A Moroccan Experience - part 1
Journey to my ancestral homeland
by Elsa
So I
just got home from a weeklong school trip to Morocco, and I’m back with
stories, a semi-tan (that will 100% be guaranteed to fade by the middle of the
week), and Moroccan souvenirs to remind me of how much I need to go back and
visit.
AND SO IT BEGINS.
SATURDAY, May 11th 2013
I
had to wake up bright and early in order to arrive at the Aberdeen Airport on
time – to be specific, 3 in the morning. Now, everyone who knows me also knows
that I’m not a morning person.
Meaning:
I’m like the she-devil.
The
minute my alarm went off, so did my good humor. It literally vanished and I was
basically doing my last-minute packing and clearing up like a zombie. I don’t
like talking. I don’t like smiling. I don’t like interaction.
Fast-forward
to the airport; I could’ve sworn I’d be the first one there since we arrived
exactly at 4:30am, as we were supposed to, but in actual fact … I was the last.
After waiting in line and checking my duffel bag all the way to Casablanca, I
bid my parents farewell and made the long trip to Morocco, stopping by a 3-hour
layover in Paris.
Once
we reached Casablanca, my excitement began starting up again. The airplane
journey definitely wore me out a little bit, but being hit by sunshine and warm
weather lifted my spirits by a lot, and I was eager to start going around
markets and hiking up mountains.
However,
the 3-hour long bus ride wore me out again and all I wanted was to fall asleep
by the time we reached Hotel Foucauld in Marrakech. Our tour guide for the
trip, the lovely Ali, had other ideas though. He wanted us to go change into
something more suited for the climate before going around the souk, or market place.
The
sites were incredible – the whole thing is like a labyrinth and you could
easily get lost if you weren’t familiar with the place. We had to go in groups
of five or less, each with a teacher in charge, just so that we wouldn’t get
lost. There would be spices in one place, antiques in another, and fabrics in
another; it was literally the most exhilarating experience.
Then
of course, we got to the food stalls and got hunted down by a bunch of
different stall vendors trying to convince us to eat – that was definitely an
experience.
Let’s
just say they wanted to trade a bunch of us and give our teacher camels in
return.
(Just
for the record, he turned that offer down)
SUNDAY, May 12th 2013
We
began the hiking part of our trip up the Atlas Mountains, and this part always
feels a little bit blurry for me.
Just
so you know, exercise has never been
my strong point. Neither have heights. I’ve always suffered a little bit from
vertigo and being in high altitudes – they always make me dizzy. But on a
positive note, the uphill walks for this day weren’t very scary to begin with;
they were just tiring and long.
I
did get to ride a mule however, along with two other classmates, and that was a
bonus!
I
felt lazy, I admit.
But
still.
I
can’t just turn that kind of offer down, let’s just be honest here.
After
riding the mule and walking uphill for about two hours, Ali introduced us to
our next tour guide, someone who would be joining us for the remainder of the
trip. His name was Abdul and he lived high up on the mountain, near to the
village of Imlil.
I
adored the head covering he wore, and he was incredibly friendly. He spoke both
English and French, as well as Arabic, and he would always inform us of
landmarks we passed. He offered us water along the way and would always ask if
any of us had any questions for him. Then he led us to this grassy area under
the trees and the shade, before setting down mats for us to eat lunch.
LUNCH
WAS BRILLIANT.
It
was basically a huge platter of different vegetables, tuna, and couscous, with
fish on the side and glasses of water and Moroccan mint tea. That was the
highlight of course – the tea.
It
was amazing. I probably had about
three or four cups of it, that’s how much I enjoyed it.
After
we rested fully for about an hour, we continued the uphill trek until we
reached this little house where we would spend the night in.
All the girls
stayed in one room with mattresses lying on the floor, while the boys slept in
a separate room. The teachers would sleep in the hallway between the two rooms
– acting as the guards to make sure we wouldn’t sneak out in the middle of the
night, I assumed.
Now
normally, I really don’t like sharing a room with a lot of other people, but
there was this sense of coziness to the whole thing, so I actually didn’t mind
so much!
