Just a quick post.
Family arrived on Monday afternoon after a long delay at the Heathrow due to the weather in Madrid. They escaped the US before the storm hit in the east. We were in Madrid until yesterday morning and arrived in Valencia around 3 by train. We're seeing lots of things--and they are taking a TON of pictures. Hopefully I can get one of them to write up a post tomorrow night. Merry Christmas to all!!!!
p.s. Italy was great too--look for a blog on that later!!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Viaje a Marruecos (Trip to Morocco)
**This blog entry is incredibly long. It will be necessary to sit down with some coffee/hot cocoa/eggnog and Christmas cookies in order to read in one sitting!**
On Wednesday, I returned to Valencia after a week long trip to Morocco.
Simply put, the trip was indescribable. In fact, the whole trip feels like a dream. I still can’t understand how it is real and that I saw and experienced all the things that I did. It was a truly unique experience, and it is a trip that I never imagined taking. The experiences that I had there already have left a lasting impression in my mind. It’s hard to me to write about everything—but I will give it a try. Words can’t really describe it—and the pictures don’t do it justice. (The pictures are up—you NEED to look at them)
A quick rundown of our time in Morocco. We left Sevilla, Spain on Thursday morning at like 4 am—taking a bus to the Straight of Gibraltar—then taking a ferry—then getting back on the bus and going to Fes. We stayed in Fes on Thursday and Friday nights. On Friday we toured the Medina and also saw a folklore show. On Saturday, we got back in the bus and drove to Erfoud. Once we arrived in Erfoud, we took Jeeps (4x4s) into the Sahara Desert. We spent Saturday and Sunday nights in the desert. On Sunday we rode camels, climbed sand dunes, and visited a little town. On Monday, we went back to Erfoud, then took the bus to Meknes. We spent that night in Meknes, and on Tuesday, we returned to Sevilla. I spent Tuesday night at a hostel in Sevilla with all the Valencia people who went—then I flew back to Valencia on Wednesday afternoon.
There were about 60 kids on the trip from the Barcelona, Santander, and Valencia ISA programs. There were 9 of us from Valencia---me, Marli, Jessica, Val, Rosy, Maddy, Nikki, John, and Andrew. There were 2 from Santander, and the rest were from Barcelona. ISA has 3 separate programs in Barcelona, and they are all really big (100+ kids in 2 of the programs). Of the 3 Valencia ISA directors, our head director, Manuel, accompanied us on the trip. Now a little bit about the trip itself.
Fes
We arrived in Fes after a very long day of traveling. After dinner the first night, I went out to walk around with some people. There were 4 guys and 5 girls in our group. Walking around Fes, we were stared at a lot because we were girls out walking at night. I think it’s probably important to say that Fes is the religious capital of Morocco, so they are very conservative there. Almost all the women have their heads covered when they are out, and they do not walk around at night. I felt somewhat awkward that night walking around, because we got so many strange expressions from people. Walking past cafes, all the people inside were men. It was my first time really seeing Muslim culture, and it was an interesting experience.
On Friday we went to the Medina in Fes. The Medina is basically a giant market place. The older walled city in Fes where the Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Medina is believed to be the world’s largest contiguous car-free urban area. There are no cars in the Medina—they use donkeys and carts to move things around. The streets of the Medina are very narrow, and it is incredibly easy to get lost in the Medina. I almost felt like I was stepping into a different time period. We stopped at a few main shops in the Medina. Our first stop was at a Pharmacy/Apothecary. The pharmacist was the 5th generation in his family to run the pharmacy. It was not your traditional pharmacy, it dealt more with herbs and oils than with pills. We got to try our a lot of things….lipstick made from hemlock, different essential oils (jasmine, white musk, rose), spices (saffron, cinnamon, cumin), and some special items that were supposed to cure ailments. There was this one mix that was supposed to get rid of your allergies, stop a cold, stop you from snoring, and improve your health—just by smelling it. We all got a little whiff of it, and it burned when you smelled it! Then we also went to tannery. The tannery was fascinating because they dyed the leather there too—standing on one of the balconies, we looked over this vast field filled with stone vats that were filled with dye. We were given fresh mint at the door to help with the smell—as a lot of the dyes are made from odd substances, like camel pee. It did smell quite bad there. There were many different types of skins—camel, sheep, goat, cow, etc. We also went to a Moroccan rug shop where they displayed 20 plus rugs for us as a group before taking us in smaller groups to other rooms and trying to get us to buy rugs. All day we were told that we would get the “special student price.” At the rug shop, our personal salesman told us that a small rug (roughly 5x3) would cost us 350 US dollars. But they liked to barter, and by the time we were leaving the room, we had got him down to 2 rugs for 100 US dollars. I was seriously tempted when he made that last offer, but I decided against it. After a lunch of couscous and oranges, we went to a fabric shop where they sold bedlinens and turbans and scarfs and fabric for all sorts of things. All the fabric was high quality and handmade, so the items were a little pricy. It was neat though to see how everything was being made. Then we went to a ceramic shop and got to see how they made some mosaics. We saw a lot of things and by the time we got back to the hotel, we were exhausted. That night we went to a folklore show. There was music, belly dancing, and a magician…and it was a lot of fun. During one part of the night, we looked over and saw Manuel (our director) talking with someone and pointing at all of us. A few minutes later, a woman came and took John and Nikki away. Then they appeared a while later sporting traditional Moroccan wedding clothes, and they were paraded around the room. It was quite funny.
