I've been sick, and then traveling, and now I'm home! Yay! Anyway, I look forward to seeing those of you in my area and whatnot, and if you want more Morocco stories or anything, feel free to ask! Just because I'm home doesn't mean I cant post anymore.
Love from NJ,
Jacinthe
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Fez and Meknes
This past weekend was my last class trip, to Fez (on Saturday) and Meknes (on Sunday). In both places we did the usual historical stuff, and then we wandered around the medina. In Fez we were also invited to tea at the shop of an exclusive antique dealer. He was very friendly and went on and on about how much he loved our professor. It was interesting to be surrounded by these fantastic antiques from all over the middle east. Then, after tea, we visited the Jewish quarter, called the Mellah, and went to a Sephartic synagogue. I was pretty exhausted by that point, because the school is up on a mountain and my body has been having difficulties with altitude changes.
On Sunday, I was feeling better and I really enjoyed Meknes. The palace in the city is mostly disused now, but it was originally 20 times bigger than the medina. This was because the king, Moulay Ismail, was terrified of being attacked. He had tons of farmland enclosed by walls, and had massive grainaries built so he could feed his soldiers. But the real reason I enjoyed Meknes was because people there are content to go about their lives, so I felt less marked out as a tourist and was really able to see Morocco. We spent a lot of time in the medina, and I was able to see a lot of the local craftsmenship taking place. I have a free weekend the weekend before I leave to come home, so I may try to go back to Meknes. Its not as big and beautiful as Fez, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere.
Pictures to the right.
Love,
Jacinthe
On Sunday, I was feeling better and I really enjoyed Meknes. The palace in the city is mostly disused now, but it was originally 20 times bigger than the medina. This was because the king, Moulay Ismail, was terrified of being attacked. He had tons of farmland enclosed by walls, and had massive grainaries built so he could feed his soldiers. But the real reason I enjoyed Meknes was because people there are content to go about their lives, so I felt less marked out as a tourist and was really able to see Morocco. We spent a lot of time in the medina, and I was able to see a lot of the local craftsmenship taking place. I have a free weekend the weekend before I leave to come home, so I may try to go back to Meknes. Its not as big and beautiful as Fez, but I really enjoyed the atmosphere.
Pictures to the right.
Love,
Jacinthe
Friday, June 26, 2009
What I'm doing during the week
I'm taking two classes here. One is called Issues in Contemporary North Africa, which is the class that takes us on all the trips. We actually have our last trip this weekend, which is to Fez and Meknes. My other class is called Islamic Art and Architecture. I originally came here planning to take intensive Arabic and Issues in Contemporary North Africa, but I discovered pretty quickly that I wasn't that passionate about Arabic. It took a little finagling with my school once I decided to change my course of study, and I actually had to give back some of my fellowship, but I'm much happier with the classes I'm taking now. I have mornings free, which is relaxing, but a little boring, since everyone else is in Arabic class. I really like my art history class and I'm even thinking of taking one at Vassar next year.
Love,
Jacinthe
Love,
Jacinthe
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Tafilalt, aka the desert, but not really
Sorry I'm rather slow at updating, but I was sick this weekend, and I have a midterm this coming Friday. Anyway, last weekend my contemporary issues class took us to the Tafilalt oasis. It was another long bus ride, with only one or two available rest stops, but this time it was only 6 hours, instead of the 8 to Marrakech. The hotel was pretty nice, and I stayed with the same roommate I had last time, but for some reason, the room had one double and one single bed. Also, the shower was insane and sprayed water over the curtain and all over the bathroom. On Saturday, we did the usual tour of a bunch of significant sites - we went to a village in the oasis, and saw the irrigation system, which is actually a big issue here, since they put in a "modern" irrigation system that doesn't work for multiple reasons. First of all, it doesn't work with the traditional water ownership laws, and it doesn't deliver the water to the right places, so people have broken and redirected the new concrete irrigation system and channeled it back into the old routes. Then, on top of this, they built a dam on the river, and the authority that controls when the water is released from the dam is different from the authority that the deals with maintaining the irrigation system, so nothing is coordinated and the dam is opened at bad times, agriculturally. So, long story short this part of the oasis is dying. Because of this, a lot of people are leaving the region to move to the cities and the landscape is dotted with abandoned homes.
