Hello again! Day 5 of the adventure is officially complete.
Today it was actually chilly in Meknes. The weather has been
very temperate so far, and it’s made everything that much more beautiful. All
the flowers are warm just to the point of smelling so fresh and the sky is
bright with full, fluffy clouds. The people are taking advantage of the cool
temperatures and spending time outside socializing. It’s really a lovely season
to be in Morocco.
Not a lot of exciting things happened before I went to my
placement today. We did have a fabulous lunch that was definitely my favorite
so far. Our housekeeper, Mona, made a dish with spiced chicken, peppers, and
beans in a rich sauce. I ate too much, but it was worth it. After, a few
housemates and I went down the road to the Florence Café and had strawberry
orange juice smoothies. I cannot do this juice justice in words. It will
absolutely be something I miss back in the states.
My placement was less confusing in some ways that it was
yesterday, but in other ways it was maybe a little more. The center was very
slow during the time I was scheduled to work, so I mostly spent the afternoon
sitting and conversing with the director, Nadia, and two other girls who work
at the association. Well, trying to converse. As much as I am trying to force
vocab into my brain, I still cannot understand or keep up with actual
conversation, in French or Arabic. Luckily, there is a Moroccan girl named
Soukaina interning at the association that speaks what she calls “very poor
English.” If her English is “very poor,” I wish
my French was. She was so helpful in translating things for me, but there
was a point where all I could really do was listen. But, listening is good.
The three of them also worked with me to learn a few
important phrases and discuss more about projects I could do at the center. Some
of the options were teaching English or helping the women to practice
self-defense skills. I really want to be able to do as much good as possible
there, but I feel limited right now by my language skills. And, I don’t really
feel like I have great ideas for how to help the women. I will just have to
keep working hard to learn what I can and be creative and flexible.
The center:
The center:
On the way back to the apartment, I learned a lot about
Moroccan culture by way of a cab ride. The first time I’ve ever been in a taxi
was yesterday, so this is all very new for me, but today was… interesting. The
director offered to take a taxi with me to the apartment and Soukaina came with
us. The three of us walked toward a taxi, but two others got to it first, so I
backed away assuming we would have to wait for another. Nope. Nadia got in the
front seat, Soukaina followed the two strangers into the back seat, and I went to
get in with her and Nadia said “No, here.” I was very confused and it must have
been obvious because she scooted way over in the front seat and pointed. So, I
squished in next to her. (Mind you, this is a tiny car and not a bench seat.)
Then, another man got in the back seat. So we drove off with seven people in
this tiny car, and the people started paying the driver as we went. He was
counting change and money was going back and forth all over the place. Plus, I
don’t remember if I have mentioned before, but driving in Morocco is basically
a live action mash-up of Mario Kart and Frogger. There are no street lights or
turn signals or lanes or rules. You just drive wherever and turn whenever and
if you’re a pedestrian, you just walk out in front of cars and hope for the
best. No, really, you just go. The cars will stop for you (most of the time).
Buses, however, do not stop. Tips for pedestrian survival. I did, obviously,
make it back to the apartment alive and a I suppose a bit more cultured.
I also visited the super-marché
for the first time today. A couple of my roommates and I walked to the
large “mall” type complex that has a supermarket on the lower level. It was
really interesting to see all the different brands and the way foods are
packaged (or not packaged). There was also a ton of fruit that was probably
less fresh that at the local vendors, but there was a much wider selection. I
bought a mango and some dates, which I immediately started eating, and they
were so awesome. I feel like I write about food a lot, but it’s just so nice to
eat food that isn’t slowly killing my body. After a meal in America we always
feel groggy and yucky, but here the food makes me feel energized and good. I
guess it just really teaches me a lot about how different American food really
is.
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