Moroccan Culture Shock

Dad and Josh with Snaaaakes

Today I ventured to a new and extremely different continent – Africa. We took a very quick and easy Ryanair flight from Sevilla to Marrakech, Morocco. The cab ride was fairly normal, although the driver did tether our oversized American suitcases to the trunk with a bungee cord. The driver could not take us down the street he wanted to because it was under construction, so he let us off in a different spot. He told us that our Riad (house-style hotel) was only 200 meters down a straight path. We were doubtful but set off to find it on foot with our suitcases in tow. On the crowded, unpaved streets full of people on motorbikes, I felt completely lost and out of place. Luckily, many people offered to help us, with the hope of getting tips, of course. We let one guy be our guide and followed several meters behind him as he weaved through the crowds of people. After about a 10-minute walk and many twists and turns, we arrived at the Riad Alma. We rang the doorbell, and a worker there let us in. She sat us down and brought us delicious mint tea. Eventually, another guy who barely spoke English showed us places on the map and led us to our rooms. It is a very nice and cozy place with huge beds and cool-looking showers. We settled in for a bit and headed out for quite an adventure.

Big Square

We walked back through the streets and ignored the countless offers to guide us. Not far from our hotel, I spotted my friends from Sevilla who we had also run into at the midnight Christmas Eve mass. How random! We exchanged some stories, and it was great to see familiar faces in such an unfamiliar place. We eventually parted ways and, after getting a bit lost, found the giant market square we were searching for. It sure was exotic! There were men dancing and clapping metal instruments, snake charmers (which I hated), and men holding monkeys. Then there were endless places to eat, buy fresh orange juice, and purchase dried fruits. We wandered around there and into an enclosed market with even more shops with hundreds of items, more spices, and more nuts. It was certainly overwhelming. I’m not sure how anyone can make a decision as to what buy since there are way too many options. I think if each store were open only one day per week, they would make a lot more money and work much less. After the claustrophobia set in, we sat down to eat at the first open air restaurant stand that courted us. We had chicken tangine and delicious cous cous. It was very yummy. When I asked to go to the bathroom, many of the waiters helped me out and pointed me to a café on the corner. One of them gave me 1 dirham to pay to use it. After crossing the path of doom (full of motorbikes, regular bikes, and cars), I walked into the café and looked totally lost. One guy eventually pointed me in the right direction. Another guy in a corner pointed me towards it again. Then I walked downstairs and found two guys waiting for me to pay them to use the restroom. I felt like I was going through a secret business transaction just to go to the bathroom. Everyone was excited for me at the restaurant when I returned safely.

Couscous

On the way home, I had cinnamon and fig flavored ice creams. Mmmm. Then we made the trek home. At one point, we had to cross a very busy intersection with no stop signs or traffic lights. The rest of my family made it across at an opportune moment, but I was stuck stranded on the other side. They were all laughing at me from across the street and were certain I would never make it. I spotted two Moroccan women down the street and stood stealthily behind them. When they started to cross (incredibly calmly, of course), I followed close behind them and used their expertise to guide me. I got across safely and found my mom doubled over with laughter at the sight. My brother had been trying to snap photos the entire time. On another street, some guy said to us, “Riad Alma, right?” He had either remembered where we were staying from the chaos earlier in the day or was a really good guesser. We eventually made it back to the hotel to much relief. Today was one of the biggest culture shocks I’ve ever experienced. Luckily, most people speak some English and I can understand the signs in French. Otherwise, this would be nearly impossible. The next few days will certainly be filled with adventures, and hopefully I’ll snap some great pictures of this out-of-this-world place.