We also went to the ruins of Sigilmassa and the Qasr of the current royal family (a qasr is a type of walled village, usually made of mud brick) which has been turned into a museum. The curator of the museum was a friend of our professors, so after we looked around, we were treated to tea and peanuts. The tea in the south is different from the tea in the north, which is mintier and not as sweet. It was rather intense
After lunch, we went to the fossil museum (this part of Morocco is famous for fossils) and saw all these ridiculous fossilized creatures that looked like they were out of a sci fi movie. Then we went to Sidi Tuhami, which is a local qasr. We were supposed to go into the local association, which works to improve literacy, but the women were having Qu'ran lessons, so we had to leave the building (well, the men did, and both our teachers are men, so we went with them). Instead, the man who runs the association took us on a tour of the qasr. It was really interesting to see. The whole structure is made of mud brick, and many of the passages are completely enclosed to keep out the heat, so it was totally dark at points. As we walked through the qasr, we accumulated a group of about 13 or 14 children that were following us. They were super cute, and really polite, and I wanted to take pictures of them, but that is socially inappropriate. The guy who was giving us the tour then took us to his house, and served us tea and cookies and watermelon. While we were sitting in his parlor, one of his daughters kept waving at me to come over. I asked my teacher if I could go, but he said no, it was inappropriate. However, later the females in our group got permission to go out and meet the wife and the rest of the family. She was really nice, but she only spoke darija, the Moroccan dialect, and most of us knew very little darija, so it got a little awkward. As soon as it was time for us to leave, she disappeared into the kitchen, so the men in our group wouldn't see her.
After that stop, we headed to the Zawiyya al-Ghazi, which is one of the last functioning zawiyyas in the region. A zawiyya is sort of like a sufi mosque. The people who run this one are all descended from the founders of the zawiyya(a grandfather and grandson), who started it some time in the 16th century, or something like that. They treated us to the recitation of some passages of the Qu'ran and some poetry written by one of the founders and answered questions that we had. They didn't speak English, so one of our professors had to do some translating.
Then, just when we were getting into it, there was a huge commotion. Apparently, a resident of the zawiyya had recently had an operation and needed to get to the hospital, so they asked our driver to take him there, because no one in the zawiyya has a car and in order to get to the hospital, you need to find the ambulance, and the driver, and that could take too long. However, this is against the school's policy, so there was a big discussion, and eventually it was agreed that the driver could take the guy to the hospital as long as there was someone else with him to take responsibility and we didn't tell the school. The mood was sort of dead after that, so they served us dinner (special vegetarian versions for me) while we waited. They made this really good bread called medfouna (it means "buried") that is filled with onions and eggs and almonds and spices and meat for the meat eaters. Then after dinner, they did more recitation using drums and one guy even got up and went into trance (sort of looked like dancing).
However, it was around this time that I started to feel hot and exhausted. I went outside for a little while, and then felt a little better, but when I stood up after watching the recitation, I got incredibly dizzy. It was around 12:30 in the morning at this point, and I guess I had gotten too much sun or dehydrated or something (even though I wore a hat and drank lots of water) during the day. Anyway, I felt really horrible. I tried to rehydrate before I went to bed, but I still felt really sick in the morning. So while everyone else went out around town, I lay in bed eating little bites of toast and drinking little sips of water. Then we had to get back in the van to return to school. It was a rough trip back for me, although after lunch I felt a little better. We got back to school at 5 and I rested and did some reading and was pretty much okay by Monday.
I realize I haven't really said what I have been doing on campus, but this entry was really long, so I'll save it for another time, or not. Just let me know what you want to hear about. I promise pictures soon.
UPDATE: Photos posted.
