Morocco !

I haven't blogged in quite a while but the weekend I had definitely calls for it. But first I suppose i'll catch you up on life since I last posted. My semester here in Spain is coming to a close and it's definitely bittersweet. For the past week or two, I have been incredibly busy preparing for the end of school and my return home; presentations, projects, exams, paperwork the usual. But I haven't been too busy to enjoy the remainder of my time abroad. Last weekend my roommate and I traveled to Sevilla to visit a friend of hers. It was absolutely incredible. Hot ! but incredible nonetheless. While there, we traveled to the nearby province of Cordoba. Both Sevilla and Cordoba reminded me of all the reasons I love Spain. The weather is absolutely beautiful this time of year (it hasn't gotten super hot for the summer yet) and the cities themselves are filled with so much history, it would truly blow your mind. To say that I enjoyed my time there would be a gross understatement. I even got to eat some American food (Subway and Dominoes) and words cannot express my contentment. You never realize how much you like something until you're forced to go a short lifetime without it. This past weekend, Klara and I traveled to Morocco, a small country on the coast of Africa and I must say, it was definitely a different world... If asked to describe Morocco, I don't even know where i'd begin. It's dirty and incredibly poor and NO ONEEEE knows how to drive (I mean they have cars but obviously the actual capacity to correctly operate one isnt a requirement to have a driver's license) Por ejemplo, my first experience in Tangier was witnessing a man on a bike get hit by a car and have not a single person stop to help him. It was awful but I digress. As I was saying, Morocco was definitely something but what most resonated with me is how rich it is in its culture. It seemed to be a mix of African, Indian and the middle east all rolled up together. Tangier provided with quite a few memorable experiences both good and bad. I should start by saying that Moroccan men love black women and love to prey on tourists even more. The day Klara and I arrived we began walking around the city but we didn't very far before we were approached by a man who proceeded to show us around the lower city of Tangier. It was interesting, he took us beyond all the primary tourist areas into the reality of Tangier where children go to school, teens go to hang out, women go to pray, etc.  He even took us to his brothers shop where his family sells one of a kind rugs, jewelry and tapestry; a staple of the Islamic culture. I find their culture more interesting than most. Before coming here I would speculate regarding their culture and practices based on what I would see on tv or the minimal encounters i'd had with Islamic students I went to school with but even so, going to Tangier provided me with a very different view than the one i'd held previously. The degree to which they hold the virtue of respect is like nothing I've ever seen and certainly beyond anything that my country is capable of  sadly but that begets a separate issue, you learn to take the good with the bad anywhere you go. At any rate, I was utterly fascinate by the fact that in a city full of ogling and howling me, when accompanied by a man of Morocco, not a tour guide, but a man they truly identify as one of their own, the most they would do is stare and occasionally compliment him on how pretty you are. But the second there's a considerable amount of difference between the two of you, you're fair game. I also noticed that Abdul would greet nearly every man we crossed paths with and occasionally elderly women but never women or girls. The next day was just as interesting. Abdul hailed a taxi for us and took us to the beach to ride the camels and the Hercules caves on the coast of Africa. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and even found myself on an adventure or two but that's a story for another time. I am so incredibly grateful for the knowledge I gained and the experiences that the trip afforded me but I will say I doubt ill ever go back lol

 
SN: Moroccan men are very attractive (well many of them are) but I could never handle the world/ culture that they live in. No better or worse than my own, just different. But I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading