Did you know that Casablanca is the industry capital of Morocco? Did you know that Marakech is the tourism capital of Morocco? Did you know that the political capital of Morocco is Rabat? Did you know that the official business language of Morocco is French, yet Arabic and Berber are also extremely prominent languages in the nation? Did you know that everyone in Morocco is required to take both Arabic and French while in school and then later must choose a third language once they get to secondary school?
One thing about SAS and going to all different countries is that you learn the “break-down” of the countries. How they work, where people live, and what languages/customs are commonplace. Being from the U.S. we almost expect everyone to know English. While many people do know English, they also usually know at least one other language fluently and a third or fourth proficiently. Our guide on the city orientation knew Arabic, French, and English and utilized every one of them throughout our tour. City orientations take place in each of the countries we go to and give you a taste of what the port city is like as well as the country as a whole. Throughout our tour we got to see many interesting parts of the city. We saw the castle that the king stays in when he visits Casablanca as well as special minarets. Our last historic stop was the Hassan II mosque which I returned to later on in the week. Nyah, our guide, was very open about the Muslim faith and encouraged us to ask lots of questions. She spoke to us about Ramadan which ended while we were in Morocco. Nyah explained to us that not all were required to partake in the fast, namely the elderly and children, also women that are pregnant and up to 40 days after having a child. There are also other exceptions as well. Also, if one were to break the fast, they have to make it up on another day following Ramadan. We also learned about the king of Morocco as well. He is very forward thinking and does much to take care of his people. He was also the first king to bring his wife out to the public, and also only has one wife. These two things are setting precedence for the future. His wife also accompanies him on many of his trips and does many things on her own. This also sets precedence for women. Women in Morocco, unlike other Muslim countries, are not required to cover their heads or faces. In fact, the women there cannot be judged based on what they wear. As Muslim women, they are also not required to walk with a man and if a man were to want a second wife, he must ask permission of the first wife. Women are also beginning to become more prominent in the workplace and in fact, Nyah, is one of four women tour guides in all of Morocco. At the end of our tour, we had the chance to visit a local government store. The interesting part about this store, as Nyah explained, is that everything in there has set prices. Much of Morocco works on the barter system. In the government store, you would not barter; you may get a discount if you pay in cash versus card, or something of the sort. You are also guaranteed quality when you buy from the government store. Often times, in the market, the quality is not the best, or you could buy one thing on the pretense that it is another. The employees in the store were also very nice and helpful and did not push you into buying items. They help you when you need help, carry your items should you not be able to hold it all, and they explain the different items in the store, such as the argon oil which is very important to the Moroccan government.
Overall, the Casablanca orientation was really interesting. Some of the city orientations tend to be boring and really touristy. However, being very unfamiliar with Morocco and also being warned about it, I felt much more comfortable after the fact and knowing how things work. One of the cool things about the trip as well…I met a few people that would go on the Marakech/Ziplining Trip which was awesome because I then had people to spend the day with the next day.
That night, I went out with a group of people. Our group consisted of 3 females and 2 guys. You’re probably thinking…bad idea...and guess what? so was I, at first. Our group originally was walking in a horizontal line and as we got closer to the market place and where the crowds were, we bunched up. We also tended to walk on guy in front and one behind. For the most part, it felt relatively safe; however, it was definitely different. Walking through NYC at night, many know that you should be aware and pay attention to your surroundings and what is going on around y. However, in Morocco, throughout my entire time there, and especially at night in that market place, I was hyper aware. Touch: hand on bag at all times, hands ready to grab someone in your party should you get a little too far away from them. Taste: trying the mint tea that is such a rich part of the Moroccan culture and also testing some of the foods. Sight: making sure your party is still together, keeping an eye on the people that are watching you, noticing the cafes/bars where there are several dozen men with their chairs all turned towards the street and watching, knowing that you are being targeted as obliviously different. Smell: breathing in the different smells of the country, the food, the spices for sale, smelling the dirtiness , and musky smell. Hearing: listening at all that’s going on around, who’s speaking English, Arabic, French, who can be communicated with should you need something, the whistles/catcalls that one of the girls in the party gets b/c she’s blond and therefore different. Nighttime Casablanca proved to be very different from daytimes Casablanca. I was definitely able to appreciate the city more after experiencing both aspects of the city.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Birthday Port
So I am skipping over part 2 of Spain for the time being. We have a week of sailing so I will catch up then. I am going to start on Morocco now or as my LLC called it: My Birthday Port! We weren’t supposed to arrive in Morocco until September 10th. As I mentioned in my last blog, we didn’t have the planned reading day and I have spent little time on the ship so it’s been super busy. Also, Morocco is a place that just makes you feel tired.
