Morocco 2012!: Tea, beach and birthday parties!

This weekend was crazy. It was spent trying to balance the time between my host family, learning Arabic, and exploring the city. I managed to get to the beach both Saturday and Sunday morning with my host dad, brother and sister. I’m pretty sure I could have gotten away with wearing my conservative bathing suit, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention to myself than I already do. The number of cat calls any given female can get during the course of a day, is unbelievable. Talk about machismo. Anyways, being able to bond with my host dad was really nice, and I’m really surprised exactly how involved he is with the family. A lot of my friends, their dad eats separate, and there is clearly a separation even within the household of men and women. My family seems to be fairly “modern” is a lot of ways.

Haytem, Marwa and Host Papa

The View from the beach and Hassan Tower

Haytem, Marwa and Me

We also, during our walks, went looking for an internet modem. Twice, we had to stop and ask for directions. Both times, the people we asked, went out of their way to walk us to where we were going. Now I know, that when I’m walking downtown at home, if someone walked by and asked me for directions, very rarely would I have gone out of my way to walk them to where they needed to be. The fact that these people took the time out of their day to walk with us and make sure we got where we needed to be, was fabulous. (Because it seems in Morocco, they have a very different sense of distance than we do in the U.S. What they call a five minute walk, is really about twenty)

One of the most memorable experiences of this weekend however was very unexpected. A friend and I were walking around the Medina, near my house, and walked by an open door where there was a very loud party going on. Kelly stopped to ask some gentlemen what was going on, and immediately they invited us in. It was a birthday party for a little girl, she was turning one. There was a DJ, and all sorts of people of all ages dancing on the floor to a mix of traditional Moroccan music, newer music, the Macarena, Lady Gaga and Pit Bull. They sat us down and offered us tea and cookies right away. After we finished our tea, we were promptly told to come and dance with them. We were introduced to the entire family, including a very elderly woman who was thrilled to have two American students interested in learning about their traditions. Although most of the women were still dressed traditionally, they were certainly enjoying themselves and dancing like there was no tomorrow. We were even invited to dinner and to stay late into the evening with the party because “In Morocco, we welcome everyone.” They certainly did make us feel welcome, and there was nothing awkward about dancing with women I had never met before. Eventually, we did have to leave because our own host families would be getting worried. It was truly a fabulous experience, especially because I found it so shocking. These people were just so excited to have us interested in what was going on, they wanted us to be part of the family. In the U.S I feel like very rarely is there a sense of community like that. They just exude an attitude of hospitality, everyone is their neighbor. I’m sure there are families that wouldn’t have been as welcoming, but in general, all of my experiences here have been heartwarming. I can’t think of a single time where, if I stopped and asked a person in the U.S, why there was a party, that they would invited me in for dinner and for dancing just so I could have the experience. The environment here is completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced.

The wonderful people I was dancing with

A very unhappy birthday girl

One of my lovely dance partners

Me and Kelly

After all was said and done, we also went out for another friends birthday and had fabulous treats at local cafes. We also tried sugar cane water with lime, which was a bit on the overwhelming side. I got to experience a taxi; which I must say was terrifying. Their rules of the road (or lack there of) is very different than anything I’m used to. Slowly I’m beginning to process and reflect on everything that’s happening, it’s just been so overwhelming this past week. But I wouldn’t change any of it.

Me, Ronja and Leah celebrating Ronja's birthday :)