Morocco: Culture & Ecology, Fall 2007

Some reading for the last leg of your journey! Hope you all have an NY Times account....

Posted by at 09:47 PM | Permalink

Tomorrow will be our last day in Fes. We are sad to leave our home-base in Morocco, but excited about our adventures to come. Before we leave, the students will give their ISP presentations and we will watch the sunset over Fes to gain a final closure to our experiences here. On Tuesday, we will head to Chefchaouen, a breath-taking mountain town in the Rif, and later this week we will head to Tangier, a culturally rich international port city, before leaving Morocco for Spain for our final week.

Posted by at 10:13 PM | Permalink

Salam Aliakum from Chefchaouen,

The direct translation of Chefchaouen is see mountains. This town is absolutely beautiful and so are the Rif mountains. We are enjoying days with bright sunshine and evenings perfect for star gazing. The students have had free days to relax and check out the area. Tomorrow we are heading into the mountains for a hike. Friday we are off to Tangier.

Bisalma,

Lamia

Posted by at 04:40 PM | Permalink

Salam from Tangier. This morning we took a beautiful bus ride through the Rif mountains to arrive at the port city of Tangier. After exploring the Petite and Grand Soco. We had a tour of the American Legation, which houses many fascinating pieces revealing the intersections throughout history between these two culture. Afterwards, we had an engaging lecture about Tangier in the 20th Century. Topics discussed included Tangier's history as an international zone, the numerous poets, writers, and artists who sought inspiration in this city, as well as more pressing issues such as immigration. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Tangier was home to 20,000 Muslims, 10,000 Jews, and 9,000 Europeans and was a thriving example of coexistance and tolerance. Although many of the Jews and Europeans have left now, the remnants of this mutli-ethnic and religious site are still evident. Tomorrow we will explore several museums, mosques, churches, as well as take some time to stroll the seaside boulevard. Tomorrow afternoon we will hear lecture on Rif Culture. On Sunday, we will head to Cap Spartel and Hercules’ Cave and embrace our last day in Morocco before heading off to Spain on Monday.

Posted by at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

(Written 8 days ago on the bus ride from Fez to Chefchaouen)

It is misty/ foggy outside. We are driving through the Moroccan country side. At one point it was so foggy that we could only see a few feet ahead of us. Passing cars seemed to appear out of thin air. We are on our way to Chefchaouen, home of blue washed walls and the famous sweaters that Alexis wants so much to buy.

Last night I had a lump in my throat and could not go to sleep because of it. I did not realize how attached to my host family I am. This morning before I left my host mom brought me a kinder bueno (my fav candy) and a pomagranite for the road. I did not think that it would be so hard to leave; I wanted to cry.

Yesterday my host sister and I went to Fez Jideed to buy gifts and later to the monster super market whose lair lies on the outskirts of Fez to buy dessert supplies. We exausted ourselves trying to find the perfect Jllaba and then were reenergized by super market chocolate and the idea of making the perfect chocolately dessert that night.

At dinner we spent 2 hours creating the most amazing Moroccan pizza. I watched and learned as my host sister kneaded the thick crust and sauteed the onions. I learned how to make the egg and cheese topping and when the time came, I ate 1/2 of one of the three amazing pizzas that we made. Finally we finished off dinner with a chocolate icecream/mouse dessert that was topped with caramel so dark it looked like dark chocolate.

I am going to miss my host mom. I am going to miss my host dad. They called me their daughter and took care of me when I was sick. My host dad taught me arabic at dinner. I watched late night movies with my host mom and my host dad would bashfully bring me blankets and warn me not to go barefoot because of the cold. I miss my 4 year old host brother; dance moves, butterfly kisses, and his asking my host mom if he could marry me. I miss my host sister, her passion for cooking anything from cinnamon sugar pasta to my favorite moroccan pizzas. And I miss Fez: Arabic lessons, pottery ISP, taxi rides that were an adventure in themselves, ancient medina, hidden couryards... everything

So, Goodbye Love, Goodbye.

Posted by Ellie at 03:32 PM | Permalink

Tomorrow we will leave Tangier and head to Spain. We will spend 3 days each in Cordoba and Granada exploring the Islamic legacy there. We will be busy much of our time there visiting such impressive sites as the Mezquita, Alhambra and numerous mosques, churches, synagogues, as well as museums.

Posted by at 05:58 PM | Permalink

We just received a message from Kempie: the group successfully departed from Africa, navigated the Strait of Gibraltar, and has arrived well in the Spanish port of Algeciras. Alas, Morocco couldn't bear the upcoming separation and stalled the ferry--just enough so the group missed their connecting train to Cordoba. And for good measure, they will overnight not in a Spanish hacienda but in the Hotel Marrakesh run by a Tangeri. New friendships are hard to shake.
--Alex

Posted by Alex Safos at 06:59 PM | Permalink

This morning we finished off our stay in Cordoba with a visit to Medina Azhara, ancient ruins of an Islamic city that was abandoned shortly after elaborate creation. We arrived in Granada late this afternoon and we will visit the Alhambra tomorrow morning. We will also spend some time exploring the Alcaiceria and Albayzin areas of Granada. This weekend we hope to experience a live flamenco performance as well as indulge in a hammam experience on this side of the Mediterranean before we head back to the States on Sunday. The students are enjoying their time in Spain and have adjusted exceptionally well to leaving Morocco and even though we all miss Morocco we are also looking forward to going home and sharing our experiences with our friends and families.

Posted by at 09:53 PM | Permalink

Back in the USA

Posted by Global LAB at 05:15 AM | Permalink

I hope everyone is doing well! It was a privilege and an honor to lead you all for the past three months and I miss you dearly of course. I hope that everyone is staying warm and eating all of the sweets you desired over the past three months :) Re-entry is a challenging process, so remember to take the time that you need to adjust. Have a wonderful holiday season and please feel free to email me or call me if you need anything (other than permission to eat dessert :))

Much love,
Kempie

Posted by at 05:46 PM | Permalink