I know it has been a while since my last post. So many things happened since then;
-I never learned how to surf. I spent more time off the board than on it so I came to the conclusion that this is not my sport
-My wifey visiting me in Morocco and our three day trip to the Sahara where I got to discover amazing Moroccan sights such as the DadesGorge, the High and Anti Atlas Mountains, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ait-Ben-Haddounote, and more! (check out the video I put together)
-Sleeping and getting drunk on Rose under the star studded sky in the Sahara desert and then being awaken by a Berber at 3am
-Selfies with camels
- Realizing how painful it is to ride a camel for over 1h
-Learning about leather production (Fez tanneries)
-Getting lost around the streets of The Blue City (Chefchaouen)
-Meeting a Chauen local (who totally riped us off) who appeared in one of Antonio Bandera’s first movies (Bajando al Moro, 1989)
-Being persuaded to sit in a restaurant for a Moroccan tea and in return being offered a free joint
-Sleeping on a mattress with at least 7 blankets on a rooftop terrace with the most amazing views of The Blue City and being awakened by the sunlight and the sound of a rooster
-Hiking over 3h (just one way) to the most beautiful cascades I have visited so far - Cascades d'Akchour
-Being present in the making of traditional Moroccan hash…
I thought this would be an ending to my Moroccan adventure until I got offered a position within a tourism company in Casablanca. After endless thinking of whether I should go with what my heart says or what my head says, I decide to go with my heart and accept the job.
So here I am, in one of the most westernized cities of Morocco. It’s been a month now since I arrived (god time flies!). One of my biggest challenges so far is living in a place that is so heavily influenced by a religion. I do not feel total freedom in a place like this but it is definitely something worthwhile living first hand.
I am learning so many interesting things related to this culture. Today for example I learnt about ANICONISM. It is taught in Islam as being against the creation of living beings. This made me think about Islamic art and realize how all the art I have seen here so far has been either geometric designs, architectural elements, arabesques, calligraphy and everything which is non-photorealistic human forms (like the image below). This is because creating objects that are intended to be false gods is a sin.
Something that shocked me (some of you might already know about this) is that gyms have a specific day and time for men and women. So for example if you feel like working out in the gym on a Tuesday you can’t. Why? Because its men’s day. Or, you can’t work out after 6.45pm on a Thursday. Why? Because it’s time for men only (crazy).
I had my first Arabic lesson today (by one of my German colleagues who is learning it too – very good teacher I have to say and if you think about it a little crazy; a German teaching me Arabic) where I discovered how similar the writing is to our alphabet (even easier to remember if you have a good imagination). Most of the sings are just inversed or turned letters from our alphabet! And…I learned how to write my name in Arabic (this was very exciting).
This is all for now. Hopefully won’t take as long for my next post! – “Inchallah” as they would say here :)