Love,
Jacinthe
We also went to the ruins of Sigilmassa and the Qasr of the current royal family (a qasr is a type of walled village, usually made of mud brick) which has been turned into a museum. The curator of the museum was a friend of our professors, so after we looked around, we were treated to tea and peanuts. The tea in the south is different from the tea in the north, which is mintier and not as sweet. It was rather intense
After lunch, we went to the fossil museum (this part of Morocco is famous for fossils) and saw all these ridiculous fossilized creatures that looked like they were out of a sci fi movie. Then we went to Sidi Tuhami, which is a local qasr. We were supposed to go into the local association, which works to improve literacy, but the women were having Qu'ran lessons, so we had to leave the building (well, the men did, and both our teachers are men, so we went with them). Instead, the man who runs the association took us on a tour of the qasr. It was really interesting to see. The whole structure is made of mud brick, and many of the passages are completely enclosed to keep out the heat, so it was totally dark at points. As we walked through the qasr, we accumulated a group of about 13 or 14 children that were following us. They were super cute, and really polite, and I wanted to take pictures of them, but that is socially inappropriate. The guy who was giving us the tour then took us to his house, and served us tea and cookies and watermelon. While we were sitting in his parlor, one of his daughters kept waving at me to come over. I asked my teacher if I could go, but he said no, it was inappropriate. However, later the females in our group got permission to go out and meet the wife and the rest of the family. She was really nice, but she only spoke darija, the Moroccan dialect, and most of us knew very little darija, so it got a little awkward. As soon as it was time for us to leave, she disappeared into the kitchen, so the men in our group wouldn't see her.
After that stop, we headed to the Zawiyya al-Ghazi, which is one of the last functioning zawiyyas in the region. A zawiyya is sort of like a sufi mosque. The people who run this one are all descended from the founders of the zawiyya(a grandfather and grandson), who started it some time in the 16th century, or something like that. They treated us to the recitation of some passages of the Qu'ran and some poetry written by one of the founders and answered questions that we had. They didn't speak English, so one of our professors had to do some translating.
Then, just when we were getting into it, there was a huge commotion. Apparently, a resident of the zawiyya had recently had an operation and needed to get to the hospital, so they asked our driver to take him there, because no one in the zawiyya has a car and in order to get to the hospital, you need to find the ambulance, and the driver, and that could take too long. However, this is against the school's policy, so there was a big discussion, and eventually it was agreed that the driver could take the guy to the hospital as long as there was someone else with him to take responsibility and we didn't tell the school. The mood was sort of dead after that, so they served us dinner (special vegetarian versions for me) while we waited. They made this really good bread called medfouna (it means "buried") that is filled with onions and eggs and almonds and spices and meat for the meat eaters. Then after dinner, they did more recitation using drums and one guy even got up and went into trance (sort of looked like dancing).
However, it was around this time that I started to feel hot and exhausted. I went outside for a little while, and then felt a little better, but when I stood up after watching the recitation, I got incredibly dizzy. It was around 12:30 in the morning at this point, and I guess I had gotten too much sun or dehydrated or something (even though I wore a hat and drank lots of water) during the day. Anyway, I felt really horrible. I tried to rehydrate before I went to bed, but I still felt really sick in the morning. So while everyone else went out around town, I lay in bed eating little bites of toast and drinking little sips of water. Then we had to get back in the van to return to school. It was a rough trip back for me, although after lunch I felt a little better. We got back to school at 5 and I rested and did some reading and was pretty much okay by Monday.
I realize I haven't really said what I have been doing on campus, but this entry was really long, so I'll save it for another time, or not. Just let me know what you want to hear about. I promise pictures soon.
UPDATE: Photos posted.
Love,
Jacinthe
Monday, June 15, 2009
Marrakech
This past weekend my class went to Marrakech while the rest of the ARANAS students went to the desert. It was a long (8 hours!), cramped, hilly van ride to the city. We stayed in a really nice hotel, which at first we couldn't find. By the time we got in on Friday night, it was about 9, so we ate dinner and I went to bed.
