after leaving spain we headed to gibraltar to refuel (bunker). the hope was to arrive in gibraltar on february 1st and then move on to casablanca, morocco, but due to bad weather the gibraltar port was closed. we ended up in a holding pattern with a plethora of other ships waiting to bunker-when it was our turn to bunker the seas were so rough we could not get fuel so we continued to play the waiting game.
our arrival into the casablanca port was like riding a roller coaster that had gone off the tracks. the captain had to lift the stabilizers in order to turn into the port and this caused the ship to shake, rattle and roll (literally). we were at dinner during this time and i ended falling backwards in my chair, glass cups and dish crashed to the ground and shattered and the students were screaming.
having arrived late in the evening on february 2nd, we were not allowed of the ship since immigration still needed to board the ship to stamp over one thousand passports and clear us with customs. since we were a day late, we lost a day at the riad we had reserved in marrakech but we made our way via train to marrakech to spend one night instead of two. after a three hour train ride, i arrived in marrakech with the witwer-dukes family and we made our way out of the train station to search for a taxi. finding a taxi in morocco is definitely not a problem-once we walked out of the station we were mobbed by a tom of taxi drivers all wanting to play lets make a deal.
we finally negotiated a price (thank goodness for kathy's ability to speak french) and we were whisked away to our destination. the driver claimed to not know exactly where our riad was located so he dropped us at the entry way to the souks.
for those of you not familiar with a souk, i definitely was not, it is similar to a flea market but about a thousand times bigger with snake charmers, monkeys, camels, dancers,etc. all of the literature about the marrakech souk reminds tourists to only visit the souk in small sections since you will inevitable get lost.
as we got out of the taxi we again had lots of folks wanting to take us to our final destination for a price. we had no idea where we were or where we were going so we were more than a little bit frazzled. one gentleman finally assigned himself to us and we were off-he took us through the souk where we twisted and turned through shop after shop after shop filled with leather goods, hanging skinned dead animals, scarfs, jewelry, seafood, baked goods, pottery and the list goes on forever. at times we were unsure of our safety as we were led down narrow alleys or alleys where there were no other people. we walked and walked and walked during which time we looked at each other on several occasions with questioning looks of fear and concern. just as we were about to give up, we entered onto a tiny, dark and narrow alley where our riad was located. we went round after round with our "guide" about the price he should be paid for taking us to our riad- when we ran out of duram he still refused to leave so we ended up giving him dollar bills so he would go away. it is so hard to be fair, and not be taken advantage of, when you know you are in a poverty stricken area.
although we were now at the riad we still had no idea where we were in marrackech or how to go anywhere so we stayed at the riad for the remainder of the evening. the woman running the riad did not speak french and we did not speak berber but we managed to some how communicate with her until another person who spoke french arrived. the riad was three stories high and consisted of five rooms, three bathrooms and two small kitchens, one "sun" room and a patio of sorts up top. the center of the riad was open to the elements so as it rained the water poured into the center of the riad-it was freezing cold and there was no heat. as we sat in the sun room we huddled close together in order to generate body heat (thank goodness we had harry who is the witwer-dukes family furnace :) ) once the gentleman who spoke french arrived, and saw how cold we were, he offered us a small heater which we proceeded to sit around as if we were at a campfire in the woods.
not being able to communicate very well with the woman of the riad we some how managed to understand that she would be making us a traditional moroccoan dinner. she left the house at five pm, returning one hour later and proceeded to make dinner for the next two and one half hours-but no complaints as the meal of couscous, vegetables and chicken was so delicious!
after waking up the next morning, too cold to take a shower, we brushed our teeth
with bottled water so as to avoid getting sick, and as we prepared to leave we discovered we had to pay for our couscous dinner. we again negotiated a price, paid it and after asking for directions were on our way. before leaving marrakech we had the opportunity to visit the musee, the medersa (seminary school for boys ) and the quobba. all of these sites were amazing as we learned about the history, life and culture of morocco. it rained the entire day so we were cold, wet and tired as we made our way back to the train station.once back in casablanca, i took a quick shower then went to the union to be put in a group who would join a morrocoan family for dinner in their home. my group ended up being other staff members i work with on the ship and after we showed our dinner hostess the ship, she drive us to her home where her maid was preparing our dinner. our hostess spoke english, french, berber and arabic so we had a lovely conversation as we drove to her home. her and her husband are dentists in casablanca and their two children (one boy and one girl) attend once of the private schools in casablanca.
