September 24, 2014October 17, 2014 by La Mari

Let’s Talk About Morocco

I have decided that for this post, I will take a break from writing about Germany and talk about one of my favorite destinations:

Morocco

Back in 2008, I studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain. It was a great and fun learning experience and allowed me to finally level up to ‘Fluent Spanish Speaker!’ While I was there, I desperately wanted to take advantage of how close I was to Morocco.

How close?

Three hours by bus to the Strait of Gibraltar and then a 30 minute Ferry to Morocco.

Yeah. That close.

I tried to find friends in my program to go with me. Of course, they all decided to be lame. They wanted to go to Lagos, Portugal. It was a beach. That was it. They flew halfway around the world to go to another beahc. This was not a unique experience for me. We have beaches in the US….but we don’t have Morocco!

I had to do a lot of pleading with my mother at the time. I wanted to go but I needed her blessing to pay for the trip (I was an unemployed college student at the time). She had several reservations (mostly having her only daughter going into an Arab Speaking country) but I assured her that I would only go with a tourist group and it was only three days.

It was sooooooo cool!

In three days we went to several different cities: Chefchaouen, Asila, Fez, Tangier. We were literally on the bus for most of the time. I was definitely sick of the bus by the end of the trip, but it was still worth it.

We got to see the marketplace in Fez, see (a reenacted) Moroccan wedding, try great food, see a blue city, and I also got to meet a great group of ladies from other programs in Sevilla.

Chefchaouen

Fez

mmmmmmmm chicken….

reenacted Moroccan wedding, using folks from my tour group 🙂

I loved it.

Unfortunately I got a dose of reality when I got back to my apartment. I was supposed to call my mom when we got to our first hotel…unforunately my phone would not pick up a signal in Morocco so there was radio silence for about three days. Needless to say, I found my host mom on the phone with my real mom when I walked through the door.

Honestly, I felt so safe when I was there and I would go again in a heartbeat (but I am pretty sure I would give my mother a heartattack if I say the words ‘Morocco’ and ‘I want to go to there’ in the same breath…..)

Anyway, if you have any reservations about traveling to Moroccos. Don’t. It is one of the safer Arabic countries for women. When I was there, the King of Morocco (Mohammed VI) and his wife Princess Consort Lalla Salma have worked very hard to provide more equal rights for women (hell…she’s an engineer!). When I was there I saw a mixed group of women wearing conversative traditional clothing and/or western jeans and make-up. The women there are given the option and right to choose. I could write a whole blog post on how the current king has been overthrowing laws made by his father and trying to make things better for the women of his country.

Instead I will just post more pretty pictures.