Morocco: Rabat, Chefchaouen (Days Three and Four)

Day three started with the same thin pancake crepes that we had been served every day since arriving in Morocco. We said goodbye to our host families and started the drive to Chefchaouen. Along the way we stopped at a giant outdoor Mosque that was unfinished from hundreds of years ago. I would provide you with more information on this awesome site but I can't due to the fact that my guide was a complete moron. Harsh, probably but when I asked her a question about this site she told me she couldn't provide me an answer because it wasn't provided on her notecard. Anyways, along the way we also stopped at a mountain village that reminded me so much of Miraflor, Nicaragua it was absurd. This mountain village was completely isolated and different from what we had seen in Rabat or other parts of Morocco. We learned about the cultural differences between the city and rural families and ate some more couscous. After lunch we went to the mountainside to see an amazingly beautiful view. Of course, my camera died just when we got to the top but the feeling of that quiet serenity was something that a picture would have failed to capture anyway.

I split from the group and walked off to sit on the mountain alone and just think. It was in that moment that I realized that my happiest times are always when I can hear nothing but the distant sounds of wind. My mind imagines the commotion in New York City or Hong Kong in that moment and I can't help but smile. It is no wonder that the village people told us that they had no desire to ever leave the mountain... a concept that seemed silly to me until I sat alone with my thoughts and the sound of silence.

Around 6PM we arrived in Chefchaouen, an amazing city filled with blue buildings, narrow cobblestone uneven streets, and friendly Moroccans. We were able to wander around for about three hours before dinner. Most of the group bought jewelry and other memorabilia from the outside markets. I didn't really feel the need to buy anything, for whatever reason, so just walked around and enjoyed the vibrant aqua scenery. A bunch of us got henna as well which, although was advertised to last 6 weeks, has already almost completely faded... THANK GOD. The henna looked much better under the candlelight but I got black ink instead of brown (rookie mistake). It looked like a blind toddler drew on me (in the picture it looks cool, I know).

After dinner the group got together and had a reflection about all we had learned since being in Morocco. While most commented on the poverty in the mountains or the culture shock I couldn't help but not feel the same reaction. Is it a good or bad thing that the sight of extreme poverty has become normalized for me? When they saw the bathrooms some girls refused to go in and I was thankful that there were no maggots crawling in the hole like there were in Nicaragua. I could only reflect upon how I had to constantly remind myself that I was no longer in South America. It was a constant struggle to keep in mind that I was in Morocco... in Africa. The comfort I feel when I am in those secluded areas makes me think that Peace Corps wouldn't be such a bad idea after college.