This past weekend I found myself in one of the more exotic places I’ve been to. I had little expectations for Morocco and what I had assumed about the country had mostly turned out to be false. The area of Morocco I was traveling in was unbelievably green and lush, far from the dessert I was picturing in my mind before arriving. I traveled with about 20 other students from my abroad program through a tour company. The emphasis the company places on speaking with and getting to know locals allowed us to have a more authentic taste of Morocco than had we traveled on our own.
Our first day was spent in Tangier, where we were greeted with the call to prayer right as we stepped off the plane. We divided into smaller groups to eat a traditional Friday lunch of chicken/vegetable couscous (as Moroccans do after the Friday midday call to prayer) and then toured the city by foot with college-aged locals. Being able to walk around the city with young locals was incredible, as they were able to show us the city from their eyes. The woman my group was walking with took us to multiple sweets shops where we tasted many different (and delicious) traditional Moroccan desserts. She talked to us about religion in the country, telling us how in Moroccan cities women typically have the choice to either wear the hijab or not. She told us about the languages spoken, the King and royal family of Morocco, the traditions, and about her education aspirations as well. It was amazing to hear and learn all of this from a Moroccan girl almost the same age as I am.
The following day was my favorite. Our morning started at breakfast where we ate Moroccan crepes while listening to the stories of undocumented immigrants living in Morocco. Most were from Liberia who had come to Tangier to find work to support their families back home. The unrest in Liberia caused by the civil war has left many people unable to find good work, education, and safety. One immigrant we talked to was in Morocco on a scholarship and has two years left of schooling. He said his dream is to come to San Francisco, at which point myself and the other California students told him all about our beloved city by the Bay. The undocumented women we talked to told us of her need to support her brothers and sisters in Senegal and was told she’d find good work in Morocco. Another man told us his goal is to make it to an English speaking European country some day soon. That is the very surface of what they shared with us. Through these conversations I learned about the hardships and circumstances that bring people to Morocco. I also learned that because the closest parts of Spain and Morocco are only nine miles apart, across the Strait of Gibraltar, many people come from all over to try to make it across to Spain. It was definitely an eye opening morning.
Following breakfast we boarded our buses and drove for two hours on windy, pothole filled roads (if you know me, you know this was not an enjoyable two hours). However, our destination was well worth the nauseating drive. We spent the next few hours having lunch with a rural family while we asked them questions (through a translator/guide) and learned about their lives. The family lives on a farm where they grow most of the crops they need, selling only the excess. The day we were there a goat had just been born hours before. Those who wanted to got to hold the newborn goat, and two other baby goats as well (cutest. damn. things). The children of the family laughed at how affectionate we all were towards their animals, giving them names and hugging them. During our conversation with the parents we learned that their family had lived in this house for multiple generation. They told us of the town car that works a little bit like Uber— if someone needed to go somewhere too far to walk, he could use the town-shared car to get there. The father told us about his marriage to his wife and how they had never met until their wedding day. After which, he told us of how happy his is in his marriage and as a father. He then said that it’s not guaranteed that he’ll arrange a marriage for his oldest daughter (15) but he does have the right to approve. The daughter’s male cousin (19) was also at this lunch, and when we left our guide said he wondered if he was there to flirt. Seeing as it’s legal to marry your cousin in Morocco, it’s highly probable that would be the case.
Something that interested me most, being an education major, was when the family told us about their schooling experiences. The oldest daughter had attended school (that she walked five miles to and from) until seventh grade when she decided to drop out. The cousin had attended one year of school— the equivalent of first grade— until he decided to drop out. No pressure from the parents to stay in school. No consequences. They just didn’t want to go to school anymore so they stopped going. It took some time for me to wrap my head around this. To me, education and schooling are two of the greatest gifts a person can receive. Education is what propels people toward a brighter future. In this rural community however, they didn’t see it that way. There isn’t a need for the 19 year old boy to be proficiently literate. There isn’t a need for the 15 year old girl to learn about geometry and biology and world history. Their futures are relatively set up for them. They’ll marry, live on a farm— maybe even this same one. The girl will be a mother to multiple children and they’ll all help out on the farm. And they’re happy with that.
It was eye opening and mind blowing and enlightening to meet this family, to learn from them, and to share a meal with them. They were unbelievably welcoming and kind. The rest of our weekend was filled with camel rides, souvenir shopping and a hammam (a Moroccan public bath… highlight of the weekend for sure!). Though I had little expectations for this trip, and admittedly a few reservations, it has turned out to be one of my favorite experiences and memories thus far.
Besos,
Olivia