A Glimpse of Another Culture

If I have learned anything over my study abroad experience, it’s that I don’t know very much about the world. But this past weekend, I had the opportunity to explore a culture I’ve never experienced before. In Marrakesh, Morocco, you better have a lot of patience as a driver and a lot of nerve as a pedestrian to cross the street.

On one of my adventures, I went with a group to visit the house of an Amazigh family in a small village. There, I learned the grandmother has the final say in this culture. Although she didn’t know any english, my guide lived in the next village over and explained to us the significance of their everyday life. She had cows and chickens in her front yard for milk and eggs. The house itself was made out of clay like material and gourds were hung from the ceiling for decoration. The tables were low to the ground with small stools or pillows for seats.

He then showed us her traditional dresses and, at her permission, she let the women in the group try them on. Every wardrobe is equipped with a dress with silver embroidery and a dress with gold embroidery. Women wear gold embroidered dresses only to weddings as guests. The silver embroidered dress is meant for all other special occasions. Then, she went around and tied a headscarf on our heads so that we were complete. I can’t even describe her smile. She was so happy to share the life she knew with all of us. She looked at each one of us like we were her daughters when she helped us get ready.

Once she was done helping us, she went back to the fire, where she was cooking Khobz (a type of bread) for us to eat. There wasn’t enough room around the table set up for all her guests, so she indicated for me to sit next to her. I was really hesitant at first, because I didn’t quite feel like it was my place to sit there with her, but she kept motioning for me to come over. I sat down and she held my hands while we learned about the tea that this region drinks. It’s a peppermint green tea, but they add many other plants for various reasons. People typically drink it in the mornings or after their siesta, but I saw it served at all times of day over my travels. In order to mix the tea properly, the people pour the tea from about a foot to two feet higher than their glass and pour it back into the pot a few times before serving. The first day I tried this, I got more tea on the table than in my glass, but by the last days here, I was doing much better.

Every once in a while, she would grab more sticks for the fire and I would try and help her. It just felt so nice to be with her. Whenever she was done moving the fire around, she would warm my hands with her own. And they were HOT. I don’t know if she has any feeling left in her fingers because I definitely couldn’t do what she does.

Then, it was time to eat. The bread was served with honey and olive oil from the region, as well as jam from queens. Queens is a fruit that we don’t have here in America. The Jam tasted like cinnamon apple butter, but it was red. When our guide found out we didn’t know what queens was, he went to the kitchen and grabbed some for us. They looked like fuzzy pear/apples.

This adventure was filled with a lot of other new experiences too. Walking up and down the endless markets in Marrakesh is a completely different vibe than the small villages. Their merchandise is beautiful! I bought a scarf and pair of pants myself. However, I do have to preface this. I, as a female traveler, would likely not come to the markets alone. It’s a bartering system here and some shopspeople are very pushy with purchases. Not only that, but when the markets close down and the tourists thin out, it can be dangerous to be caught alone.

Overall, Marrakesh was an eyeopening experience for me. I’ve never been to a country where Arabic was it’s first language. Then Tamazight. Then french. Then possibly english or german. The people live so differently than anything I’ve seen before. If you’re looking for more than foot transit, I would say that motorcycles/bikes were the kings of speedy travel here. For my stay, I had two riads to call home and both were lovely. The first one was actually a donkey stable up until 400 years ago. The second one was a little fancier, but it had the same layout. There was a tiny unheated pool in the center of the square and then rooms lined this tiny courtyard. Both times, they served breakfast on the roof and it was deliciously filling food for a small price.

I couldn’t be more thankful for this experience and everything I’ve learned about myself and about this culture through it. There are so many other places in this world I’ve yet to explore. I guess I’ll just have to wait to see where I end up next.