First impressions of Morocco: hot, dusty, dirty, busy, exposed, unpredictable. Morocco turned out to be all of that and so much more. Spain felt safe; in Morocco I was hyper away of my surrounding and every person around me. Before every port we have cultural and diplomatic pre-port ship wide meetings. The length of time they take and how much emphasis is put on certain aspects depends on the country. In Morocco, much emphasis was put on our safety and what we should be aware of while traveling. Overall, the country does not seem to have a favorable impression of the US; however, as individuals they are extremely hospitable and would do anything and everything they could to help you. Throughout my time here, I only met a few people that I thought were a little shady. Casablanca in particular was much more hectic and you had to be much more aware of whom you were with and what you were doing at all times.
When we first arrived in Morocco we were given a diplomatic briefing by men that work for the US consulate. They told us about when they do for their jobs and what their jobs entailed. They were really helpful in telling us what to be aware of, where to go, and just gave us some tidbits about the country. It was something new to hear American voices that did not belong to someone on SAS. The other cool thing about Morocco was that a lot of people here speak/understand English to a certain degree. Many of the people can speak both French and Arabic fluently and some English. It’s funny traveling from country to country seeing what languages people on the ship know. Walking around it was definitely helpful to have friends that were able to communicate with the locals even when I couldn’t.
I ended up having to leave the briefing early due to a trip that I was going on with SAS. This trip turned out to be the highlight of my time in Morocco and not just because it was my birthday. We departed from the port and took a 25min. or so bus ride to an American style school, the George Washington Academy. This school was interesting and something that I did not expect to find in Morocco. The tuition of the school was about $6,000U.S. dollars per year and these students were a part of the upper class. It spanned grades K-12 and had about 400 students. Their day consisted of 60% English, 30% French, and 10% Arabic. Throughout the day, the students were required to switch languages at the appropriate times. Many of the teachers came from the U.S., Canada and other parts of the Americas, as well as France and Saudi Arabia. There were teachers from all over the world here and it was an experience to be able to see something so different.
Following our visit to GWA, we got back in the buses for another 25min. car ride. This time we were going to an SOS Children’s Village. The SOS organization is absolutely remarkable. It was started in Austria after WWII for children that were orphaned/displaced as a result of the war. Since then, it has grown into a worldwide organization. Morocco alone is home to five SOS villages. The village we went to had eleven homes, a pre-school, a main school/work building and another building where they would also do work/hang out. There was also a large circular “square” that was set up in a way that they could play sports such as basketball or soccer or have performances. It was similar to an arena in that surrounding about half of the area were concrete bleachers that the children could hang out/watch something from. During the first half of our visit we took a tour of the village. We visited the one of one of the mothers. She had 9 children in her home including one of the “babies” of the village. The girl was 7 and her “mother” got her when she was one month old. During this time, the youngest child in the village is 5 because they are unable to take any more children since they are already filled to capacity. As children that are there grow up and move out, the village will be able to accept more children. The village “moms” give up so much to be a part of these children’s lives and are exemplary individuals. In order to be a mom they must sign a contract saying that they are not married/will not marry, they also cannot have young children. If they have children, they must be able to live on their own/care for themselves. There is also a “father” of the village. He acts as a sort of overseer/principle when it comes to schooling, care, etc. of the children. It was amazing how close knit the whole entire community is. Everyone there had a place and a purpose it seemed.
