Experience in Morocco in 7 words or less
Ann: Accept what is as God’s intent.
Taylor: Wonderful people and yummy tea. Also cats.
Taylor: Wonderful people and yummy tea. Also cats.
Most Memorable Moment
Ann: My most memorable experience in Morocco was our travel to Merzouga and the camel trek into the Sahara desert with our full moon sleep out under the stars. It was the unexpected peacefulness riding a camel over the vast hills of endless sand while watching the sunset behind the dunes to then arrive at a small tented camp where to our surprise and delight we enjoyed a late evening tagine dinner followed by us playing the drums that made this trek a wonderfully new experience and then it was our choice to sleep under the stars and the moon versus in the tents that made this entire adventure a memory I will never forget.
Taylor: To pick out one moment from eight weeks worth of unforgettable ones is quite difficult, but I would have to choose the first time we went to the hammam as the most memorable – probably because I had no expectations going in, and it really was a shocking experience for my western sensibilities. But there really were so many others: seeing the tanneries in Fes, riding a camel and sleeping out in the Sahara, figuring out how to use the trains, bartering for everything, exploring some souks that seemed to go on forever, rug shopping, meeting our students, the first time we were asked if all Americans hate Muslims (not so much the positive kind of unforgettable), meeting our students families, learning so much about a culture that is so different than our own... It really could go on forever.
Taylor: To pick out one moment from eight weeks worth of unforgettable ones is quite difficult, but I would have to choose the first time we went to the hammam as the most memorable – probably because I had no expectations going in, and it really was a shocking experience for my western sensibilities. But there really were so many others: seeing the tanneries in Fes, riding a camel and sleeping out in the Sahara, figuring out how to use the trains, bartering for everything, exploring some souks that seemed to go on forever, rug shopping, meeting our students, the first time we were asked if all Americans hate Muslims (not so much the positive kind of unforgettable), meeting our students families, learning so much about a culture that is so different than our own... It really could go on forever.
Culture Adaptation
It's funny that now the Moroccan culture seems totally normal to us. At first many things surprised us, but as the weeks went on and our understanding of Morocco grew, we very easily began to relax into the culture. We also were very lucky to have talks in our house about Moroccan culture and Islam. These helped us to understand just as much as actually being out on the streets did. It was definitely a shock to learn about the differences between women and men in their culture – and how some of what we typically interpret as disrespectful to women is just the opposite. For example, women wear a hijab because they choose to, not because a man told them to cover themselves in public or even because the Qur’an has instructed them to do so. Another thing that was especially hard for us to grasp was the level of women’s education. Some of the reasons were initially a surprise as it is not because the government doesn’t provide the education, but due to the sentiments of the family of keeping the girls safe working at home once they hit puberty, while it is the boys and their brothers’ responsibility to gain an education in order to provide a living for the woman and girls. In the urban areas and more westernized cities, there are many women who hold significant positions within the government, education and healthcare and also many hold doctorate and masters degrees, but as a country view, it is scary to think of the impact on progressing forward with other parts of the world when the illiteracy rate is so incredibility high among women and the opportunity lost for not only each woman but the country is most likely missing out on a whole population of new thinkers, leaders and innovative creators. It’s very easy for feminists to become offended by the way Muslim cultures treat women, they view it as unequal and degrading, but what they don’t understand (and neither do we, entirely) is how some (not all) of these offenses aren’t intended or viewed as degrading at all. Despite all of this, we found it incredibly easy to acclimate to the wonderful culture as long as we remained respectful to it.
Doors of Morocco
Things we will miss
Ann: It has been 3 weeks since we have left Morocco and the immediate things that come to mind that I miss are the food, the wonderful mint tea and the people with whom we were in regular contact like our wonderful house management team, the waiters from Venezia (our favorite gelato shop) who treated us like regulars, and our students. I also miss the colorful design and architecture of many of the buildings. No matter where we traveled around Morocco, it was always interesting to see how color and design were used in homes, restaurants and towns of the very rich and the very poor. Even those with very little still used color and design to make their home warm and inviting. One could easily describe Morocco in one word, colorful.
Taylor: The food and the people, mostly. I'm also very tempted to say the design. Islamic design is so interesting to me, not only because it's different than western designs, but because it's so colorful and full of life. And I know I’ve mentioned it before, but all the people we met in Morocco were so open and friendly with us that it was hard to say goodbye. Especially to the people in the house. I already miss the food. Definitely eating couscous every Friday. There are so many small aspects of the culture that we learned about (and so many more that we still do not know) that just makes the mystery of Morocco that much more enigmatic and appealing. And despite looking forward to spending the next 8 weeks in South Africa, I’ll miss the unique culture and atmosphere of Morocco in general. Unlike our experience in China, where at the end of our four weeks I was ready to leave, I spent the last few days in Morocco already mourning the loss of such a wonderful place. I can definitely say that without a doubt, someday I’ll be back.
Taylor: The food and the people, mostly. I'm also very tempted to say the design. Islamic design is so interesting to me, not only because it's different than western designs, but because it's so colorful and full of life. And I know I’ve mentioned it before, but all the people we met in Morocco were so open and friendly with us that it was hard to say goodbye. Especially to the people in the house. I already miss the food. Definitely eating couscous every Friday. There are so many small aspects of the culture that we learned about (and so many more that we still do not know) that just makes the mystery of Morocco that much more enigmatic and appealing. And despite looking forward to spending the next 8 weeks in South Africa, I’ll miss the unique culture and atmosphere of Morocco in general. Unlike our experience in China, where at the end of our four weeks I was ready to leave, I spent the last few days in Morocco already mourning the loss of such a wonderful place. I can definitely say that without a doubt, someday I’ll be back.