she apologized for taking us into her home via the kitchen (the customary way to welcome someone into your home is through the front door) but it was raining so we got out of the car in the garage. the kitchen was quite spacious with food everywhere. we were then directed to the upstairs were we entered one living room then proceeded past the dining room to another living room where there was a corner fireplace already lit and waiting to warm us. (we noticed the plasma tv and wii game in the living room as well) as we drank mango juice and ate chocolate and nut covered almonds and little cookies we chatted with the children as our hostess disappeared to change and converse with the maid.
at 9:00pm the father arrived and we were drilled with questions about the ship and the semester at sea program. then around 9:30pm their friend, samuel (who is also a dentist and works with them in their office) arrive with his partner, grace, and after chatting for a few minutes we sat down to dinner. there were eleven of us for dinner so the table we all sat around was a considerable size so when the dish of couscous, vegetable and beef arrived and took over the entire table our mouths dropped open in astonishment. the bowl of food was set in the middle of the table, everyone was given a large spoon and told to stay in their lane of the bowl as we began to eat. there was no worry about double dipping or mixing broth in your "lane" of food. after eating spoonful and spoonful after spoonful with no end in sight this dish was taken away and replaced with smaller plates of a variety of salads, hummus, olives and breads-and again we shared it as if we had been best friends for years. after partaking in the salads and knowing there was no more room in our stomachs, a third dish of five chickens with sauce and mushrooms was placed in the center of the table (again the table disappeared as the bowl consumed it) i attempted to eat bread in hopes of avoiding the chicken but the father graciously tore off a piece of chicken and asked me for my plate. as i pushed the chicken around my plate, the father again asked for my plate adding another sizable portion of chicken to my plate. not wanting to be disrespectful i ate a bite of chicken and engaged in a conversation with grace in hopes of not having more chicken added to my plate or appearing to be rude by not eating the chicken that was already on my plate. after the chicken plate was removed a huge bowl of fruit (oranges, apples, strawberries, kiwis and dates) took its place in the center of the table. we were treated the largest oranges i have ever seen-they were sweet and juicy.
once dinner was officially over, we moved back into the living room where we treated to tea (best tea i have ever had) and homemade desserts made by the father's sister in algeria. our conversation continued until midnight when i politely reminded folks that we should go since the family had work and school the next morning.
the next day was spent in casablanca, where i again experienced a souk but on a much smaller scale and of less intensity. we walked around the souk, negotiating prices (not my forte at all) and interacting with the people of casablanca. we then went to a food market where we purchased saffron and again witnessed dead skinned animals such as pigs, sheep, cows and even live turtles.
once back on the ship, we settled in for another eight days at sea-awaiting our arrival in walvis bay. as we pushed off from casablanca, our departure started the same way our arrival had begun with the captain reminding us of another rough transition as we made our way to sea. we were warned to remove items from our desks, dressers and to basically baton down the hatches.
there were lots of students sitting on the tiled floor in tymitz square awaiting the rocking, rolling and swaying of the ship so they could slide from one side of the ship to another as if they were on a slip and slide. unfortunately this time around several folks got hurt- we had one broken wrist, several broken fingers and one three inch laceration to the head.
other than a few minor incidents, conduct on the ship has been minimal. overall, the majority of students on this voyage are incredibly respectful and thoughtful. i have had some conversations with students about their experiences in spain and morocco that have moved me to tears and others that left me speechless as i listened to their stories of maneuvering through countries where they can not speak the language or know the lay of the land.
as i end this blog, i would ask those of you that are in contact with my mom (madre) that you do me the favor of sharing the following with her: i miss her and love her with all my heart and soul and wish she was here with me whether it be speaking spanish in spain, shopping in the souks in morocco or playing scrabble for eight days at sea.
i continue to be humbled every day by this experience and opportunity of a life time!
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