The last hour or so at the village was spent playing with the children. One of the dependent children from our voyage Ryder went on the voyage. He’s four years old with bright blond hair and big green eyes. Ryder was the polar opposite of all the children in the village. Not only was it different for him, but it was different for the children there. They would go up and touch his hair and just stair at him. Ryder in turn would go up to them and just start poking them in the face and touching them. It proved that children really do not need a common language in order to get along. Observing Ryder with the village children proved that we really do not know how to dislike others until we “learn” that this is how it’s supposed to be. While all the college students were hesitant to do anything with the children at first, he was set to dive in. Once “play time” began, there was no need for language. I played a game of football (soccer) with another SAS student and various children from the village. There was one boy who played with us for 90% of the time we were playing. Playing with the children was so much fun. They were so happy just to have the chance to spend time with us and they made my birthday amazing. When it came time for us to leave, the children were chasing us down and then chasing our buses. There were lots of hugs and kisses and they did not want us to leave. It was sad to have to leave such a happy place. I was also stuck by that as well. All the children there seemed so happy. The younger one were both looked after and bullied by the older children. Something else that was funny was the fact that once the children were older and had moved out, when they found someone they wanted to marry, they had to return back to their “mom” in order to make sure that she approved of whomever they had chosen. It was such a tightknit community that even though I was only there for a few hours I felt as though I was a party of their family. I learned so much about the true meaning of life, and love, and family. I will be visiting another SOS children’s village when I go to Mauritius and I am excited to help out at the organization again especially in a different country. It was amazing how a single day in a new country could leave such an impression. I will never forget the faces of the kids I met that day. Much of this was enhanced by the fact that I did not bring a camera. So often we get caught up in our life’s and taking pictures of everything that we see. By not taking any pictures and focusing solely on the kids I was able to get a lot more out of it than I believe I would normally have. Although I do have pictures of myself with the kids, I believe that I will better be able to remember that day without having to look back at them.
Side note: we’re back on the ship travelling to Ghana. On top of getting back into the swing of classes, I am also involved in on-ship activities as well. All the students have a lot of catching up to do on schoolwork, blogs, and general life. It may take me a few days to catch up on everything but I am going to do my best to have my blog completely up to day before we arrive in Ghana.
First impressions of Morocco: hot, dusty, dirty, busy, exposed, unpredictable. Morocco turned out to be all of that and so much more. Spain felt safe; in Morocco I was hyper away of my surrounding and every person around me. Before every port we have cultural and diplomatic pre-port ship wide meetings. The length of time they take and how much emphasis is put on certain aspects depends on the country. In Morocco, much emphasis was put on our safety and what we should be aware of while traveling. Overall, the country does not seem to have a favorable impression of the US; however, as individuals they are extremely hospitable and would do anything and everything they could to help you. Throughout my time here, I only met a few people that I thought were a little shady. Casablanca in particular was much more hectic and you had to be much more aware of whom you were with and what you were doing at all times.
When we first arrived in Morocco we were given a diplomatic briefing by men that work for the US consulate. They told us about when they do for their jobs and what their jobs entailed. They were really helpful in telling us what to be aware of, where to go, and just gave us some tidbits about the country. It was something new to hear American voices that did not belong to someone on SAS. The other cool thing about Morocco was that a lot of people here speak/understand English to a certain degree. Many of the people can speak both French and Arabic fluently and some English. It’s funny traveling from country to country seeing what languages people on the ship know. Walking around it was definitely helpful to have friends that were able to communicate with the locals even when I couldn’t.
