Only a week left in Morocco

I cannot believe that I have been so negligent towards my blog! I’m sorry! I just get so busy all during the week that I simply forget to write.

For my birthday, I went to Marrakesh with a friend from the consulate and his friends. Marrakesh is about a three hour drive away. My friend’s family has an apartment there and often goes to visit for the weekend. The first night (Friday) we went out to dinner at the most amazing Moroccan restaurant ever. The food was so good.. I had beef tajine with dried apricots. Seriously, I am going to try to introduce tajines to America. That is definitely going to be one of the main things I will miss when I leave. So anyway, dinner was fabulous and afterwards we went out to ring in my 20^th birthday. Afterwards the group went back to the apartment and tried to sleep. The next morning we got up bright and early, had a fabulous Moroccan breakfast, and then spent the day at a water park absorbing the sun and going on those ridiculous water slides. That night after taking a shower and a nap, we went out again where I was treated to dinner, birthday cake, and the club full of people singing me happy birthday. We walked like zombies back to the apartment after that, so tired from the long day and long night. That birthday was one of the best I have ever had. The only thing that could make it perfect was if Natalie had been there! On Sunday we went to the markets where I bought myself a birthday present, and I picked up some gifts for the family. The group reluctantly got into the car after that and we started the roadtrip back to Casablanca and back to work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marrakech

The week following the amazing birthday was uneventful. Work was the same, busy most of the time and stressful. The following Friday I went to Rabat for a newcomer orientation. It gave some background on the Embassy and the functions of most of the offices. The duties of the Embassy are quite different from the consulate and it was interesting to compare the two. In addition, the Embassy has a large compound and a huge American community including the Foreign Service and their families of about 300 people, whereas the Consulate is small and I think I have met everyone, including most of the family members. After the orientation, we went to the touristy sites in Rabat. Like an idiot, I left my camera in Casablanca so I couldn’t take pictures of all the cool stuff, including the very beautiful ancient Islamic ruins. It is on the list to go back again, with a camera.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabat

There is not much news other than this because work is the same and the weekdays are usually uneventful. We have been invited to dinner with many consulate folks so that has become increasingly appreciated. Everyone is so nice and it really has been enjoyable to get to know everyone.

Last week we had our monthly consulate barbeque out on the back patio. It is usually kind of potlucky where people bring things to share and we all just take the afternoon to relax. This time we had meshwee/mechoui/meshwi, which is a huge roasted lamb on a spit that is heavily spiced and oh so good. We also had bastilla, a Moroccan pastry that is, hands down, my favorite thing to eat here. Oh man, I want one right now..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastilla

http://www.fabulousfoods.com/index.php?option=com_resource&controller=article&category_id=18&article=17548

I have been making a mental list of all the things I love about Morocco as I am sure that I will continue adding to the list, here is what I have so far:

1. Food. The traditional food is fabulous (couscous, meshwee, tajine, mint tea, bastilla) but also in Casablanca the accessibility of all restaurant styles is very good. There is a lot of Italian, French, some American, lots of cafes, and cute bakeries and amazing produce. Really, any type of food can be found. This was one aspect of Morocco that I found the most surprising, considering it is a developing country. The other interns and I joke when we see something that is so not third-world, we look at each other and note “this is not a developing country!” At least, not so much in the major cities. I bet out in the country and in the mountains it is a different situation.

2. The produce, which could be part of #1. The produce is beautiful, cheap, and very tasty. Last week I went to the local grocery store and picked up some produce for the consulate barbeque. I made a tomato and cucumber salad. I bought seven tomatoes, three large cucumbers, an onion and two lemons for about 12 dirhams, which is about a dollar and a half. Additionally, after I washed the tomatoes and cut into them, I was astonished to see that each tomato was absolutely perfect; sweet and juicy and perfectly ripe. The same goes for the cucumbers; they were the most perfect cucumbers I have ever seen. When I go back to the genetically engineered produce of America, I know the first thing I will miss is the naturally perfect veggies of Morocco.

3. Taking shoes off as a sign of respect. I love this. Shoes are taken off when entering homes and anywhere else to show respect. If it were up to me, I would make everyone go barefoot all the time.

4. Eating with the hands. It took a little bit of getting used to for me but once you get the hang of it, it is more fun than forks and knives and just overall better.

5. The country as a whole. I haven’t been to a city that I didn’t like and I don’t have a favorite city because I just like them all so much. I love Casablanca because you can find just about anything. Although it is a big city, it feels small to me especially since you can pretty much walk everywhere if you live in the middle. Rabat is simply beautiful and is slower paced and friendly. The countryside is beautiful as well.

6. The weather in Casa in the summer is perfect. We had two overcast days the entire time I have been here. And there has been only one painfully hot day. All the rest have been perfect, bright sunshine, blue sky, slight breeze, and perfect temperature. It is impossible to have a bad time in this city when everyday is this beautiful.

7. The people. I haven’t met a Moroccan that I haven’t liked. They are all super friendly and always happy and welcoming and just great. When I told one of the drivers that I was leaving in a couple weeks he broke into crocodile tears. It was so nice. Some of the other Moroccans that I was talking to about my departure insisted that I switch to a University here in Morocco. Then when I said I couldn’t do that, they said that they would raise money from everyone in the Consulate for my flight back to Morocco next summer. I said if they got me a ticket, I would be back as soon as possible.