My First (full) Weekend in Rabat

Since my first day with the Ghazalis, I’ve felt like a member of the family. While they of course give me my own space and private time, they also consistently make sure I’ve had enough to eat and drink, in addition to making sure that I am comfortable in every way. But seriously, not an hour goes by that I am not given a plate of food, whether it be cookies (my favorite are the “OKs”, chocolate with Nescafe inside), leben ma ketfah (yogurt with meatballs), or bibolee (Moroccan oatmeal), and of course, a lot of chubz (bread). They love talking to me about life in America, and I ask a million questions about the rich and exotic culture that engulfs me every minute.

Although some of my friends went to Casablanca today, I decided to stay home with my brothers because I will be traveling to other cities each of the next four weekends. I was happy to get some time to relax with my family, learn their ways, and show them that I was not here just to sightsee, but rather to truly become part of a Moroccan household. I could tell that they appreciated all the time I spent with them and the boys, despite some of the more frustrating language and cultural barriers. Nevertheless, they have treated me so well it’s hard to try to put this weekend into words. I also met Couta’s parents today, an wonderful couple in their late 50s with two daughters living in Montreal. Basically every Moroccan family has residents abroad, which is conveniently the topic of my program. 

On Friday and Saturday, Omar took me to visit many sites in Rabat. I was happy to have him with me because he was able to give me a local’s perspective on Rabat and its history rather than merely a travel guide’s commentary. Also, I didn’t look as much like a tourist! He took me to Casbah Oudayya which is a fortress from the 17th century right on the ocean. Next to Oudayya is Rabat’s new marina and a beautiful beach on the Atlantic. To the north is Salé, Rabat’s “sister city”. It is actually a bit bigger than Rabat and I hope to visit its medina kadima this week. After the marina, Omar took my friend Mike (from Connecticut) and I to the Tour Hasan and Mausoleum of Mohammed V, the most famous attraction in Rabat. The tower is a mosque, however half of it fell during a Spanish earthquake centuries ago. Around the tower are hundreds of unfinished columns, most likely from a previous project of King Mohammed V. When we returned, Ayoub was dying to take me to play Fifa with his friends. I expected to go to one of their houses to play, however, he took me to an “arcade”, which is just a tiny room with a TV and PlayStation and we played 3 games for 10MDh. Oh, what a different life in Morocco!

Me and my brother Omar (17)

Sunday morning, I decided to roam the medina kadima in order to get my bearings as to where our house is and how to best walk to madrassee (my school). Little by little, as I keep passing by the same areas, I’m sure the locals will start to remember me! I took my camera with me and got some of the gorgeous shots of the medina that I’ve wanted to capture since I arrived - the hanoot (small shops), fruits and vegetables, and of course, the unique and very old buildings, doors and architecture. After my walk, my brothers and I sat on our roof for hours, watching the people roam the rue souiqa. I played some American music for them while we played games on my iPad, which they want to do for hours. After, I began combing through the thousands of pictures of my family and friends with my brothers, and they love all the stories I tell. They have so many questions and I make sure I take the time to answer all of them, because just as I have many questions about life in Morocco, they each have as many about life in the United States. I hope they can visit one day, insh’allah (God willing). 

Today is a very special day for me because it is my two anniversary with my habibatee (girlfriend) Hannah. She is my best friend and the most amazing person I’ve ever known, so I feel very lucky to have her in my life, near or far. We talked via videochat today for a while, and in her honor, I had a jus d’avocat for her, her favorite treat when she studied in Rabat 4 years ago. It was beneed b’sef (very delicious). To many more anniversaries, Hannah, insh’allah.