Things we won't miss
Ann: Although I learned to have an appreciation for the roles of woman and men within the Moroccan culture and an even greater appreciation for the work being done to improve opportunities for women and education, it is still very much a challenge to think about how long it would take for all to truly feel there are equal opportunities for women and men, when today 60 % of the entire country’s women population are illiterate and have not received any type of education past the 8th grade level. I think it is a difficult challenge to overcome and I simply find it as a disadvantage and difficult to see the inequality driven most often by family choice and the continued societal perceptions of woman’s roles to be within the home and man’s roles to be in the outside world.
Taylor: Bread. While the food was delicious, eating so much bread with it did get tiring after a while. Especially as someone who doesn’t eat bread frequently, I was done having bread (and lots of it) with every meal of the day. Also, lesson planning. I enjoyed teaching and my students, but being in charge of what they were learning is incredibly stressful. Especially because so many answers to questions about the English language is “because it is” or “I honestly have no idea.” Especially with the beginners, because what you're teaching then is the foundation of their language skills – which means that you can’t show up and just have a conversation with the students about some topic or give them reading comprehension assignments – you need to teach them the basics and determining what the most important of the many many basics are is very difficult.
Taylor: Bread. While the food was delicious, eating so much bread with it did get tiring after a while. Especially as someone who doesn’t eat bread frequently, I was done having bread (and lots of it) with every meal of the day. Also, lesson planning. I enjoyed teaching and my students, but being in charge of what they were learning is incredibly stressful. Especially because so many answers to questions about the English language is “because it is” or “I honestly have no idea.” Especially with the beginners, because what you're teaching then is the foundation of their language skills – which means that you can’t show up and just have a conversation with the students about some topic or give them reading comprehension assignments – you need to teach them the basics and determining what the most important of the many many basics are is very difficult.
Cats of Morocco
It didn't take long after arriving in Morocco to realize that cats seem to be the national animal. They're everywhere. So after about the first... 3 days of seeing them every place we went, I decided to start taking pictures of them. So here's a collection of 45 Moroccan cats.
- Taylor
- Taylor
Recommendation for Others
Anyone considering learning more about Morocco, it’s Islamic culture, the Berber, Roman, French and Spanish historical influences, the study of design and architecture, and finds enjoyment in food, I would highly encourage a trip to Morocco. The choice of us doing this assignment here in Morocco was a great educational immersion for us and we enjoyed every bit of it. If anyone is considering doing a volunteer assignment here in Morocco, I would highly recommend the teaching English assignment, as it is so rewarding to teach students and adult students who are so eager to learn. It also teaches you so much about the culture and the people, it is a wonderful educational exchange. For anyone just considering travel, the cities like Fes and Marrakesh should be definite visits on the list as well as I would add the coastal city of Essaouira and the mountain city of Chefchouen for two quick stops. We also visited Tangier and Casablanca which I am glad we did, but if we were on a tight travel schedule, I would skip. While going to Fes, as you would be in the Middle Atlas mountains, I would spend an extra day to visit the Roman ruins of Volubilis and the city of Meknes. The city of Rabat where we lived for our assignment was a great place to live as it was the most westernized and the English language was most prevalent, so if I was going back for an extended period of time, I would again stay in Rabat, but if I was just traveling for 2 weeks or so, I would not add it. And of course, the number one thing everyone should experience in Morocco is a camel trek in the Sahara.
Final Thoughts: Ann
Morocco was a country and a culture I knew very little about and I was so intrigued to learn about it’s history, language, religion and culture. I am pleased and surprised how much I learned in 8 weeks and I have a much greater appreciation for the strength of family, the strong religious influence on day to day living and the resistance of the Berbers to the Romans, French and Spanish as they tried diligently to make Morocco part of their own. All of these influences certainly shape the culture in remaining adaptable, accepting, and quite independent. In thinking about describing Morocco and as I wrote “accept what is as God’s intent”, I thought about the many people we met who carried this somewhat casual but committed, laid back but intentional attitude about life where accepting all that you have and all that you experience to the purpose of what is intended for you, you really get a feeling of genuineness in the way the Moroccan people accept you for what you are and the experience we are having together whether its for 10 minutes or 6 weeks, they are thankful for having had met you and for that experience.
Final Thoughts: Taylor
It’s really hard for me to write final thoughts for Morocco. In the 8 weeks we spent there I absolutely fell in love with the country and the people. I didn’t know much going into our time there, mostly that I loved the architectural design details everywhere and the mint tea (and it’s so much better in Morocco). It’s hard to put into words how much I came to appreciate the simple day-to-day activities as well as the exciting weekend trips we were able to take. I loved the people, especially my students, and think they may be the nicest collective people that I’ve come across. Leaving China, I felt critical of the country’s overall inability to transition into a modern country and in Morocco I felt the exact opposite. Morocco is a country in transition and it feels like it. There were no out of place cars or people acting as something they aren’t. Change is in the air, but it isn’t racing towards the finish line of modernization. It’s accepting the change as it comes and not trying to be something that it isn’t. Maybe that’s what I loved the most: Morocco is genuine. Whether it’s the people you meet on the street, the culture itself, or the feeling behind every interaction, it feels comfortable. It almost feels like home.