On Saturday morning, we had a whirlwind tour of the major historical sights. Then, in the afternoon we went to the soukh. We had to wait for a few people from our group to meet up with us, so we got fresh squeezed orange juice from these vendors outside the soukh. While we were standing there, a woman who does henna came up to us and grabbed the hand of one of the girls from my group and started drawing on it. Then she grabbed mine and did the same. She said it was a "present," but once it was done she asked if we had a present for her. We gave her a little money, but, as it turns out, the women who do henna outside the soukh (on the square called the jama al-fina) use ammonia to fix the henna for tourists who want it done quickly. So it started burning fairly shorty after she did it and we wiped it off. I still have the traces of it on my hand though.
Once we finally got into the soukh, we went to the magic market. I had a charm for happiness made for me there by a shaman from the sahara. It is believed that people from the sahara are the most magical. Then we wandered around the soukh a little and went back to the hotel. Getting a cab back was another ordeal. The cab drivers in Marrakech try to charge crazy prices or they don't turn on the meter. Once we were back, I relaxed in the courtyard by the pool and talked with some of the people from my class for a little while.
On Sunday, we visited the Agdal gardens which are part of the palace gardens and then we piled back in the van and had another long, uncomfortable drive back to the school.
On Saturday morning, we had a whirlwind tour of the major historical sights. Then, in the afternoon we went to the soukh. We had to wait for a few people from our group to meet up with us, so we got fresh squeezed orange juice from these vendors outside the soukh. While we were standing there, a woman who does henna came up to us and grabbed the hand of one of the girls from my group and started drawing on it. Then she grabbed mine and did the same. She said it was a "present," but once it was done she asked if we had a present for her. We gave her a little money, but, as it turns out, the women who do henna outside the soukh (on the square called the jama al-fina) use ammonia to fix the henna for tourists who want it done quickly. So it started burning fairly shorty after she did it and we wiped it off. I still have the traces of it on my hand though.
Once we finally got into the soukh, we went to the magic market. I had a charm for happiness made for me there by a shaman from the sahara. It is believed that people from the sahara are the most magical. Then we wandered around the soukh a little and went back to the hotel. Getting a cab back was another ordeal. The cab drivers in Marrakech try to charge crazy prices or they don't turn on the meter. Once we were back, I relaxed in the courtyard by the pool and talked with some of the people from my class for a little while.
On Sunday, we visited the Agdal gardens which are part of the palace gardens and then we piled back in the van and had another long, uncomfortable drive back to the school.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
My sink is blue,
my hands are blue, and I'm pretty sure there is still a ton of loose dye in the shirt. Thank goodness I decided to hand wash it instead of sticking it in with my white shirts. Moral of the story: do not buy richly colored goods in Morocco. I don't think I can even wear the shirt now, without it bleeding on the rest of my clothes. Also, the plumbing here is bizzare and occasionally makes funny noises and emits strange smells.
In other news, I posted some photos (see right, there is a new section titled "Photos") of this weekend at Volubilis, a Berber turned Roman turned Berber turned ruined city. The ruins we saw were all from the Roman period, because the French anthropologists dug up and threw away everything that was on top of it, and rebuilt what they could. We also went to Sidi Ali Hamdush, which is a Sufi shrine city that specializes in treating mental illness and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, where Moulay Idriss I is buried (he's a big deal Muslim saint here in Morocco). I'm having issues with Flickr, so I posted highlights. I will try to come up with a better system for those of you who want more photos. Suggestions are appreciated. (Facebook is slow and unreliable here, so that will probably not work).
Other than the trip, I have spent my weekend working on reading interminable pages about mosques.
Love,
Jacinthe
In other news, I posted some photos (see right, there is a new section titled "Photos") of this weekend at Volubilis, a Berber turned Roman turned Berber turned ruined city. The ruins we saw were all from the Roman period, because the French anthropologists dug up and threw away everything that was on top of it, and rebuilt what they could. We also went to Sidi Ali Hamdush, which is a Sufi shrine city that specializes in treating mental illness and Moulay Idriss Zerhoun, where Moulay Idriss I is buried (he's a big deal Muslim saint here in Morocco). I'm having issues with Flickr, so I posted highlights. I will try to come up with a better system for those of you who want more photos. Suggestions are appreciated. (Facebook is slow and unreliable here, so that will probably not work).