The Sahara Desert
Being in the desert was my favorite part of the trip. We arrived at dusk and weren’t really able to see much. After dinner, we bundled up (as it was very very cold) and headed out to look at the stars. We climbed the sand dunes and watched the stars—then we got to see the moon rise. The next morning we were awoken to watch the sunrise. I didn’t want to miss it, so I quickly put on my shoes and walked out of the tent. We hiked up a lot of dunes before we sat to watch the sunrise—it was a little exhausted because just minutes before I had been sound asleep! The sunrise was beautiful. It had brightened up and then the sun slowly came over the dunes in the distance. It was so beautiful. That day after breakfast, the camels arrived at camp. We went out riding on camels to a giant dune, which we proceeded to climb (without the camels—they rested down below). The view from the top of the giant dune was breaktaking. I could see for miles and miles, and it was just peaceful. It was a place that I never could have imagined. Riding on the camels was a lot of fun. Marli and I shared a camel and named her “Nona.” We aren’t really sure if Nona was a boy or a girl, but we say she was a girl. It was a little bumpy at times, especially when you first got on. When we got on Nona, she was laying on the ground—then once we were sitting, they had her stand up. She gets her back legs up first—so for a minute or two, we were at a 45 degree angle looking at the ground (a little scary)—then she would get up on her front feet as well. We visited a small town nearby and had the afternoon to ourselves to play and enjoy the desert. It was a lot of fun. That night I watched the stars again. The stars were the best stars I had ever seen—and the greatest quantity of stars as well. I’m going to write a little bit more about that experience later.
Bus Rides and Meknes
After our time in the desert, we went to Meknes. We just spent the night there, but I did walk the streets with some friends that night. It was similar to Fes being that all the cafes were filled with men—but the city was more modern and not so conservative religiously. I really didn’t get to see much there, but it was a nice stop. As for the bus, it was practically our second home for the trip because we were on the bus a lot. I was very thankful for Dramamine because the drivers sometimes went a little fast around some sharp turns and the roads were a little bumpy.
A Little Reflection
So that’s all I’m really going to write about Morocco—feel free to ask me question—just email/facebook me. My experience was very unique, and I did a lot of thinking on the trip. That second night in the desert when I was looking at the stars, I had a bit of a revelation that doesn’t quite make sense.
I’ve been abroad now for over 3 months. In that time I’ve been in Spain, Greece, and now Morocco. In this time, the world has started to appear a lot smaller to me. I no longer feel that the world is very big. I feel like I have the capability to go anywhere. There are different cultures and lifestyles and many different places, but it just doesn’t seem so big any more. I feel like I have more significance in the world. But then in Morocco, I laid on a sand dune and saw more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life, and frankly, I’ve never felt smaller and more insignificant than in that moment. Looking up at the stars made Earth feel small because there is so much out there—so much unknown. It was a very odd feeling, and I don’t quite understand all of these thoughts right now. But with time, I probably will start to understand more.
My whole trip thus far (since I’ve been in Spain) just feels a bit like a dream, like it isn’t real. I’ve done so many things—things that I never imagined doing. Some days I wonder how it is possible for me to do this for a year—because it is school, but at the same time, it is so much more. I’ve immersed myself in a different culture, had to adapt to using a different language, traveled to unknown places, etc. I know that I’m very blessed and lucky to have this opportunity. It just doesn’t quite make sense in my head right now.
