Morocco by night

Its my second to last night and i unexpectedly went out with my host mom and sister.  I decided to go out at night with them because i wanted to experience ramadan at night since all my friends have been going out late the last couple weeks with their host families.  My host sister told me we were going to a ladies house for her to get fitted for jellabas but it turned into a night around the city. Nothing comes as a surprise to me anymore,  Moroccan time is a way of life here. Just go with the flow! We drove for about forty minutes, beautiful cool weather!  Then we stopped at a shopping mall where my host mom bought kitchen supplies. Its so interesting to experience shopping here. Its not our Walmart or target. The store is filled with products that look like they haven't been regulated or certified as safe. The shopping center was filled mostly with women and children. At night during Ramadan a lot of the men sit at cafés.  Its really rare to see woman sitting there, especially alone. The cafes remind me of mens clubs. All of them have fun lights and are super modern because they are like "u.s bars", the place to be at night since alcohol is forbidden in Islam. There are also alot of families out, playing in the park and street. Its so awesome to experience the days reversed.  People sleep in the day and go out at night. Im so glad i decided to go with my host mom and sister so i could experience Ramadan by night!

Going to miss my neighborhood walks!

Marrakech Souk

Marrakech

Marrakech is Morocco's third largest city after Casablanca and Rabat. We visited ruined palaces, tomb sites, the Aguedal Gardens, Dar Si Said Museum, Koutoubia Mosque and the SOUKS. The Marrakech souks are by far my favorite of all the cities in Morocco. They are full of bright colors, friendly merchants, fresh squeezed orange juice, scarves, shoes, pastries, cafes, lanterns, jewelery, locals and tourists. Although Marrakech is a bit more touristy than other cities it was such a fun city. The souk was so cool all lit up at night with shop lights, lanterns, and snake charmers. 

Breakfast

Spotted Twitter Birds

Street Scene

Lawrence of Arabia Home. Currently under rennovation. 

Fire Place

Bags

Casablanca

Built over the ocean

Hassan 2 Mosque

Ablutions

Hammam

Casablanca, the "New York City" of Morocco was our first stop Saturday morning. We visited the Hassan  2nd Mosque. It can accommodate 25,000 people and is the second largest relgious building in the world after the mosque in Mecca. Two thirds of it is built over the sea. As I walked up to the mosque and while I was inside it, I could feel the spiritual energy. I felt so insignificant next to something so grand and holy. Upon entering, we took off our shoes and our mouths dropped. The tour guide was explaining the significance in all the strategic placement of certain things and the symbolism behind everything. Walking inside, I was just imagining what it looked like when it was full of people praying on the large carpet and listening to them pray. That would be such a cool experience. Below the mosque is a Hammam which is where men and woman go to cleanse themselves, it's like a sauna and everyone in Morocco raves about it. I still have yet to go before I leave. Also, I apologize for any grammatical errors in any of my blog posts. I have to write them really quick because I don't have much time with a computer!

Ramadan Kareem

رمضان كريم 
Pronunciation: Ramadan Kareem 
Translation: "have a generous Ramadan" This phrase is used to wish others happiness during the holy month of Ramadan. I've been saying "Ramadan Kareem" to my host family, taxi drivers, and staff at my school. At first, I was a little bit nervous about being in Morocco during Ramadan because of the food situation and other things people warned me about. In reality though, I'm loving it more than pre Ramadan. It reminds me of Christmas in the United States. It's the big holiday of the year with good food, family and charitable moods. The only difference is that the religion is more ritual in praying and more public with it since the majority of the population is Muslim. I want to give you a taste of a typical day in Ramadan because it's so different than anything else. You hear call of prayer five times a day in each city, television shows are dedicated to Ramadan during the month (History specials, comedy skits, soap operas) , businesses close during the day especially cafes and restaurants. Women dress more modestly if they didn't already during the month out of respect and prayer is frequently spoken aloud. You should avoid eating/drinking in public if you are not fasting because it is considered rude to those who are. Every night I usually get home an hour before Ftour (Breakfast to break fast or "dinner".) My host Mom and sister are in the kitchen preparing the meal which is usually the same staple dishes every night. Then call of prayer goes off at about 7:30 and my host Mom and sister pray right in front of the dinner table. They break fast first though usually by eating a date and drinking some milk before they pray. My host Dad, brother and I begin to eat silently and wait to talk after they are finished praying. My host Mom and sister go to the Mosque every night during Ramadan, they wear beautiful jillabas and hijabs before they leave the house. My host Mom is nothing but accomodating, even though she is exhausted from fasting she still wakes up every morning and puts out my breakfast for me. I'm so honored to be able to share this experience with my host family and be able to understand the spirtitual practices behind Ramadan. It's really a cool feeling to understand something from personal experience, not from reading it in a book or from word of mouth. It has given me a whole new perspective on Islam and the month of Ramadan. 

Globals Generation

Great podcast/article I came across. So interesting and something I'm noticing among my generation. Listen to if you can, super short.

http://www.npr.org/2012/07/10/156463825/globals-generation-focuses-on-experience