I ended up having to leave the briefing early due to a trip that I was going on with SAS. This trip turned out to be the highlight of my time in Morocco and not just because it was my birthday. We departed from the port and took a 25min. or so bus ride to an American style school, the George Washington Academy. This school was interesting and something that I did not expect to find in Morocco. The tuition of the school was about $6,000U.S. dollars per year and these students were a part of the upper class. It spanned grades K-12 and had about 400 students. Their day consisted of 60% English, 30% French, and 10% Arabic. Throughout the day, the students were required to switch languages at the appropriate times. Many of the teachers came from the U.S., Canada and other parts of the Americas, as well as France and Saudi Arabia. There were teachers from all over the world here and it was an experience to be able to see something so different.
Following our visit to GWA, we got back in the buses for another 25min. car ride. This time we were going to an SOS Children’s Village. The SOS organization is absolutely remarkable. It was started in Austria after WWII for children that were orphaned/displaced as a result of the war. Since then, it has grown into a worldwide organization. Morocco alone is home to five SOS villages. The village we went to had eleven homes, a pre-school, a main school/work building and another building where they would also do work/hang out. There was also a large circular “square” that was set up in a way that they could play sports such as basketball or soccer or have performances. It was similar to an arena in that surrounding about half of the area were concrete bleachers that the children could hang out/watch something from. During the first half of our visit we took a tour of the village. We visited the one of one of the mothers. She had 9 children in her home including one of the “babies” of the village. The girl was 7 and her “mother” got her when she was one month old. During this time, the youngest child in the village is 5 because they are unable to take any more children since they are already filled to capacity. As children that are there grow up and move out, the village will be able to accept more children. The village “moms” give up so much to be a part of these children’s lives and are exemplary individuals. In order to be a mom they must sign a contract saying that they are not married/will not marry, they also cannot have young children. If they have children, they must be able to live on their own/care for themselves. There is also a “father” of the village. He acts as a sort of overseer/principle when it comes to schooling, care, etc. of the children. It was amazing how close knit the whole entire community is. Everyone there had a place and a purpose it seemed.
The last hour or so at the village was spent playing with the children. One of the dependent children from our voyage Ryder went on the voyage. He’s four years old with bright blond hair and big green eyes. Ryder was the polar opposite of all the children in the village. Not only was it different for him, but it was different for the children there. They would go up and touch his hair and just stair at him. Ryder in turn would go up to them and just start poking them in the face and touching them. It proved that children really do not need a common language in order to get along. Observing Ryder with the village children proved that we really do not know how to dislike others until we “learn” that this is how it’s supposed to be. While all the college students were hesitant to do anything with the children at first, he was set to dive in. Once “play time” began, there was no need for language. I played a game of football (soccer) with another SAS student and various children from the village. There was one boy who played with us for 90% of the time we were playing. Playing with the children was so much fun. They were so happy just to have the chance to spend time with us and they made my birthday amazing. When it came time for us to leave, the children were chasing us down and then chasing our buses. There were lots of hugs and kisses and they did not want us to leave. It was sad to have to leave such a happy place. I was also stuck by that as well. All the children there seemed so happy. The younger one were both looked after and bullied by the older children. Something else that was funny was the fact that once the children were older and had moved out, when they found someone they wanted to marry, they had to return back to their “mom” in order to make sure that she approved of whomever they had chosen. It was such a tightknit community that even though I was only there for a few hours I felt as though I was a party of their family. I learned so much about the true meaning of life, and love, and family. I will be visiting another SOS children’s village when I go to Mauritius and I am excited to help out at the organization again especially in a different country. It was amazing how a single day in a new country could leave such an impression. I will never forget the faces of the kids I met that day. Much of this was enhanced by the fact that I did not bring a camera. So often we get caught up in our life’s and taking pictures of everything that we see. By not taking any pictures and focusing solely on the kids I was able to get a lot more out of it than I believe I would normally have. Although I do have pictures of myself with the kids, I believe that I will better be able to remember that day without having to look back at them.
Side note: we’re back on the ship travelling to Ghana. On top of getting back into the swing of classes, I am also involved in on-ship activities as well. All the students have a lot of catching up to do on schoolwork, blogs, and general life. It may take me a few days to catch up on everything but I am going to do my best to have my blog completely up to day before we arrive in Ghana.
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