----
I’m going to end this blog entry here. My blog entries will be a little sporadic over the upcoming month. I’ve been on Christmas vacation since December 2, and I do not start class again until January 18th. I will be traveling to Italy, France, Germany, and Norway during that time—as well as traveling in Spain with my family. Maybe you’ll see a guest blog entry from my mom, dad, or brother….who knows!?!? Feel free to email me with any questions or thoughts—I really love hearing from everyone. All for now.
On Wednesday, I returned to Valencia after a week long trip to Morocco.
Simply put, the trip was indescribable. In fact, the whole trip feels like a dream. I still can’t understand how it is real and that I saw and experienced all the things that I did. It was a truly unique experience, and it is a trip that I never imagined taking. The experiences that I had there already have left a lasting impression in my mind. It’s hard to me to write about everything—but I will give it a try. Words can’t really describe it—and the pictures don’t do it justice. (The pictures are up—you NEED to look at them)
A quick rundown of our time in Morocco. We left Sevilla, Spain on Thursday morning at like 4 am—taking a bus to the Straight of Gibraltar—then taking a ferry—then getting back on the bus and going to Fes. We stayed in Fes on Thursday and Friday nights. On Friday we toured the Medina and also saw a folklore show. On Saturday, we got back in the bus and drove to Erfoud. Once we arrived in Erfoud, we took Jeeps (4x4s) into the Sahara Desert. We spent Saturday and Sunday nights in the desert. On Sunday we rode camels, climbed sand dunes, and visited a little town. On Monday, we went back to Erfoud, then took the bus to Meknes. We spent that night in Meknes, and on Tuesday, we returned to Sevilla. I spent Tuesday night at a hostel in Sevilla with all the Valencia people who went—then I flew back to Valencia on Wednesday afternoon.
There were about 60 kids on the trip from the Barcelona, Santander, and Valencia ISA programs. There were 9 of us from Valencia---me, Marli, Jessica, Val, Rosy, Maddy, Nikki, John, and Andrew. There were 2 from Santander, and the rest were from Barcelona. ISA has 3 separate programs in Barcelona, and they are all really big (100+ kids in 2 of the programs). Of the 3 Valencia ISA directors, our head director, Manuel, accompanied us on the trip. Now a little bit about the trip itself.
Fes
We arrived in Fes after a very long day of traveling. After dinner the first night, I went out to walk around with some people. There were 4 guys and 5 girls in our group. Walking around Fes, we were stared at a lot because we were girls out walking at night. I think it’s probably important to say that Fes is the religious capital of Morocco, so they are very conservative there. Almost all the women have their heads covered when they are out, and they do not walk around at night. I felt somewhat awkward that night walking around, because we got so many strange expressions from people. Walking past cafes, all the people inside were men. It was my first time really seeing Muslim culture, and it was an interesting experience.
On Friday we went to the Medina in Fes. The Medina is basically a giant market place. The older walled city in Fes where the Medina is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the Medina is believed to be the world’s largest contiguous car-free urban area. There are no cars in the Medina—they use donkeys and carts to move things around. The streets of the Medina are very narrow, and it is incredibly easy to get lost in the Medina. I almost felt like I was stepping into a different time period. We stopped at a few main shops in the Medina. Our first stop was at a Pharmacy/Apothecary. The pharmacist was the 5th generation in his family to run the pharmacy. It was not your traditional pharmacy, it dealt more with herbs and oils than with pills. We got to try our a lot of things….lipstick made from hemlock, different essential oils (jasmine, white musk, rose), spices (saffron, cinnamon, cumin), and some special items that were supposed to cure ailments. There was this one mix that was supposed to get rid of your allergies, stop a cold, stop you from snoring, and improve your health—just by smelling it. We all got a little whiff of it, and it burned when you smelled it! Then we also went to tannery. The tannery was fascinating because they dyed the leather there too—standing on one of the balconies, we looked over this vast field filled with stone vats that were filled with dye. We were given fresh mint at the door to help with the smell—as a lot of the dyes are made from odd substances, like camel pee. It did smell quite bad there. There were many different types of skins—camel, sheep, goat, cow, etc. We also went to a Moroccan rug shop where they displayed 20 plus rugs for us as a group before taking us in smaller groups to other rooms and trying to get us to buy rugs. All day we were told that we would get the “special student price.” At the rug shop, our personal salesman told us that a small rug (roughly 5x3) would cost us 350 US dollars. But they liked to barter, and by the time we were leaving the room, we had got him down to 2 rugs for 100 US dollars. I was seriously tempted when he made that last offer, but I decided against it. After a lunch of couscous and oranges, we went to a fabric shop where they sold bedlinens and turbans and scarfs and fabric for all sorts of things. All the fabric was high quality and handmade, so the items were a little pricy. It was neat though to see how everything was being made. Then we went to a ceramic shop and got to see how they made some mosaics. We saw a lot of things and by the time we got back to the hotel, we were exhausted. That night we went to a folklore show. There was music, belly dancing, and a magician…and it was a lot of fun. During one part of the night, we looked over and saw Manuel (our director) talking with someone and pointing at all of us. A few minutes later, a woman came and took John and Nikki away. Then they appeared a while later sporting traditional Moroccan wedding clothes, and they were paraded around the room. It was quite funny.
