Marrakech and Beyond

It's been a crazy time here in Marrakech! The streets are filled with soccer fans from around the world, and the tourism is bopping around here. We stayed at a nice hotel and have eaten all of our meals here buffet style. Moroccan traditional salads like tomatoes and cucumbers and beets galore, along with bread, always bread. I even had a joyful run in with some meat, even after asking, and asking if the pasta contained meat. Well, after a plate full or so I found some. My stomach was less than pleased with me. 

We went through this insanely busy square that had real live snakes and their charmers, like cobra like scary, terrifying snakes just relaxing just feet away from where I stood, in my sandals mind you. They also had men with monkeys on chains dressed in diapers and children's clothes doing tricks. Horses drive people around on carriages through the streets, right next to the modern cars and clean motorcycles. Little shops sell glass lanterns and Moroccan Tea cups, jewelry, and leather bags. We stopped and bought fresh squeezed orange juice from a stand, 'twas amazing. 

Late at night we went to this horse show like bizarre possible reinactment possible bizarre entertainment show like type thing. They shot weird guns and rode on horses and played really loud live traditional Moroccan music. Let's just say it was late and we'd had a long day.

Today we woke up fed some fish, pet some cats, and dogs, and then we rode camels. Becca and I shared a camel, our camel was a female and a little testy. Getting on and off a camel is quite a smooth experience actually, their joints bend slowly and while it's slightly scary somehow the main word I'd use to describe it would be smooth. After, we pet our camel and she was soft. Moody, but soft. 

We then went to an Aragon oil cooperative and got to test out all sorts of oils and fun stuff! We came back to the hotel for lunch and now we're all pretty much just asleep on the lobby couches, Fredrick our program director included. 

Fun Arabic phrases I've learned-

Yala shabeb: let's go

Habibi: my love

Salam alaykum: greeting

Wa alaykum Salam: response to greeting

Shookran: thank you

Afek: please

Le bes: another greeting of some sort

Momkin photo?: can I take your photo?

French I've learned-

Frites: fries

Fromage: cheese

Verd: green

Rouge: red

Merci: thank you

De solay: I'm sorry

Pardon: excuse me

Poulet: chicken

Thon: tuna

Not to mention my Spanish has found itself useful in times here as well, when they don't speak English sometimes just sometimes they speak Spanish of which we can survive with.

Time for a lecture on Islam! 

Maa Salama