Other than the trip, I have spent my weekend working on reading interminable pages about mosques.
Love,
Jacinthe
Thursday, June 4, 2009
On bugs...
Morocco has a lot. This campus has a lot. You always find them crawling on you, on the wall, on the table, etc.
My favorite (for real, not sarcastically) is the black bee, because they are kind of cool looking (google it) and they don't have stingers. But mostly I like them because they leave me alone.
The creepiest bug here has these two little spikes coming out of its bottom end, so it looks like it has two heads. Even the program director is afraid of them. He told me he's afraid to look them up because it might make him even more freaked out. I totally agree. So I call them the spiky butt bugs.
In terms of nuisance, there are these tiny bugs (gnats, maybe) which like to hang out in my room and which seem to think that the space behind the door in my bathroom (or rather the toilet room, which is attached to the room with the sink and the shower) is the perfect place to go to die.
This weekend I'm going to Volubilis, which is a ruined city. I plan to take pictures.
Learning it up,
Jacinthe
My favorite (for real, not sarcastically) is the black bee, because they are kind of cool looking (google it) and they don't have stingers. But mostly I like them because they leave me alone.
The creepiest bug here has these two little spikes coming out of its bottom end, so it looks like it has two heads. Even the program director is afraid of them. He told me he's afraid to look them up because it might make him even more freaked out. I totally agree. So I call them the spiky butt bugs.
In terms of nuisance, there are these tiny bugs (gnats, maybe) which like to hang out in my room and which seem to think that the space behind the door in my bathroom (or rather the toilet room, which is attached to the room with the sink and the shower) is the perfect place to go to die.
This weekend I'm going to Volubilis, which is a ruined city. I plan to take pictures.
Learning it up,
Jacinthe
Sunday, May 31, 2009
So apparently we have monkeys...
We also have endangered Cyprus trees here. The campus here is the last natural some kind of Cyprus grove. I seem to be attracted to schools with protected trees.
Basically, today was a lot of orientation. We had long lectures on safety (feral dogs!), wildlife (giant toads so fat they can't hop, they have to drag themselves!), food issues, cultural differences, and adaptation. It was really repetitive, made harder by the fact that I had trouble sleeping last night (I got like 5.5 hours).
Today was also the first really sunny, warm day since I've been here, not that I got to be outside for any of it.
Still haven't been able to take out money from the bank. Tomorrow I'm going to town to go into an actual bank to see if that works (the ATMs hate me). Basically, I'm still trying to figure this all out. Also, I keep forgetting to bring my camera with me, so hopefully I'll have some pictures soon.
Battling homesickness,
Jacinthe
Basically, today was a lot of orientation. We had long lectures on safety (feral dogs!), wildlife (giant toads so fat they can't hop, they have to drag themselves!), food issues, cultural differences, and adaptation. It was really repetitive, made harder by the fact that I had trouble sleeping last night (I got like 5.5 hours).
Today was also the first really sunny, warm day since I've been here, not that I got to be outside for any of it.
Still haven't been able to take out money from the bank. Tomorrow I'm going to town to go into an actual bank to see if that works (the ATMs hate me). Basically, I'm still trying to figure this all out. Also, I keep forgetting to bring my camera with me, so hopefully I'll have some pictures soon.
Battling homesickness,
Jacinthe
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Marhaba from Morocco
Hi all
I'm here in Morocco!
Just trying to get set up and such.
My current internet cable is about six inches long, and the internet is really slow, so until I get a longer one (which should be Monday, when the store on campus is open), I wont really be updating. I don't so much love sitting on the floor and waiting for the internet to work.
Love,
Jacinthe
I'm here in Morocco!
Just trying to get set up and such.
My current internet cable is about six inches long, and the internet is really slow, so until I get a longer one (which should be Monday, when the store on campus is open), I wont really be updating. I don't so much love sitting on the floor and waiting for the internet to work.
Love,
Jacinthe
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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