The Sahara Desert
Being in the desert was my favorite part of the trip. We arrived at dusk and weren’t really able to see much. After dinner, we bundled up (as it was very very cold) and headed out to look at the stars. We climbed the sand dunes and watched the stars—then we got to see the moon rise. The next morning we were awoken to watch the sunrise. I didn’t want to miss it, so I quickly put on my shoes and walked out of the tent. We hiked up a lot of dunes before we sat to watch the sunrise—it was a little exhausted because just minutes before I had been sound asleep! The sunrise was beautiful. It had brightened up and then the sun slowly came over the dunes in the distance. It was so beautiful. That day after breakfast, the camels arrived at camp. We went out riding on camels to a giant dune, which we proceeded to climb (without the camels—they rested down below). The view from the top of the giant dune was breaktaking. I could see for miles and miles, and it was just peaceful. It was a place that I never could have imagined. Riding on the camels was a lot of fun. Marli and I shared a camel and named her “Nona.” We aren’t really sure if Nona was a boy or a girl, but we say she was a girl. It was a little bumpy at times, especially when you first got on. When we got on Nona, she was laying on the ground—then once we were sitting, they had her stand up. She gets her back legs up first—so for a minute or two, we were at a 45 degree angle looking at the ground (a little scary)—then she would get up on her front feet as well. We visited a small town nearby and had the afternoon to ourselves to play and enjoy the desert. It was a lot of fun. That night I watched the stars again. The stars were the best stars I had ever seen—and the greatest quantity of stars as well. I’m going to write a little bit more about that experience later.
Bus Rides and Meknes
After our time in the desert, we went to Meknes. We just spent the night there, but I did walk the streets with some friends that night. It was similar to Fes being that all the cafes were filled with men—but the city was more modern and not so conservative religiously. I really didn’t get to see much there, but it was a nice stop. As for the bus, it was practically our second home for the trip because we were on the bus a lot. I was very thankful for Dramamine because the drivers sometimes went a little fast around some sharp turns and the roads were a little bumpy.
A Little Reflection
So that’s all I’m really going to write about Morocco—feel free to ask me question—just email/facebook me. My experience was very unique, and I did a lot of thinking on the trip. That second night in the desert when I was looking at the stars, I had a bit of a revelation that doesn’t quite make sense.
I’ve been abroad now for over 3 months. In that time I’ve been in Spain, Greece, and now Morocco. In this time, the world has started to appear a lot smaller to me. I no longer feel that the world is very big. I feel like I have the capability to go anywhere. There are different cultures and lifestyles and many different places, but it just doesn’t seem so big any more. I feel like I have more significance in the world. But then in Morocco, I laid on a sand dune and saw more stars than I’ve ever seen in my life, and frankly, I’ve never felt smaller and more insignificant than in that moment. Looking up at the stars made Earth feel small because there is so much out there—so much unknown. It was a very odd feeling, and I don’t quite understand all of these thoughts right now. But with time, I probably will start to understand more.
My whole trip thus far (since I’ve been in Spain) just feels a bit like a dream, like it isn’t real. I’ve done so many things—things that I never imagined doing. Some days I wonder how it is possible for me to do this for a year—because it is school, but at the same time, it is so much more. I’ve immersed myself in a different culture, had to adapt to using a different language, traveled to unknown places, etc. I know that I’m very blessed and lucky to have this opportunity. It just doesn’t quite make sense in my head right now.
----
I’m going to end this blog entry here. My blog entries will be a little sporadic over the upcoming month. I’ve been on Christmas vacation since December 2, and I do not start class again until January 18th. I will be traveling to Italy, France, Germany, and Norway during that time—as well as traveling in Spain with my family. Maybe you’ll see a guest blog entry from my mom, dad, or brother….who knows!?!? Feel free to email me with any questions or thoughts—I really love hearing from everyone. All for now.
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