Merzouga
The Sahara desert awaited us on a hot Friday afternoon. And when I say hot, I mean HOT. Like an oven. The Sahara desert was very different from the Wadi Rum desert in Jordan. The sand dunes shape the landscape of the Sahara and camel shadows dance on them, some seemingly stretching for 100 yards. We climbed a steep sand dune to watch the sunrise after spending a night in tents shielded from the sand. Unfortunately we had a full moon and missed breathtaking stars like those in the Jordan desert, but we had a night a dancing and music, the moonlight enough to light up our entire camp.
We visited some small towns the next day, buying brightly colored-dyed fabrics, henna for our hair, cinnamon sticks and other spices, tarnished silver jewelry, and natural soaps. The shopkeepers answered all our curious questions about Merzouga (I admit, it was at first a boring class assignment that became one of my favorite parts of the trip). We were able to swim in hotel swimming pools, make frequent stops and meet other foreign groups. We had Sahara desert “pizza” and met other foreigners along the way. On the bus rides we made stops at a oasis, a monkey sanctuary, and cliffsides where the French had dug tunnels to pave roadways during colonial times.
Asilah
By far the best weekend we’ve had in Morocco...two months doesn’t give you much time to see a lot, especially when you’re studying Arabic inside from 10 to 7 everyday! Our adventure in Asilah started with a quaint riad-style hotel right inside the old city. A friendly innkeeper and soon-to-be friend showed us inside, walls full of modern art, rooms with windows opening into the atrium, and a blue painted rooftop. We quickly hurried down through the old medina, admiring the artwork on display from Asilah’s art and culture festival that was ending soon. We caught the sunset, grabbed a bite to eat (French omelettes, couscous, and juice) and hurried back to the hotel where our host offered to bring us out to a small gathering.
At the gathering met foreigners and more Moroccans, ready with acoustic guitars and drums. We sang for the entire evening. My roommate provided her lovely voice to a rendition of "Adele’s Someone Like You," as a new Moroccan friend added a Spanish-style rap between the choruses. We drank mohitos and spoke Darija, Modern Standard Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, meeting foreigners and making Moroccan friends. Could we have asked for anything better?
The next day a grand taxi driver brought us to a place called Paradise Beach, where one of our new Moroccan friends owned a kiosk and restaurant. We drove through Asilah’s fruit farmlands, talking to our driver about the small city of Asilah. The water was beautiful and clear and a family of camels roamed up and down the beach. We had lounge chairs to nap in and ate some of the most delicious Moroccan food: kofte and fish tagine, with fish that had just been caught by one of our friends who had gone spearfishing. We bought old-fashioned donuts, nuts, and ice cream from vendors and swam comfortably in our western bathing suits. We came straight back the next day.
We bought artwork in Asilah, fresh figs, and traditional dresses. The city is so small that we ran into the same people, vendors, our BnB hosts, and new friends every hour. We were sad to leave, Asilah really is a special place in Morocco that I hope to visit again someday.
Final Weeks in Meknes
We had a fun end-of-the-semester talent show which proved to be a nice break from our studies. Two classmates and I performed Aladdin’s “A Whole New World” with violin and voice in Egyptian Arabic, which you can find video of on my Facebook. Our language partners turned-new friends came with us to the souk so we could buys gifts of jelabbas, tea pots, jewelry, spices and tea, tagines, soaps, carpets, and art. The girls even invited us to their home and served lunch, which was so kind and thoughtful - I’ll miss my new Moroccan friends. Moroccans are so warm and welcoming. I have felt at ease making conversation with shop owners and taxi drivers, something I always felt uneasy about in other places I’ve been. Moroccans always go our of their way to help you and making friends is easier that I ever thought it would be.
It’s safe to say that I really loved Morocco, so much that I’m considering returning quite soon! I really have only seen a few areas and Morocco deserves more time to be explored, more time than two months permits. Maybe I’ll be back soon?
As for the program, I have never had such amazing Arabic instruction or met such wonderful people at the center in Meknes or on a program like CLS. It has been a pleasure and a gift to get to know every one of my CLS peers, the resident director, language partners, teachers, and administrative and security personnel. Two months went by incredibly fast and I will be forever grateful for the experiences. My Arabic has improved immensely thanks to the teachers and all the students who seriously kept up the language pledge for two months straight.
But…as always, all good things must come to an end. It’s time to go home! I’m ready for my next adventure!