to switch my favorite animal to a camel; they are so majestic and calm, with huge brown eyes—so gorgeous!

After a short stint with the camels, we continued on towards Rabat.  When we arrived in Rabat we met our host families.  I stayed with one other girl, Shannon, from our program.  It was quite difficult to figure out who actually lived in the house.  People were coming and going all night, but I believe our family consisted of a grandma, two aunts and our host student.  Our host student, Sarah, was 22 and worked as an architect.  She was the only one in the house who spoke more English than “hello” and “how are you?” And in fact, our Arabic/ French must have been so good, because the grandma seemed to think we spoke fluently in either of these languages.  The aunt, Maria, knew how to speak more Spanish, so we were able to communicate with her that way.  During the host stay I noticed a lot of differences between our culture and theirs.  One of the major differences was the difference in meal times.  The meals in Morocco are served similar to “family style” in the States, however, there is no individual plates.  Everyone eats from the same bowl, and usually (unless it is necessary to use utensils) they eat with their hands.  My favorite dish with my host family was noodles with raisins and sugar.

Another stand out moment from the trip was the hike we took the last morning up a mountain.  I knew from the start this would be very difficult for me with my heart issues, but I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.  About half way through I wasn’t doing so well and a couple of friends and I lagged behind the group to rest.  After a little while of stopping and starting, I told my friends to go on without me.  I continued up the path slowly and became more and more frustrated with myself for not being able to keep up.  However, after a while I finally made it to the top.  So, although at the start this would have definitely been a low point, I am glad that I was finally able to make it.

So now we are back in Spain, a land where we can communicate and understand the customs.  Tomorrow two of my friends and I are heading out to Malaga for some shopping, eating and (hopefully) a little beach time...

Hasta luego!

Tesla