Nothin to see here

We drove east with Janae in search of some gorge hiking. We got to the ZegZel gorge and asked around (in Arabic) for the trailhead. 

Local family: You just want to walk around? Why? Um, there's really nothing to see here ... It's all just the same as this (see pic above).

Us: Yeah! We think this is beautiful! 

Local family: You do?! Weird. ... Hmm, here's what you should do: get back in your car and drive up to the beach - it's beautiful there! 

Us: Let's say we already saw the beach, then where would we find a place to walk around here. Is it this way?

Local family: [blank stares] Honey, there's really nothing to see here, just more of the same. Why don't you just come over to our house and drink some tea?

:)

So we wandered and found a wonderful dry river bed to hike through. It was perfect!! I ❤️ climbing up and over and jumping across big boulders and that's pretty much all there was. It was perfect!

And when we were hot and sweaty enough, we got back in the car and drove up to the beach :)

Breaking the law - Ramadan edition

McDonalds is one of the few restaurants open during the day during Ramadan. That makes sense since most Moroccans are not eating or drinking during daylight hours.

In addition to be a religious duty, Ramadan is also legally obliged for Moroccans. This week, 5 people were arrested in Marrakesh for drinking orange juice during the day. The face 1-6 months in jail.

http://al-bab.com/blog/2015/july/morocco-ramadan.htm#sthash.MQtTj0N6.dpbs

As foreigners, we are not required to keep the fast and we stopped at a McDonalds to cool off and eat something during a (really fun!) road trip last weekend.

My jaw dropped when I saw this big placard next to me at the counter. 

It's a sign that reminds people that it's illegal to eat in public during the day and says McDonalds will not be held accountable for people breaking the law. (Kids, old people, pregnant and breastfeedding women, travelers, and foreigners are not obliged to fast.)

Serious business!

Globalization

Because of its position at the crossroads of Europe and Africa, and the Arab influence in North Africa, Morocco has a ton of different cultural layers.

The indiginous Amazigh people have had all kinds of people come settle in with them. 

The Arabs came over and are now close to half of the population here. The French came down for a shot at colonialization and now French is the main language for business and commerce. They also have a Mediterranean influence with definite cultural similarities to countries like Spain, Greece, and Italy. African migrants are coming to and through Morocco all the time looking for a shot at a better life and are a regular fixture in the big cities.

And of course, as for most of us, globalized media brings in lots of other influences from afar. Moroccan friends here have talked especially about how much they love Turkish and Mexican soap operas and Bollywood films.

Languages
These influences play out in languages too. Even though most (many?) people here speak more than one language, there are all sorts of languages to choose from. 

First the 3 indigenous languages: Tashelheet, Tamazight, and Tarifeet. 

Then the Arabics: Moroccan Arabic (Darija) and Classical/Modern Arabic (mostly used for writing). 

Then the European languages: French (spoken in the central and southern big cities and important for conducting high-level business), Spanish (spoken in the northern cities close to Spain), and English (becoming more important).

So as hard as it is for a foreigner like me to come in and learn a language, you have to make sure you pick the right one(s)!

Here are the Arab and Amazigh (called here Berber) dialects/languages mapped out

And even some Moroccans don't share languages in common. Moha might live in Casablanca and speak Darija and French. Khalid might live up north and speak Tarifeet and Spanish. Both Moroccans, both speak multiple languages. But they cannot understand each other at all.

SO INTERESTING!

Chocolate factory - most delicious field trip ever

Pretty nondescript spot outside of town

The owner is a really funny Belgian guy

Trying our hand at turning circle cutouts into flowers

Chocolate in the molds. They supply several of the upscale chocolate shops across town.

Tasting spread. Wow.

A great group of ladies from AIWA carpooled out to the chocolate factory in Temara. It was delicious! I bought some non-chemical Nutella substitute, which is delicious.

Pre-ramadan party time

Ramadan is coming!

No eating, drinking (even water), or smoking during the day. Especially tough in June and July :/

But after the sun goes down, the parties and feasting begin. I have heard that a lot of people actually gain weight during the month of fasting.

Anyway, the month before Ramadan is called Chabana and I got to go to a really fun all-ladies dance party to celebrate!

We arrived at 5pm and people were already dancing on the tables - which continued throughout almost the whole party - ladies taking their turn or finding a friend and dancing together on the table. Something I love about Moroccans is that they really know how to and love to have a great time! 

These ladies were shaking it! I was super impressed. 

Heather and Janae came with me and we all enjoyed seeing all the incredibly beautiful caftans, dresses, and takshetas around the room. I loooove Moroccan dresses and this was a feast of color.

We danced and laughed and ate and talked and I loved it!

No more weird baby names

Before I moved to Morocco, I used to work at School Choice Ohio, where my fabulous colleagues and I would contact and call lots and lots of parents around the state to tell them about the options they have for their children's education. Apart from the great conversations and sharing great information, during the calling downtime, we would share incredulously some of the most crazy names of the kids we had heard during the day. 

I wish I could remember some of them, but suffice to say that we had quite a few conversations about whether parents should be allowed to name their kids some of these crazy names.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that in Morocco parents actually aren't allowed to name their kids crazy things! If what I've heard is true, there is a list of approved names for parents to choose from. 

And this article shows that Morocco is not alone! Lots of countries have requirements about baby names: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/07/03/mf.baby.naming.laws/

Kind of invasive into people's private lives, but helpful for some in the next generation?

Super powers

One of Ezra's many secret abilities is taking huge bites of corn dogs